The Pullman City Council approved the purchase of new radios for the fire department, Pullman transit buying a new bus, and the appointment of new public records officers to the police and fire departments at its meeting on Tuesday.

The fire department received a grant from FEMA last year and is using the funds to replace radios for the department, said Pullman Fire Chief Mike Heston. The radios that the department currently uses are 20 years old.

The FEMA grant will cover 90 percent of the $304,766 it will take to buy the approximately 80 new radios, Heston said. The council unanimously approved to help with the purchase.

“The radios we have now are analog, you get some signals and it gets scratchy and then that’s all you hear,” Heston said. “Our new radios will all be digital so it’s all state of the art and what’s required.”

The department took several models of radios and air masks to see which ones worked best for them and Heston said he let the firefighters choose the model.

The new radios have bluetooth and can connect to the new air masks the firefighters will have so the sound from air mask to air mask is crystal clear, which Heston said will improve safety. Right now, he said, talking over the radios with the air masks on is very difficult and hard to hear.

The department will trade in the old radios and any other old fire equipment, which will most likely go to another country, Heston said. Often the old equipment ends up in Mexico.

Wayne Thompson, general manager of Pullman Transit, asked at the meeting to purchase another bus. Having another bus may better the chances of acquiring the capital grant they applied for through the Washington State Department of Transportation for regional mobility assistance, he said.

“The statistics that this grant really looks for is vehicle trips and mileage reductions,” Thompson said. “And we have been and will do well with both those statistics by going from a 35 to a 40 foot bus.”

By adding just five feet, he said the bus can seat 15 additional passengers. The council unanimously approved this resolution.

Deputy City Clerk Jane Joyce is retiring after 34 years of working as the public records officer for various city departments. The council unanimously passed a resolution to designate public records officers to the Pullman Fire Department, Pullman Police Department and all other city departments.