WASHINGTON (WUSA9) -- Mayor Muriel Bowser ordered the D.C. fire department to stop encrypting its emergency radios. The order comes in the wake of the deadly smoke incident aboard a Metro train on the Yellow line last month, but Bowser says that the order was not in reaction to the incident.
Metro officials and firefighters had stated previously that there were communication problems. According to the firefighters union, the encryption system played a part in those issues. However, Bowser's administration says that the radio system was under review before her inauguration weeks before the incident at Metro. But the radios came under intense scrutiny when firefighters at the scene of the incident inside the Metro station couldn't communicate with crews above the ground.
The radio communications are now open to the public, according to the mayor's spokesperson.
The head of the firefighter's union is now thanking Bowser for the move, saying that she is reversing a bad decision made by the previous administration. According to the Washington Post, the former mayor thought that keep radio communications a secret would prevent criminals from listening in so he, the deputy mayor, and the fire chief decided to encrypt them. They had realized that the public could hear the communications during the 2013 Navy Yard shootings.
The office of the mayor released an official statement later on Wednesday morning:
"After a thorough review that began in December, Mayor Bowser has decided that it is in the best interest of the District and its residents to change encryption protocols for D.C. FEMS first responders. Starting in March, unencrypted channels will be used for all standard operations, while still maintaining encryption capabilities for events that contained sensitive communication," said City Administrator Rashad Young. "These new protocols will ensure that D.C. FEMS can seamlessly communicate with their counterpart agencies from other jurisdictions while embracing encryption technology that will ensure the safety and security of residents and visitors during incidents deemed sensitive."
Republished with permission of WUSA9.com
