County to get $1.5 million in homeland security money
Freeholders to use money to improve interagency communication
BY TOM CAIAZZA Staff Writer

MIDDLESEX COUNTY - County freeholders announced this week that Middlesex County will receive $1.5 million in Homeland Security funds, the bulk of which will go to improving countywide communication between various emergency agencies.

According to Freeholder Christopher Rafano, chair of the Law and Public Safety Committee, the funds will amount to approximately $1.3 million after the state removes its deposit for overtime pay for emergency workers in the case of an incident.

More than half of that will go toward a communications network that would allow fire, police and other municipal and county agencies to communicate with each other.

"The largest portion is going to be for communications," Rafano said. "About $700,000 will be spent on soft patch, which will provide interoperability between the various agencies."

Rafano said that the new communications technology could be used by the individual municipalities in whatever situations there are and does not have to be used under the auspices of a homeland security emergency.

Due to its location, the county received the fourth highest grant in the state from the Homeland Security Department. The amount is awarded based on population density, location to high risk factors and geography.

Some $75,000 from the grant will be used to train and equip a rapid response team that Rafano said would be "trained in a variety of different responses."

Rafano said that the county has to apply for the funds every year and provide a plan for the money.

The plans for the funds will be recommended to the entire Freeholder board sometime next week for their approval.

Rafano said having the bulk of the funds going to communications shows the importance of having the different agencies working together.

"We think that it is vital for any type of response," Rafano said about the communications upgrades. "We're continuing to improve communications here in Middlesex County."