In Florida, Martin County School District (MCSD) facilities often double as storm shelters due to frequent hurricanes in the region. This makes it challenging for radio frequencies (RF) to penetrate the heavy metal and concrete walls. As a solution, MCSD is working with Advanced RF Technologies, Inc. (ADRF) and Communications International (Ci) to bring ubiquitous public safety and LTE connectivity to first responders, faculty, and students at two of its 25 schools: South Fork High School and Crystal Lake Elementary.
ADRF is a provider of pure-play distributed antenna systems (DAS) and repeaters, and Ci is a systems integrator specializing in the design and implementation of critical communications networks.
The new emergency responder communication enhancement systems (ERCES) and LTE network systems provided by ADRF and installed by Ci ensures strong RF signals are brought indoors to every area of the schools including stairwells, elevators, and basements. In addition, the LTE systems will provide redundancy for other connected school safety measures currently running on WiFi, including the silent panic buttons in classrooms, autonomous emergency doors, and the surveillance camera network.
“We are committed to investing the resources necessary to protect children, our most precious resource,” said Frank Frangella, Chief of Safety & Security at MCSD. “Critical communication systems are essential for our districts’ police officers, firefighters, and EMTs to communicate effectively during emergency situations and ultimately save lives. South Fork and Crystal Lake Elementary are the first two schools to receive dedicated cellular connectivity networks, with plans for additional schools underway.”
“Critical communication systems are essential for our districts’ police officers, firefighters, and EMTs to communicate effectively during emergency situations and ultimately save lives.”
— Frank Frangella,
Chief of Safety & Security, MCSD
The ERCES and LTE is built on ADRF’s ADXV distributed antenna system (DAS) and supports the pertinent public safety bands (including FirstNet Band 14) as well as commercial frequencies for AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. It is one of the first commercial and public safety converged network deployments in Florida, where public safety and commercial LTE bands share the same infrastructure in accordance with the NFPA 1225 standards, including UL 2524, second edition.
“Every second counts in times of crisis, and there are severe consequences if students and faculty can’t call 911 or first responders are unable to coordinate on-premises,” said Joe Ioco, Vice President of Business Development, In-Building Wireless Division at Ci. “This integration ensures comprehensive signal coverage throughout buildings, enhancing both security and peace of mind for students, faculty, and the district at large. And by leveraging ADRF’s innovative converged technology we were able to deploy public safety and commercial systems within a single infrastructure to reduce costs, improve installation efficiency, and minimize disruptions to school activities.”
“We are thrilled to support Martin County School District and our longtime partner Communications International in providing the equipment to keep first responders, faculty and students connected,” said Jim Lilienfeld, Sr. Regional Manager at ADRF. “Our modular ADXV DAS ensures Martin County schools can support their needs today and easily upgrade the system should they want or need to add RF bands to the system in the future.”
