Lewis County Communications is set to receive $22,580 from the Washington State Military Department in order to address issues in the radio system used to dispatch fire personnel and other first responders. The money comes from the State Homeland Security Grant Program and is available through August of 2023.
Currently, the county relies on two main radio frequencies to dispatch first responders. A tone is sent over one of those frequencies to activate fire stations. This opens up the possibility of getting “toned over,” 911 Communications
Administrator Scott Smitherman said. If first responders are speaking through the frequencies, the tone will override them, disrupting important communications.
“If our firefighters are out there, we don’t want to be toning over what could potentially be a very hazardous situation for them,” Smitherman said.