PictureGFC Ranger Josh Smith and Chief Ranger Matt Rymer lightweight Harris Radio packs for faster, safer communications on wildfires.
We’ve all been there: having an important conversation on the phone when the connection vanishes completely. It’s frustrating enough to deal with these first world problems on a normal day. Yet when vital communications are in progress — say on an escalating wildfire — they can be downright dangerous.

The Georgia Forestry Commission relies on dependable communications, and its tech team had been documenting communication challenges in the field. Radio relay towers statewide were “aging out” and becoming increasingly expensive to repair or replace. System modernization was needed, but the corresponding price tag seemed out of reach.

Hurricane Michael’s trek across southwest Georgia in 2018 was a big wakeup call. The communication system received heavy damage and 18 tower sites were deemed condemned. “It was written on the wall then,” said Georgia Forestry Commission (GFC) Information Technology Director Trey Spivey. “It would’ve cost $12 million just to fix those towers.”

Enter COVID, when the supply chain was disrupted and getting parts became near impossible. However, as recovery
ensued and Georgia’s economy improved, opportunities opened up. The GFC was challenged to present ideas that would “move the needle” to take the agency, and the state, forward.

AN EYE TOWARD THE FUTURE

Another state agency’s success solving their own communications challenges inspired GFC’s IT team to explore the “Harris Radio System.” The Long Term Evolution (LTE) cell tower-based communication system created by Southern Linc a decade earlier was being used by the Georgia State Patrol (GSP), to glowing reviews. But could anything that advanced get approved for forestry? “I was very skeptical for many reasons,” said Kelly Towe, GFC’s radio system manager.

“The first was funding. The second was utilization of the LTE technology into our everyday communication needs. And would it work where we needed it?”

LTE technology relies on cell phone technology and its towers. GFC had always relied on Land-Mobile Radio (LMR) technology. It utilizes two-way radio or walkie-talkie voice communications on licensed radio frequencies. Messaging is transmitted through repeater towers to a base station. Towe said Georgia’s terrain and distance limitations to those towers were becoming problematic for LMR, in addition to the increasingly expensive maintenance costs.
PictureDuring Hurricane Helene, an aging 100’ Emanuel Co. tower was destroyed when its guyed wires were struck by a falling tree.
By late 2023, GFC’s tech team had learned much more about the LTE system — and how it was performing for the GSP.

It was an impressive demonstration of function and future possibilities, and it happened during a perfect storm with state funding opportunities that had the potential to truly grow GFC by leaps and bounds. The first quotes were received in September, and by March of ’24, meetings with Southern Linc and radio manufacturer L3Harris were held.

Arrangements were made for Towe, Spivey and GFC Lead Technician Roy Fortenberry to conduct a number of tests with GSP equipment to see the Harris system in action.

BLENDING THE OLD WITH THE NEW
Trials took place across the state. The radios were used in known trouble spots, including the Okefenokee Swamp
area and the north Georgia mountains.

Skepticism gave way to tentative enthusiasm. Southern Linc provided steadfast guidance. “I went into this project with the idea that we were not going to be successful,” said Towe. “I have never been so happy to be proven wrong!”

While the word “teamwork” may be bordering on cliché these days, there is no other way to describe how the next phases of the Harris project came to life. The GFC IT group was solidly backing the Harris Radio System as their “move the needle” solution to the agency’s communication challenges. It would be married with the traditional LMR system so both could be accessed instantly. A major added benefit would be interoperability with other state agencies during times of emergency. The Georgia State Patrol, Department of Natural Resources, Department of Agriculture, Georgia Bureau of Investigation and other state agencies would now be just a button-push away.
PictureGFC’s Kelly Towe loads programming onto a handheld Harris Radio.
‘During the summer of ’24, equipment rollout and field training were in progress.

GFC dispatchers were liking what they saw and heard. The Harris radios were “two systems in one”: LTE and the timetested LMR.

“Blending the old with the new has been the biggest pain point, but everybody’s taking it in stride,” said GFC Response Center Supervisor Ashlee Booth. “Radio traffic is so clear, it’s like they’re standing next to you!” At the Macon Central Response Center, two sizable new “Catalyst” consoles accommodating the new technology were installed.

Booth said she “asked a lot of questions” of the Catalyst support team. Together they worked through an expected learning curve with both dispatch and GFC field employees.

Only a few new radios had been placed in South Georgia when Mother Nature hurled out its own big test on September 26. Her name was Helene.

TRIAL BY DEVASTATION

Hurricane Helene proved to be a catastrophic storm. Initial path projections were off, and resources were repositioned to more hard-hit areas to the east. GFC chainsaw crews immediately began clearing roads and helping with rescue operations. In the end, Helene left an estimated $6.46 billion in economic losses to Georgia’s agriculture and forestry industries.

One positive story that emerged, however, was the successful performance of GFC’s new radio system. By utilizing Southern Linc LTE network towers that remained standing, vital communications made it through the devastation.

“This put to reality what we’d been told,” said Spivey. “Verizon and AT&T are still on crutches in that area. Southern Linc did suffer damage, but you wouldn’t know it. Hurricane Helene’s timing was bad, but it was good to see the potential of the system.”

Spivey said Southern Linc has many tools that can be utilized in disturbed areas, including a specialized antenna balloon that can be raised if needed. The company has become a vital partner in GFC’s emergency response network.

Praise for their fast and efficient customer service is unanimous.

“We could never have internally supported this kind of initiative,” Spivey said. “It’s almost like they work for us! It’s guaranteed us continuous communication that we’ve needed for years.”

Towe echoed that appreciation, saying the system enhances situational awareness of fire activity and personnel conditions and needs. Users appreciate its versatility and have warmed up to the LTE talk group channels instead of repeaters. Currently, 13 fire talk groups are being utilized statewide, enabling faster, local reaction to immediate needs.

“It works really great,” said Jason Squires, GFC Region 5 area fire management officer. “There are plenty of channels. And it’s very helpful when we have to start shifting equipment and getting people to where they need to be.”

Region 4 Manager David Brown is especially enthusiastic about the system’s reliability and sound quality. “Things are real clear. Everyone appreciates that.”

Today, GFC’s new radio system is getting a good workout. Five hundred “mobiles” and 500 “portables” are now being utilized. Forest rangers carry them and every management forester has a cell phone loaded with the Harris Radio app.

Everyone acknowledges that change is difficult, but the sooner we tackle it the more comfortable we become. And the verdict is clear: for fires, weather emergencies and consistent communications, the new Harris Radio system wins, hands down.

Said Spivey, “These radios are just as important as keys to the tractor!” ■
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Stasia Kelly is a media relations specialist with the Georgia Forestry Commission. She is focused on telling the story of forestry and exploring the immense impact of the industry on Georgia’s environment, economy and heritage.