ICYMI: $3M grant from Hinson's office will upgrade county radios

Image October 22, 2026 Press Release By: Casey Jarmes Times Citizen October 21st, 2026 Hardin County has received a $3,054,209 public safety grant from Congresswoman Ashley Hinson’s office, which will be used to transition all 16 county public safety entities to the Iowa Statewide Interoperability Communication System (ISICS). “This project represents a significant investment in the safety of our first responders and the citizens that we serve,” Hardin County Emergency Management Director McKenzie Burton said. “Our current radio system has created communication barriers that often leave Hardin County isolated from surrounding counties, state agencies, and other public safety partners when we need to communicate beyond our county lines,” Burton continued. “During an emergency, reliable communication is not a luxury; it’s a necessity. Every second matters, and responders must be able to communicate clearly and coordinate resources and request assistance when lives are on the line. “Transitioning to ISICS will allow our law enforcement, fire departments, EMS, and other public safety partners to communicate more effectively with one another and with agencies across Iowa,” Burton added. “This improved interoperability will strengthen coordination during major incidents, support faster and more effective mutual aid, and help ensure responders have the information they need to make critical decisions safely. Ultimately, this project is not just about radios. It is about protecting the people who answer the call, improving emergency response, and providing greater protection for the residents of Hardin County and the communities we serve alongside.” On Oct. 16, dozens of local first responders met with Hinson and Senator Chuck Grassley at a roundtable in Eldora to discuss the grant. “I’m here, and Congresswoman Hinson is for the same reason, to thank all you folks for keeping the peace in your different levels that you’re involved in law enforcement,” Grassley said. “We thank you for that, because it’s very, very important. And I think, when we talk about putting federal resources into local law enforcement, it emphasizes that, where I’m coming from and Congresswoman Hinson’s coming from, is that we don’t believe we should be defunding the police. We believe that we should be enhancing police efforts around this country.” “I think a lot about what this project means, and when somebody is at that point, when they’re actually dialing 911, what they’re dealing with, it’s probably one of the worst moments of their life, right?” Hinson said. “Things are going awry, something’s wrong, and the last thing they need to be thinking about is someone might not be there, or there’s a miscommunication, or there’s a problem in getting the person to show up. We want them to know that someone’s going to be there quickly.” “From a public safety standpoint, not just law enforcement, but fire and EMS, this is a huge step forward for us,” Hardin County Sheriff Dave McDaniel said. “We’ve been on multiple deadly force issues in the law enforcement side, where we’re a block away from state patrol or partners from other counties, we simply cannot communicate. Where we’re ducking and dodging behind cars to go relay a message to somebody a half city block away, because we cannot communicate over the radios. We’ve had situations with officer-involved shootings, where we’ve had a border county deputy within a half a mile of the scene and had no idea anything was going on. So, when I say to you, Congresswoman, that this literally is a life and death matter and will save lives, it absolutely will.” Other first responders spoke, describing issues they’d had communicating in the past. Speaking at the roundtable were Iowa Falls Fire Chief Scott Eisentrager, Eldora Mayor Denny Barnard, Radcliffe Fire Chief Chuck Raska, Whitten Fire Chief Ben Rooker, Iowa Falls EMS Director Corey Larson, Eldora Interim EMS Director Brooke Muldoon, and Iowa State Patrol District 9 Commander Jeremy Schaffer. ###