Orland Park approves purchase of EMA radios, trustees question timing and reuse of existing inventory

The Village Board voted April 20 to authorize the village manager to purchase radio equipment for the newly formed Emergency Management Agency (EMA), approving up to $149,225.40 for 60 Kenwood handheld radios, two Harris handheld radios and five mobile radios.

George (village manager) introduced the purchase as part of creating the new EMA and said the budget contains a line item for the initiative. "This budget includes the creation of a new emergency management agency... today was approval of the radios," he said.

Staff explained the procurement: Kenwood units will be used for internal village communications; the Harris handhelds include P25/NIFOG capability for interoperability with Cook County and state agencies; and mobile radios will match the village's existing fleet programming. Officials said GenComm is sole-source under the police department's contract for radio maintenance and system upgrades.

Trustee Milani and other trustees questioned why the village should buy 60 new handhelds immediately when some existing radios may be repurposed as backups, and whether purchases could be staged to save funds. Milani asked whether batteries or refurbishment of current Kenwood radios would suffice. Staff said police retained some Kenwood radios as emergency backups and that grant reimbursements are possible; Harris radios were on a sale and lead times were two to three weeks.

A motion to approve the purchase passed by roll call. The transcript records unanimous affirmative votes on the item.

Next steps: procurement to proceed with GenComm under the existing contract; staff said they will review existing radio inventory, pursue available grants or reimbursements, and return to the board with any refinements to the EMA budget and equipment rollout schedule.