POTTSVILLE -- New radios will soon be in the hands of the 110 volunteer fire departments in Schuylkill County.
County commissioners signed a $5 million lease to upgrade the county's communication system among police, EMS, and fire departments.
The new radios will be encrypted, which means police and fire scanners that many Schuylkill County residents listen to won't be the same.
"The regular scanner listeners won't be able to hear it. However, there is a portion of it that still remains analog, but it's not completely going away," said Scott Krater, the director of Schuylkill County 911.
Officials said one reason for that is safety. Not only for the officers responding, but for the public.
"Somebody gets taken to the hospital who lives by themselves, all of a sudden their house is vacant. Listen on a scanner and you know it's 123 Main Street. Mrs. Smith isn't there anymore? I'm going to go rob her house," said Krater.
Some residents think that's a little far-fetched.
"I think the criminals would probably leave before they get there so I'm sure it's still a good thing to keep people abreast of what's going on," said Raedell Foster of Pottsville.
Many residents said they do agree that they want to keep the firefighters in the county safe, but they also said they think there's another way to be able to keep the public informed too.
"They have their own telephones and they have their own ways to communicate. They don't need to block out the elderly people who listen to it for entertainment or knowledge," said Norman Bensinger of Pottsville.
Residents also said that if that $5 million lease is eventually put on the taxpayers, they should be able to at least listen to what's going on.
"Absolutely I do, I think for our own protection," said Foster.
However, emergency officials in Schuylkill County said they aren't trying to hide anything, saying if people still want information there are other ways of getting it.
"You can continue to listen or get information on Twitter, on Firewire, on any number of social media sites," said Krater.
The County plans to have the new radio system up and running by the end of 2015.