How Do You Use Your Radio During An Overnight Shift?

[LightItUp98]

Hey guys, I've been riding as an EMT for some time now, but just recently I have been put on overnight shifts throughout the week. I am not one of those EMT's that can stay awake all night waiting for a call. Our station usually gets at least one call from 11pm-6am. So, the question is this: How/where would you recommend I place/use my radio so I can be woken up if there's a call, but without it scaring the absolute crap out of me? I have heard ideas all the way from putting it on your nightstand on full volume, to doing the same, but putting the radio in a different room so it's not as "in your face". Any ideas based off of personal experience? Thanks.

 

[DesertMedic66]

Do your stations not have phones that your dispatch calls?

Most stations have tones, lights, alarms, and or phones that will go off so crews don't have to listen to the radio.

 

[NomadicMedic]

I turn my radio down til it's almost inaudible. I still always wake up.

 

[LightItUp98]

Do your stations not have phones that your dispatch calls?

Most stations have tones, lights, alarms, and or phones that will go off so crews don't have to listen to the radio.

I should've said this earlier. We are a BLS crew who respond from home to calls. Nothing but our portable radio lets us know if there is a call. I do, however keep it set to pager mode, so there is one short tone followed by the dispatch ONLY if it is our crew needed.

 

[Chewy20]

Then just keep adjusting volume until you find out what works for you? Don't think people on here can help you with that.

 

[LightItUp98]

Then just keep adjusting volume until you find out what works for you? Don't think people on here can help you with that.

I'm looking for advice on what people who also use radios during overnight shifts do. If you do not do this or do not have helpful advice, then there's no point in commenting.

 

[NomadicMedic]

I'm looking for advice on what people who also use radios during overnight shifts do. If you do not do this or do not have helpful advice, then there's no point in commenting.

Shhh noob.

 

[Flying]

Most people I know have the problem of not being able to wake up while the radio AND pager are at full volume.

It sucks having to wake up with your heart pumping, but adjusting the volume or getting something that alerts you by vibrating are the only solutions I can think of.

 

[RocketMedic]

Scaring you awake is a good thing. Use it.

 

[DesertMedic66]

I'm looking for advice on what people who also use radios during overnight shifts do. If you do not do this or do not have helpful advice, then there's no point in commenting.

You only have 1 option and that is to use the radio. Do you wake up easily or are you a heavy sleeper? Are you able to sleep and hear your unit get called out over the radio? Does your radio need to be loud for you to hear it or can it be low? Do your radios only go off when your unit gets a call or do you hear all radio traffic?

There are a lot of different factors. The only thing that really matters is that you make sure you wake up when you get a call. Everything aside from that is really a non issue.

I personally wouldn't want to have the radio I am trying to listen to in a different room.

 

[Ewok Jerky]

When I was new I had to out the radio at full volume. After a while my ear was trained to hear my unit number so I could put the volume down.

This was a SSM system though, so I was sleeping in the rig or at a makeshift "station", not at home in my comfy bed. If I was responding from home I would have he radio on full blast to make sure I wake up, although my pager tone is pretty effing annoying by itself.

 

[Tigger]

Do your stations not have phones that your dispatch calls?

Most stations have tones, lights, alarms, and or phones that will go off so crews don't have to listen to the radio.

My fulltime place and one of my side jobs both have stations with just the radio plugged into a PA system. I also get text alerts through an app called Active911 but those usually take a minute after the tones to come in.

To the OP, I used to just put a portable next to my bed on full volume to make sure I got up. While it always got me up I usually got on the truck still shaking from the abrupt wake up call. Now I put it across the bedroom and that works fine, even if the PA is left off accidentally. Eventually you may find your sleep patterns change when you are on call or at work and you don't sleep quite as deeply at work. Happens to some people.

 

[LightItUp98]

Ok guys. Thanks for the answers that actually got to the point. Yes, my radio is set to a mode where it is only my town's EMS tones and nothing else. I will try putting it on the other side of the room at full volume.

 

[Tigger]

Please remember this is a discussion board and discussions will not always be perfectly suited to your needs.

 

[LightItUp98]

Please remember this is a discussion board and discussions will not always be perfectly suited to your needs.

I understand that, but come on. There is a difference between answering a question or just making smart remarks.

 

[WolfmanHarris]

I understand that, but come on. There is a difference between answering a question or just making smart remarks.

There is. For example,
Answering question: I'm not sure, you probably know you're sleep style best. If you're hard to wake up I'd keep it cranked and deal with the sympathetic response that jars you awake. Otherwise you'll probably be fine, back when we kept trucks numbers consistent I could wake up while on standby to my truck number. It's not the same type of sleep you get when you know you might be needed. Why even the best night shift I still need to sleep when I get home. Try sleeping on the couch.

Smart Remark: You catch more flies with honey than by being an ***.

 

[Jim37F]

I don't suppose you can just sleep during the day and stay up during your night shift and not worry about being asleep when you get a call? i.e. working a 24 hour shift and/or a volunteer with a day job?

I should've said this earlier. We are a BLS crew who respond from home to calls. Nothing but our portable radio lets us know if there is a call. I do, however keep it set to pager mode, so there is one short tone followed by the dispatch ONLY if it is our crew needed.

Ok guys. Thanks for the answers that actually got to the point. Yes, my radio is set to a mode where it is only my town's EMS tones and nothing else. I will try putting it on the other side of the room at full volume.

Does the pager function include a vibrate feature like a dedicated pager would? Or just tones? I know having a dedicated pager was a very nice feature at my first company when you found yourself dozing off lol

Do your radio tones go off for ONLY your unit, or do you get them for all units in your EMS system? Our radio tones are generated by dispatch for all units, so mine would be beeping all night long lol, but if yours only go off for your unit than that makes it a lot easier, just keep it at a volume low enough talk traffic isn't keeping you up but the beeps for you will. If radio tones go off for all units, but your agency total only gets a couple calls a night you could do the same.

 

[DesertMedic66]

Smart Remark: You catch more flies with honey than by being an ***.

But you catch more honeys by being fly.

 

[CALEMT]

Then just keep adjusting volume until you find out what works for you?

Where I was covering for awhile we were dispatched over radio at night. For the OP its as simple as this, not to sure why you need to ask people for advice. The radios where I was at had a function of hearing everyone i.e. the other ambulance at the station and the other stations. You could also have it to where it was just the traffic for your ambulance. Thats what I did for nights, then I just kept adjusting the volume to where I wanted it... simple as that. Oh and the radio was on the nightstand about 3 feet away from the bed.

 

[Bullets]

I understand that, but come on. There is a difference between answering a question or just making smart remarks.

When you ask a question with a seemingly simple answer that shouldnt require the input of a national anonymous message board, youre going to get snark. And if you work in this job, snark is what most providers do better than anything.

As a BLS responder who does the same thing as you, respond from home and are dispatched over the radio, what i do is turn the radio on, put it on my night stand and then go to sleep. When the call goes out, then the sound of the dispatchers voice wakes me up, i put on my shoes and go answer the call...

But you catch more honeys by being fly.

You can fly more catches by being honey....am i doing this right?