D.C. Metro Officials Unaware Firefighters' Radios Encrypted Until After Jan. 12 Rescue, Metro Head Says

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority was unaware until after a Jan. 12 rescue outside its L’Enfant Plaza Metrorail station that the District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services (FEMS) department’s radios were encrypted, said WMATA interim General Manager Jack Requa Thursday during a WMATA board meeting. WMATA has faced scrutiny since the Jan. 12 incident because firefighters found their radios didn’t work at the L’Enfant Plaza station or in adjacent tunnels, potentially hampering efforts to rescue passengers stuck on a train filled with smoke (see 1501200067). WMATA and FEMS determined Jan. 14 that the FEMS encryption codes blocked communication in the station, because WMATA hadn’t calibrated its equipment with the same codes, Requa said. The two agencies have now calibrated those codes, he said. FEMS has been very open about its move to encrypt its radios, a FEMS spokesman said. The National Transportation Safety Board said it’s examining the radio connectivity issue as part of its overall investigation of the Jan. 12 incident, which left one passenger dead.