Improved coverage for STT

With more than 812,000 hectares of forest estate under management, Sustainable Timber Tasmania (STT) continues to demonstrate its commitment to supporting businesses, jobs, and communities across Tasmania.

But did you know that STT is also one of Tasmania’s key firefighting agencies? More than 74% of their workforce are trained firefighters and support fire management activities!

From Arthur River, across to Scamander, down to the Hartz Mountains, STT employees work in some of the most remote locations in Tasmania, which is challenging when it comes to communicating. Mobile phone or radio communications are often unreliable in those remote areas, hence the desire to convert all radio communications to the TasGRN.

Recently, the STT team have been testing the new Motorola handsets in the field, and the results have been impressive. Last week, a team member broke down in the Snow Hill area, approximately 40km inland from Bicheno and known for its poor radio coverage. However, they had the new equipment with them, and their call for assistance to a colleague in Geeveston was “clear as a bell”.

And while the clarity of the transmissions has been the focus of most of the trial feedback, coverage has also been noted as being vastly improved, specifically in areas where mobile phone coverage is unavailable. Team members have been able to use the new radio handsets to place private calls to mobile phones, which is a welcomed upgrade, as sometimes calls via radios are not intended for everyone to hear.

With field testing continuing, the STT team is looking forward to discovering more ways the TasGRN will improve communication with colleagues.