Hannibal Fire Department’s new radio system to better assist Ralls County

HANNIBAL, Mo. (WGEM) - The Hannibal Fire Department is getting new equipment to better communicate with surrounding agencies in an emergency.

The Marion and Ralls County 911 Boards donated $200,000 to the Hannibal Fire Department in the fall to get a new digital radio system.

With the new system, Hannibal Fire can communicate directly with Marion and Ralls County sheriff’s offices, ambulance and police. That’s not possible right now because those agencies already use digital radios.

In the 20 years Fire Chief Ryan Neisen has worked for the Hannibal Fire Department, he has seen issues with their decades-old analog radio system.

“There are spots where you run into issues where you have a low-line issue, or you’re in a big factory, that metal roof maybe doesn’t allow you to get that radio transmission out to whoever it needs to,” Neisen said.

Neisen said the new system will allow for easier communication with surrounding agencies and quicker response times.

“All of these agencies can be on the same scene. We all would have the technology and the same radio system that would allow us to communicate and be efficient in all of our communication,” Neisen said.

Ralls County 911 Board Chairman Jerry Brinkman said the new system will better serve Ralls County residents.

“Part of the Ralls County residents actually are living in Hannibal and so our decision was to help those with the Hannibal communication system actually serve those citizens better,” Brinkman said.

The United States Department of Agriculture and the city of Hannibal are providing additional funding for the $630,000 project. Hannibal Police and the city inspector’s office are also getting these new radio systems.

The Hannibal Fire Department expects to get the new radio system in mid-February.

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