Hidalgo County has started to see the benefits of more than $3 million in state funding to enhance communication for emergency responders in the region that includes the rugged Boot Heel and remote stretches of borderland.
"It gets a little nerve-racking when they go out of cell service or radio service where there's not contact. For the sake of all responders we're trying to improve that communications," said Scott Richins, emergency manager for Hidalgo County.
Richins said funding for digital radios that improve coverage and clarity is critical considering the distance from the county's offices in Lordsburg to remote locations.
"It's a two to two and a half hour drive, depending on which corner of the county you want to get to. A lot of that is dirt road. Some of that is ranch road," he said.