Todd County approves radio frequencies, battery backup and second full‑time ambulance

The Todd County Fiscal Court on April 24 approved several actions to boost emergency response capabilities: purchase of radio frequencies for the county radio system, approval of a battery‑backup purchase under a KACO grant (expected to be reimbursed at up to 80%), and moving forward with a second full‑time ambulance with temporary housing in the Guthrie firehouse.

In discussion, emergency management described the district 16 Regional Radio Project and said eight frequencies relinquished by Robson County, Tennessee, were available for purchase through Communications International; the packet shows a quote (read at the meeting) listed as $79.80 to acquire eight frequencies. Emergency management said frequencies are a one‑time cost the county would own and that purchasing them now avoids losing the allocation on the open market.

The court also approved purchase of a battery backup system for an aging site under a KACO grant that reimburses up to 80% (the manager said the grant could reimburse up to $20,000). The battery backup will allow online monitoring of tower systems and faster fault detection, notifying dispatch and staff when a tower goes down.

Earlier in the meeting the judge outlined revenue trends and said property, occupational and insurance tax receipts, together with LGEA funds, make adding a second full‑time ambulance financially feasible; the court agreed to the proposal and approved moving forward. The city of Guthrie agreed to temporarily house the second ambulance at its firehouse while county staff pursue a longer‑term facility near North High School.

Emergency management also reported that a tornado siren test revealed the Rock Quarry tower is an aging VHF analog structure with ownership and easement complications; managers said they will research interim options and roll tower remediation into the county's wider communications project.

Chiefs and fire department representatives raised interoperability concerns when city agencies planned to encrypt radios; the emergency manager said city encryption is a city decision but noted the county will continue to assess mutual‑aid interoperability and create dedicated talk groups in the new system to reduce channel saturation.

Actions recorded at the meeting included motions and voice approvals to (1) purchase the available frequencies (funding to come from contingency if needed), (2) approve the KACO‑grant‑backed battery backup purchase and (3) authorize the addition of a second full‑time ambulance with temporary housing in Guthrie. The meeting record shows those motions carried by voice vote.