Council approves new emergency radios

The Olney City Council voted to spend about $342,000 of the remaining grant funds from the American Rescue Plan Act [ARPA] on emergency radios for the police, fire and public works departments to facilitate better communication during emergencies.

Police Chief Dan Birbeck told the Council at its March 18 meeting that the city departments did a comprehensive assessment of their situation after the Campbell Ranch fire last summer.

“We had a lot of trouble communicating back and forth between departments,” he said. “We had a lot of trouble in the Campbell Fire communicating interagency. This will cover all of their trucks and personnel, spare batteries, and makes us interoperable with the [Texas Department of Public Safety] and [Texas Division of Emergency Management],” he said.

The radios are costly because one car radio alone costs $10,000, and accessories such as chargers and microphones add to the cost.

The proposed purchase leaves the City with about $215,000 in ARPA funds, which must be obligated by the end of 2024 and spent by the end of 2026.