Pa. transportation authority nears test of emergency communication system (with related video)

From NewsWorks: The 9/11 Commission says a major piece of unfinished business is making sure all police, firefighters and other emergency responders can connect via two-way radios. If a major incident were to happen in the tunnels of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority system, first responders could have trouble being heard.

A solution in the works could cost up to $40 million to put in a system to send radio signals from SEPTA's Market-Frankford and Broad Street subway lines to the surface in time of emergency.

Now SEPTA has 50 portable two-way radios available on its frequencies for first responders in time of crisis. But officials say 50 radios would not be enough for a big incident.

New technology, which is just about to be tested, involves a portable unit about the size of a small suitcase, said. SEPTA Police Chief Richard Evans. The equipment, he said, would bridge the gap between SEPTA's radios and those used by police and firefighters, as well as costing far less than wiring all the tunnels.