Local fire departments awarded MARCS grants
Local fire departments awarded MARCS grants
COLUMBUS, Ohio — State Fire Marshal Kevin S. Reardon is pleased to announce the complete list of awardees for the 2021 MARCS (Multi-Agency Radio Communications Systems) grant, which includes 373 fire departments in 65 counties throughout Ohio. Of those 373 fire departments, 10 of Meigs County’s fire departments are being awarded grants.
The MARCS radio system allows first responders to seamlessly communicate, not only with each other, but with other agencies responding to an incident (i.e. fire departments from neighboring areas, law enforcement, etc.).
According to a statement from Marshal Reardon’s office the following Meigs County fire departments (followed by the amount) will be receiving MARCS grants:
- Chester – $960
- Middleport – $10,120
- Pomeroy – $1,330
- Racine – $720
- Syracuse – $10,100
- Olive Township – $960
- Tuppers Plains – $6,080
- Salem Township – $960
- Scipio Township – $840
- Columbia Township – $10,600
“There’s no greater honor for someone in my position than to play a part in keeping Ohio’s first responders safe while protecting their communities,” said Marshal Reardon. “Having 373 more departments upgrade to this state-of-the-art system will drastically improve emergency response and enhance the level of safety for responders and citizens, alike.”
MARCS radios are sophisticated systems, and the cost can be significant. In order to make more radios possible for local fire departments, the State Fire Marshal’s (SFM) office has begun decreasing the amount of user fees awarded. This year, SFM received more than $9 million in requests for the $3 million in total available funding.
Priority funding went to departments applying as part of a regional or county-wide effort, and departments that showed they are prepared to immediately begin using the MARCS radios upon award receipt.
Four of the 65 counties awarded this year are part of a regional effort to have every department in the county on the MARCS radio system, including: Ashtabula, Carroll, Logan and Williams.
“With these four additional county awards, I’m proud to say the fire service in 65 of Ohio’s 88 counties will now be operating on the MARCS system,” said Reardon. “Our goal from day one has been to have as many counties on these radios as possible, and today brings us closer to achieving that than ever before.”
Letters detailing each department’s award will be sent to applicants in the coming weeks.
