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Council hears public-safety reports; borough told radios will need replacement after county frequency change
Summary
Fire, police and EMS leaders briefed the council on staffing, equipment and operations. Officials said the county’s planned radio migration will make many current radios obsolete and cited a $477,094.25 quote to replace 36 portable and 7 mobile units; EMS reported rising call volumes and plans for additional infrastructure.
Council members heard detailed public-safety updates from local department leaders, who described equipment needs, staffing challenges and increasing call volumes.
Speaker 3 provided a police strategic-plan update, saying community policing has expanded but cannot be maintained full time because of hiring and training shortfalls. He said fleet costs and maintenance have been high in recent years and that the department will address staffing levels in future budget proposals. He also noted the emergency-operations plan is waiting for final state recertification.
Speaker 8 (thanked in the meeting as “Seth”) gave the fire department’s report and outlined procurement needs. He said the borough purchased three mobile radios for $81,512.41 and that a vendor quote to acquire the remaining 36 portable and 7 mobile radios is $477,094.25 under a state contract. He said the county is transitioning radio systems to 700/800 MHz and that current radios will be unable to operate on the new county system once the swap occurs.
Council members and staff discussed options for older radios, including donation or sale, and funding paths such as grants (the Assistance to Firefighters Grant, AFG, was named) or county financing. Council members asked about timelines; a county migration date mentioned in the meeting was Jan. 1, 2026.
Speaker 7 summarized EMS and emergency-management work. He said the borough expanded EMS coverage from five to seven days and added an extra five-hour shift in June to match call volumes. Cumulative figures were reported with some corrections during remarks: for the period July 2023–July 2024 the speaker cited 854 calls; year-to-date figures given were 1,445 requests for service and 1,183 calls answered. Speaker 7 described mutual-aid arrangements and said transport billings help the service generate revenue. He said the borough is planning a voter measure in 2025 to add a third EMS building and that the department is pursuing grants for equipment such as stretcher auto-loaders.
The council did not take a final capital-approval vote on radio purchases at this meeting. Several speakers asked staff to pursue grant opportunities and coordinate with the county on timing and interoperability.
The meeting’s next procedural steps included follow-up budget planning and grant applications; speakers said they would return with cost estimates and grant-application plans.
