Member's Area
The Member's Area contains an extensive knowledge base of communication procedures for Boston Fire Fighters. Access is restricted to users on the BFD network..
In October 1923, the first use of fire service two-way radio in the United States was introduced in Boston. Initially used for communications with the fireboats, the simultaneous transmission of alarms by radio was commenced on June 26, 1928
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Frequencies
Boston Firefighters utilize 4 repeated channels for fireground operations, 1 channel for station alerting, and 5 channels for tactical operations. If you own a scanner here are the frequencies that will allow you to listen in.
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Fireground Communications
Boston Firefighters recently battled a 9 alarm on Beacon St. This PDF provides 2 hours of radio traffic condensed into a non-stop 33 minutes of audio. The newest version of Adobe Reader is required.
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Voice Radio Communications Guide
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This guide to firefighter communications systems is geared towards system planners but should be a "must-read" for all fire fighters.
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BFD/MBHSR Channel Plan |
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All radios assigned to firefighting units comply with the Metro Boston Homeland Security Region's channel plan, The plan provides 6 interoperability zones used by the 9 member communities. Rev.: 7/21/2010 |
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In-Building Radio Coverage
The Boston Fire Department requires that high-rise buildings, and certain other structures, provide reliable radio communications for firefighters. The In-Building Radio specification and related forms are available in the In-Building Radio Section.
Related Links
The view from one of our antennas
National Interoperabilty Field Operations Guide
Mayor's Office of Emergency Preparedness
Metro Boston Interop |