New FDNY Comm System May Take Years
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK (AP) -- It could be two more years before the Fire Department of New York has a new and improved communication system in place, despite criticism over its radios' failure during the World Trade Center attack, the fire commissioner said.
``It's not radios; it's infrastructure,'' Nicholas Scoppetta said Tuesday. ``We don't know yet what will be needed.''
Published reports have found that serious radio problems left many commanders and firefighters unable to communicate with each other during the Sept. 11 attacks. To make matters worse, fire department radios were incompatible with the police radio system.
In response to the findings, Scoppetta has said improving communications is a top priority, but he said that means more than simply buying new equipment.
Scoppetta said the fire department needs a new network of antennas and boosters and must also determine how existing equipment can be shared with the police department.
The fire department cannot just buy the same radios as the police, Scoppetta said, because firefighters communicate inside or near buildings while police tend to relay messages through a dispatcher.
Scoppetta also told a City Council hearing that the fire department couldn't afford to buy its own fleet of helicopters for possible rooftop rescues.
Scoppetta's comments aggravated the families of some attack victims, including relatives of some of the 343 firefighters who died.
``My son did not know that the Fire Department had substandard equipment, that it had radios that did not work, and it did not have a plan to handle emergencies,'' said Sally Regenhard, whose firefighter son Christian was among the victims.
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