Posted Monday, September 28, 2020.

HUNTINGTON – The City of Huntington Fire Department will use a $1.2 million grant to purchase new radio equipment for itself and seven local volunteer fire departments.

A U.S. Department of Homeland Security “Assistance to Firefighters Grant” for $1,206,262.48 will be used to provide a total of 207 handheld radios, 47 mobile radios, nine station radios and 138 new pagers.

The equipment will be distributed among the Huntington, Andrews, Markle, Bippus, Huntington Township, Mt. Etna, Warren and Roanoke fire departments. The Huntington Fire Department applied as the host agency, including the other departments in its application.

“The need to update our radios has been a priority for the last three years,” Huntington Fire Chief Tony Johnson said. “Huntington Fire Department’s current radios are no longer repairable and have become obsolete.”

Initially, the Huntington Fire Department was going to make a smaller grant application, Johnson said – until he learned that Huntington County’s volunteer departments faced the same issues.

“After talking to other chief’s in the county we found out they were in the same position with deteriorating radios and decided to reach out to all the volunteer departments in the county and make this a community grant,” Johnson said.

Each fire department will pay a 10 percent match for the equipment it receives.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency notified city officials of the grant award last week.