I didn't know that fireground transmissions were a matter of national security that warranted encrypting them?!!
The internet and social media have changed the whole realm of public safety monitoring. I like many enjoy listening to fire ground radio traffic and the FDNY handi talki channels. You can actually learn a lot, even as a seasoned fire officer, even though you are not on scene and can’t see what’s going on, it gets you thinking and exercising the mental tactical toolbox. However, there are quite a few people out there who do not use discretion and post EVERYTHING they hear. And then there is the media. Both of these groups cause a lot of problems for the agencies on scene. If a member goes down or a mayday is transmitted , we don’t want some keyboard commando sitting in his parents basement posting the company and position involved in the mayday. Family members often surf the various social media site . Before we can get a staff Chief and chaplain to the family members , people are contacting the family with “ is it true that….or I heard “. Can’t have that happening. The media is even worse. Monitoring the handi talki channels at terrorism incidents, or potential crime scene incidents, the media is often out to best each other and will report what they hear or quickly search on broadcastify archives, with any confirmation or validation. This can often install panic in the public or compromise the criminal investigation. Lastly. During the civil uprisings and rioting in NYC several years ago, NYPD frequencies were constantly being jammed and encountering false transmissions from civilians with cheap Beofang type radios. There was a sick bastard transmitting fake transmissions on the FDNY Bronx frequencies several years ago. So sadly, a few people have screwed it up for the rest of us. And the harm caused by their indiscretions historically and potentially do necessitate the encryption of certain critical frequencies. The safety of the members and their families is always the number one priority.
