Encrypted Fire Departments
277 fire departments across the United States are documented as encrypting their radio communications, blocking public access to critical safety information. Our database holds 295 records of this type; the rest are ones our own checks found in the clear.
About Fire Departments
Municipal and county fire departments providing fire suppression and rescue services.
Impact of Encryption
Fire department encryption prevents residents from knowing about nearby fires, blocks coordination between mutual aid departments, and removes critical information during evacuations.
Affected Stakeholders
- Homeowners in fire-prone areas
- Insurance companies
- Emergency managers
- Mutual aid partners
States with Most Encrypted Fire Departments
All Encrypted Fire Departments
Browse all 295 fire departments records. Open an agency for its verification status; records our checks found in the clear say so on their own page.
| Agency | State | County | Encryption | Scope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MetroNet/North Cities Fire | CA | Orange | Algorithm not published | Fully Encrypted |
| Mountain View Fire | CA | Santa Clara | Algorithm not published | Fully Encrypted |
| Orange County Fire Authority | CA | Orange | Algorithm not published | Dispatch Only |
| San Francisco Fire | CA | San Francisco | Algorithm not published | Partially Encrypted |
| Caernarvon Fire | PA | Lancaster | Algorithm not published | Partially Encrypted |
| Coaldale Borough Fire | PA | Schuylkill | Algorithm not published | Partially Encrypted |
| Cumberland County Fire | PA | Cumberland | Algorithm not published | Fully Encrypted |
| Fairview Township Fire | PA | York | Algorithm not published | Partially Encrypted |
| Fivepointville Fire | PA | Lancaster | Algorithm not published | Partially Encrypted |
| Hegins Township Fire | PA | Schuylkill | Algorithm not published | Partially Encrypted |
| Mccado Fire | PA | Schuylkill | Algorithm not published | Fully Encrypted |
| Mount Joy Fire | PA | Lancaster | Algorithm not published | Partially Encrypted |
| Philadelphia Fire | PA | Philadelphia | Algorithm not published | Tactical Only |
| Pioneer Fire | PA | Lancaster | Algorithm not published | Partially Encrypted |
| Pottsville Fire | PA | Schuylkill | Algorithm not published | Partially Encrypted |
| Schuylkill County Fire/EMS | PA | Schuylkill | Algorithm not published | Fully Encrypted |
| Tamaqua Borough Fire | PA | Schuylkill | Algorithm not published | Partially Encrypted |
| Valley View Township Fire | PA | Schuylkill | Algorithm not published | Partially Encrypted |
| Westmorland County Fire | PA | Westmorland | Algorithm not published | Specific Channels |
| West Penn Township Fire/EMS | PA | Schuylkill | Algorithm not published | Fully Encrypted |
| White Horse Salisbery Township Fire | PA | Lancaster | Algorithm not published | Fully Encrypted |
| Argentine Township Fire | MI | Genesee | Algorithm not published | Partially Encrypted |
| Atlas Township Fire | MI | Genesee | Algorithm not published | Partially Encrypted |
| Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms | MI | Statewide | Algorithm not published | Partially Encrypted |
| Burton Township Fire | MI | Genesee | Algorithm not published | Partially Encrypted |
| Clio Township Fire | MI | Genesee | Algorithm not published | Partially Encrypted |
| Davidson-Richfield Area Fire Authority | MI | Genesee | Algorithm not published | Partially Encrypted |
| Fenton Township Fire | MI | Genesee | Algorithm not published | Partially Encrypted |
| Flint Township Fire | MI | Genesee | Algorithm not published | Partially Encrypted |
| Flushing Township Fire | MI | Genesee | Algorithm not published | Partially Encrypted |
| Forest Township Fire | MI | Genesee | Algorithm not published | Partially Encrypted |
| Gaines Township Fire | MI | Genesee | Algorithm not published | Partially Encrypted |
| Genesee Township Fire | MI | Genesee | Algorithm not published | Partially Encrypted |
| Grand Blanc Fire | MI | Genesee | Algorithm not published | Partially Encrypted |
| Hamtramck Fire | MI | Wayne | Algorithm not published | Fully Encrypted |
| Kalamazoo Fire | MI | Kalamazoo | Algorithm not published | Partially Encrypted |
| Lapeer County Fire | MI | Lapeer | Algorithm not published | Partially Encrypted |
| Linden City Fire | MI | Genesee | Algorithm not published | Partially Encrypted |
| Midland County Fire | MI | Midland | Algorithm not published | Fully Encrypted |
| Montrose Township Fire | MI | Genesee | Algorithm not published | Partially Encrypted |
| Mount Morris Township Fire | MI | Genesee | Algorithm not published | Partially Encrypted |
| Mundy Township Fire | MI | Genesee | Algorithm not published | Partially Encrypted |
| Plymouth Township Fire | MI | Wayne | Algorithm not published | Partially Encrypted |
| Swartz Creek Fire | MI | Genesee | Algorithm not published | Partially Encrypted |
| Bayonne City Fire | NJ | Bayonne | Algorithm not published | Fully Encrypted |
| Jersey City Fire | NJ | Hudson | Algorithm not published | Fully Encrypted |
| Livingston Fire | NJ | Essex | Algorithm not published | Fully Encrypted |
| Ocean County Fire | NJ | Ocean | Algorithm not published | Specific Channels |
| Perth Amboy Fire | NJ | Woodbridge | Algorithm not published | Partially Encrypted |
| Union Township Fire | NJ | Union | Algorithm not published | Partially Encrypted |
| Woodbridge County Fire | NJ | Woodbridge | Algorithm not published | Specific Channels |
| Apopka Fire | FL | Orange | Algorithm not published | Fully Encrypted |
| Brevard County Fire Rescue | FL | Brevard | Algorithm not published | Fully Encrypted |
| Columbia County Fire | FL | Columbia | Algorithm not published | Tactical Only |
| Highlands County Fire\EMS | FL | Highlands | Algorithm not published | Specific Channels |
| Jacksonville Fire/Rescue | FL | Duval | Algorithm not published | Fully Encrypted |
| Lake County Fire/Rescue & EMS | FL | Lake | Algorithm not published | Partially Encrypted |
| Marion County Fire/EMS | FL | Marion | Algorithm not published | Partially Encrypted |
| Miami Beach Fire | FL | Miami Dade | Algorithm not published | Fully Encrypted |
| Ocala Fire Department | FL | Marion | Algorithm not published | Partially Encrypted |
| Orlando Fire | FL | Orange | Algorithm not published | Specific Channels |
| Pasco County Fire Rescue | FL | Pasco | Algorithm not published | Partially Encrypted |
| Polk County Fire\EMS | FL | Polk | Algorithm not published | Specific Channels |
| Sumter County Fire | FL | Sumter | Algorithm not published | Fully Encrypted |
| Tallahassee Fire | FL | Leon | Algorithm not published | Partially Encrypted |
| Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Fire Protection District | IL | McHenry | Algorithm not published | Tactical Only |
| Bethalto Fire | IL | Madison | Algorithm not published | Specific Channels |
| Cass County Fire | IL | Cass | Algorithm not published | Fully Encrypted |
| City of Joliet Fire Department | IL | Will | Algorithm not published | Fully Encrypted |
| Crystal Lake Fire Protection District | IL | McHenry | Algorithm not published | Tactical Only |
| Edwardsville Fire/EMS | IL | Madison | Algorithm not published | Specific Channels |
| Godfrey Fire | IL | Madison | Algorithm not published | Specific Channels |
| Huntley Fire Protection District | IL | McHenry | Algorithm not published | Tactical Only |
| Lake County Fire | IL | Lake | Algorithm not published | Fully Encrypted |
| McHenry Fire/EMS | IL | McHenry | Algorithm not published | Partially Encrypted |
| Waukegan Fire | IL | Lake | Algorithm not published | Fully Encrypted |
| Galesburg Fire Department | IL | Knox | Algorithm not published | Partially Encrypted |
| Akron Fire/EMS | OH | Summit | Algorithm not published | Partially Encrypted |
| Berea Fire | OH | Cuyahoga | Algorithm not published | Specific Channels |
| Monclova Township Fire | OH | Lucas | Algorithm not published | Specific Channels |
| Montgomery County Fire/EMS | OH | Montgomery | Algorithm not published | Fully Encrypted |
| Norwood Fire | OH | Hamilton | Algorithm not published | Partially Encrypted |
| Springfield Fire | OH | Clark | Algorithm not published | Tactical Only |
| Toledo Fire | OH | Lucas | Algorithm not published | Fully Encrypted |
| Wooster Fire | OH | Wayne | Algorithm not published | Tactical Only |
| Augusta Fire Department | GA | Richmond | Algorithm not published | Fully Encrypted |
| Athens-Clarke Fire Department | GA | Clarke | Algorithm not published | Fully Encrypted |
| Banks County Fire/EMS | GA | Banks | Algorithm not published | Partially Encrypted |
| Barrow County Fire | GA | Barrow | Algorithm not published | Fully Encrypted |
| Clayton County Fire/EMS | GA | Clayton | Algorithm not published | Fully Encrypted |
| City of Columbus Fire & EMS | GA | Muscogee | Algorithm not published | Fully Encrypted |
| City of Covington Fire Department | GA | Newton | Algorithm not published | Fully Encrypted |
| City of Dalton Fire Department | GA | Whitfield | Algorithm not published | Fully Encrypted |
| City of Douglas Fire Department | GA | Coffee | Algorithm not published | Fully Encrypted |
| City of Duluth Fire Department | GA | Gwinnett | Algorithm not published | Fully Encrypted |
| City of Elberton Fire Department | GA | Elbert | Algorithm not published | Fully Encrypted |
| City of Gainesville Fire Department | GA | Hall | Algorithm not published | Fully Encrypted |
| City of Griffin Fire Department | GA | Spaulding | Algorithm not published | Fully Encrypted |
| City of Hampton Fire Department | GA | Henry | Algorithm not published | Fully Encrypted |
| City of Hahira Fire Department | GA | Lowndes | Algorithm not published | Fully Encrypted |
Showing first 100 of 295 agencies. Use state pages to browse all agencies.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many fire departments have encrypted their radios?
277 fire departments are documented as encrypted: 111 fully encrypted and 166 with partial encryption.
Which state has the most encrypted fire departments?
Georgia leads with 37 fire departments records, out of 295 tracked nationwide.
What encryption technology do most fire departments use?
For most of the 295 fire departments records here, no source we have checked names the algorithm: RadioReference marks a talkgroup as encrypted without naming the cipher. 0 have a published source naming it.
Why does encrypting fire department radio matter?
Fire department encryption prevents residents from knowing about nearby fires, blocks coordination between mutual aid departments, and removes critical information during evacuations. Stakeholders most affected include homeowners in fire-prone areas, insurance companies, emergency managers, mutual aid partners.
What can I do if my local fire department is encrypted?
Encryption is a policy choice made by department or elected leadership, not a technical requirement — it can be revisited. File a public-records request for the encryption decision, raise it at a city council or county commission meeting, and connect with others who rely on scanner access in your area.
Take Action for Transparency
Your voice matters. Here are concrete ways to advocate for open police communications in your community.
Contact Your Representatives
Use our templates to email your local officials about police radio encryption policies.
Get StartedRead Case Studies
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