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Lawmakers hear bipartisan push to fund statewide radios for volunteer fire departments (LB25, LB62)
Summary
Senators Beau Ballard and Tom Brandt and multiple volunteer chiefs urged the Appropriations Committee to fund radios and matching grants so volunteer fire departments can join the statewide radio system. Testimony described dangerous mutual-aid incidents in which responders could not communicate because departments used different frequencies; kit
Senators Beau Ballard and Tom Brandt asked the Appropriations Committee to fund equipment and grants to improve radio interoperability for Nebraska’s volunteer fire departments. Ballard introduced LB25, a 1:1 local matching grant proposal to help counties and fire districts buy and install radios and related equipment. Brandt’s LB62 would appropriate $19 million from the General Fund for fiscal 2025–26 to the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) for the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) to expand the Statewide Radio System (SRS) kits to volunteer departments.
Senator Ballard said the bills respond to practical safety failures. “The bill mitigates interoperable operational issues and appropriates additional dollars to Nebraska public…
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