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Committee approves $78,050 transfer to replace outdated portable fire radios
Summary
The finance committee approved a transfer of $78,050 from school capital outlay to the fire department to replace portable radios that are no longer supported; the chief said the department must move to the P25 standard to qualify for communications grants and to remain interoperable.
The Holyoke City Finance Committee approved a $78,050 transfer from school capital outlay to the fire department to replace portable radios that the chief said are no longer supported and are incompatible with recommended public-safety radio standards.
The fire chief told the committee the current radios operate on a DMR network and are not compliant with the P25 standard recommended for public safety. "We can't talk to other fire departments when we go to their cities, because we're not on that band," the chief said. He said repairs are costly (about $750 on average per repair) and that replacement units, including licensing, were priced in the staff discussion at roughly $6,200 per unit.
Councilors pressed on repair costs and unit pricing; the chief said replacement radios typically include a transmission license and likely come with a warranty. Committee members agreed the replacement was a public-safety priority rather than a cosmetic expense and approved the transfer on a roll-call vote.
The chief also said being on P25 is necessary to qualify for certain state communications grants; moving to P25 should improve interoperability with neighboring departments and eligibility for grant funding.
Committee members asked staff to follow procurement and warranty procedures and to return with formal quotes as the department moves to implement the replacement plan.
