An Enterprise firefighter shows elementary school students some of the equipment firefighters use to extinguish blazes. A recent grant from the Wildhorse Foundation will allow the department to add new handheld radios to their inventory. (Wallowa County Chieftain, File)

ENTERPRISE — The Enterprise Fire Department will be able to purchase new handheld radios with a $15,000 grant from the Wildhorse Foundation.

The department uses outdated handheld radios experiencing intermittent functionality. With the funding from the Wildhorse Foundation, the department will be able purchase equipment that will ensure seamless communication in demanding environments during high-stress situations.

Fire Chief Paul Karvoski said the grant will cover nearly half of the cost of replacing all the radios. The department has 22 radios that are in need of replacement and it will cost about $35,000 to replace them all, he said.

“It didn’t replace all of them but it’ll replace about half of them,” he said. “The existing radios are starting to fail. We’re very thankful for the $15,000 the foundation grave us.”

He said the city withdrew some funds from a “sinking fund” to cover the remaining costs.

“It’s a work in progress to do as you go,” Karvoski said.

With the new radios, the department will be able to communicate with any fire department in the county, be it one from another city or a state or federal agency. Karvoski, who is emergency manager for Wallowa County, said none of the grant will go toward county expenses.

He said the city has received the grant and the radios should arrive in mid- or late-July.

“It’s a big safety issue, is what it is,” he said. “You’ve got to know what’s going on all the time.”

“We’re integrated with all the departments throughout the county. We talk to a lot of different people,” Karvoski said. “Any federal agency. … If they get on the radio, we can talk to them.”

Each year, the Wildhorse Foundation makes grants to eligible nonprofit, government and tribal organizations within the homeland area of the Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla people. The foundation has awarded more than $19 million in grant funding since its establishment in 2001. For more information, visit the Foundation’s website at www.TheWildhorseFoundation.com.