chicagoareafire.com

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• #1 by Duane Mariotti on October 26, 2025 - 6:23 AM

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  Encryption is nothing new and has been dealt with in many manners to keep the public informed

  Old VHF and UHF channels can remain connected to the dispatch channel so everybody can hear dispatches. This was also a value to surrounding fire departments.

  I doubt with the complex system is now installed that you can disable a repeater rebroadcasting a signal easily an inexpensively as Chicago Inglewood and main used to do. Inglewood was one transmitter and Mane was one transmitter primarily it was very easy to disable the spinner to blisten to Field communications. System today have multiple or should have multiple simulcast transmitters providing 98% coverage of the area.

  In Orange County, California, there was a large protest when the fire department went encrypted. The police department had been encrypted for a while. It was not a concern. The dispatch agency put the unencrypted radio signal actually several of them on a webpage, and you can listen to the calls all day long on the webpage. This includes tactical this
  Dispatch, tactical and command. Numerous other channels, such as as administrative medical and others remain encrypted for conversations requiring that feature. This is not an uncommon solution and the living in Orange County. I find a very easy they just turn on the computer and listen to the primary channel for my town not quite a scanner, but you could hear him calling a second alarm and looking to get the aerial one reason they went to this method is because the cost of disabling encryption was more expensive than the installation.

  Please do have short changed by Motorola and others saying that something cannot work. As a electrical engineer in formally a paramedic for 20 years. Most if not all HIPAA issues do not need to be transmitted by radio. The best encryption of commands has with each other and local dispatch for critical communications is the basic cellular phone, which is encrypted and he has many other features for public safety.

  In the recent significant Los Angeles city and area fires, the soul means of communications between government agencies policy makers, and EOC’s was the telephone. as well as evacuees.

  based on today’s cost measures, we should consider all the technologies available to us in the most effective manner. Motorola sells digital encryption at high price as it is the same that the military uses. Other less expensive encryption methods are available it may cost less.

  I have spent time at 2:11 fires using the cellular phone to request a helicopter and provide patient information detail as to the need. I did not tie up fire channel made it easy for dispatchers say hold on and put the phone down and everything was secure, loud and clear. I have also done so in nursing homes where our radios would not work but we could call medical control and get drug orders on the telephone.

  If properly implemented encryption should not be the end of the world as other workaround and tools are available to meet a public and surrounding fire departments needs. One concern is that if dispatch center goes encrypted the next center will use a different encryption, methodology and even though you have a portable radio, you could talk to each other. You cannot talk to each other because you’re both using different encryption. This has been a major concern in numerous large geographical area

  DUANE Mariotti, BSEE, NREMP ( ret)

• #2 by Cal Spencer on October 24, 2025 - 3:09 PM

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  The other thing to consider is the interoperability. If a large event were to occur the out of town companies sent into NWCD’s area may not be able to effectively communicate with NCWD companies, for example the West Suburban Consolidated Dispatch Center or Westcom encrypted their radio frequencies, but had to set up a system so all their traffic still repeats on their older un-encrypted VHF band, so that if they receive mutual aid from surrounding agencies who are not properly equipped with radios that are compatible can effectively communicate with local companies, and dispatch. I am waiting to see any farther updates for media, the community, and interoperability with other agencies.

• #3 by Rj on October 24, 2025 - 7:16 AM

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  For the sake of argument consider this scenario. ” engine 1 ambulance 1 respond to 122 Main St. caller reports 17-year-old son having mental health emergency threatening to harm himself.” Anyone, including the media, can quickly google the address on any number of free websites and find the owner of the house, now you probably got some patient info too. You really think this isn’t happening out there? In the case of celebrities, politicians etc. people already know their addresses and when they hear the incident type and a patient age which is commonly relayed you pretty much know what’s going on with who.

• #4 by Bill Post on October 24, 2025 - 2:12 AM

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  I have never heard of any so ridiculous in my life. Anyone on this site who had been around for a while I am sure remembers that in the days of the Predigital Chicago fire department radios and some private information or questionable information was going to be mentioned on the radio the Officer or Chief in charge would just ask for the “repeater” be shut off temporarily which would make it so you couldn’t hear both side of the conversation if you were monitoring the calls on your scanner. There are other less expensive ways of transmitting confidential information like go to a lower power tactical channel as well. This isn’t the police where conceivably a criminal is being informed of the whereabouts of the police.

• #5 by Steve K on October 23, 2025 - 2:34 PM

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  I think northwest central should come out with an app that shows where the incidents are and what companies are there but make it a general block or intersection and broaden the call nature when listing it “ambulance call” “fire call” “hazard” “ citizen assist”. Any private information can then be censored.

• #6 by Chuck on October 23, 2025 - 1:37 PM

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  Their alleged worries about “patient privacy” are bullshit. plain and simple. As a former paramedic there isn’t a single piece of HIPAA information that has ever been transmitted over a dispatch radio. Back in the day when we couldn’t reach the telemetry hospital we would contact Main or Englewood and ask them to tell so and so what we were coming in with, the most basic of information. These departments are just looking for excuses to hide. try spending the money on some manpower for a change instead of this nonsense or a $2,000,000 truck that shows up with two guys.

• #7 by rj on October 23, 2025 - 9:43 AM

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  The media’s access to radio traffic should NOT be a consideration when spec’ing a system. This article is ridiculous. I was never at an incident where I said … “I wish there was more media and bystanders here getting in the way.” The less non essential people on the scene the better. It is the SAFEST option…. and everyone loves to bring up the “safety of the community”.

• #8 by Michael m on October 23, 2025 - 9:16 AM

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  I can understand both side of the issue. As a Nurse, I definitely can understand patient privacy. I can also understand the police not wanting criminals know what they are doing. If there is a true threat to the public, IE a active shooter, authorities do have a responsibility to warn the public that there is a threat.
  There has to be a balance, unfortunately I think in this situation that is a hard thing to do.