Washington’s police and fire-rescue-EMS departments could be recipients of grants to help them buy communication-related equipment.

During its meeting Monday, Washington’s City Council is scheduled to consider authorizing the submission of applications for grant funding to help upgrade the police department’s internal communication system and buy 22 hand-held radios for fire-rescue-EMS personnel, according to the council’s tentative agenda for the meeting.

The fire-rescue-EMS department is seeking a $52,381 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. If awarded that amount, the city is obligated to provide $2,619 toward the purchase of the 22 radios (at a project cost of $2,500 each), according to a memorandum from Robbie Rose, fire chief, to the mayor and council members.

“These radios will provide a high level of safety for personnel in the many hazardous environments they encounter,” reads the memorandum. “These radios also will be dual band that includes the VIPER communications that will enable interoperability with a wide variety of outside local and state agencies.”

As for the police department, it’s seeking a grant up to $25,000 to help upgrade its internal communication system, with its repeater system at 12 years old, according to a memorandum from Stacy Drakeford, the city’s director of police and fire services, to the mayor and council members.

“The city communication system will be transferring from an analog system to a digital system. Last budget year, the council provided for the purchase of new digital mobile and portable VHF radios. There is no local match,” reads the memorandum.

The council meets at 5:30 p.m. Monday in the Council Chambers in the Municipal Building, 102 E. Second St. To view the council’s agenda for a specific meeting, visit the city’s web­site at www.washingtonnc.gov, click “Government” then “City Council” heading, then click “Meeting Agendas” on the menu to the right. Then click on the date for the appropriate agenda.