Several local first responder agencies are now using the latest 800 MHz technology to communicate thanks to a federal grant.

Department leaders got together last year and applied for a regional Assistance to Firefighters Grant and were approved.

Fire departments in Sault Ste. Marie, Pickford, Dafter Township, Soo Township, Sugar Island, Bay Mills Township, along with Kinross EMS, all now have the 800 MHz radios.

Previously, those departments used older VHF technology, which goes back decades, that created communication issues.

Sault Ste. Marie Fire Chief Ed Miller said this upgrade was much needed for this area.

"This new system has been out there for awhile now. I had it (the new system) when I was in Sterling Heights in Macomb County back in the late ’90s, but we, here, have been on

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