Harford and Cecil County Radio Issues

[ThePhotoGuy]

Fire communication issues a problem statewide, Harford officials say

Recent radio matter at Cecil fire has existed for decades
BY DAVID ANDERSON, daanderson@baltsun.com
6:36 p.m. EDT, September 25, 2014


Emergency officials in Cecil and Harford counties say they will continue to work through radio communications issues between their respective fire companies, but stress the issue goes beyond the two counties and their emergency responders.


Read more: Fire communication issues are statewide, Harford officials say - baltimoresun.com

 

[badlans]

OK, I read the article, but I don't get it. What's the problem that prevents them from communicating?

 

[badlans]

OK, I answered my own question. Cecil County is using a VHF EDACS system where Harford County is using an 800 Moto trunked. I assume each county spells interoperability (sp?) differently?

 

[troymail]

Plenty of solutions out there already without spending millions of dollars -- either just don't know who to use them, they aren't set up - something along those lines. Given the millions they already admit to have spent and knowing that mutual aid occurs on a daily basis, something is missing from this discussion.... But of course, all press articles are typically incomplete and/or not 100% accurate.

 

[ThePhotoGuy]

OK, I read the article, but I don't get it. What's the problem that prevents them from communicating?

I kind of though the issue is not strong enough radio coverage (dead spots) to be the issue.

 

[troymail]

I kind of though the issue is not strong enough radio coverage (dead spots) to be the issue.

It's more likely an issue that Harford is 800 Mhz and Cecil is a Provoice VHF (150 Mhz) system. Still, there are well known options to include mutual aid channels, interop, and even simplex options that could be used.

 

[ResQguy]

That is one of the most poorly written articles I have ever seen. There are no 'statewide communications problems' in Maryland. Sure, there may be challenges- but problems? Come on.

The issue here is a Cecil user can only go so far into Harford before they lose their home system coverage and vice versa. Console patching can't help that. The only way to get a VHF radio to talk to a 800 radio outside of wide area coverage is a tactical patch ON SCENE, and that is not going to happen in the middle of nowhere upper eastern shore in the middle of the night. Cecil County needs to admit defeat and either join CMARC or FiRST so they can have radio level interoperability with everyone they border.

 

[DisasterGuy]

Cecil has no less than 3 MESIN sites supporting 8CALL90 - 8TAC94 allowing Harford radios to easily be patched into their ProVoice system. Harford doesn't however have VCALL10 - VtAC14 or UCALL40 - UTAC43 as part of CMARC at any of their sites to allow a Cecil unit out of county coverage. Kent and Queen Anne's gets VCALL10 - VTAC14 coverage from the MESIN Chestertown site.


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[ResQguy]

MESIN sites are not designed to provide in building coverage though.