SUTTONS BAY -- Mike Murray was in his first week as superintendent of Suttons Bay Public Schools almost two years ago when he heard about a bus accident on the north side of the district.
The rural, hilly area blocked cell phone reception at the accident scene, and calls had to be made about a third of a mile down the road. The district also didn't have a central radio system to connect with school administrators and county dispatchers.
"I know the importance of having everyone being able to communicate with the first responders," Murray said. "Any kind of emergency plan has to have that communication."
Suttons Bay is one of several schools in Leelanau County to receive mobile and handheld radios from the county this fall, funded through a $50,000 grant from the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians.
The radios can be used within a school, between districts, to reach buses and to contact 911, said Tom Skowronski, Leelanau County's director of emergency management.
Most of the system's use so far has been for daily operations, Skowronski said, including during fire or lockdown drills.
But the system was tested this fall when staff at The Leelanau School, a private school in Glen Arbor, made a medical emergency call from a soccer field. A student also ran back to the school for a cell phone to report the incident, but nearly five minutes elapsed between calls.
"We were able to actually measure the success on that one," he said.
The county wants to add more radios to the system, Skowronski said, but more funding is needed. Grant money to expand the system will be sought next summer.
Traverse City Area Public Schools has used a radio system for about eight years, said Rod Lowes, the district's director of energy, environment and safety.
It's mostly used for daily operations and for secondary communication when, for example, a playground attendant needs to contact the office about an injured student, Lowes said.
"If the phones are down, it becomes our primary means," he said. "It's there when we need it."
Suttons Bay now has 14 radios, including some the district purchased. They were given to school secretaries, principals, bus drivers and the bus garage.
The district coordinates busing with some neighboring schools to cut costs, Murray said, and the radio system will make it easier to arrange meeting times in inclement weather.
"Just like any emergency system, you want to have it just in case," he said. "But you hope to never have to use it."
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