NORWICH – Only six of 21 municipal fire departments in Chenango County have purchased radios and radio frequencies that will be compatible with the county’s new emergency management communications system.

Local departments have until 2010 to provide the radios to firefighters, Emergency Management Services Director Matt Beckwith said.

Local police forces are already in compliance.

At a meeting of the Chenango County Board of Supervisors, Beckwith said grant funds were available for the equipment purchases and most of the remaining towns had applied for them. A couple of towns neglected to take the county up on its offer to assist with applications, he said, but were able to file for grants or use existing funding sources to purchase them.

Emergency responders are being asked to move from VHF low band to UHF ultra high frequency.

Chenango County itself has relied on more than $100,000 in grants to purchase radios and just this month applied for an applicable $53,250 terrorism prevention grant from the Office of Homeland Security.