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<br />:DIb::-L y <br /> <br />REu::r:EU.J - <br /> <br />sft./o 7 <br /> <br />Counties to unify crisis radio systems <br /> <br />. Alameda, Contra Costa <br /> <br />approve 'joint powers' <br /> <br />By Chris Metinko <br />MEDIANEWS STAFF <br /> <br />Alameda and Contra Costa <br />counties officials moved a step <br />closer Tuesday t~ eliminating <br />potential communication break- <br />downs during the next Bay Area <br />disaster. <br /> <br />The boards of supervisors of <br />both counties approved the for- <br />mation of a joint powers au- <br />thority between the counties <br />that would manage the imple- <br />mentation and operation of the <br />digital regional radio system. <br />This system would allow pu'ulic <br />safety agencies in both counties <br />to communicate directly with <br />each other via radio. <br /> <br />While such communication <br /> <br />may seem fundamental, it's <br />rarely the case in either county. <br />There are a handful of different <br />radio systems emergency serv- <br />ices use in the East Bay, none of <br />which are easily compatible with <br />one another. <br /> <br />For instance, Alameda <br />County Fire and Sheriffs de- <br />partments cannot communicate <br />directly with their Oakland or <br />Berkeley counterparts. Instead, <br />the departments have to rely on <br />"black boxes" that capture sig- <br />nals from disparate radio sys- <br />tems. However, that equipment <br />has limitations, 'such as a finite <br />range of where the boxes will <br />work. <br /> <br />That is just one example of <br />the emergency radio problems <br />caused by incompatible systems <br />/ . <br />. and overcrowded frequenCies <br />across the East Bay. Nobody <br /> <br />uses the same band of radio fre- <br />quencies as the California <br />Highway Patrol, except the East <br />Bay Regional Park District. <br />Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill, <br />Pinole, Concord, Clayton, Pit- <br />tsburg, Hercules and Martinez <br />police cannot contact their own <br />cities' fire departments via <br />radio. In Richmond, police can't <br />radio Contra Costa County sher- <br />iffs deputies. <br />The communication break- <br />down was evident during the <br />1991 Oakland and Berkeley <br />hills fire. Firefighters from sur- <br />rounding communities con- <br />verged on the scene, but <br />couldn't communicate with each <br />other. <br />Commander Rocky Medeiros <br />of the Alameda County Sheriffs <br />Office said formation of the new <br />authority is a huge step in con- <br />necting the two counties and <br /> <br />eliminating a dangerous com- <br />munication gap that could prove <br />costly during the next emer- <br />gency. <br />