Victoria CFA gets regional digital radio dispatch upgrade

CFA brigades in Victoria will gain access to digital radio services after Telstra, in conjunction with Motorola Solutions, was chosen to supply and maintain a wireless communications infrastructure linking nearly 500 brigades across the state.

The 18-month upgrade forms part of the $42.9 million Regional Radio Dispatch Service (RRDS) project, which was kicked off in 2010 to boost emergency services communications between CFA brigades and a centralised dispatch operation.

That’s a big change from the current situation, in which CFA crews in rural areas are forced to liaise with a local group communications officer, who then relays the messages to support and dispatch crews. Digital Tait Radio units, which are currently running on an analogue network, will be reconfigured to support the new digital services as the rollout begins in earnest in November, with services expected to be live across all regional brigades by mid 2014.

The introduction of digital radio will “reduce the need for group communications officers to support day-to-day dispatch communications activities,” CFA chief officer Euan Ferguson said in a statement.

“However, this role will remain essential for incident management communications and these members will continue to maintain their skills through regular training and exercises.”