FC40

Background: The FieldComm program was initiated by the Fire Chiefs Association of Massachusetts as part of a 2003 Homeland Security Grant initiative. There are six similar units deployed across the Commonwealth. The program is modeled on the Fire Department of New York’s program of the same name. Here, the units are managed locally by cities, towns, or regional entities selected to do so. In the nearly twenty years of the program the units have been and are utilized in a variety of ways by each host entity.

Ownership and responsibility of FC40 was transferred to Tri State Fire Mutual Aid Inc in 2013. The unit is staffed (on-call basis) and managed by Tri State’s “North West Massachusetts Incident Management Team”.

The primary role is to “address interoperability issues among all public safety personnel at major incidents”.

Capabilities: While each FieldComm unit has evolved somewhat differently since their inception FC40 currently has the following communications equipment and functionalities:

• Four (4) Motorola APX6500 Radios operating on the CoMIRS 800 MHz system

• Two (2) Motorola APX8500 Radios operating on the UHF and VHF High Band

• Two (2) Motorola APX8500 Radios operating on 700/800 conventional and VHF High Band

• Two (2) Motorola COM1550LS Radios operating on UHF

• Two (2) Motorola COM1550LS Radios operating on VHF Low Band

• JPS ACU1000 interface controller for radio frequency patching

• Onan CMQD-7500W generator

• Six (6) Motorola APX6000 Portable Radios operating on the CoMIRS 800 MHz System

• Six (6) Motorola HT1250 Portable Radios operating on UHF

• Seven (7) Harris XG-100 Portable Radios operating on VHF High Band, UHF, and 800 MHz

• One (1) Vislink MobilCMDR-HD handheld video downlink receiver/monitor

Since the primary stated role of the unit is to provide radio interoperability the unit deploys when requested to planned and unplanned events at the request of the local incident commander. The unit can and has served in a variety of roles, including but not limited to:

• Provide a means to “patch” responders using disparate radio frequencies or bands to provide radio “intertalkability”.

• Serve as an incident-specific dispatch center to monitor communications, log events, assist with logistical requests, and relay communications.

• Provide a communication or management platform for operational or logistical staging areas.

• Provide a temporary communications point in the event an entity’s normal local communications capabilities are interrupted.

• Support an Incident Command Post with communications, information technology, power and/or lighting.

Note that the FieldComm units do not function well as “mobile command centers” due to limited space in the unit, or as off-road high ground repeaters as a result of their chassis design.