Welcome to the Virginia Communications Cache Website

Did you know?

Commonwealth's Strategic Statewide Interoperability Plan The program was funded through the Homeland Security Grant Program. There are five teams strategically located across the Commonwealth of Virginia in Hampton Roads (City of Chesapeake / City of Hampton), Fairfax County, Harrisonburg / Rockingham County, Montgomery County (VA), and Lunenberg County.

Virginia Communications Cache

Five Caches

The Commonwealth of Virginia has five Strategic Communications Caches. These five caches were born out of the lessons learned on 9/11, and the example of the National Capital Region's radio cache. The difference being that the state communications cache is deployable anywhere in the Commonwealth, and is even listed as a state resource for EMAC deployment. All requests for deployment, either for planned events, or emergent events go through the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) to ensure a coordinated response.

How do we Deploy? Virginia Communications Cache

The Commonwealth's communications cache is available to support public safety communications needs within the Commonwealth of Virginia for emergency incidents or scheduled events. A request for activation of one or more communications cache units is initiated with the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM). Requests for planned radio cache deployments must be received by VDEM 30 calendar days in advance. Emergency radio cache deployment requests will be received by VDEM at any time. Within two hours of receiving an emergency deployment notification through the VDEM, the cache team will be en-route to the requesting agency with support staff that includes a Communications Unit Leader (COML),Communication Technicians (COMT), and equipment. When activated through VDEM on an emergency deployment, the team will have the ability to be completely self sustaining for forty-eight (48) hours.

Equipment

Each of the Commonwealth's communications cache teams provide VHF(H), UHF, and 7/800 MHz portable P25 trunking capable radios, mobile and portable repeaters, elevated antenna systems, tactical interoperability switches, commercial wireless voice and data subscribers, IT Support, backup electrical power, and satellite phone capability.