SAULT STE. MARIE — The Sault Ste. Marie Fire Department is one of several local departments that will be receiving grant funding for needed communications upgrades.
For several years, local fire departments have not had the budget to upgrade to better radios. A majority of other local agencies, like police and dispatch, use 800 MHz, P25, Phase 2 portable radios. However, the radios used by the fire departments operate on a different system.
This means that firefighters have to carry around multiple radios or lose some amount of communications with other departments, law enforcement agencies or dispatch.
“Right now, our fire department and other surrounding departments are the only agencies that aren’t utilizing this,” said city manager Brian Chapman at the Sept. 3 Sault City Commission meeting. “Any radio communications with even our local police department have to be handled through a different system. We actually have staff walking around with two radios.”
The city commission approved a grant to purchase new radios. The $6,000 radios are expected to improve communications with all other agencies and save on future costs.
As part of the FEMA sponsored Assistance to Firefighter Grant Program, departments in Bay Mills, Sugar Island, Pickford, Dafter and Kinross will also receive some grant funding for new radios.
The grant provides $666,100 from FEMA, with a match of $59,100 from participating local agencies, and $14,000 from the City of Sault Ste. Marie. This will purchase about 22 portable radios.
Subscribe: Get unlimited access to our coverage
The commissioners also accepted a grant of $45,500 from the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity to ensure that every firefighter in the Sault department will be able to have two uniforms at any one time.
Having two uniforms at a time means the firefighter is able to take the time to properly clean and perform maintenance for their uniform while also having one ready to wear when needed. Having two sets at a time is the National Fire Protection Association standard.
This grant equals the purchasing cost of four new sets of uniforms.
— Contact Brendan Wiesner: BWiesner@Sooeveningnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Sault News: Grant funding supports new radios, uniforms for Sault firefighters