First the NYPD said no way. Now the fire department says it too worries that the subway radio system won't work.
Too many so called dead spots underground. That's the rap against the system that has taken more than a decade to design and build. So what now?
Eyewitness News reporter Tim Fleischer is at the Times Square subway station with the story.
The last thing you want to worry about, if you're caught in a subway emergency, is whether first responders can talk to each other. Now, New York's bravest are raising the latest concerns.
Glenda Llenas, commuter: "With everything that's happening I'd be very scared."
Glenda Llenas and hundreds of thousands of you, using the vast network of subways, are hoping that a call for help by first responders will be heard by all.
But the FDNY using a new but troublesome radio system installed in city subways by the MTA has concerns about its reliability.
Officials, in a directive, say: "After many months of testing it has been found the current repeater system does not satisfactory uphold the communications and safety standards of the FDNY."
Mark Bienstock, program manager: "They are telling their firefighters not to rely solely on the new underground radio system but continue to use their existing relay communications underground."
The MTA installed the system at a cost of $140 million dollars, now adding new antenas and enhancing the system to cover spots where radio transmissions are sometimes lost.
NYPD officers stationed in subways have other difficulties with the new system. Commissioner Ray Kelly telling Eyewitness News previously:
"It's very, very challenging to get one radio, one radio system that works both above ground and below ground," Kelly said.
The MTA is working to make the system adaptable to both first responders and reliable -- and commuters want to know they are safe.
William Henderson, Citizens Advisory Committee to MTA: "People have a real concern about communications in the subways, especially the underground stations."
The MTA has tested the system and further tests are being planned.
Republished with permission of WABC-TV
