NFPA 1802 Portable Radio Tests Complete and Devices Ship
Work on the NFPA 1802 Standard on Two Way, Portable Radio Frequency Communications Devices for Use by Emergency Services Personnel in the Hazard Zone commenced in 2013. After nearly ten years of standards development and productization, two vendors with compliant products passed stringent certification tests that confirmed conformance. With this achievement, L3Harris (Press Release) and Motorola Solutions (Press Release) now offer compliant devices.
Background
NFPA 1802 standardization efforts were initiated at the behest of the San Francisco Fire Department following the June 2011 Line of Duty Deaths (LODD) of Lieutenant Vincent Perez and Firefighter Paramedic Anthony Valerio during operations at 133 Berkeley Way fire. The Line of Duty Death Safety Investigation Report identified potential issues with the portable radio equipment assigned to the firefighters. Severe heat damage to the radios and remote speaker microphone (RSM) may have resulted in failure that prevented the firefighters from communicating with command. Most striking, the RSM cables melted. During the incident, Victim 1's RSM failed and caused constant radio transmissions that resulted in the radio being disabled after 60 seconds. Victim 2's RSM also failed, with no transmit or receive functions available. Test results during the post-fire investigation showed that both victims' radios operated correctly when testers removed the damaged RSMs and cables.
Damaged portable radio Remote Speaker Microphone. Source: San Francisco Fire Department Line of Duty Death Report.
In the aftermath of the Berkeley Way disaster, the San Francisco Fire Department identified a gap in the NFPA standards. The Department requested that a standard be adopted. The NFPA assigned the project to the Electronic Safety and Equipment Committee chaired by FDNY Firefighter Bob Athanas. The committee had recently completed work on hardening Thermal Imaging Cameras, providing the committee with a strong foundation for starting the portable radio standard.
The process has been long. The project spanned more than eight years, starting with the initial NFPA committee meeting in March 2013 and ending with ratifying the new NFPA 1802 standard in October 2021. Once finalized, vendors were required to wait until compliance testing was completed for at least two suppliers. Though products from L3Harris and Motorola Solutions designed to support the new standard appeared before compliance testing was completed, the vendors could not claim that those devices shipped as compliant. The announcement of certification on December 14, 2022, means that the suppliers can now claim official NFPA 1802 compliance.
NFPA 1802 Features
The standard specifies the required characteristics for firefighter portable radios and RSM equipment. Device certification is provided for one or more of the following: Radio only, RSM only, Radio and RSM as an ensemble.
The significant elements that are defined include:
Physical Properties: Specification for knobs, buttons, displays, switches, RSM cable, RF Device Connector (RFDC), and RSM features.
Programming Features: Specification for volume control, emergency button actions, device on/off, voice announcements, visual display, device self-checks, data logging, and Bluetooth support.
Performance Properties: Specification for durability, heat/flame resistance, water protection, and radio operation.
In brief, the standard ensures radio devices will survive even if conditions do not support human life. The data logging functionality captures a history of user actions (e.g., button pushes, device power, etc.) for forensic investigation after an incident.
In the 2021 Edition of the standard, the committee noted that eight more firefighters died in incidents where internal Line of Duty Death Reports pointed to issues with portable radios and RSMs.
L3Harris and Motorola Solutions Impact
Impact Asssessment: Positive for L3Harris and Motorola Solutions
Provides competitive differentiation in the fire service market: The two vendors adopting the new standard now have a significant differentiator against the competitive field that elected not to pursue certification. This action may eliminate any non-compliant supplier from the structural firefighting market.
L3Harris taking a more expansive view: L3Harris embraced three approaches for certification: XL Extreme 400P radio only, XL Extreme Speaker Microphone (RSM) only, and the two devices tested as a single ensemble (radio combined with RSM). The company supplies a connector for older L3Harris portable radios, allowing cost-conscious agencies to migrate from older RSMs to the new XL Extreme Speaker Microphone.
Motorola Solutions focuses on the latest fire service portable: Motorola Solutions restricted its tests to two configurations: the APX NEXT XN radio only and a combined ensemble of APX NEXT XN attached to an XVN500 remote speaker microphone (radio combined with RSM). Without an RSM-only option, Motorola customers must upgrade all components, not just the RSM.
Ecosystem Impact
Impact Assessment: Moderate to fire service LMR device sector
Phase change: The press releases from L3Harris and Motorola Solutions signal a significant phase shift for Land Mobile Radio (LMR) portable radios in markets governed by NFPA specifications. From this time on, government procurements can point to a specific standard backed up by a certification regimen. The recent Kisap 911 Digital Communications System P25 Radio Equipment & Services RFP is an example of agencies moving to require the NFPA 1802 standard.
Limited to NFPA-driven jurisdictions: We do not expect NFPA 1802 to apply beyond the traditional North American stronghold of NFPA. Indeed, the standards committee had no representation beyond North America. Beyond North America, building construction practices use heavier materials, and interior firefighting operations tend to be less aggressive. This combination reduces the pressure to upgrade to expensive, hardened portable radio devices for firefighters.
The standard should influence other regions worldwide: While the NFPA 1802 standard primarily impacts the North American market, other regional organizations responsible for firefighter safety should examine the concepts addressed in the NFPA work. Attention to a fit-for-purpose form factor for firefighting operations helps boost firefighter safety and should not be ignored. Elements of the standard that address durability, heat resistance, knob ergonomics, and data logging should be of keen interest to the global firefighting community.
Kenwood and Icom may suffer sales loss: Two major brands did not submit devices for testing. These brands tend to serve cost-conscious agencies, and the impact may be minimal. Should grant funding create a requirement for portable radio compliance, Kenwood and Icom may lose equipment refresh opportunities.
FirstNet is included: While it might be tempting to think of NFPA 1802 as a standard focusing on LMR devices, the standard provides text that embraces future LTE-focused devices hosted on FirstNet. The offers from L3Harris and Motorola Solutions include support for LTE on FirstNet and other service providers.
End User Impact
Impact Assessment: High to fire service end-user community
Safety boost: The advanced materials used to meet the NFPA 1802 standard help ensure firefighters retain the ability to request assistance when trapped. The improvement in RSM cable technology is significant. Other features help prevent accidental radio shut down or tactical talk group/channel changes. The combination of features marks a significant boost in safety for firefighters.
Costs will rise: Cost-sensitive agencies will be stressed by higher device costs. Underfunded rural agencies already have challenges. The new standard may put the most modern device beyond affordable reach.
Forcing function remains a question: What forces an agency to procure NFPA 1802 devices? Municipal insurance may serve as motivation if insurance companies determine that the use of these devices reduces the potential for payment following a LODD. Grant requirements may come into play. While no grants today incorporate a requirement for NFPA 1802, future U.S. FEMA Assistance to Firefighter Grant guidance will likely factor in NFPA 1802.
Bottom Line
Developing a standard addressing the durability and performance of firefighter portable radios has been a long journey. With the two market leaders embracing the standard with shipping products, other suppliers will face increasing pressure that may shrink demand. But never underestimate the cost challenges in the long tail of U.S. fire service agencies. Rural agencies will likely maintain the status quo without regulatory requirements, insurance constraints, or proscriptive grant guidance.