Penn. Gov. Recommends $25 Million For Local First Responders

Governor Edward G. Rendell has announced recommendations for more than $25 million in federal grants to help state and local first responders better communicate and coordinate with the public during natural or man-made disasters.
Governor Rendell said the recommendations are an integral part of allocating funding from the U.S. departments of Commerce and Homeland Security to Pennsylvania's statewide plan for public safety interoperable communications.

"When disasters strike, we want our first responders to have the best tools available," Governor Rendell said. "Allocating these grants to our firefighters, police officers and emergency responders will help them communicate most effectively in the minutes that matter most."

The grants are subject to final approval by the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

If approved, the investments would help local public safety agencies acquire and use communications systems that enhance first responders' efforts to communicate with one another, and the public, via voice, data and/or video signals. 

The funding would also support Pennsylvania's overall interoperability plan, which includes investing in advanced technologies, improving spectrum efficiency and using cost-effective measures like shared infrastructure to leverage existing investments.

Pennsylvania is taking an all-hazards approach by investing in advanced technologies and local plans that best address the need for response to any level or any type of emergency, from floods to fires to terrorist threats.

The Governor's Office of Administration, along with the Office of Public Safety Radio Services, is administering the interoperability plan.