Ala. gets $13 million for radio system
DHS to hand out $900M for public safety communications nationwide
By DAVID WHITE
Birmingham News
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The state Department of Homeland Security has until December 2010 to spend $13.6 million in federal money on the first phase of a radio system big enough to serve hundreds of state and local emergency responders such as law officers, firefighters, medics and emergency management officials.
"The bottom line is to be able to more effectively save lives and save property, and to really enhance the safety of the first responders who are trying to do that," department communications officer Art Faulkner said Monday.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, working with other federal agencies, plans to hand out as much as $968.4 million nationwide to help states and territories improve public safety communication during disasters, according to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Friday approved the Alabama department's plan for spending $13.6 million of that money, Faulkner said. Alabama is one of just 20 states so far that have had spending plans approved, he said. The federal department will reimburse Alabama as the state spends money for equipment and installation.
Faulkner said the state department plans to use the money for a first phase state system, which will involve installing and linking radios in each of the operations centers run by the 67 county emergency management agencies and in the state Emergency Management Agency headquarters near Clanton.
Faulkner said he didn't know yet how long that would take or what brand of radio would be bought.
The first phase should use up the $13.6 million or come close to it, Faulkner said.
After the backbone of the statewide system is installed, he said state and local emergency responders would be able to connect to it. Many state and local officials now use different radio systems, Faulkner said. They can be patched together, but connections often take time and use a human operator.
Developing a state system should make direct communication much quicker and easier between emergency responders everywhere, Faulkner said.
Copyright 2008 The Birmingham News
By DAVID WHITE
Birmingham News
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The state Department of Homeland Security has until December 2010 to spend $13.6 million in federal money on the first phase of a radio system big enough to serve hundreds of state and local emergency responders such as law officers, firefighters, medics and emergency management officials.
"The bottom line is to be able to more effectively save lives and save property, and to really enhance the safety of the first responders who are trying to do that," department communications officer Art Faulkner said Monday.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, working with other federal agencies, plans to hand out as much as $968.4 million nationwide to help states and territories improve public safety communication during disasters, according to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Friday approved the Alabama department's plan for spending $13.6 million of that money, Faulkner said. Alabama is one of just 20 states so far that have had spending plans approved, he said. The federal department will reimburse Alabama as the state spends money for equipment and installation.
Faulkner said the state department plans to use the money for a first phase state system, which will involve installing and linking radios in each of the operations centers run by the 67 county emergency management agencies and in the state Emergency Management Agency headquarters near Clanton.
Faulkner said he didn't know yet how long that would take or what brand of radio would be bought.
The first phase should use up the $13.6 million or come close to it, Faulkner said.
After the backbone of the statewide system is installed, he said state and local emergency responders would be able to connect to it. Many state and local officials now use different radio systems, Faulkner said. They can be patched together, but connections often take time and use a human operator.
Developing a state system should make direct communication much quicker and easier between emergency responders everywhere, Faulkner said.
Copyright 2008 The Birmingham News
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