Washington DC - the District of Columbia
Official Website for DC FD - at http://fems.washington.dc.gov"> - has photos of all stations (some with apparatus also)
Wash DC PD have a website that features their radio traffic - there is also a crimewatch site with 1 channel
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DC FD Revamps EMS Units - April 2000
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April 2000 - Trouble With Comms During Subway Fire
Major Article in Washington Post About Subway Radio Problems - 1 May 2000
1999 FCC website show 154.19 bases in ?all subway stations and in tunnel(s) under The Mall - see below
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7 May 200
The FCC listings (www.fcc.gov/wtb) show Wash DC as having 2 above ground radio sites and several below ground sites. Each site (except the 3rd St tunnel) has a combination of base stations (FB) and repeaters (FB2). The input for the repeaters is 154.40. Mobiles are listed for ?100 watts.
Above ground -
Below Ground -
This info is from the current licenses which were approved in 1997.
As I remember things, 154.19R is the primary channel. 154.235 and 154.205 are used for onscene comms. 154.28 is for onscene comms with mutual aid units. 154.295 is used for dispatcher to dispatcher comms in the DC area. 154.19 simplex I believe is channel 5 and is used in case the Channel 1 (154.19R) goes down. Or maybe Channel 5 is only used in the 3rd Street Tunnel.
They may have a few more radio sites but I am not sure about that. I dont see any back up sites listed for 154.28 nor 154.295. As you can see, each subway station is listed as having a healthy assortment of fire radio freqs.
There might be bases in VA or MD - I only checked for 154.19/DC
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From [email protected] on 3 June 2000
A switch-over to the D.C. Fire/EMS/Emergency Management Agency trunked system appears to be getting closer. This started off as two trunked systems, and now appears to be fully merged. EMA will bring on other city
agencies (a few are already using the system). D.C. Fire/EMS has
continued
to push back the date for its switch-over to the system. MPD claims it plans to retain its independence and merely upgrade its existing 13 channels
to digital.
Here are the D.C. Fire/EMS/EMA trunked channels:
��� 852.6125 Trunked [None ] (1) Control/Voice
����852.6375 Trunked [None ] (2) Control/Voice
����852.6625 Trunked [None ] (3) Control/Voice
����852.6875 Trunked [None ] (4) Control/Voice
����852.7125 Trunked [None ] (5) Voice
����852.7375 Trunked [None ] (6) Voice
����852.7625 Trunked [None ] (7) Voice
����852.7875 Trunked [None ] (8) Voice
����855.2125 Trunked [None ] (9) Voice
����855.2375 Trunked [None ] (10) Voice
����855.4625 Trunked [None ] (11) Voice
����856.9875 Trunked [None ] (12) Voice
����857.9875 Trunked [None ] (13) Voice
����858.9875 Trunked [None ] (14) Voice
����859.9875 Trunked [None ] (15) Voice
����860.9875 Trunked [None ] (16) Voice
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This is the Scan-DC mailing list for scanner radio-related topics in the Washington, DC - Baltimore area.
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?Sept 2000 - listening via the Internet, I can confirm that 154.19 is still being used as the primary radio channel. The Dispatcher and the field units both can be heard on this freq.
Dec 15, 2000 is reportedly changeover day to the FD 800Mhz system. (see post I made to [email protected])
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District residents would face deep cuts in virtually all services--including police and fire protection--under a cost-cutting plan that will be released today to plug a projected budget shortfall of up to $250 million.
The police department would lose 245 uniformed officers and more than 500 civilian workers, according to one option under review by top city officials. Fifteen of the city's 33 fire engine companies would be closed, and 366 firefighting positions would be trimmed, resulting in slower response times.
"We couldn't run a police department that way," Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey said. "Not only are we currently operating on a tight budget, we are rebuilding the department. That would go against everything the mayor is trying to do."
The hit list, a worst-case proposal meant to dramatize the gravity of the problem, also includes: health screenings such as for breast cancer and prostate cancer for hundreds of people at risk; child care subsidies for 9,000 children; seven of 27 library branches; and 291 jobs from public works, which would mean no leaf collection in public places and less street sweeping and trash collection. Schools would be spared, though some programs at the University of the District of Columbia would not go forward.
The proposed cuts--15 percent in city agencies--foreshadow difficult budget decisions in the coming months as the administration of Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D) tries to close a gap between spending and revenue that would occur if nothing is done by the end of the fiscal year that began Oct. 1. The reductions would be on top of the $52 million already slashed from the budget by the mayor, including about 1,000 job cuts.
No final decisions have been made. City officials are hoping the drastic proposal will put pressure on Congress. Still, the city probably will have to make some reductions or delay programs, especially if Congress does not allow the District to spend from its emergency reserves on such expenses as the one-time restructuring cost of D.C. General Hospital.
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File created - 7 April 2000 by Peter Szerlag
Updates - 25Apr00 Subway Comms - 3May00 Subway Radio - 7May00 FCC listings - 8May00 dcfire.com - 4Jun00 800T - 01Nov00 - Official DC FD website - listening via the Internet - 16Dec00 - $$ problems
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300 McMillan Dr NW - 154.28 154.295 154.235 154.205 154.19 154.19R (this is the location of the Fire Dispatch Office)
2425 Irving St SW - 154.19 154.19R (?backup/reserve/spare site)
(the repeaters are listed as 350ERP/350W)
15 subway stations - 154.28 154.235 154.205 154.19 154.19R (all 100W/100ERP)
1 roadway tunnel - 3rd St under the Mall - 154.19 only
(all subway stations were first licensed in 1992)
D.C. to Consider Deep Spending Cuts
By Stephen C. Fehr
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, December 15, 2000; Page B01