The funds are part of $2.5 billion in federal counterterrorism grants awarded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security this year, according to a news release.

The state's Grant Advisory Board, which makes decisions on how federal funds are doled out, now has 60 days to prioritize and coordinate distribution of the funds to the state's seven established regional response teams.

''It's usually an 80-20 split, with 80 percent of the money going to local agencies around the state,'' said division spokesman Derek Jensen. ''We already know what the priorities are for some of the agencies.''

Those priorities include improvements to the Utah Wireless Integrated Network, or UWIN - a communications network that allows police, firefighters and other first-responders with different radio systems to communicate during emergencies.

The network, which was launched in July 2004, combines Utah's differing radio frequencies into a common network and uses wireless technologies to allow authorities in far-flung regions to talk clearly with their counterparts hundreds of miles away.

The system was motivated by challenges experienced during 9-11, when first-responders wrestled with overloaded cellular networks and garbled frequencies as they scrambled to aid victims and survivors.

''We have a voice component already functioning,'' Jensen said. ''The next step is a data component.''

The database feature will allow regional response teams to coordinate equipment purchases and cut waste by facilitating multiple agency resource sharing, Jensen said.

''It's better than having two agencies go out and buy the same equipment,'' he added.

So far, Utah has received nearly $85 million in funding through the federal Homeland Security Grant Program.