Vicksburg and Warren County have made a smart move by joining together and participating in the state’s Mississippi Wireless Information Network, better known as MSWIN.

“This is a proactive approach for this board, and a good project between the city and county. It’s going to benefit the citizens of Warren County to finally get this done,” South Ward Alderman Willis Thompson said.

The move does two things. It allows both the city and county to replace and upgrade their aging radio systems, which are 20 years old and no longer repairable, and provides the capability to communicate with other agencies across the state, a major advantage in times of disasters, when other agencies are called to help with law enforcement or emergency medical assistance in the event of a disaster.

“We’ve been planning and discussing back and forth with the county about what to do with our radio system,” city IT specialist Bill Ford said. “Our equipment is 20 years old now. We’ve had trouble keeping it going.”

Under the system, the city’s police, fire and city departments will all get new radio systems along with the Warren County Sheriff’s Office and county road crews. The Vicksburg-Warren 911 Communications Center will get an upgrade that will allow them to better communicate with first responders. And, according to city communications officials, an increased number of towers in adjacent counties available through the new system should help eliminate dead areas, areas in the county where local radios have been unable to operate.

Ford said the key city vehicles, like ambulances, will also receive mobile repeaters, a system that wll allow medics to use their vehicle radios, which provide a stronger signal than portable radios.

The MSWIN program was developed after Hurricane Katrina, when agencies from other cities and counties helping officials in the coastal counties recover from the storm had problems communicating with each other.

Communication between agencies during disasters or even when a fugitive is on the run from authorities is crucial to ensure everyone is in touch with the latest information and can rush help to an area as needed.

The state’s decision to establish a statewide system was a necessary and smart move to ensure the safety of all residents in Mississippi. The city’s and the county’s decision is a smart move for our area.