In session Monday, September 14, Brown County Commissioners approved, on a 5-0 vote, a capital lease locally through Texas Bank to pay for radio upgrades and equipment requested by county volunteer fire departments last month.  The dollar amount is $2,174,635.

It was back on August 24 of this year that fire chiefs and members of the 10 volunteer fire departments in Brown County, and Brownwood Fire Chief Eric Hicks, appeared before County Commissioners asking for significant upgrades to their radio communications equipment.

“It’s a huge safety factor.  Right now, we are asking for a dual band radio which is your VHF as well as the 700 megahertz,” said Chad Hill, Early Fire Chief when he addressed county commissioners last month.  Hill said volunteer firefighters are putting their lives on the line every day and the system is needed for them to adequately and safely do their job and communicate throughout Brown County.  Communications is somewhat limited at this time depending on where you are in the county.

The request made was for 128 portable radios and 57 mobiles to be divided up among the volunteer departments in the county, according to a previous report on KOXE.com.  The new radios would work within the new system which will be shared by the communities of Brownwood, Early and Bangs.