Radio silence: B.C.'s Lower Mainland first responders move to encrypted communications

Analogue radios, which have been used by first responders from police to firefighters for decades, will soon fall silent across B.C.'s Lower Mainland as authorities move to encrypttheir transmissions.

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The radios are being replaced by a new network known as the P25 Phase 2 radio system that will scramble broadcasts, making them inaudible to the public.

By the end of this year, the radio chatter once heard betweenofficials inLower Mainland fire, police and ambulance services will grow quiet.

A spokesperson for Emergency Communications for British Columbia Inc,(E-Comm)the Lower Mainland's 911 call and dispatch centre for fire and police,said the moveis designed to protect sensitive information shared over the radios, namely patients' medical conditions and addresses.

However, not everyone is happy with the switch. Some worry the move will curtail the public's ability to monitor public emergencies.

Listeners shut out

"I've been listening to the scanners since I was 12 years old," said Chris Danroth, a self-described scanner enthusiast who shoots video of fire trucks in action in Vancouver.

"With encryption ... it's going to have a huge impact on me."

Danroth often waits for calls about active firesto come in on his scanner adevice that picks up chatter between emergency crews before grabbing his camera and rushing to a scene.

"I'm not into filming crime scenes or bad car accidents because of the patients," he said. "But filming fires and all that, it's what I'm into."

The move also will have an impact on media organizations, which for decadeshave relied on scannersto track everything from serious car accidents, to floods, storms and other emergencies that affect the public.

One expert said previousmoves to phase out analogue radios in other jurisdictions sparked questions about how the public will receive unfiltered information about these events.

"Typically what happens is the media start to ask how they will be notified of specific events," said Richard Frank, assistant professor at Simon Fraser University's criminology department.

"When other ... agencies in other parts of the world have switched over to digital, these questions always came up."

Without scanners, media outlets must rely on authorities to keep them abreast of public emergencies.

First responder safety

Right now,fire departments are the last remaining first responders in the Lower Mainland that still use unencrypted radios.

Policehave already been communicating through channels which are unreadable by analogue scannersfor a number of years. They said they made the switchto prevent criminals from listening in on sensitive events.

The creation of the Lower Mainland's new $60-million system began around 2011 when first responders wantedbetter safety featuresfor crews in the field.

A spokesperson for E-Commsaid the new radios have GPS locatorsand provide better reception for firefighters working inside confined spaces.

Port Moody Fire Chief Ron Coulson,whose departmentmade the switch in April, praised the new system.

"The environments our staff find themselves in including high heat, tight quarters, limited visibility require our units to be very, very durable," saidRonCoulson.

The new radios with their better reception, will improve safety for firefighters, Coulson said.

'Protecting confidentiality and security'

The B.C. move to encrypt first responders' radio transmissions follows a similar move inMetro Toronto, where police, fire and ambulanceswitched to the same system in 2015.

Ultimately,Toronto Fire and Emergency Medical servicesopted to stay unencrypted, leaving police encrypted on their own.

Vancouver Fire ChiefDarrell Reid, previously a deputy chief for the Toronto Fire Service, is overseeing the final steps in the Vancouverdepartment's transition.

Reid defended the move to encrypt emergency calls.

"We know that the media and the public need information for various reasons about emergencies that are occurring," said Reid, whose department is scheduled to adoptthe changes in June.

"I'm confident that Vancouver... willbe lookingat ways to be transparent and to communicate, but still [be] mindful of protecting confidentiality and security."