D.C. mayor to end controversial encryption of firefighter radios

D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowsers administration announced Wednesday that the District will abandon its new system of encrypting radio communications among firefighters and paramedics.

The Districts encryption came under intense scrutiny last month when Metro officials said they found changes to firefighter radio settings related to encryption following a widespread radio failure during Metros fatal Jan.12 smoke incident.

In that incident, D.C. firefighters could not communicate with supervisors above ground when they learned that a train was trapped in a smoke-filled tunnel south of the LEnfant Plaza station with more than 200 passengers aboard.

D.C. firefighters and the citys homeland security agency have disputed that encryption played any part in the radio failure.

In a statement on Wednesday, Rashad Young, Bowsers city administrator, said the encryption issue had been under review since before Bowser was inaugurated Jan.2. Going forward, he said, encryption would be only used on a case-by-case basis.

After a thorough review that began in December, Mayor Bowser has decided that it is in the best interest of the District and its residents to change encryption protocols, Young said.

Two administration officials who spoke to the Post about the upcoming change on Tuesday stressed that the move was not an acknowledgment that encryption hampered rescue efforts last month, when Metro passengers waited for more than 35 minutes for help.

It has nothing to do with the Metro incident, said one of the two officials. Both spoke on the condition of anonymity because they did not want to be seen as preempting Bowsers announcement. The impending announcement was first reported by WRC (Channel 4).

The timing of the announcement has in fact been complicated because we dont want to suggest in any way that it is connected to the outstanding allegation that [encryption and the Metro incident] are connected, the official said.

The District began work to encrypt its radio transmissions after the 2013 rampage at the Navy Yard. The shooting that left 12 dead prompted a dangerous search by police as they hunted the gunman before fatally shooting him. Although communication involving federal and local police agencies could not be heard by outsiders, the fire department scanner widely available over the Internet provided an account of some of the behind-the-scenes activities. Firefighters were not in the building when the manhunt was underway.

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D.C. mayor to end controversial encryption of firefighter radios