The SouthtownStar has an article about new radios for several area fire departments:

High-tech radios bought with grant money for 10 Southland fire departments are expected to help better coordinate personnel and perhaps save the lives of firefighters.

More than $710,000 awarded from a grant proposal written by former Orland Park Fire Protection District Chief Bryant Krizik helped secure the radios. Each of the departments was expected to chip in 20 percent of the cost, which represents a huge savings for smaller departments that have difficulty upgrading equipment because of the cost.

The state-of-the-art Motorola radios come with computer software that allows commanders on the scene of a fire to better keep tabs on firefighters especially in potentially life-threatening situations. A huge challenge for many fire departments in smaller communities is replacing aging equipment.

“With recent budget restraints, we’ve had to use radios from all over the place,” Midlothian Fire Chief Stephen Hotwagner said.  Before the grant, firefighters from Midlothian were resorting to making purchases from eBay to replace outdated radios. Midlothian kicked in about $16,000 for the new models, which amounts to a fraction of what it would have paid without the grant.

Midlothian is hoping to get $150,000 in grant money to buy an ambulance after recently bringing emergency medical service back in-house.

The APX 7000 XE radios are the first of their kind for Motorola. The electronics company had never built a model specifically for fire departments. Designed for an extreme environment, the new, bright-green radios are outfitted with larger knobs for gloved firefighters and a waterproof case. It also features a large, orange button that, when pushed, signals a “mayday” call to all radios that cuts over any voice communications.

thanks Dennis

Tags: fire departments receive grant for new radios, Midlothian Fire Chief Stephen Hotwagner, Midlothian Fire Department, Motorola APX 7000 XE, Orland Park Fire Protection District, Orland Park Fire Protection District Chief Bryant Krizik