Hanover County Fire-EMS

Welcome to the Hanover County Fire·EMS Broadcastify feed, providing real-time radio audio from Hanover County's Fire·EMS Department. This feed keeps residents, first responders, and enthusiasts informed about real-time Fire-EMS activities in Hanover County.

About Hanover County

Hanover County is part of the Richmond Capital Region, strategically situated within a 90-minute drive of Washington, D.C., Virginia Beach, and the mountains of Shenandoah National Park. Home to notable landmarks like Patrick Henry's birthplace, the historic Hanover Courthouse, and Kings Dominion—a 400-acre amusement park with one of the largest roller coaster collections on the East Coast—Hanover is a dynamic mix of history and modern attractions.

About the Hanover Fire·EMS Department

Hanover Fire-EMS operates as a combination system of career and volunteer personnel, responsible for Emergency Medical Services (EMS), fire suppression, emergency management, and fire code enforcement.

The department serves approximately 114,000 residents plus visitors across 474 square miles of jurisdiction, including the Town of Ashland. Hanover Fire-EMS also oversees critical transportation routes such as I-95, I-295, US-1, US-33, US-301, and US-360. Fire·EMS operates 17 fire and EMS stations and a Fire Training Center. The department supports a diverse range of commercial, industrial, and residential needs.

Monitored Radio Resources:

This feed monitors the following talkgroups, providing coverage of Fire-EMS activities:

Dispatch Talkgroups

• HAN-FEDSP1 ("Dispatch 1"): Handles minor incidents (e.g., small crashes, water problems) and administrative traffic such as unit status and personnel changes.
• HAN-FEDSP2 ("Dispatch 2"): Main dispatch channel used by the Phoenix G2 Station Alerting system. Voice traffic is prohibited on this talkgroup. *This talkgroup is set as priority in the scanlist, so listeners will never miss a call being toned out.

Business and Tactical Talkgroups

• HAN-FEBUS1 ("Business 1"): Used for business related communications, such as radio ID checks or other administrative activities.
• HAN-FETC4 ("TAC 4"): Dedicated for all EMS-related calls unless otherwise assigned.

Tactical Incident Talkgroups

• HAN-FETC5 to HAN-FETC13 ("TAC 5–13"): Assigned for moderate to large scale incidents which require a multi-unit response. Each channel is allocated sequentially from least to greatest as incidents occur.

Critical Talkgroups

• HAN-FEATG ("Announcement Talkgroup"): A "priority" talkgroup programmed into all Fire-EMS radios for critical alerts, such as MAYDAY declarations. All Fire·EMS radios affiliated with the radio system receive transmissions from this talkgroup, regardless of their affiliated channel.

Conventional Resources

• 8CALL90: An analog repeater funded by the 2004 UASI grant used as a fallback in case of a trunked radio system failure. The repeater may be enabled at a moment's notice by the Hanover County Public Safety Emergency Communications Department. Learn more about radio resources like 8CALL90 made available to public safety users by the National Interoperability Field Operations Guide (NIFOG) here.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

• Why do I hear a robotic voice?
  • The robotic voice you hear is "Samantha," a computer-generated voice from the Phoenix G2 Fire Station Alerting system. This system helps dispatch calls quickly and efficiently, improving response times and reducing firefighter stress. Learn more about Phoenix G2 here.
• Why does everyone use a 400-series number?
  • Hanover Fire-EMS uses the 400-series as part of a regional mutual aid agreement in the Richmond Capital Region. Each participating jurisdiction is assigned a unique hundred-series number for streamlined radio and dispatch interoperability. Hanover's designation is 400, so "Hanover Engine 7" becomes "Engine 407". This is especially helpful when outside jurisdictions are assisting Hanover, or vice versa.
• Why don't I hear any static, isn't this a radio feed?
  • ​Hanover County operates a P25 Trunked Radio System. The technical nature of this type of radio system means the voice signal is "digital" instead of analog, which results in no static and very clear voice. Additionally, trunked systems allow for significantly more channel capacity compared to a conventional solution.
• What's a "TAC channel"?
  • ​A TAC channel, short for "tactical," is used for incident-specific communication, like structure fires, major accidents, or rescues. These channels help keep radio traffic organized by separating communications for different incidents, preventing multiple users from talking over each other on the same channel.
• How can I listen without the internet?
  • ​For Hanover's radio system, you'll need to purchase a digital, simulcast capable scanner. The only two commercially available scanners are the SDS100 (portable) and SDS200 (base/mobile) from Uniden.
• When is the best time to listen to the feed?
  • ​Call volume is dynamic; however, there is usually increased activity during afternoon hours on weekdays, and anytime there's a significant working incident - like a structure fire, major motor vehicle crash, etc.

Technical Information

This feed uses software-defined radios (SDRs) and advanced software to monitor all active channels at once, ensuring you hear all transmissions without gaps, even during periods of high activity.