By Peter Szerlag - May 21, 1999
Many changes are occuring in the radio systems used by Fire Departments in Massachusetts. Radios are being used at 33Mhz, 46Mhz, 154Mhz, 453Mhz, and 800Mhz. There is a great need to integrate these various radio systems.
I would like to suggest that 33.98, 45.88, 154.28, 460.60, and 866.0125 be implemented as Statewide Fire Mutual Aid Frequencies. The best and simplest method of bringing this about will be to equip each County Fire Control Point with base stations on these frequencies. Approximately 5 new base stations at high elevations will be required in each county. I suspect that $50,000 will be required by each county to accomplish this.
The radio frequencies are not the important part of this proposal. The important part is to get multiple high-powered base stations in multiple bands for each County Fire Control Point. If scanning, frequency-agile transceivers are used, the actual mutual aid freqs become moot points.
Additionally, it is necessary to equip at least one unit of every response group with radios that can transmit on at least one of the statewide mutual aid radio frequencies. This should not be difficult to achieve considering the radio gear that is presently being used.
For some unknown reason the Fire Services of Massachusetts have allowed their mutual aid radio systems to utterly crumble and fall apart. The fire mutual channels in the Greater Boston area have not been useable for about 3 years. These radio frequencies are the only frequencies available for handling large-scale fire, EMS, terrorist, and disaster operations. There are no Civil Defense radio frequencies available for use by any police, fire, or EMS units in Massachusetts.
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Update - 7 July 2000 - In the last year, apparently absolutely nothing has been done to improve the mutual aid radio systems in Massachusetts.
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Updated - 9/11/99 - 7July00
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