League City to apply for funding for new fire department gear

League City Fire Department’s all-volunteer force could be getting some new gear if the city is approved for a Houston Urban Area Security Initiative, or HUASI, grant.

The gist

On Feb. 13, League City City Council voted unanimously to apply for a $1 million grant from the HUASI for the purchase of new radio gear, according to agenda documents.

The Urban Area Security Initiative is a grant program funded through the Department of Homeland Security that aims to assist cities with the “prevention of, protection from, response to, recovery from, and mitigation” of the effects of acts of terrorism, according to the agency’s website.

This grant would fund the replacement of the fire department's remaining 39 APX 6000 Model AN handheld radios with APX 6000 XE handheld radios, which are designed for extreme environments, according to agenda documents.

One more thing

The grant would also fund 200 in-vehicle radios for fire and police services, which would replace the Motorola APX AN series radios that are currently used.

On Dec. 31, Motorola sent out a notice that it would no longer manufacture parts for Motorola APX AN series radios, meaning that once the inventory of parts is depleted, these radios will no longer be able to be repaired.