KERR COUNTY, Texas – Communication breakdowns among first responders during the July 4 floods in the Texas Hill Country exposed a critical problem: incompatible and outdated radio systems.
Radio systems are a key topic for the state legislature’s new joint committee on the flood disaster.
State Rep. Wes Virdell, who lives near Kerrville and knows many of the first responders personally, shared the challenges faced during the disaster.
“One of the things that came up was none of their radios were working,” Virdell said. “Other counties, first responders that had come in and their radios that they had weren’t working with each other.”
During the committee’s first meeting on July 23, lawmakers heard from numerous responders who struggled with communication due to the state’s fragmented radio infrastructure.
Texas has more than 60 different safety radio systems, set up by local agencies based on geography and topography. Some systems work together, but many do not.
Even responders with up-to-date radios face hurdles when moving between regions, as they often need permission to access local channels or frequencies.
During the July 23 hearing, Texas Department of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd said patching disparate radio systems together takes time.
During the chaotic July 4 floods, the patching process was too slow to be effective.
Efforts are underway to improve interoperability. The Statewide Inoperability Coordinator (SWIC) has worked with agencies to promote wide-area radio systems and multiband radios.
There is also a push to require future grant-funded equipment to include the necessary software and frequency capabilities.
Col. Freeman Martin, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, highlighted the capabilities of the most advanced radios during the July 23 hearing.
“It’s a P-25. It has dual SIMs,” Martin said. “I can be anywhere in the state, and I can talk on the radio. And if there’s no tower for the radio, it changes over to cell service.”
However, the cost of these radios is a major barrier.
While the governor has a grant program to help, it is widely considered underfunded. Even if grant money were made available, agencies would need extensive training to use the radios effectively.
Finding a solution won’t be easy, but some lawmakers are committed to making progress.
“I don’t know what the right answer is there, but I hope to have a better understanding and answer at the end of this,” Virdell said.
The committee will meet in Kerrville at 9:30 a.m. Thursday for what is expected to be an all-day hearing. The committee plans to hear from local leaders about their response to the mass casualty event.
For the first time, lawmakers will also listen to testimony from community members affected by the floods in the Hill Country.
On Thursday, TheTXLoop will be in Kerrville to cover the hearing live and will stream the entire event across all of its digital platforms.
More related coverage of this story on TheTXLoop:
Copyright 2025 by TheTXLoop – All rights reserved.