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Mayor Muriel Bowser Orders D.C. Fire to Lift Radio Encryption

http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Mayor-Muriel-Bowser-Orders-DC-Fire-to-Lift-Radio-Encryption-291470551.html

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has ordered the D.C. Fire Department to lift the encryption of the department's radios.

News4's Mark Segraves broke the news on Twitter Tuesday night.

She has instructed the fire chief to stop encrypting the department's radio transmissions beginning Friday morning. Encryption of the radios prohibits anyone except fire personnel from listening to the radio transmissions.

After the deadly smoke incident at L'Enfant Metro station last month when firefighters had problems communicating with each other in the tunnels, the firefighters' union complained that encryption was part of the problem.

A spokesperson for Bowser told News4 the encryption program is still being reviewed and an announcement would be made in a few days.