Labette County commissioners on Monday heard about a portable repeater that could improve radio communication for rural firefighters. Firefighters have struggled in certain areas of the county to reach the 800 megahertz tower in the center of the county with 2-watt handheld radios. The county received a grant to purchase for firefighters 100 handheld radios programmed to the state’s 800 radio system. The grant brought in $212,500, and the local match will be $37,500. Many fire departments haven’t updated their 800 MHz radios since 2012. Charlie Morse, the county’s emergency management director, brought in two L3Harris radios for testing in the county.
Source: Parsons Sun
