Warren County Emergency Management received a $419,000 grant Thursday to purchase new radio equipment for local volunteer fire departments.
Director Jason Hillis said the department applied for the Emergency Communications Community Development Block Grant to help the county pay for a new radio system. Hillis said shifting systems will help Emergency Services provide faster response times and communicate more effectively.
“River systems, which hit some of the most rural corner of our county,” Hillis said. “Being able to communicate their locations and what kind of support is needed for those people that may be getting rescued off of the water, is vital.”
Hillis said the Tennessee Advanced Communications Network will allow for EMS workers to communicate through handheld radios over greater distances. Hillis said the grant will pay for new handheld radios for the volunteer fire departments the area.
“It costs a lot to run a volunteer fire department, and then we come up with a brand new radio system that they need to comply with and integrate with,” Hillis said. “Then it becomes extremely expensive for them, so we applied for this grant.”
Hillis said the old system has needed to be replaced, as they had been using it for decades. Hillis said plans had been in place to upgrade the county system, then the state offered a system that integrated state systems.
Hillis said this can help county emergency services receive help from state departments when faced with large-scale emergencies.
“If you can’t get clear communication, that’s a challenge itself,” Hillis said.
Hillis said the costs for up-to-date technology can be high.