The Tucson Fire Department is putting a device in the field that will let its workers communicate better with other agencies during emergencies.
Different first responders use different radio frequencies, which means they can't ordinarily talk to each other, said Capt. Ray Sayre of the Fire Department.
The Augmented Communication Unit Mobile fixes that, Sayre said.
Tucson police and most other area fire departments use VHF radios, while the Tucson Fire Department uses UHF, said Lt. Larry Briggs, who works in communications for the Fire Department. That means personnel from different public-safety agencies can't directly communicate with each other through their radios.
The mobile unit bridges that divide, he said. "It's like being able to get an AM station on FM radio," he said.
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Firefighters in the field can attach two radios to the mobile unit, which allows them to broadcast their calls to other agencies and receive responses from those agencies. Not only can firefighters use the mobile unit to talk to any agency in the city, but the device also allows them to connect to anyone with a communications radio.
This means that the Tucson Fire Department can potentially communicate with truck drivers, crane operators, private security companies and others, Briggs said. The mobile unit can even connect Fire Department radio communications to cell phones, he said.
The equipment gets a big thumbs-up from Fire Chief Patrick Kelly.
"It's a neat technology. . . . It would be as if you were speaking in English, but everyone in the world could understand you. We can't all speak the same language. This thing can," he said.
Having the unit will be vital in major emergencies, Sayre said.
One of the findings of the 9/11 Commission investigating the terrorist attacks of 2001 was that police, firefighters and other first responders could not effectively communicate with each other, Sayre said.
Kelly, who assisted the New York City Fire Department after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, said that devices similar to the mobile unit were "everywhere" after the attacks.
The mobile unit arrived at Sayre and Briggs' fire station Monday on the Southeast Side.
The department plans to add four more, one for each battalion chief, Briggs said.
Each unit costs about $5,000, he said.
