Feds Require Public Safety Agencies to Swap Radios

Public safety agencies in Kentucky are swapping and reprogramming their radios to comply with a Federal Communications Commission mandate aimed at increasing the number of frequencies available for use.

By Jan. 1, the radios must use 12.5 kilohertz channels instead of the 25 kilohertz radios that have been in use. Any agency not complying faces a possible $16,000-a-day fine.

For Daviess County firefighter and paramedic Nick Wall, that means reprogramming hundreds of pagers and radios to comply with the requirement.

Wall told the Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer he’s switched over more than 400 devices so far and has about 20 more to do for the county’s parks department.