Morrison Co Gets New Radio System

The Morrison County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution that ensures cities, fire departments, and first response teams won't be left out in the cold when the county switches to a new public safety radio system by January of 2013.

The County says it will provide local jurisdictions and agencies with the radios necessary for all emergency communications within Morrison County and beyond. The radios, once purchased by the county, will become the property of the local agency, but so will the responsibility of maintaining, repairing, or replacing them.

Sheriff Michel Wetzel, says everyone should be afforded the benefits of a fully interoperable radio system regardless of whether they lived in a city or township.

The new radios range in price from $1500 to $3500. The cost for county-wide implementation of the system could be in the neighborhood of 2.5 million dollars, though county and fire officials have submitted grant applications to cover over 1 million dollars of that amount.