New radios may help responders
By BENJAMIN C. SHARP news@leader-news.com

It's a slow and expensive process, but upgrading the radios of Wharton County's emergency response agencies is considered critical for the future.

By getting the area's fire, police and EMS departments on the same frequency now used by larger metropolitan entities, coordination on a major disaster should go off without a hitch, said Andy Kirkland, the county's emergency management coordinator.

Things wouldn't go that smoothly now.

Wharton County currently uses a 150 megahertz VHF radio system. Agencies in Harris and Fort Bend counties rely upon an incompatible 700- 800 megahertz system.

Efforts have begun to move Wharton and the 12 other counties within the Houston Galveston Area Council to the 700-800 system, Kirkland said. Plans are to have everyone up and running by 2015, he said.

"We would have common radio frequencies. What they're really trying to build is a regional system," he said.

Small steps have already been taken here. The Wharton and El Campo police departments, for example, recently purchased new consoles that will accommodate the higher frequencies. Kirkland said Depart- of Homeland Security grants covered the costs.

A new radio tower is also planned for the Department of Public Safety station in Pierce. Kirkland said local agencies will be able to utilize it when they upgrade their system.

Grant funds are crucial considering the costs associated with such improvements. Portable radios for the Wharton Volunteer Fire Department, for instance, would cost between $2,500 and $5,000 each.

"You must have one for each person riding in the (fire) truck and ideally for every person on the scene," Wharton Fire Chief Anthony Abbott said.

When the county goes to the 700-800 megahertz, "all the radios we have now will be obsolete."

Kirkland hopes federal grants will continue to be offered as the changeover takes place. If area agencies had to cover these costs, they'd be looking at a $1.28 million price tag, he said.

"We're trying to get into position to do that without going broke," he said.