May 17, 2022
Subject: Radio Encryption
Prior to stepping into my role as the Fire Chief of the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) in 2018, the 800MHz Governance Committee that manages the 800MHz Countywide Coordinated Communications System was completing a major upgrade on the entire radio system that included all 22,000 radios. Already, all law enforcement agencies and arson investigators throughout Orange County were utilizing encrypted radios, but a proposal was made at this time to encrypt the remaining 800MHz radios. The Orange County Fire Chiefs Association (OCFCA) voted unanimously to encrypt their remaining fire radios across the county.
Several factors contributed to this decision, including the safety of first responders at ongoing active shooting and/or terrorist incidents. From a technical standpoint, it was also initially thought that once the radios were encrypted, it would be possible to decrypt without significant difficulty if and when such a move was deemed necessary.
However, immediately following the fire service radios being encrypted, it was discovered that the process to decrypt OCFA radios would be as extensive and time consuming as it is costly and impractical. This is largely because the switch back requires hands-on technological adjustments on every single radio in the county — from fire and law enforcement to parks and recreation. Although I immediately directed the radios be decrypted, the enormity of the task and its fiscal impact soon made it apparent that a return to decrypted radio would be impossible at this time.
Fortunately, radio encryption does not impede OCFA’s mission to provide exceptional and timely emergency support services. That said, after hearing that some members of the media and community have grown to rely on radio scanners, the OCFA did develop a workaround to gain access to appropriate emergency frequencies. Specifically, the 800MHz tactical radio channels are now broadcast to the public via internet platforms such as Radio Reference and Broadcastify. This solution (along with the fact that the VHF radio frequencies used on all vegetation fires continue to be un-encrypted) has fit the needs for many.
Moving forward, we in the OCFA will continue to work with our partner agencies to better understand encryption, including researching the possibility of one day switching back to un-encrypted radios. For now, however, if a change back is possible, it is clear it could take several years. When there are any updates or changes in this arena, we will share them as transparently and efficiently as possible.
Sincerely,
Brian Fennessy
Fire Chief
