HILLSBOROUGH: Grants to fund radio upgrade for firefighters

By Audrey Levine, Staff Writer
   The township’s fire district accepted a $230,400 grant Friday to purchase radios that will help firefighters maintain better communication during emergencies.
   Rep. Leonard Lance, R-7th, presented the Hillsborough Township Fire District with the Federal Emergency Management Agency Fire Safety Grant from the United States Homeland Security Department in a press conference at Fire Company No. 3, on Woods Road.
   The grant was presented through the 2008 Assistance to Firefighters Grant program.
   ”Hillsborough firefighters dedicate their lives to serving and protecting our community, and we owe them our gratitude,” Rep. Lance said in a release. “These important federal funds will ensure that Hillsborough’s responders have the right resources to carry out their important jobs in keeping our community safe.”
   Also present at the press conference were several officials with the district and fire companies, Mayor Frank DelCore, Committeeman Anthony Ferrera and Somerset County Freeholders Rick Fontana and Jack Ciattarelli.
   According to Fire Commissioner and Company No. 3 member Ken Wetzel — who organized the grant application — the money will be used to purchase 80 ultrahigh band portable radios to be distributed among the three different companies in Hillsborough’s district with a total of about 130 volunteers.
   ”This will allow the district to use the county’s ultrahigh band frequency system,” he said Monday. “We will get greater coverage in Hillsborough.”
   Currently, Mr. Wetzel said, the township uses a high band radio system that is maintained by the township. With that, he said, there are certain areas in town “where there is limited communication.”
   Fire Company No. 3 Chief Tim Coyle said there are some “dead spots” throughout the township with buildings made of concrete or steel, among other issues that interfere with the service.
   ”It is hard to transmission in those areas to the command vehicle,” he said. “When we lose communication, things can go wrong.”
   In addition, Mr. Wetzel said, by tapping into the county’s communication system, the township will be on par with other surrounding companies that have done the same thing in the past years.
   Now that the grant money has been allocated to the township, Mr. Wetzel said, the district can gather the information to purchase the radios and go out to public bid. He said he is assuming the process will be complete, and the district will have the radios within about three to six months.
   ”We should have them by the end of this year or before,” he said.
   In order to apply for the grant, Mr. Wetzel said, the district put together an application in April 2008 detailing the need for the radios and how they would improve operations for the district, thereby improving safety in the township. Notification of the grant money awarded to the township was given in January.
   ”We are in competition with other companies across the country,” he said. This is the second year in a row the township has received this FEMA grant, Mr. Wetzel said. It received $330,000 in 2007 to replace the district’s breathing apparatuses.