Province Will Help Pay For Northern EMS Radios

Province Will Help Pay For Northern EMS Radios

Thursday, November 26, 2009 at 12:15

The minister for public safety is giving assurances that northern EMS providers will get assistance in implementing a new radio system.

Yesterday, the government announced it will help subsidize the cost of a new public safety radio network for RCMP, ambulances and fire departments.

Yogi Huyghebaert says providers will receive financial assistance toward buying the radios, as well as for their monthly operation.

“They will be given some radios for operational capabilities… and also with our announcement today — we’ve listened to some communities that say that the monthly fee structure, they wouldn’t be able to afford, so we put a fee structure of $40 per month, per radio, which our actual costs are in the vicinity of $90 a month,” Huyghebaert says.

Meanwhile, Meadow Lake fire chief Russell Nelson says that despite the assistance, he estimates it will cost his department more than $20,000 to implement the radio system.

Still, Nelson says, the announcement is a step in the right direction, and he will work with what he’s given.