[Scan-DC] Listening to DC Fire/EMS on subway

[Alan Henney]

Contrary to what Suzanne Peck and/or the Post article may suggest,
Metro tunnels in D.C. had coverage on both D.C. Fire (154.19) and on
MPD's Citywide (460.325) for years.  Both systems eventually
deteriorated.  When D.C. Fire initially went to 800 MHz, a
"communications engine company" was added to underground responses to
provide a "communications bridge" using a simplex channel.  MPD
continued to have 460.325 sporadically pumped into the tunnels.

The old D.C. tunnel systems had intermittent coverage, but I suspect
the city is still working with Metro to complete the new system.  The
Post article suggests it will be early this year.  MPD's XTS3000's are
capable of the UHF-T band, and are programmed with two talkgroups on
Metro's trunked system.  Thus, when Metro finally completes its UHF-T
band trunked system, MPD will have two tunnel talkgroups ready for
patching or whatnot.

Arlington County uses three separate conventional channels in the
tunnels that can be patched into above-ground talkgroups.  Alexandria
has a similar system with one conventional channel at Braddock Road.
Montgomery County, from what I understand, has full (20-channel) 800
coverage in the tunnels.  P.G. has (or had?) coverage on one of the
alternate fireground channels (was it 494.7875 or 495.0625?).

This paragraph appears toward the end of this article:

"Other changes are in store. Metrorail tunnels have never had radio
coverage, Peck said, and D.C. and Metro officials have a separate $4
million project underway to tie Metro into the city's communications
system. The Metro project is scheduled for completion early next year,
she said."

Thanks to Vince Destajo for bringing this article to our attention!


Washington Post
2003 Nov 9

 Police, Fire Radios Are Overhauled

 By Clarence Williams

  A technology and public safety team has been all over the District
in recent weeks, visiting scores of nightclubs, apartment buildings,
offices and other places as they tested the city's new emergency
communications system.

 The troubleshooters targeted locations where emergency radios
previously were apt to cut out, if they worked at all. Now, thanks to
$40 million in improvements, police officers, firefighters and
emergency medical crews are getting more dependable, clear signals,
officials say.

 The system has been up and running since late September. Rick Burke,
a wireless technology manager for the city, and a public safety team
recently concluded weeks of crisscrossing the city to test it. They
found that the changes have made a big difference in signal strength
and sound quality, Burke said.

 "It's a major improvement. The city and its first responders are much
safer now having a highly reliable, state-of-the art communications
network," Burke said.

 District officials are touting the system as one of the most advanced
in the nation. The federal government footed most of the bill in an
aid package approved after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The
fire department contributed nearly $3.5 million to the venture.

 This is not the first time that the city tried to fix the problem. It
spent less than $6 million for a network that was put in operation in
January 2001, but the system remained unreliable.

 Police officers, firefighters and rescue workers complained that poor
communications continued to put them and citizens at risk -- on the
streets, in burning buildings and even in hospitals. Digital fire
radios would "honk out" -- a signal radios make when communication is
cut off -- and the police department's analog system yielded poor
sound quality.

 "This presented a danger, both to firefighters on fire grounds and
police on incident calls," said Suzanne J. Peck, the city's chief
technology officer, whose department oversaw the recent project.

 Officials said the new money was spent to upgrade what was already in
place. The backbone of the system is now much stronger: six more radio
antenna sites have been installed, bringing the total to 10, in all
quadrants of the city. Seven sites are on rooftops of hospitals or
D.C. government buildings. The other three are communications towers,
including a new one at a police facility on Rhode Island Avenue NE.

 In addition, 63 emergency vehicles have been outfitted with equipment
to amplify signals. The police department received 2,000 new radios
for digital communications, and 3,500 radios were upgraded.

  Peck said the city now has "all the coverage we need" and the system
is "fully interoperable" for police, fire and emergency medical
services workers. It also can link with communications systems used by
federal agencies, she said.

 Other changes are in store. Metrorail tunnels have never had radio
coverage, Peck said, and D.C. and Metro officials have a separate $4
million project underway  to tie Metro into the city's communications
system. The Metro project is scheduled for completion early next year,
she said.

 Officials said the D.C. communications system was installed in 18
months, meeting terms of the federal grant, and the work was done in
less than half the time typically needed for a project of that size.
Motorola Inc. worked on the system with the office of the chief
technology officer and the police and fire departments.

 Burke, who works in the city's technology office, helped run the
recent series of tests at 240 buildings in the city. They included a
mix of old and new structures, such as federal buildings, the new
convention center, MCI Center and schools. The team tested radios from
various spots on the first floors and basement levels, calling
emergency dispatchers and tracking sound quality and reliability
through thick walls and outlying neighborhoods. He said the new system
"surpassed" its design standards.

 Being able to communicate from the interior of structures is
extremely important, Burke said, because that's where the emergency
responders tend to be. "People's lives are at stake," he said.

 Union officials from the police and fire departments said they are
optimistic that the new system will improve communications and be much
more effective than the less costly upgrade of 2001.

 "What happened last time was the system was built by the budget,"
said Raymond Snead of the firefighters union. Firefighters have seen a
noticeable change in service since the system was put into service in
late September, Snead said.

 Gary Hankins, a D.C. police union consultant, agreed that sound
quality has improved and no dead areas have emerged so far. But
technology "takes a beating" on the street with law enforcement, he
said.

 "At this point we're still on the promise side," Hankins said. "It
seems to be a significant improvement.

 "We're hopeful."




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