During the 9/11 crisis, police and fire departments in New York City and Washington D.C. learned of the deadly consequences in communications breakdowns.

Now wireless communication between emergency responders throughout Indiana and Illinois operates on a network designed by Motorola. In Northwest Indiana and the south suburbs of Illinois, Motorola relies on Miner Electronics to install and maintain equipment and software to keep those lines of communication open.

Miner Electronics' association with two-way radios and Motorola began in 1954. By 1960, the founders, Harold E. Miner and his son Jack, decided the company should focus on the public safety and business applications for two-way radios. Today, Miner is a top-ranked provider of Motorola products and services and represents many of the cutting edge manufacturers of industrial and public safety electronic equipment in the world, owners there say.

Wireless technology goes beyond cell phones, Miner officials say.

"Wireless systems allow computers at Community Hospital, for example, to talk to computers at St. Mary Medical Center without a phone line," said Bill Dow, president of Miner Electronics in Munster and Joliet.

Wireless systems installed and maintained by Miner Electronics also connect police, fire departments and ambulance services via redundant dispatch centers located throughout the area. If one dispatch center goes down, another instantly picks up the response, Dow said.

Most of company's business involves selling, installing and maintaining equipment in emergency vehicles such as squad cars, ambulances and K-9 unit cars for police and sheriffs' departments from Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties in Indiana and the seven collar counties in Illinois, including Cook.

Miner's nationally certified technicians install such equipment as radios, light bars, sirens, dashboard cameras and computer equipment in emergency vehicles. They also install and update computer software.

The company also works with Illinois Homeland Security, the IRS and the DEA. Miner Electronics' 2,000 clients include area steel mills, railroads and utility companies, Dow said.

"Motorola has designated us the number one dealer in the U.S.," Dow said. "We are a Certified Service Center and won the Motostar 2008 Excellence Award."