# CAD - Auto Zoom or Direction it?



## Knightinwhitesatin (Sep 2, 2015)

If your company uses a CAD which do you prefer to route you to a call the Auto Zoom or Direction it? Or maybe you have some other tips for useing your CAD? I've heard it will talk to you like a GPS do u like that? No one I know uses the talking lady lol.


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## DesertMedic66 (Sep 2, 2015)

I don't like the auto zoom function. 

If I map from it (very rare) I will use the normal North facing map and just zoom in myself. I know the major streets in our response area so I only need to look at the smaller side streets. 

I use my phone with Google maps 99% of the time


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## Jim37F (Sep 2, 2015)

Our MCTs don't do automatic turn by turns. The map function will either center on your unit, or on the call. You can move the map around and zoom in out from there, but it's up to you to actually read the map and navigate point a to point b yourself, so we pretty much just do this:



DesertMedic66 said:


> I will use the normal North facing map and just zoom in myself. I know the major streets in our response area so I only need to look at the smaller side streets.



Default map view will most times show you at least two main streets and you can just start driving to the area.


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## DesertMedic66 (Sep 2, 2015)

Jim37F said:


> Our MCTs don't do automatic turn by turns. The map function will either center on your unit, or on the call. You can move the map around and zoom in out from there, but it's up to you to actually read the map and navigate point a to point b yourself, so we pretty much just do this:
> 
> 
> 
> Default map view will most times show you at least two main streets and you can just start driving to the area.


I'll start off with the map zoomed out then I'll get the 2 major streets closest to the call and start mapping in. Then I'll zoom in even further to get all the small side streets. 

However as stated before I much prefer Google maps. It tells you exactly how many houses down the location of the call is. 

The only time I actually use the MDT for mapping is for TCs/MVC at smaller intersections. I can't for the life of me enter in intersections to Google maps.


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## chaz90 (Sep 2, 2015)

I like the auto zoom function. It shows me the general area of the call before I ever leave the station, and I typically just glance at it for specific directions as I get close.


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## NomadicMedic (Sep 2, 2015)

I miss CAD with auto zoom. I use my phone now. Lots of roads/places not on any maps at at all and I have to rely on the dispatcher giving me "turn at the big tree" directions.


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## CALEMT (Sep 2, 2015)

DesertMedic66 said:


> I use my phone with Google maps 99% of the time



Waze is a pretty good app to use for mapping as well. 

For the OP it depends on who I'm working with if the CAD even gets used. Some like to use auto zoom and others like DesertMedic like to use the north facing map and do it that way. Since I'm not the one mapping I don't really care, just as long as we get on scene without getting lost.


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## DesertMedic66 (Sep 2, 2015)

CALEMT said:


> Waze is a pretty good app to use for mapping as well.
> 
> For the OP it depends on who I'm working with if the CAD even gets used. Some like to use auto zoom and others like DesertMedic like to use the north facing map and do it that way. Since I'm not the one mapping I don't really care, just as long as we get on scene without getting lost.


So pretty much you are fine with all calls until one pops out in Mecca where everyone gets lost haha


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## chaz90 (Sep 2, 2015)

Man, all this system specific camaraderie from California. I miss having a partner from the forum!


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## CALEMT (Sep 2, 2015)

DesertMedic66 said:


> So pretty much you are fine with all calls until one pops out in Mecca where everyone gets lost haha



Good ole Mecca... I think smoke signals would be more effective haha.


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## Tigger (Sep 2, 2015)

What is this CAD you speak of...

We do of course have it at AMR, but I don't use it for anything else besides getting the address to put in my phone. Seems like the map never refreshes fast enough.


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## DesertMedic66 (Sep 2, 2015)

Tigger said:


> What is this CAD you speak of...
> 
> We do of course have it at AMR, but I don't use it for anything else besides getting the address to put in my phone. Seems like the map never refreshes fast enough.


Glad to know AMR uses the same CAD nation wide...


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## Tigger (Sep 2, 2015)

DesertMedic66 said:


> Glad to know AMR uses the same CAD nation wide...


"Welcome to Nomad."

*()&#$#% stop restarting yourself at random times when I actually need you, you stupid touchscreen box thing."

Hopefully soon my regular place will be able to get aircards for our tablets so we can use the Active911 app on a larger screen.


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## Chewy20 (Sep 4, 2015)

Jim37F said:


> Our MCTs don't do automatic turn by turns. The map function will either center on your unit, or on the call. You can move the map around and zoom in out from there, but it's up to you to actually read the map and navigate point a to point b yourself, so we pretty much just do this:
> 
> 
> 
> Default map view will most times show you at least two main streets and you can just start driving to the area.



Join the 2000s bro!


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## PCP Probie (Sep 13, 2015)

Knightinwhitesatin said:


> If your company uses a CAD which do you prefer to route you to a call the Auto Zoom or Direction it? Or maybe you have some other tips for using your CAD? I've heard it will talk to you like a GPS do u like that? No one I know uses the talking lady lol.


we have a CAD on all of our ambulances some people use it without the GPS they just pinpoint the area and go,the GPS works really well in our case because we can be hours away from our station in a town we do not know and the GPS on the cad allows us to run calls in the town we are in,we normally use the turn function so the people that are not from our area can still navigate to and from calls . hope that helps


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## johnrsemt (Sep 23, 2015)

I learned my areas; and used paper maps.  For out of town runs our dispatchers would give us directions via pagers (but I learned fast, that if I have access to or can get access to, go on a computer and get my own directions).  Dispatch had sent me the wrong way down one way streets multiple times)  and one day on a 95 mile transport they paged me directions that included driving 700 miles and sent me directions to Wyoming (we were in NW Indiana at the time).    The dispatcher was not happy when I told her on the radio "clear on the page, thank you for the directions we will see you in 5 days" .   When she got upset about it I said that she printed off the directions and typed them into the paging system, 'didn't she read them as she typed?  Response was "It is not MY job to understand where I am sending you".    Dispatchers all got more training after that one.    it was 5 minutes before any radio traffic went out because of everyone keying up and laughing


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