The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

WALLA WALLA—The Walla Walla Sheriff’s Office (WWSO) is pleased to announce the award of two grants to be used for the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)/Radio Repeater project. The two grants come from the Wildhorse Foundation for $10,000.00 and the Walla Walla Sheriff’s Foundation for $9,000.

This project entails the research, procurement, and operation of a drone with heavy lifting capabilities sufficient to fly to 200 feet with a powered tether while lifting a radio repeater.

Radio transmissions from remote areas in the county are problematic or, in some cases, impossible. By having an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with a repeater that can be launched with a powered tether from the emergency vehicle, emergency responders can communicate with dispatch. This will allow crucial information to get to those who need it and allow necessary assets to be dispatched to deal with the emergency. The repeater will be 200 feet above the emergency vehicle and will take the transmission from either the portable or vehicle-based radio and repeat it to the nearest tower. This will eliminate radio “dead spots” that we have in the remote northern areas of the county and mountainous regions. In addition, this will bring needed emergency resources to people who live, work, or play in these remote areas.

“We are extremely grateful to both the Wildhorse Foundation and the Walla Walla Sheriff’s Foundation for their support for the WWSO, the residents, and visitors to Walla Walla County,” WWSO officials said in a release. “Their support helps in the vision to make Walla Walla County the safest county in the nation. It aids in the WWSO’s mission to safeguard the lives, property, and rights of the people we serve and to enhance public safety.”