SIMSBURY, Conn. — For most fire departments, radio communications means dispatch and on-scene traffic. One Connecticut department is using the radio waves to reach the community — FM radio waves, that is.
Simsbury Volunteer Fire Company started the station several years ago after a storm cut power for 10 days. The department struggled to communicate with residents, so they took matters into their own hands.
The low-powered FM station went live after the department got a permit, and have kept it since, reported WTHN.
“We were not aware of too many fire departments that operate their own radio station,” Fire Marshal Kevin Kowalski said. The 70-member department gets a lot of questions about how they do it from other fire departments.
The firefighters say it’s for the community and fellow firefighters of Simsbury.
“I’ve got thousands and thousands of records over the years, been digitizing over the years,” said “Rockin’ Reverend” Joe Barrett.