Bartlesville firefighters Timmy Vaun, forefront, and Dustin Lott use hand-held radios that were purchased through a grant provided by Phillips 66.
Bartlesville firefighters were recently equipped with new hand-held radios thanks to a donation from Phillips 66. The new radios replace the department’s aging devices, many of which had become obsolete.
“We have been working for more than ten years to ensure that all firefighters have hand-held radios that are in good working condition,” said Fire Chief John Banks. “We’ve tried to replace the older ones as they’ve become obsolete, but we simply do not have the funds to keep up. And now, even many of those replacement radios have been discontinued and cannot be repaired as issues arise.”
The past practice of purchasing radios sporadically over the years also resulted in firefighters not having consistent technology, which can be a safety factor, Banks said.
“Now, thanks to this grant, all of our firefighters have the same radios, and they all work in coordination with the technology in our trucks. We would never have been able to do that were it not for the generosity of Phillips 66. We are extremely grateful to them for helping us with this.”