Union County staying prepared with new radio equipment and hazard plan grants

By on Monday, January 13th, 2025 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News

UNION COUNTY – Union County is staying prepared for major emergencies with recent grant approvals. During a regular commission meeting on Wednesday, January 8, 2025, the Union County Board of Commissioners authorized Union County Emergency Services to pursue two different grants that will update the county’s Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan and acquire new multi-band radio equipment respectively. Both grant proposals were presented by Union County Emergency Manager Nick Vora.

The first proposal was to apply for/allow eligibility to receive funds to assist with updating Union County’s Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan (NHMP). As explained in a staff report summary presented to the Board of Commissioners:

“NHMPS include a review of hazards, and more substantially, an extensive list of needed mitigations for those hazards. Developing and compiling these mitigation items can take extensive time to complete, and Union County staff do not have the resources and time to complete a comprehensive update in-house. Some grant opportunities require a project to be included in the plan in order to be eligible for funding, hence the importance of a detailed and thorough plan for Union County.”

Union County’s current NHMP expires in 2027. The grant proposal for a new Union County NHMPS requests 60-80 thousand dollars through the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development to fund the update process. As part of this, a 25% match is required by the county, which may be paid in-kind.

The Union County Board of Commissioners approved Union County Emergency Services to move forward with the NHMP grant process. 

The second proposal was to apply for a State Homeland Security Program (SHSP) grant to fund the purchase of multi-band portable radios. As some emergency agencies in neighboring counties use radio equipment that is not compatible with the equipment available to Union County EMS, these portable radios will allow for easy communication with partner agencies during mutual aid. As again explained in a staff report summary:

“There are no local agencies in Union County (only SP and ODOT) with multi-band radios capable of communication with our partner agencies in Umatilla County, which poses a substantial issue for mutual aid-responses. The application was awarded to Union County by the state for a total of $32,990 in SHSP funds for the project and should allow the purchase of up to seven multi-band radios.”

Ultimately Tait brand radios were selected based on price and available features. A grant match from Union County is not required. The Union County Board of Commissioners approved Union County Emergency Services to both enter into the grant agreement and purchase the radios at HGAC (Houston-Galveston Area Council) pricing.