By Kevin Sofen for FireRescue1 BrandFocus
There’s a moment every firefighter or dispatcher remembers; a call drops, a tone doesn’t go through or a responder in trouble can’t get out on the radio. It’s the gut-punch reminder that even the most experienced teams are only as effective as their ability to communicate.
Rebecca Gregory, a radio system manager in Orlando with over four decades of public safety experience, knows firsthand how the tech behind the scenes affects real fireground operations. She’s seen communication systems evolve from analog systems with dead zones on the interstate to integrated platforms that can bridge LMR and broadband; and she made one thing clear from the start:
“Communication’s a lifeline. It is a lifeline between the officer or firefighter on the street and their dispatcher or their fellow teammates. If they can’t communicate on the radios, that puts them at very high risk.”
Why comms fail and what’s at stake
Firegrounds and incident scenes today aren’t simple places. Between LEED-certified glass buildings that block signals, rural wildland zones with limited towers and the chaos of mutual aid environments, traditional radio systems get pushed to their limits. Add in the pace of technology adoption, often outpacing SOP protocols, and it becomes clear: staying connected isn’t easy.
A lot of the risk stems from the simple fact that systems are complex and conditions change fast. What worked yesterday might not work tomorrow. Gregory has watched this play out in real time:
“Technology is changing so fast. While the changes are good, they come so fast and furious it almost impedes our ability to really understand how to use it and make sure it helps the crews on the street.”
Even with the best infrastructure in place, unpredictable interference, unexpected dead zones, or mismatched equipment between agencies can throw everything off. And when that happens, the consequences are real.
“I’ve been in dispatch when an officer got shot. I’ve listened to the gunfire live on the phone. It’s not just pushing a button on a radio. The pressure’s real. You need those comms to work every time … no matter what.”
Motorola’s toolbox for solving real-world comms problems
There’s no silver bullet in public safety communications. That’s why Motorola takes a layered approach built for resilience. Think of it like a set of backup parachutes, each tool serving a purpose, depending on the scenario.
Gregory put it plainly: “You can never be without some type of a backup if the main system goes down.”
Here’s how that toolbox stacks up in the real world:
Digital vehicle repeater system
DVRS units live in the rigs, typically in command vehicles or district chief units and act like mobile cell towers for radios. When firefighters enter a structure that blocks or weakens the main signal, the DVRS can retransmit radio traffic and keep the comms flowing between inside crews and the outside world.
“We have the DVRs in our fire chief vehicles,” Gregory said. “When the main site is out of range, they fill the gap so firefighters in a building or below grade can still talk to command.”
DVRS is especially critical for stairwells, basements, and steel-reinforced buildings where coverage drops fast. It’s simple, effective and doesn’t require new training, it just works when needed.
SmartConnect
SmartConnect enables radios to switch from LMR to LTE or Wi-Fi if the signal fades. It’s seamless and automatic. Say you’re out of range of the radio system, but there’s a cell tower nearby, the radio keeps working by hopping onto the broadband network.
Gregory calls this “the backup to the backup.”
“SmartConnect is great. If they lose LMR but have cell service, it keeps them online. But that can’t be your only line. LMR is still the backbone.”
This tool is great during large-scale events, wide-area mutual aid or disaster zones where temporary cell coverage is restored before radio towers.
Distributed antenna systems & bi-directional amplifiers
Inside buildings, Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) and Bi-directional Amplifiers (BDAs) are the go-to infrastructure to get signals into dead zones. But as Gregory emphasized, “They have to be configured properly.”
If a BDA boosts the signal too much (what comms techs call “too hot”) it can interfere with the entire system. That turns a lifesaving tool into a liability.
“We’ve had to track down rogue BDAs causing interference.” said Gregory. “It’s not easy and it can impact the ability of responders to talk to each other during a critical incident.”
Misconfigurations happen but Motorola’s end-to-end customer service, from design and code compliance to post-install support, helps reduce the chance of misconfiguration.
Fixed radio sites
These are the heavy lifters. Fixed sites provide the baseline coverage for a region and Motorola’s latest designs come with hardened infrastructure, hot-swappable failover systems, and improved building penetration.
They’re also designed for resiliency.
“We have our main LMR system on a hot backup switch,” Gregory said. “Even during hurricanes, we can keep comms alive because the system self-heals and fails over automatically.”
This is what makes mutual aid possible. When one system is down, another can take over. In Gregory’s region, Orlando and Orange County can switch across zones, ensuring continuity no matter what.
Making it work in the field
Where this really comes together is in the hands of the communication teams behind the scenes, the folks like Gregory who work hurricanes, high risk SWAT situations and active shooter events from inside a radio shop or mobile tower.
She shared the story of the Pulse nightclub response, which from a communications perspective went smoothly because of years of infrastructure planning.
“We had everything set up. Multiple capabilities to talk to federal agencies, local agencies. When they came in during Pulse, it was flawless.”
That didn’t happen by luck. That’s what happens when you invest in resilient communication layers, train across systems and make SOPs a living document.
What’s next in fireground comms
Satellite-based systems like Starlink are starting to enter the picture, especially for large-scale disasters. Gregory’s team deploys portable towers after hurricanes to restore LMR and broadband where everything’s gone dark. This is already operational today.
Another emerging approach is the hybrid DAS model, which blends flexibility with infrastructure. Instead of relying on permanently installed BDAs to amplify signal, which can be a source of interference, this method brings the signal into the building using a portable suitcase-style vehicle repeater, which connects to a pre-installed distributed antenna system (DAS). The DAS distributes the signal throughout the structure during the incident, and then once the call is over, the repeater leaves with the crew. It’s clean, efficient, and avoids long-term interference issues.
All of this only works if protocols keep up. That’s where Gregory’s team puts in the quiet, essential work of aligning tools with training.
“We do updates continuously, not just once a year,” Gregory said. “When technology goes into place, our SOPs are updated quickly to make sure everybody stays true and uses the product the way it’s supposed to be used.”
Why this matters … and why it’s personal
For people like Gregory, this isn’t theoretical.
“My brother was a firefighter for 26 years. Now my nephew’s on the job. When I talk to vendors about BDAs, I tell them: I’m strict for a reason. I don’t want my nephew or anyone on that crew to not come home because of interference.”
That’s what’s at stake. Comms aren’t an accessory; they’re a survival system. And Motorola’s work is an example of what it looks like when you build with the end user in mind, layer redundancy and stay relentlessly responsive.
As we look ahead, let’s keep asking: “How do we simplify the complex, protect the frontline and make sure the communication lifeline stays strong?”
About the author
In 2023, Kevin Sofen joined the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) as a technology advisor to help plan and lead the Technology Summit International. Sofen spent 12-plus years at W.S. Darley & Company, overseeing community development, market strategy and emerging technology. Since 2012, Sofen has successfully commercialized a range of products, including packaged water in a box, virtual reality training and autonomous drone solutions. In 2017, Sofen launched the www.SmartFirefighting.com community, highlighting thought leadership and change management around technology and innovation adoption in the fire service.