Grants make CCEMS radio upgrades possible

With the help of the Coshocton Foundation, Coshocton County EMS was able to upgrade its radio communication system.

CCEMS was one of the first public safety agencies in Coshocton County to move to the Ohio Multi-Agency Radio Communication System. MARCS is a radio system that allows EMS, fire and law-enforcement agencies across Ohio to communicate with each other on a common radio channel when working together during a major incident or disaster. MARCS also provides these agencies with a radio system that allows their units to remain in radio contact anywhere in Ohio.

Due to aging technology creating security issues a few years ago, the State of Ohio required all agencies using the MARCS network to upgrade their radio software by the end of 2025. Because CCEMS has used the MARCS system for many years, most of its radios were at least 14 years old and could not be upgraded with the new software. This meant they had to replace 18 radios at a cost of more than $80,000.

The Coshocton Foundation provided a total of $42,121.95 toward the MARCS radio upgrade. Combined with additional grant funding secured through the Ohio EMS grant system, CCEMS radios are ready for the system upgrade scheduled to happen at the start of 2026.