Dane County Executive candidate Nancy Mistele held a listening session Tuesday night to declare, if elected, she would strive to provide funding for easier communication among emergency responders.

The meeting had very few attendees, and there was no public comment following the listening session.

Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk has not agreed to provide funding for this policy, which would purchase virtual radios for all Dane County emergency responders and public works departments.

“The solution that [Falk] offers without radios is no solution whatsoever,” Mistele said.

Melissa Mulliken, campaign manager for Falk said Mistele is incorrect and often provides factual errors in her statements.

“She’s always misstating things,” Mulliken said. “She’s often wrong on the facts, she’s wrong on the facts again this time, and a week before the election she’s playing politics once again with important public safety issues.”

Mulliken said the county is moving forward without the need for purchasing new radios by working on the construction of a $34 million emergency radio system that will “improve and expand the ability of emergency responders to communicate with one another.”

Mistele expressed the county has a strong need for reversing Falk’s policy, so firefighters and other emergency responders have effective equipment in the event of an emergency.

“We must offer a 100 percent solution so that all responders can communicate,” Mistele said. “If our responders are not safe, our public is not safe.”

Fitchburg Mayor Tom Clauder said a number of city and town agencies asked for new radios last summer.

“[Falk] informed us that if we can put up new firehouses and buy new trucks, we could buy new radios,” Clauder said. “And she denied all the radios.”

Clauder also said the request was only for a small quantity of radios, though the few were quite important to emergency responders.

President of Dane County Towns Association Jerry Derr added his thoughts on emergency communication and commended Mistele for addressing the issue.

Derr said the ability to communicate among organizations is crucial to effectively respond to emergencies.

“It’s critical that we have a compatible, dependable system,” Derr said. “The way we can get consistency is to have a single purchase.”

The funding would facilitate a switch of all Dane County radios to digital technology, making communication more compatible and easier to maintain.

Derr admitted the radios are “extremely expensive.”

Clauder, a retired officer of 26 years, said the inability of responders to use radios throughout the county has been an issue over the past couple years.

Mulliken stressed Mistele presented this same topic two weeks ago, and the meeting held Tuesday was a “non-event.”

“At some point, it’s not about substance, it’s not about facts, it’s not about radios,” Mulliken said. “It’s about her trying to score political points.”