WZC Networking Marks 20 Years of Radio Coverage

Two Decades of Emergency Responder Coverage

WZC Networking marked its 20th anniversary this year, reflecting two decades of designing, installing, and testing the in-building radio systems that keep firefighters and EMS crews connected when they move inside a structure. According to a report by PR Newswire M&A published on Monday, Oct. 5, 2026, when a radio goes silent inside a building, a crew loses contact with command at the moment communication matters most. That is the exact gap the firm was built to close in Novi, Michigan.

In 2006, RF engineer John Wierzgac founded WZC around an uncomplicated truth: concrete and steel might block a fire, but they should not choke out a distress call. Twenty years later, WZC has become Michigan's benchmark for Emergency Responder Communication Enhancement Systems, known as ERCES, and Public Safety DAS. The company does not sit back and wait for signal drops to expose a blind spot. Instead, teams pull up a chair with developers, fire chiefs, and inspectors long before the first antenna hits the roof, wiring absolute reliability directly into the blueprint.

Corewell Health and Clawson Manor Deployments

Buildings have radically evolved since 2006. Thick concrete and low-E glass save energy, but they block radio signals, creating dead zones in stairwells, basements, and interior corridors where portable radios lose contact with the outside. Where a building cannot meet the coverage thresholds required under NFPA 1225 and IFC Section 510, as adopted locally, an ERCES is required. Days before the Corewell Health Endoscopy Center was set to open, acceptance testing identified insufficient in-building radio coverage, putting the fire marshal sign-off and the facility certificate of occupancy at risk.

The Christman Group brought in WZC Networking to resolve the issue. The team designed a compliant solution, expedited equipment procurement, and produced documented test results that satisfied the fire marshal and supported the issuance of a temporary certificate of occupancy. Similar challenges arose at Clawson Manor Co-op, a 15-story senior living complex where energy-efficient glazing and heavy exterior cladding severely attenuated public safety radio frequencies. A WZC survey found that only 51 percent of the property met required signal thresholds, and in egress corridors that figure dropped to just 34 percent.

WZC engineered and installed a signal booster and distributed antenna system sized for the building envelope. On re-test, the property passed in 100 percent of tested grid areas, exceeding required thresholds. Clawson Fire Department Battalion Chief and Fire Marshal John Ruthenbeck stated that the city was more than satisfied with the design and installation, as well as the professional service provided to residents and emergency agencies.

Ongoing Maintenance and Compliance Standards

WZC makes one point clear to owners and facility managers: an ERCES is not finished at commissioning. NFPA 1225 requires ongoing inspection and testing of these systems, covering donor signal, amplifier gain, alarm reporting, and battery backup performance, along with periodic verification of in-building coverage. Buildings and the RF environment around them change over time, and a system that passed when it was commissioned may not perform the same way years later. Responsibility for maintaining that compliance sits with the building owner.

Earlier this year, WZC hosted fire chiefs and fire marshals for an open workshop on ERCES field conditions, focused on education rather than a product pitch. Chief Operating Officer Nate Wierzgac noted that most buildings are never designed with radio coverage in mind, meaning the issue often surfaces at the end of a project when it is expensive to fix. From a Novi startup to a multi-state partner, WZC Networking continues to expand its practice of ensuring that emergency calls carry across every floor, mirroring broader technological investments seen across infrastructure markets such as AI infrastructure company Cornelis raises capital to challenge Nvidia's networking dominance and real estate portfolio shifts detailed when Blackstone marks down a pair of office funds after a slow marketing process.