JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas –
Security forces at Joint Base San Antonio locations are going to enhance their communication capabilities through a multi-year project to improve and upgrade the communications equipment they utilize.
The $6 million project includes outfitting all JBSA security forces squadrons with new emergency dispatch consoles, vehicle consoles and hand-held radios, replacing outdated consoles and radios that have been in use for several years.
Installing the replacement consoles and outfitting security forces members with the new hand-held radios at JBSA locations is a process that will take two to three years to complete. The first phase of the project is putting in the new consoles in the base defense operations centers at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston and JBSA-Lackland, which is scheduled to begin within the next few months.
Mark Allen, 502nd Security Forces Squadron director at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, said the new system of consoles and hand-held radios will enable security forces officers to talk directly to law enforcement agencies outside of JBSA, a capability they currently do not have with their current radios.
“It is going to give us increased communications capability,” Allen said. “We are going to be able to talk to some of the adjoining law enforcement agencies, such as Bexar County and the San Antonio Police Department. We will have a channel set aside to be able to talk to them when necessary.”
The new dispatch consoles will have the capability of monitoring all radio traffic and include a Geo-Base map of all radio locations. Additional capabilities include the patching, or temporary connection, of unique radio groups together, temporary radio connections with the San Antonio Police Department and Bexar County, identifying radio locations for patrols under duress, ability to communicate with aircraft and multiple monitors to track communications from outside agencies.
With the replacement hand-held radios, patrol officers will have hundreds of radio channels and four programmable bandwidths at their fingertips. The new radios include Wi-Fi, secure voice, Bluetooth, a man down sensor and GPS tracking on Geo-Base maps.
Most of the current hand-held radios used by JBSA security forces only have 15 channels per radio group and have to be manually programmed and encrypted, using up over 50 man-hours per radio per year to do. Also, the current radios do not have any duress button, Wi-Fi, secure voice or Bluetooth capabilities.
Lt. Col. Doug Whitehead, 802nd Security Forces Squadron defense force commander at JBSA-Lackland, said the current console system, which is nearly 10 years old, is obsolete and that a new updated system is needed.
“It is going to ensure our command and control network stays relevant and current,” Whitehead said. “The new system is vital for us to be able to continue command and control capabilities across JBSA.”
By having hand-held radios that give them the ability to talk directly to local law enforcement officials, security forces officers will be able to respond to incidents and emergencies faster, Whitehead said.
“The new system enhances our capability and shortens the response time,” he said. “We will be able to communicate directly with responding patrols. It is a matter of getting information out as quickly as possible so our patrols can respond and neutralize the threat.”
Jeremy Webb, JBSA Fire Emergency Services supervisory firefighter dispatcher at JBSA-Lackland, said the new console system will give dispatchers the ability to monitor all fire emergency frequencies at JBSA locations.
Right now, Webb said the current system does not have the capability for JBSA Fire Emergency Services to monitor all frequencies at the same time. For example, if a fire would to occur at JBSA-Randolph, firefighters would need to contact the main fire emergency services dispatcher at JBSA-Lackland to request assistance from other JBSA locations.
“With the new system, we will be alerted faster to put crews on standby because we will be able to monitor their frequencies,” Webb said. “When the request comes for assistance, instead of getting crews and equipment situated, they would be ready to respond.”
Lt. Col. Brandon Edge, 902nd Security Forces Squadron commander at JBSA-Randolph, said the current dispatch console at JBSA-Randolph will not have to be replaced because it will be compatible with the new hand-held radios. The console, which was installed in August 2016, is used by both 902nd SFS and JBSA Fire Emergency Services.
Like the new dispatch consoles that will be put in at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston and JBSA-Lackland, the updated console at JBSA-Randolph has a digital mapping capability.
Sgt. Stephen Mercer, JBSA Fire Emergency Services NCO in charge of fire dispatch at JBSA-Randolph, said the dispatch console at JBSA-Randolph includes a digital mapping system that can pinpoint the location, address and telephone number of a 911 caller.
Mercer said the digital mapping capability is helpful to security forces and emergency personnel in locating where a 911 call is coming from, especially if the caller is unsure of what building or location they are at.
“If we get a 911 call hang up or if the caller is unable to talk on the phone, we can pinpoint where the caller is,” Mercer said. “We can send security forces to make sure everything is okay.”