Codan Radio Transportable Radio Systems User Guide - Manual (Page 12)

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3.1.7 Multi Agency Interoperability – Columbine, Colorado
Further examples of the need for interoperability between agencies that were met with a Transportable Radio,
include the Columbine High School Incident that occurred in 1999, at Columbine High School in Columbine,
Colorado, near Denver.
With 46 separate agencies responding it was inevitable that they would be operating different emergency radio
channels in different frequency bands. Codan had previously provided a Transportable Radio to the Denver Fire De-
partment (the orange case on top of the fi re truck) to support interagency communications. The Transportable Radio
deployed on scene was crucial in enabling interagency communications at the school.
3.1.8 Multi-Agency Interoperability – Alameda County
In Alameda County California, fi rst responders responding to major incidents in the county involving multiple agen-
cies had a problem communicating with each other, since each agency communicated in different frequency bands.
To address this problem the county deployed transportable crossband repeaters (shown to the above right) that
covered all 5 bands in use in the county.
Each Transportable Radio system contains 30 W Lowband, VHF, UHF, T-Band and 800 MHz repeaters. All repeaters are
capable of being crossbanded with any or all of the other repeaters allowing for a single point of contact across all
the bands. Now when a major emergency occurs, the Transportable Radio can be quickly deployed on-site to enable
all fi rst responders to communicate, with no changes to their existing handhelds or mobiles.
3.1.9 Coverage in Buildings and Tunnels
For fi re fi ghters and paramedics, in building coverage is a major concern in all their deployments. Despite increasing
building code regulation requiring the deployment of Bi-Directional Amplifi ers in building for emergency response,
the vast majority of buildings are not up to the latest building code standards. A Transportable Radio addresses this
problem by ensuring that communications exist where you need them, when you need them.
A battery powered Transportable Radio can be quickly deployed on the sidewalk, in the lobby or on various fl oors
to provide in building communications and ensure the fi re fi ghters have communications as they respond to the in
building emergency. Transportable Radios can also offer cross-banding to enable low frequency radios (VHF) to be
used in the building for better propagation (see Section 4.1.4) and then crossbanded to the existing radio network
outside working at a higher frequency (UHF or 800 MHz).
Similarly, emergency communications in tunnels is also a concern since the same propagation challenges exist going
through ground and along enclosed spaces. As well in an emergency it is highly probable that whatever communica-
tions were normally there may have been damaged in the emergency.
Transportable Radios can be deployed at the entrance to the tunnels to extend radio coverage into the tunnel. They
can also be carried into the tunnel to ensure communications exist all the way in the tunnel to the emergency location.