In a sentence - There are a limited number of radio frequencies available with our current VHF radio system. Imagine a line that stretches from 1 to 1,000, each number along the line represents a radio frequency - there are only so many available. This span of frequencies is called "spectrum." The FCC controls spectrum and public safety agencies face tremendous competition from wireless service providers (e.g., pagers, cell phones, television, etc.) for spectrum (frequencies).
Several frequencies of spectrum that lie close together in spectrum are called "bands." Historically, the FCC distributed these bands as technology made them available. This practice resulted in consumers being spread throughout spectrum. Currently, public safety communications cover more than 10 different bands. This is a problem because there isn't a commercially available radio that can cover several bands, much less 10 bands. Basically, one radio can't communicate with all public safety communities - you would have to carry 10 separate radios to communicate with all of them.
We know that big emergencies require big support and coordination. Fire, PD, EMS, automatic aid, mutual aid, other city & state agencies, etc. need to communicate with each other to solve problems and ensure the safety of personnel. Simply put, we require the ability of two different agencies to communicate with each other, on demand, and in real time. Chief Khan would say that Mrs. Smith has an expectation from the Phoenix Fire Department, it doesn't matter where she's at or what type of services she needs, that firefighters will show up and they'll be able to coordinate their efforts and talk to each other to solve her problem.
So, why the 800 MHz band? The 800 MHz band of contains enough spectrum (close to 150 frequencies) for the entire valley to operate on a single radio system. If the entire City of Phoenix, and all of the regional fire departments we dispatch for are on one system, then we can talk to each other by utilizing a single portable radio.
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