Topeka ? State officials Wednesday offered local emergency agencies access to a statewide communication system that they said would help them respond more quickly and efficiently to emergencies.

“My hope is that this seamless communication will give emergency workers the time they need in the early minutes of crisis to save lives and protect property,” Gov. Kathleen Sebelius said during a news conference at a Topeka fire station that was attended by law enforcement, military and emergency medical personnel.

Jim Denney, director of emergency communication for Douglas County, said the state was moving in the right direction, but that Douglas County should wait a few years before participating.

“The system would have to grow a bit before Douglas County would see an advantage,” Denney said. Police, fire and medical services in Douglas County already are linked together on the same radio frequency, he said.

Under the state system that starts July 1, local fire departments, law enforcement, and ambulance agencies can access Kansas Department of Transportation radio towers to achieve what is called an “interoperable” communications system where all emergency response agencies can talk to each other.

Currently, many agencies operate on different radio frequencies and can’t communicate with one another. In times of disaster that can delay response times, officials said.

“People died in New York because the first responders couldn’t talk to each other on the radio,” Sebelius said referring to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack.

Closer to home, Col. William Seck, superintendent of the Kansas Highway Patrol, said the emergency response to the March fire that gutted historic Fort Scott “was complicated because there was an inability to communicate and plan for the first responders.”

Under the proposal, KDOT will open its 76 communications towers to first responders and government users. Currently, the towers are used by KDOT and the Highway Patrol.

The state also will offer public agencies the opportunity to use radio tower space for non-800 MHz communications at the cost of providing that service.

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And KDOT will lease tower space, if available, to private businesses. Several cell phone companies have already contacted the state for potential leases.

The state will start with a $16 million upgrade of tower sites and necessary radio replacements in a 17-county area of southeast Kansas that includes the Wolf Creek nuclear power plant.

As more federal Homeland Security funds become available, the state will help out other regions with replacement radios.

Denney, with the Douglas County emergency communications department, said the advantage to joining the state system would be the ability to communicate with emergency responders from outside Douglas County.

But, he said, changing the system now would cost nearly $7 million, and the KDOT radio towers for now aren’t as effective as Douglas County’s current system.

“Their tower locations don’t give coverage that we have now with our system,” he said.

But, he said, five years to 10 years down the road, Douglas County should probably participate in the state linkup.

“It’s a great idea to have the ability for all public safety agencies to talk to each other,” he said. But, he said, following through with funding to provide the proper equipment will be necessary.