Tetra is a digital radio technology used to provide the National Emergency Services digital Radio system. This is a managed service that provides radio services to a number of agencies but to date primarily the Gardaí and the HSE.

The Fire Service has now completed an extensive evaluation of its migration to the Tetra platform and made the decision to migrate to this technology.

The roll out of the National Digital Radio Service (TETRA) has commenced with the first TETRA terminals being installed in Nenagh Fire Brigade, Tipperary on 11th June 2018. Installations in Tipperary will be followed by the Fire Authorities of Clare and Limerick and the estimated time of completion for the first 3 counties is 1st August 2018.

As recommended by a Task and Finish Group comprising of operational personnel, all Appliance Radios, HQ Base Radios and Senior Officer Radios will be Motorola terminals. Based on a further recommendation of this group, pump bay solutions including Speaker, Fist Mic, RTS & PRTS status messages are being installed in front line appliances.

Liaison officers have been appointed for each fire authority as a contact for the roll out of Tetra, and will be responsible for the fleet verification, site visits, scheduling of installations and assisting with the training.

As part of the Tetra roll out an interim solution has been put in place in the in RCCs, which allows for the new digital status messages to be transferred into the legacy CAD systems ahead of the new command and control system being installed.

In order to ensure that configurations for users and terminals are to a common national standard, all Fire Service Mobile appliance terminals, hand portables, base radios etc. will look and operate in the same way and be consistent across the service.

Advancements in technology will allow new functionality such as:

Other advantages include:

  • Clearer voice communications
  • Instant comms – Fast call set-up time – 300ms
  • Interop comms
  • Managed network
  • Secure
  • DGNA – Dynamic Group Number Assign
  • Over the air interface

With each successful installation onto the Tetra network, we come closer to the fully integrated Systel Command and Control System which will mean the full functionality of TETRA will be available.

During the next year Tetra Ireland, Sigma Wireless, the Irish Fire Service, Ctri and the RCCs will work together to deliver a technically and operationally enhanced communications system to the Irish Fire Service.