Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Residents have no objections to radios for fire department

From: Marcelrf <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2004 22:20:28 -0500

Residents have no objections to radios for fire department

By JEFF MILL , Middletown Press Staff

03/25/2004

PORTLAND -- An ambitious plan to revamp the fire department’s emergency
radio system will be included on the agenda of the Financial Town
Meeting.

A public hearing on the plan was held Wednesday, and no objections were
raised to the program, which is being largely funded by a federal grant.

The fire department was awarded a $264,000 grant by the Federal
Emergency Management Agency. The grant application was prepared by two
fire officers, Captain Bruce Thivierge and Lieutenant James Coughlin.
The FEMA grant is split 90-10, meaning the town’s share of the project
amounts to $26,479.

The grant will be used to install a repeater system; Coughlin said the
repeater system should eliminate "dead spots" in town and improve
communications, and thus improve the safety of firefighters and
residents.

"In certain areas of town (mostly on the eastern part of town), there
are certain areas where there is poor communication," Coughlin
explained. Those "dead spots" are generally caused by geography and
geology, he explained.

Just how many repeaters the department will install depends on the cost;
Coughlin said fire officials would like to install between three and
five of the repeaters, whichare small units that boost a radio signal
Coughlin said the department had considered four or five projects; after
they attended a class on grant applications held by FEMA, Coughlin said,
"We kind of tailored our request and the community’s needs," to better
meet FEMA requirements.

Wednesday’s public hearing followed an earlier approval of the project
by the Board of Selectmen.
During that meeting, the fire department representatives received a
waiver from the selectmen that will enable the town to tie in to a
communications system that, Coughlin explained, "was put into place some
time ago in Middletown."
"The (communication) system was designed with the intent that it would
(ultimately) be put into Portland," Coughlin said. But, because a
company under contract to Middletown set up the system, the city
insisted Portland use the same contractor to avoid confusion and the
chance of miscommunication.

When the department representatives went before the selectmen earlier
this month, they were greeted enthusiastically: "Thank you for getting
so much money!" Selectwoman Cynthia Varricchio told them.

Coughlin said fire officials are already working on another $125,000
grant for next year.
To contact Jeff Mill, call (860)347-3331 ext. 221 or email
[email-masked].

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=11175096&BRD=1645&PAG=461&dept_id=33198&rfi=6

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