Communications Support Division

PS CSD

The Public Safety Communications Support Division (CSD) is the provider of public safety radio communications for all Public Safety agencies in the County of Burlington. CSD has an infrastructure of seventeen county wide radio tower sites, with their attendant equipment and buildings. When CSD was created all of the responsibilities for the radio systems were consolidated. Its responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

RADIO

  • Manage all Federal Communications Commission (FCC) licensing and registration of all County radio frequencies, owned towers and facilities
  • Manage the day-to-day operations of all radio systems
  • Ensure proper access and operations of the County Department of Public Safety 500 MHz radio system by Burlington County - Central Communications Dispatch Center, Department of Public Safety, Sheriff’s Department, Department of Public Works, Highway Department, Engineering, Emergency Management Division, Prosecutors Office, Emergency Services Training Center, Fire Marshalls Office, Fire Police, Special Services Schools, County Colleges, Corrections Department, Jails and Detention Centers, all municipal paid and volunteer Fire Companies, First Aid Squads, Emergency Medical Services, Local OEM Agencies, State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies, and the New Jersey State Fire Service
    • This includes over 5,000 subscriber radio units and a system with close to 8,000 ID’s including all radio consoles.
  • Ensure proper operation of the VHF Fire Dispatch paging systems. A system that stores all paging tones and currently can activate all Fire, EMS and Emergency Management agencies county wide.
  • Procurement of radios, electronic equipment, systems and upgrades
  • Maintenance and trouble shooting of all radio systems, microwave networks, subscriber units, towers, site facilities including distribution, installation, and control
  • Manage and program all network, systems, and subscriber unit programming
  • Provides technical support to all public safety agencies including 24/7 response for radio system, dispatch center and radio network maintenance

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

CSD also provides administrative and 9-1-1 emergency telecommunications for the Dept. of Public Safety, County 911 Central Communications Center (PSAP), Office of Emergency Management, Firearms Training and the Forensic Science Laboratory. We are responsible for investigating all telecommunications complaints. This includes up-grades, system enhancements, telecom administration, analyzing and maintaining 9-1-1, PBX, ACD, voicemail and ancillary systems. The PSAP has recorders which record both incoming and outgoing telephone calls (both 9-1-1 lines and administrative lines) and the radio system. CSD is responsible for the wireline matrix circuit, signal levels, and all equipment that supply signals to the recorder demarcation point.

EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS SUPPORT

Emergency Communications Support (ECS) is an element within the Public Safety Communications Support Division. The CSD staff is comprised of trained and certified Emergency Communications Support personnel including, but not limited to, US Office Homeland Security (OHS) trained, State and County approved Communications Unit Leaders (COML), Communications Unit Technicians (COMT), FCC commercial radio licensed operators, FCC licensed amateur radio operators, Incident Command, Interoperable Communications, and Emergency Support Function (ESF) #2. CSD ECS staff performs many functions and skills for the County, Region, OEM, Law Enforcement, Health, and Emergency First Responders.

CSD Emergency Communications Support operates a variety of emergency communications equipment that includes a Cell on Wheels (COW) tower trailer/shelter, an Emergency Communications Response Vehicle (ECRV), portable generators, three Highway Advisory Radio (HAR) trailers, four Variable Message Sign Board (VMS) trailers, radio interoperability gateways, and strategically located caches of portable radios. This equipment is exercised and utilized for planned, emergency and disaster events.

Support the Emergency Management Division, Public Safety and the operation of government agencies by maintaining continuity of information, public safety radio, radio interoperability, telecommunication infrastructure equipment and other technical resources. The ALERT Warning and Communications emergency communications notification and warning system as described in Emergency Support Function (ESF) # 2.

HOMELAND SECURITY AUX COMM UNIT- ARES - RACES

The CSD manages the Counties OHS Auxiliary Communications (Aux Comm), the Burlington County Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) and Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES). This is an organized unit of trained, FCC licensed volunteer Amateur Radio operators dedicated to providing back-up, auxiliary emergency communications services and support to the Burlington County Emergency Management Division during exercises, drills, public service events, widespread health emergencies, and or disaster situations. This may consist of deploying operators to the Emergency Operations Center, Emergency or Special Needs Shelters, Tactical First in Teams, Hospitals, US Weather Service or other locations that may need communications. Support is also provided to local, county and state agencies including State of New Jersey Office of Emergency Management, and federal agencies including National Weather Service, and FEMA during disasters and other emergencies. ARES - RACES also work with our county and local Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program, to teach Communications and to encourage CERT members to become ham radio operators to assist their CERT teams with communications.

COMMUNICATIONS INTEROPERABILITY

The Public Safety CSD is a member of and supports the State of New Jersey Public Safety Interoperable Communications (PSIC), Tactical Incident Communications Plan (TICP), COML & COMT Working Groups, Interoperable Communications Working Group (ICWG) and coordinate’s communications for the State Office of Emergency Management (OEM), State Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness (OHSP) and PSIC for the Delaware River Region. CSD is also a member of and supports the Southeast Pennsylvania Regional Task Force (SEPA RTF), Southeast Pennsylvania ICWG, Southeast Pennsylvania TICP and the SECOM radio communications network.

John Kafka - Division Supervisor