The Higginsville Fire Protection District was awarded almost $90,000 in grant funding to update the department’s radio communications.
The project is phase three of a radio project to upgrade critical emergency communication tools for the Missouri StateWide Interoperability Network (MOSWIN). Higginsville Fire was officially awarded $88,175.92 to purchase ten portable radios and four mobile radios with repeaters. Fire Chief Ashley Page says the radios will help his department better communicate and coordinate with surrounding agencies.
Page says the need to upgrade the radios became evident when Higginsville firefighters were unable to patch into other systems when they were called to help contain the wildfire that struck the Wooldridge area in October 2022.
The funds were awarded by the Region A Regional Homeland Security Oversight Committee, which serves the counties of Bates, Benton, Carroll, Henry, Johnson, Lafayette, Pettis, and Saline. A total of $123,390.83 was awarded to seven projects in the region, as follows:
| Agency | Funds Awarded | Items To Be Purchased |
|---|---|---|
| Sedalia-Pettis County Emergency Management Agency | $3710.00 | Salamander badging system renewal |
| Saline County Emergency Management Agency | $3152.00 | Generator load testing |
| Johnson County Emergency Management Agency | $5410.00 | Salamander badging system renewal |
| Saline County Emergency Management Agency | $1960.00 | Salamander badging system renewal |
| City of Odessa | $36,534.88 | Eight Portable Radios with accessories |
| Higginsville Fire Protection District | $88,175.92 | Four mobile radios with installation Four repeaters with installation Ten portable radios with chargers |
| Cole Camp Ambulance District | *$27,794.91 | Two mobile radios with installation One consolette with installation |
*Cole Camp Ambulance had requested $75,186.90 for additional radio equipment.