Shelby Fire Department to go Digital

Currently, the fire departments communicates by using cable and TV lines, which Fire Chief Gene Shepherd said is an antiquated way to communicate

“It’s really not a safe and secure way to do business,” said Shepherd, who added that there is not enough bandwidth to handle the stations call levels.

The new fiber optics will reduce TV and phone bills by several hundred dollars a month, according to Shepherd.

AMComm Telecommunications Inc., of White Lake Township, was awarded the contract and will complete the project for a total of $213,000.

Trustee Doug Wozniak said the fiber optics will not be installed for at least another year because work has to be done by Detroit Energy before AmComm Telecommunications Inc. can begin installing the fiber optics.