Randy McCreadie walks into Mercy Health — Fairfield Hospital with more confidence, thanks to you. The deputy fire chief for the City of Fairfield knows his teams will be able to communicate clearly from the ER to the upper floors. That wasn’t always the case.

“For years, our portable radios struggled to work inside the hospital,” McCreadie says. “Concrete and steel blocked the signal. In a few areas, communication was poor or non-existent.”

Paramedics in the field depend on consistent, open lines of communication. The lack of coverage didn’t impact emergency patient care, but it did delay paramedics from receiving new dispatch calls when inside the structure. Studies of radio coverage confirmed gaps within the hospital building. Your gift filled those gaps with clear radio signals from basement to roof thanks to a new bi-directional amplifier (BDA) system.

“Now our crews can receive calls immediately while they’re in the ER,”McCreadie says.

“As soon as they transfer care, they’re available for the next run. That improves response times and the level of service we provide to our community.”

The impact is even greater during critical incidents. During a recent active assailant drill, first responders communicated seamlessly from upper floors to the command post below. The BDA improved coordination, triage and patient movement.

“This was a multi-year effort and a significant investment,” McCreadie says. “To our donors, thank you. Your generosity strengthens safety not only for Fairfield, but for every community that depends on this hospital.”