June 29, 2022 Hood County VFD Radios Workshop

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The workshop convened to address Hood County's proposed purchase of 130 dual-band radios for its nine volunteer fire departments, which became necessary after the Big L fire revealed critical interoperability gaps between the county's 700 MHz system and the Texas Forest Service's VHF-only operations. Discussion centered on operational challenges created by incompatible radio systems across multiple agencies and counties, including instances where personnel required three or more radios simultaneously during multiagency incidents. Participants reviewed cost-reduction alternatives, ranging from partial purchases of dual-band units supplemented with single-band radios to full procurement of 130 dual-band units with pre-activated P25 trunking, while also addressing broader departmental budget constraints related to fuel costs and equipment maintenance.

• Meeting opening and agendaA special call workshop was convened to discuss purchasing radios for Hood County's nine volunteer fire departments.
• Background on the 130-radio purchase proposalPrior commissioners' court questions about a second 130-radio purchase led to tabling the motion and scheduling this workshop.
• Initial 700 MHz purchase rationale and encryption concernsThe office was in the process of buying 700 megahertz radios when the current leadership was appointed, with decisions made to keep costs low by avoiding encryption and trunking.
• Texas Forest Service compatibility issueThe fatal flaw discovered during the Big L fire was that Texas Forest Service operates only on VHF and has no intention of switching to 700 MHz.
• Communication challenges in rough terrainThe Big L fire demonstrated that radio and cell phone communication were severely limited in the mountainous terrain where operations occurred.
• Dual-band radio solutionThe nine fire chiefs identified a need for dual-band 700 and VHF radios to operate on both the local 700 system and communicate with VHF agencies.
• Radios-per-department distribution rationale130 radios places 14 radios at each department, matching the average membership levels ranging from 15 to 30 members.
• Existing 700 radio utility for local operationsThe orange 700-only radios already purchased work fine for most calls within Hood County with no outside agencies involved.
• State agency coordination challengesOther counties around Hood are working toward 700 systems, but forest service is firmly committed to remaining on VHF.
• Operational challenges with multiple radio typesA fire commander described needing three different radios on his person simultaneously to maintain communications during a wildland incident with multiple agencies.
• Neighboring county fire experiencesRecent multiagency operations in Palo Pinto demonstrated that VHF remains the standard for initial attack, even as some areas move to 700.
• Emergency communications criticalityDirect VHF communication proved essential to ordering firefighters to evacuate when a building's roof caught fire.
• Crescent Fire Department's multiradio situationThe Crescent Fire Department operates across four counties with multiple incompatible radio systems, requiring personnel to carry multiple radios and bulky equipment.
• Crescent's multiradio operational workaroundsDue to operational complexity with multiple radio systems, Crescent has developed multiple workarounds including four radios mounted on truck dashboards and complex wiring.
• Geographic and system transition challengesHood County sits between the all-700 metroplex to the east and the all-VHF rural areas to the west, creating unique operational demands.
• Sheriff and UHF considerationsThere is potential that the Somerville Sheriff may be operating on UHF, which is a separate band from VHF and 700 MHz systems.
• Existing orange radios and future utilityThe orange 700-only radios recently purchased will remain useful for most local Hood County calls but cannot work with outside VHF agencies.
• Mutual aid agency locations and frequenciesHood County's nearest mutual aid departments operate on VHF: Lipan is located 1.8 miles away in Erath County, and Santo operates out of Palo Pinta.
• Previous limited dual-band purchaseHood County had previously purchased only two dual-band radios, revealing the cost differential between single and dual-band units.
• Radio trading and logistics during Big L fireAfter Big L fire, two to three days were spent collecting radios from different counties and trading equipment back because personnel in the field swapped radios to maintain communications.
• Multi-year cost of continuous radio adjustmentsOne small volunteer department has spent approximately $13,000 this year alone reprogramming and adjusting radios due to ongoing system changes.
• Cost analysis for 130 dual-band versus 63 with additional sevensA proposal emerged to reduce the purchase quantity to 63 dual-band radios for approximately $303,729 versus the full 130 dual-bands for approximately $626,070, with additional single-band radios purchased later.
• Cranberry VFD's acute radio shortageCranberry has 13 radios for 35 active members and 15 reserves, representing significant undersupply for operational needs.
• Proposed hybrid purchase strategyMultiple departments support buying some dual-band radios and supplementing with additional single-band radios, with dual-bands assigned to specific units like brush trucks and tankers.
• Pager system constraints and VHF necessityHood County's VHF pager system will remain the dispatch mechanism for the foreseeable future, requiring VHF capability on all radios.
• Dispatch flexibility and resource reallocationIncident commanders regularly need to pull personnel from active scenes to respond to new emergencies, requiring the ability to communicate with incoming units on different radio systems.
• Multi-channel monitoring requirementsUnified command at multiagency incidents requires monitoring multiple radio channels simultaneously to track divisions, air support, and tactical operations.
• Texas Statewide Interoperability Channel PlanThe state maintains a formal channel plan document that designates specific frequencies for interoperability across agencies and bands.
• Division-specific tactical channelsMultiagency incidents assign specific tactical channels to each division for internal communication while maintaining overall incident command coordination.
• Radio technology generations and analog versus digitalThe progression from analog VHF to digital 700/800 MHz bands has significantly improved audio clarity and consistency.
• Interoperability frequency analogyThe relationship between
• Radio capability discussion: dual-band versus tri-bandParticipants discussed whether firefighters should carry single radios with dual or tri-band capability to reduce the need for multiple handhelds.
• L3 Harris radio specifications and UHF capabilityL3 Harris dual-band radios can be programmed with UHF capability, though they ship with only VHF and 700 MHz activated.
• Existing orange 700 single-band radio inventory and reprogramming costsThe county previously purchased 130 Kenwood 700 MHz single-band radios that required post-delivery reprogramming to activate trunking functionality.
• UHF band limitations and future relevanceParticipants acknowledged that UHF capability is not a critical requirement and is unlikely to expand significantly.
• Previous procurement decision and vendor communicationLeadership acknowledged responsibility for not considering dual-band radios during the initial purchase and noted Harris did not proactively advise against the single-band choice.
• Proposed trunking activation with new dual-band purchaseIf the county purchases 130 dual-band radios, they should come pre-ordered with P25 trunking capability activated to avoid additional reprogramming costs.
• Fuel budget crisis and department depletionCounty fire departments face severe fuel cost constraints, with multiple departments having depleted annual budgets already despite significant increases in fuel prices.
• Off-road diesel and regulatory restrictionsFire departments explored using red diesel (off-road fuel) to reduce costs but were prohibited by state comptroller regulations.
• Subsidy increase and fuel-maintenance budget consolidationThe commissioner's budget proposal includes fuel and maintenance consolidation within subsidy payments plus a $20,000 subsidy increase to assist departments.
• Fireworks policy and disaster declaration precedentHood County has a fireworks policy beyond state minimums; neighboring counties have enacted emergency disaster declarations to restrict sales and use.
• Fireworks industry enforcement and corporate overrideFireworks vendors and corporate operators have resisted local restrictions, with corporate entities threatening legal action against compliance.