Verona VFD Gets OK to Buy New Radios

The Verona Volunteer Fire Department will purchase new radio equipment with Penn Hills in a move that will bring it into compliance with changing federal standards.

Council approved a measure at its regular business meeting on Tuesday to provide funds for the purchase with the understanding that the borough and the fire department would work out a way to share the costs.

“If we get together, I’m sure we can achieve that,” Councilwoman Rhoda Gemellas-Worf said.

The VFD's request for assistance from the borough came as the result of new Federal Communication Commission (FCC) guidelines requiring business industrial and public safety radio systems to switch from wideband to narrowband radio frequencies by January 1, 2013.

The total cost for the new equipment, which includes 12 portable radios and two base units, could cost at least $10,000, but the VFD will pay less if it makes the purchase with neighboring Penn Hills Volunteer Fire Department.

Ed Blacksmith, a volunteer firefighter with Verona VFD, was at the meeting. He said that by “piggybacking” on the Penn Hills purchase, Verona will be able to buy the radios for $650 each, rather than $850.

At the borough’s August work session, councilman Pat McCarthy, chair of the police and fire committees, said the department would receive a $100 discount for each old radio it exchanged with Staley Communications, Inc. of Pittsburgh, the company which Penn Hills and Verona plan to purchase radios from.

“We don’t have a choice,” Blacksmith said. “If we don’t get the radios, we won’t have radios.”

Fire companies that don’t change over will not only be out of compliance, but will also be unable to communicate with other departments. That is a big problem for those in communities like Verona who have mutual aid agreements with neighboring departments.

“If you can’t speak to other companies, you’re in big trouble,” Blacksmith said.

Council was unanimous in its support of the purchase, but individual members wanted to make sure the VFD would be able to contribute.

“We’re looking for some commitment that you will raise money through fundraisers,” Councilwoman Peggy Suchevich said.

She also asked Blacksmith about the possibility of taking the money in the company’s fire truck fund—$3,000 or $4,000—and putting it toward the purchase of the new radio equipment.

Blacksmith indicated that the fire department would look into that possibility.