So the company I am going to work for is one of 3 services in the town. Each service runs about 5 trucks. Now the way the get called out is new to me since i've only ever been in a one service area. The rigs will run around town or stage at certain area's and when there is a call dispatch will send whichever unit is closest to the call. Anyone else get their calls like this?
How do you receive calls??
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Shishkabob
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Yes... like almost every company ever has done the policy of sending the closest, most appropriate unit.
No point in sending one that will take 10 minutes longer then a closer one with the same capabilities.
No point in sending one that will take 10 minutes longer then a closer one with the same capabilities.
lightsandsirens5
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That sounds confusing.......how does it seem to be working out?
MusicMedic
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yeah the IFT company i work for does the same thing, we stage at various parts of town and wait for the nearest call
Mother, Juggs and Speed anyone? Deflation of tires, paying off cops?
VCEMT
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We have "stations" and we relax. We recieve our calls from County and we respond.
we have a station also but from 7 to 7 we have to be out driving around or staged around town. And after 7pm we send a crew out for 2 hours and so on and so on.
reaper
Working Bum
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It's called System status. A lot of places do it. Not the best idea, but does work good, for certain areas.
Medic744
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I just go where the voice coming from the shelf tells me. The voice is ever changing but I can almost guarantee if its female Im not going to the right place or actually going to have the pt she swears is just not feeling well. If its male I will get to the right place, have pretty close to the description for pt and a few giggles along the way.
adamjh3
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Quick and probably stupid question, as I have just started my EMT class.
What do you do when you post? Just drive to a spot, chill in the rig and wait for calls? Or do you drive around certain areas, like a police officer does when on patrol? Or...?
What do you do when you post? Just drive to a spot, chill in the rig and wait for calls? Or do you drive around certain areas, like a police officer does when on patrol? Or...?
well what we do is we drive around for a bit then we will find a place to post and then chill in the rig.. maybe take a nap or read a book or something. I am seriously thinking of buying a PSP so i can have something to help with the boredom.
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Too true sometimes.
System Status Management isn't really a great thing. In some cases, it works. In other cases, it is a system that decreases morale and employee satisfaction without really making much of a positive impact.
And those of us that are posted on trucks have lots of things to keep us entertained... laptops with movies, PSP's, etc.
System Status Management isn't really a great thing. In some cases, it works. In other cases, it is a system that decreases morale and employee satisfaction without really making much of a positive impact.
And those of us that are posted on trucks have lots of things to keep us entertained... laptops with movies, PSP's, etc.
terrible one
Always wandering
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System Status is popular in the more Metro areas. Bakersfield and Fresno do this with pretty effective results.
They have a system that places them in certain locations depending on amount of resources, time of day, etc...
Is it fun? No. In the smaller cities I've worked where there aren't as many calls it's very boring and as said decreases moral esp in the middle of the night.
mycrofft
Still crazy but elsewhere
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Custody calls a person speaking English as a second language who's rarely ready.
Get my drift?
Get my drift?
Like mentioned earlier, it sounds like system status management. It's a way for the service to get the most coverage and productivity,as in most calls per unit, and also needing less units posted in a particular coverage area. If the traditional method is to dispatch from stations, then SSM is a way to use less units to provide the same response times. In effect, there aren't any slow or busy rigs, since crews are repositioned constantly to fill areas devoid of coverage at the moment.
This type of system is desireable for someone wanting a high call volume. However, it's only appropriate for shifts of 16 hours or less. My opinion on 24 hour shifts is that the call volume for such a shift ought to allow for several hours of sleep, asy at least 3-4 at a minimum (broken or consecutive), for the back 10 hours of the shift. Otherwise, the shifts in that area ought to be 8 or 12 hours, 16 tops. You may desire a busy unit, but this may change after you get 5, 7, 10 years or more on the job. When you're working at night, you're constantly getting moved to cover other areas, and then getting calls. If there was no need to be repositioned at night, then there would be no need for SSM, since there would be enough crews to handle the volume without having to get creative.
SSM is likely to burn you out in the long term, as you'll be busy most of the time, as you can't transfer to a slow unit when you're tenured. Also ask yourself why your service needs to operate this way instead of putting out the proper amount of units. It may be a budget thing. If it is, you won't make a whole lot working there, and may want to seek employment in more affluent areas. Don't confuse an "effective system" with one that has desireable working conditions. The two terms aren't necessarily interchangeable.
Dispatching out of a station is the most desireable, as you have furniture, beds, showers, maybe a computer, TV, microwave, possibly a grill, stove and oven. You can plan meals, but also store things you can microwave quickly.
In NYC we sit on street corners. It's cool because you can roam the area a little and buff good jobs. But, there's no beds. I would take a sheet and cover the cot. I would then pad the head, rails, and foot with blankets. Then I would turn the AC up, and sleep like a baby. If you're in the front, buy a pair of dark sunglasses, so if a supervisor rolls up on you they can't say that you were sleeping, and if they take pictures of you they still can't prove anything. If they ask why you're wearing sunglasses, tell them that you suffer from frequent headaches or something. If you're in the back, I like to wear a perp hat (skully) and pull it over my eyes to block out the light. It goes along with the AC. Not as good as having a station to post at, but if you're on the edge of the city, or in a wealthy area, you'll be on a slow cabulance.
This type of system is desireable for someone wanting a high call volume. However, it's only appropriate for shifts of 16 hours or less. My opinion on 24 hour shifts is that the call volume for such a shift ought to allow for several hours of sleep, asy at least 3-4 at a minimum (broken or consecutive), for the back 10 hours of the shift. Otherwise, the shifts in that area ought to be 8 or 12 hours, 16 tops. You may desire a busy unit, but this may change after you get 5, 7, 10 years or more on the job. When you're working at night, you're constantly getting moved to cover other areas, and then getting calls. If there was no need to be repositioned at night, then there would be no need for SSM, since there would be enough crews to handle the volume without having to get creative.
SSM is likely to burn you out in the long term, as you'll be busy most of the time, as you can't transfer to a slow unit when you're tenured. Also ask yourself why your service needs to operate this way instead of putting out the proper amount of units. It may be a budget thing. If it is, you won't make a whole lot working there, and may want to seek employment in more affluent areas. Don't confuse an "effective system" with one that has desireable working conditions. The two terms aren't necessarily interchangeable.
Dispatching out of a station is the most desireable, as you have furniture, beds, showers, maybe a computer, TV, microwave, possibly a grill, stove and oven. You can plan meals, but also store things you can microwave quickly.
In NYC we sit on street corners. It's cool because you can roam the area a little and buff good jobs. But, there's no beds. I would take a sheet and cover the cot. I would then pad the head, rails, and foot with blankets. Then I would turn the AC up, and sleep like a baby. If you're in the front, buy a pair of dark sunglasses, so if a supervisor rolls up on you they can't say that you were sleeping, and if they take pictures of you they still can't prove anything. If they ask why you're wearing sunglasses, tell them that you suffer from frequent headaches or something. If you're in the back, I like to wear a perp hat (skully) and pull it over my eyes to block out the light. It goes along with the AC. Not as good as having a station to post at, but if you're on the edge of the city, or in a wealthy area, you'll be on a slow cabulance.
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redcrossemt
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System Status Management is Bledsoe's EMS Myth #7!!
http://publicsafety.com/article/article.jsp?id=2030&siteSection=14
SSM is a way to save money.
http://publicsafety.com/article/article.jsp?id=2030&siteSection=14
SSM is a way to save money.
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Save Money?
From the linked Bledsoe discussion.
At the transport company, I see that now that we have gone to posting at base at night, rather than running the trucks in a parking lot all night, we seem to have less issues with our trucks, and more Type III trucks in service, instead of in the shop.