The Borough of Woodbine has made application to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development for funding for $33,750 to buy dual-band radios for the Woodbine Volunteer Fire Department (WVFD).
According to a release, most fire departments, including Woodbine, are using VHF radios, which do not conform to the nationally-recognized safety standard of 700 MHz radios. To gradually convert from VHF to the 700MHz system, the only option available to ensure interoperability is to purchase dual-band radios.
These radios will allow firefighters to effectively communicate with dispatch, fellow firefighters/first responders and other departments on scene, thus leading to greater communication safety.
The challenge is being able to afford the dual-band radios which have an average cost of $6,500 per radio.