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Read comments (4)Axe informed the commissioners that he has received confirmation that Greene County would be receiving a $228,000 Public Safety Interoperability Grant from the Indiana Department of Homeland Security. It will assist with the purchase of remote and console 800-megahertz radios that will be used by area law enforcement departments.
The money will be used to purchase mobile radios for the various county police departments and additionally the city of Linton police department and the Emergency Management Agency office will receive console type base units with the grant funds.
He stressed that there is no reimbursement or match money required with this grant
"This is free money," Axe said.
The EMS director also said the grants will enhance the ability of the various law enforcement agencies to communicate with each other.
"This is going to expand our capabilities. Law enforcement needs this because the (Indiana) State Police are already using 800 megahertz," Axe said.
"In these hard (economic) times, free money is always good."
Any chance the county could get some more of that "Free Money" to get the Courthouse Clock lit?
It's hard to see it if you stagger out of Aggies after dark....
EMS- Emergency Medical Service
EMA- Emergency Management Agency
The radios are vital to the communication of police,EMS,EMA,fire and other agencies. in the event of a disaster (natural or man made) the radios that are used now are not a stand alone system, the 800 Mhz is. If the power goes out there is no way for different agencies to communicate. No mitigation of hazards, no preparation, no reponse, no recovery. Even cell service could be affected, not to mention some of the more remote area's of Greene County, which have no cell service and spotty radio coverage at best. The 800 mhz system is expensive, but what if it's your house the flood waters,tornado, etc is in the line of?
FEMA is geared toward an "All Hazards Approach",
that is what we need to be prepared for.
All Hazards
First lesson in any Econ class..."There's no such thing as a free lunch." We have already paid the taxes so we better get some of the money back.
Mr. Axe needs to rethink his statement about free money, it's been my experience that there is no such thing as free money. Seems to me that the $228,000.00 is yours and my tax dollars. If it was mine to spend I sure wouldn't spend it on radios. What could we do in Greene County with a spare $228,000.00? I can think of several worthwhile projects, but then maybe I just don't understand the danger we're in from Mr. Bush's evil doers.