NEWCOM is headed by the Oneida County Sheriff's Department and includes Florence, Forest, Langlade, Lincoln, Marathon, Marinette, Menominee, Oconto, Oneida, Portage, Price, Shawano, Taylor, Vilas, Waupaca, and Wood Counties.
"When an emergency occurs, the most critical element of a response is communication," Governor Doyle said. "This grant will help the NEWCOM group coordinate its own communications strategy to fit the unique needs of law enforcement and fire departments in the Northwoods."
Wisconsin's Office of Justice Assistance (OJA) has asked all of Wisconsin's 72 counties to identify their radio interoperability needs. OJA contracted with Federal Engineering to conduct a statewide interoperability assessment. The issue of interoperability was brought to the forefront after the September 2001 terrorist attacks. Reports showed many of the emergency first responders were unable to communicate with each other because their radios were not interoperable.
"Wisconsin's first responders deserve the very best radio equipment," OJA Executive Director, David Steingraber said. "We want to make sure our cops, firefighters, and EMS workers can communicate with one another during times of distress. This grant will help make sure they can."
Since 1999, Wisconsin has received $128 million in federal terrorism grants. This year, Wisconsin received $37 million from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for state and local government to purchase first responder equipment such as personal protective gear, radios, chemical detection, and monitoring equipment. This funding is used for training and emergency exercises as well as improving security of critical infrastructure such as municipal water systems and transportation facilities. Funding is also used to improve statewide radio and information sharing capability by emergency services and to support regional teams specializing in high risk emergency response. Wisconsin is expected to receive and distribute additional terrorism funding to local communities later this year.
