Hatzolah of Central Jersey today is once again issuing a strong warning to parents after children interfered with radio transmissions during an emergency call.
Hatzolah officials tell TLS that during a call last night, a member responding to the call heard two children talking to each other over the radio.
Though the children were not yet located, Hatzolah officials say the are investigating the origin of the interference, and will take all necessary measures to ensure the children responsible are dealt with accordingly.
“This is a very serious issue, and can Chas V’Shalom cost somebody’s life,” Hatzolah tells TLS. “Children may think it’s just fun and games, but interfering with the radio transmissions can delay a response and cause a death.”
Hatzolah Captains tell TLS they are seeing multiple interferences coming from three general areas around Lakewood and are working to crack down to locate the culprits responsible for this dangerous activity.
“Parents should also beware that interfering with these Public Safety channels can land them with a hefty Federal fine of up to $32,000,” says Hatzolah Administrator Motty Twerski (see below).
Police have also been notified about the incident and are working with Hatzolah to ensure theses incidents are dealt with harshly.
I would not be surprised at all if one day we find out that this family on many occasions called Hatzala and Chaveirim for all kinds of help.
This family is going through a real serious mental disease and very often some physical diseases come along with it.
The parents should not dare tell us, “Oh we are so sorry, we had no clue what our children were doing”.
If you do not know what your children are doing or where they are, you better ask your Rav ASAP (if you have one) if it is permissible for you to have more children.
Pardon me for my ignorance on this matter, but is there a radio system out there that is protected from outside interference? If there is such a system, Hatzolah should definitely get one.
Money. Why else?
relax weirdo….everyone agrees this is a serious topic but you just sound crazy
These radios must have certified proof of a Federal License for use issued by the FCC with a registered call sign. Buyers and SELLERS must be held to the same standards as purchasing a weapon. Modern radios are programmable to any frequency which is freely available public information to civilians. Unless an FCC license can be provided, some way to block emergency response frequencies must be implemented besides heavy fines and possible imprisonment.
One point, most, if not all of these radios are NOT programmed with any frequencies at all. One must find website that publishes these frequencies (there are several), and then manually enter this information into the radio, whether by pressing keys or using radio
programming software. It’s not as if these kids buy these radios and turn them on and they are
automatically on Hatzolah frequencies. They are INTENTIONALLY entering frequencies used by emergency services. Lakewood Fire and EMS has to switch over to a P25 system to prevent these types of
incidents form happening. That’s not really a solution
either. It’s more of a band-aid. In the not too distant
future, there will be cheap chinese radio capable of
transmitting a P25 signal. There needs to be more
action taken than just switching to a different mode.
More information. FRS and GMRS specific radios
sold by many retailers that ARE NOT able to have their frequencies changed by keypad or computer ARE NOT the type of radios I am discussing.
Just as an aside, PD and Chaveirim do not have this issue, as their channels are encrypted.Yes it costs, yes there is infrastructure, instead of threatening, and telling us you got PD involved, change the way you operate and stay safe in the future. It could be that the members themselves resisted changing, as many of them have their own radios and want to continue using them. If they go encrypted, it involves everyone changing radios, new repeaters etc and reprogramming the way their radios and dispatchers communicate. These kids will not stop using their radios, so you need to do what it takes as an organization dedicated to saving lives and protect your own airwaves.
Read the comments very carefully. No one is threatening.