Tactical Communications

In light of the communication system failures during and following the events of 9/11, these tactical solutions could save countless lives and property by being deployed to assist the public safety community.

The Commonwealth has worked to develop tactical solutions that can be deployed to a situation within a few hours of an event to provide tactical communications interoperability. These communication assets will assist the Commonwealth in establishing communications in the aftermath of large-scale events.

View the National Interoperability Field Operations Guide (pdf, 794kb)

Some of the more significant tactical interoperability resources the Commonwealth currently has to offer include:

Virginia State Police (VSP)

1. Three command posts in Northern, Central, and Western Virginia that can be en route to an incident within two hours to create tactical interoperability. 
2. Fifteen radios at each of the seven division locations that can be deployed to a situation and handed out at the scene—primarily to the incident management team—to establish some tactical interoperability for radio communications. 
3. Eight Incident Commander’s Radio Interface (ICRI) units that can allow up to five public safety agencies to achieve radio interoperability.  The ICRI units can also be linked together to increase this number to ten radios.  These units can operate on battery power (24 hours on eight “AA” batteries) or on electricity if available. Virginia State Police (VSP) also plans to deploy a radio technician with these units to assist with the deployment of these units.
   

To request Tactical Interoperability Solutions from the Virginia State Police (VSP) please call the (804) 674-2176 during normal business hours.  After hours, please contact the duty sergeant at (804) 674-2000.

Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM)

1. 1. One mobile command post and one communications trailer located in the Richmond region that contain VHF High band, Very High Frequency (VHF) low band, Ultra High Frequency (UHF), VSP radio, VHF Marine, VHF Aircraft, civil Air Patrol, cell phone, and Satellite (SATCOM) communication capabilities. These command posts can be deployed within two hours of an incident, plus drive time, and contain or will contain ACU-1000 units that will allow up to 24 connections to various radios and telephones.
2. Two portable 60-foot towers and one portable 75-foot tower located in the Richmond region that can be deployed to an incident; 60 foot towers have shelters for equipment mounted on trailers and generators, 75 foot tower does not have shelter or generator onboard. They can strengthen a repeater’s signal to increase the communication footprint at an incident.
3. Two brief case satellite phones that can be requested and deployed to a scene.  

 
Virginia Information Technologies Agency (VITA) – has not been updated

1. A portable Ultra High Frequency (UHF) 20-watt repeater and 30-35 UHF portables that can provide communications coverage within a 2-5 mile radius.  Additional programmable UHF radios can be used to increase the 30-35 UHF portables that are deployed with the system.  These resources are located in the Richmond region.

If localities or regions need to request these resources during or after an event they should contact the Virginia Emergency Operations Center at (804) 674-2408 or (800) 468-8892.