Reliable communications are the backbone of public safety operations. Emergency responders depend on resilient radio networks to coordinate during natural disasters, large-scale incidents, and day-to-day emergency response. Ensuring these networks deliver consistent coverage across complex environments is a critical challenge for public safety agencies.
The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) recently selected HTZ Communications to support the planning and optimisation of its radio network. Following a competitive evaluation process, CalOES chose HTZ over competing solutions, recognising both the software's flexibility and its ability to work across multiple technologies within a single project, as well as ATDI’s strong commitment to customer support.
For public safety networks operating across California’s diverse geography, accurate modelling is essential. Using HTZ Communications, engineers were able to calculate radio coverage across highly challenging terrain and environmental conditions. The network includes sites located at significantly different elevations, ranging from relatively low-altitude installations to mountaintop stations exceeding 1,800 metres. These variations create complex propagation conditions that must be carefully analysed to ensure reliable communications.
Frequency management was another critical aspect of the project. With a limited number of available channels, careful channel reuse was required to ensure that stations with line-of-sight paths were not assigned the same frequencies, preventing harmful interference. The network also had to comply with strict technical requirements, including rules governing intermodulation products and specific channel-spacing constraints.
HTZ Communications enabled the engineering team to account for all these factors during the planning process. By combining advanced modelling capabilities with flexible engineering tools, HTZ helped identify optimal frequency assignments and deliver the most effective overall network design.
For organisations operating mission-critical communications networks, flexibility, accuracy, and expert support are essential. CalOES’s decision reflects the importance of working with technology and partners that understand the demands of public safety communications and can deliver reliable solutions when they matter most.
