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Regional responders ask Senate for $2.25 million pilot to shore up emergency communications
Summary
Witnesses from Central Vermont told the Senate Committee on Government Operations that decades-old radio infrastructure and interoperability gaps left the region vulnerable during the 2023 floods, and urged the committee to preserve a $2.25 million appropriation in H.935 to pilot a modern P25 public-safety communications system.
The Senate Committee on Government Operations heard from regional emergency responders who urged lawmakers to preserve money in H.935 to fund a pilot public-safety communications system for Central Vermont.
"Three of the eight main towers were compromised for 72 hours," Joseph Allsworth, deputy chief and EMS and deputy emergency management director for Barre and president of Capital Fire Mutual Aid, said in a prepared statement to the committee. Allsworth said that temporary tower outages during the 2023 floods nearly cut off critical communications and that incremental fixes are no longer sufficient.
Keith Cubbins, emergency management and transportation planner at the Central Vermont Regional Planning Commission, told the committee the Public Safety Communications Task Force has developed a base model and that Central Vermont is "shovel-ready" to host a pilot. Cubbins said the bill text (section 12) contemplates $2.25 million for initial costs and five years of software licensing fees to operate such a system.
Why it matters: witnesses said the region's terrain, aging towers and incompatible systems used by various law enforcement and public-safety agencies create routine gaps in coverage and create risks during major incidents. Allsworth said local investments of about $1.2 million in the Barre–Montpelier area were not enough to address longer-term needs.
Allsworth described a proposed solution built on P25 digital technology intended to be resilient, scalable and compatible with future statewide systems. "This isn't just about solving a local issue, it's about creating a model that can support a broader statewide approach to emergency communications," he said, asking the committee for support to secure funds identified by Senator Perchlick.
Committee members asked how many towns the project would cover and how the appropriation is structured. Witnesses said the project footprint includes all towns in Washington County (about 20) plus three in Lamoille County and that Capital Fire Mutual Aid and Vermont EMS District 6 together represent about 33 municipalities across Washington and Orange Counties, reaching as far as Randolph and potentially Chelsea. The witnesses said the $2.25 million appears in the Department of Public Safety budget (carryover from earlier appropriations) and is currently part of FY26 budget deliberations.
On funding and governance, witnesses said federal grant opportunities have been limited and that the region has pursued multiple avenues. Allsworth described a capital-replacement approach, under which towns are assessed annually to build a fund for future equipment replacement. He and other witnesses urged legislative support to avoid leaving the system in a costly patchwork.
No formal vote or committee action was recorded in the transcript. Committee members said they would consult with the chair of Senate Appropriations about distribution if the appropriation remains in the budget and noted the appropriation would still face a potential gubernatorial veto and conference committee review.
The committee adjourned after the witnesses thanked members for their time and offered to assist further in technical and governance discussions.
