Grant funds radio upgrades in Bayou Cane

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security recently announced $28.9 million in direct assistance grants to 347 fire departments and first responder organizations. The grants come through the department’s Fiscal Year 2006 Assistance to Firefighters Grant program, and $145,991 are going to the Bayou Cane Fire Dept./District, U.S. Sen. David Vitter said in a press release.

“Firefighters play a vital role in every town, so it is important that they have access to the proper equipment and training,” said Vitter. “This funding will help ensure the Bayou Cane firefighters have this equipment and are able to continue protecting the community.”

Bayou Cane Fire Chief Jerry Gautreaux said the grant is dedicated to improving the department’s radio capabilities and allowing statewide interoperability. “The grant was actually written for us to buy P-25 compliant radios,” explained Gautreaux. “That allows us interoperability with other agencies, statewide, as everybody gets on the state system.”

Gautreaux said the grant will allow more reliable communications. “It’s also going to allow us to be able to communicate in groups of people at one time,” he said. “For instance, in emergency situations, we put people on task and we’ll be able to communicate with the whole group at one time by just hitting a couple of buttons.”

Gautreaux added that, for now, the Bayou Cane Fire Dept. is the only one in the area that will have these capabilities. “Since we’re the only fire department that’s going to have P-25 radios within the next three to six months, we won’t be able to communicate with other fire departments in that frequency in Terrebonne until they’re able to move on it. We’re all working together to write a grant for all the fire services.”

Even still, Gautreaux says his intent is to share with “at least the chiefs” of neighboring fire departments until they receive the equipment, themselves.

In all, the budget is for 22 portable radios, 11 mobile radios and two base radios, with possible slight alterations to those numbers. Gautreaux said that portables are radios that a carried on a person, mobiles are inside of fire engines and bases are at a permanent location.

He added that the upgrades will help “tremendously” in the event of a catastrophe. “We’re anticipating in the event of a catastrophe like we had with Rita or Katrina, we lost communications,” he said. “The hope is that in the event of a statewide catastrophe that knocks towers down and takes power out, they’ll be a strong attempt statewide to put the main radio system back online and we’ll be a part of it.

“The big word is that it allows for us to interoperate with all the other emergency agencies. Not only in Terrebonne Parish, but in the state.”