The Contra Costa County Fire Protection District (District) currently has two filled Telecommunications Specialist positions. These positions support the telephone, radio, and data communications needs of the District, as well as supporting the subscriber agencies of the Contra Costa Regional Fire Communications Center (CCRFCC) including the Pinole Fire Department, the Rodeo-Hercules Fire Protection District, Moraga-Orinda Fire Protection District, East Contra Costa Fire Protection District, and Crockett-Carquinez Fire Protection District. These positions also support and play a critical role in the coordination with the El Cerrito Fire Department and Richmond Fire Department as part of the fire protection cooperative arrangement and telecommunication structure in West County.
The specialized nature of fire rescue telecommunications and the importance of providing 24/7 operational support to our emergency response personnel requires the District to maintain adequate, trained staff to repair, replace, and perform preventative maintenance and training to fire suppression personnel on the electronic systems used by the District and the subscriber agencies of the CCRFCC. In the last three years the telephone, radio, and data communications needs of the District and the subscriber agencies of the CCRFCC have changed dramatically. Total emergency incident dispatches for the CCRFCC exceed 75,000 calls per year – every one relying on a failsafe radio and data communications system.
Additionally, the implementation of the East Bay Regional Communications System (EBRCS) has brought with it a multitude of systems integration issues and the need for highly trained and specialized technical experts to program radios, identify and troubleshoot problems, provide guidance to policy makers and department heads, and support emergency operations as users of this new technology. The addition of this position will allow the District to maintain the level of service required to support the District and the subscriber agencies of the CCRFCC.
It should be noted that “communications” was identified in the Michele Drive Line of Duty Deaths Investigation Report (LODD Investigation Report) as being one of the deficiencies leading to the deaths of two of the District’s firefighters in July 2007. The LODD Investigation Report identified several recommendations that dealt with communications and the operation of the CCRFCC. The integration of a highly complex radio system (EBRCS) into the operations of the District requires the commitment of technical resources to assure a safe and efficient transition onto the system and continued support of emergency responders. Failure to add this position will have a negative impact on firefighter and emergency responder safety, as well as District and subscriber agency operations.