So according to this article, the radio system is more important in fighting fires than the fire apparatus itself? Hmm...interesting. And they constructed the transmitter right in the spot where the 1991 blaze started? That's about as brilliant an idea as locating the OEM in the WTC after the 1993 bombing.
I'm all for these new "interoperable" radio systems, because communication IS absolutely critical. However I'm a little tired of reading how a new $300 million dollar digital trunked radio system is the magic bullet cure-all for everything. It's not. In some cases, it only makes things worse, in fact. There are still issues with digital voice encoding and loud background noises, which is very common in the fire service. There are still issues with agencies not understanding that running fireground comm over anything other than simplex analog is a dangerous proposition. There are still issues with guys going from good old analog radios with a few channels in them, to getting used to trunked systems with talkgroups and modes and "system busy" beeps. There is the issue of needing enough saturation in coverage that you can even hit a repeater to be heard in the first place, whereas simplex has an advantage in that someone will likely hear you and at least be able to acknowledge/relay your transmission. And there is the issue of, ironically, creating a LACK of interoperability when your city/town/county moves off an analog non-trunked system to a digital trunked system, while everyone else around you is still operating on analog non-trunked systems. Yes, there are ways to patch in repeaters to talkgroups and the like, but it only adds another layer of complexity to an already complex system.
