WATERVILLE – The Maine Fire Chiefs’ Association has begun planning the implementation of the two Assistance to Firefighters Grants awarded for regional interoperable communications.

Grants were awarded to two fire departments in the state for $800,000 each. The grants are from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Assistance to Firefighters Grant program for the Regional Interoperable Communications Initiative, launched by MFCA and the National Association of State Fire Marshals. Through the grants, communities in Maine will receive equipment that is aimed to improve communications and incident command capabilities.

The equipment selected for the initiative is BAE Systems’ First InterComm system. The solution is an incident-area network gateway that provides interoperable communications by creating an ad-hoc mesh network at the incident scene to link emergency responder radios on different frequencies.

The pilot project for the initiative deployed several units around the Rumford area. John C. Woulfe III, past president of the Maine Fire Chiefs’ Association and Rumford Fire Department chief, said, “The RICI initiative funded through these grants provided the resources to make significant improvements in our communications capabilities. With the new capabilities, we will also improve firefighter and citizen life safety in communities throughout the state of Maine.”

Implementation will be based on the revised mutual aid plan and specific fire service needs throughout the state. The project will utilize all existing equipment and infrastructure while maintaining current standard operating procedures for communications. A task force in MFCA has been established to manage planning and coordination throughout the implementation process.