Juggling Radios

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WuLabsWuTecH

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So I have this problem, and I need some suggestions:

Background:
We are dispatched by 3 agencies, the main city agency (We'll call it METRO), a suburb (SUBURB) and a township (TOWNSHIP). TOWNSHIP only dispatched us via the phone so we'll ignore them for now.

Unfortunately these guys are on different frequencies. Current solution: Man 1 carries radio 1 tuned to METRO. Man 2 carries Radio 2 tuned to SUBURB. Man 3 and 4 are both issued a radio and can choose to tune it to whatever they want or just to leave it off until a call comes in.

When METRO dispatches they turn on our PA system (we don't have tones b/c they dispatch the 80 stations in our city with over 200 units in service at a time) and it comes over Radio 1. We mark out of service with SUBURB and TOWNSHIP until we finish. When SUBURB calls us, we only have the radio. So we have to listen carefully.

Here's the issue. The PA only works in the garage, kitchen, liivng room, and bunkroom. But when on shift I sometimes like to study for school and that requires a table. So I go to the conference room where I can't hear the PA. Short of carrying 2 radios tuned to 2 different frequencies, does anyone have a better idea?

I thought of scanning between the two frequencies, but METRO dispatches sometimes more than 20 calls an hour so its very likely that when they are dispatching someone that is not me, SUBURB is dispatching me...

Thanks for any suggesstions!
 
Study in the kitchen.
 
They might want to look into a pager system that they can use. Its easier to carry a single pager that gives you the call meant for you than having to scan. You will still have to call out of service for the other areas but at least you wont have to worry about keeping up with 2 radios.
 
no table in the kitchen!!!!
 
we used a text pager at my old place.

I doubt they would invest in this though--We get 92% of our cals from METRO and only 7% through SUBURB. They won't even get another radio for TOWNSHIP since they send us so few mutual aid calls.
 
Unless your agencie is willing to invest some time and money into fixing that screwed up system, sorry bud, but you will have to live with it. My sugestion for fixing your dispatch system is simple, but requires a big change... at little cost...

Cell Phone Text Message Paging... Hear me out...

Everyone now-a-days has a cell phone. Everyone texts like it is going out of style. Your cell-phone has a e-mail address that allows you to send a text from a cell phone to a computer... or visa versa. (i.e. 1234567890@(your providers e-mial route).com) That is what our dispatchers are doing now. The cost of keeping up a pager system that never wants to work correctly is too difficult... So now we get our pages for SAR calls via cell phone texting. All dispatch has to do is send out a two line text via computer to the group of cell phone e-mail addresses that it has listed for every team member. The same system is used for the local ambulance and works well... the only draw back being the cost of recieving texts (if it costs you). In all honesty... so far this system rocks and I get pages via cell that I don't get via pager. JUST A THOUGHT!!!
 
Put a wireless doorbell transmitter by a speaker

and you carry the receiver.
Be a funny-haha if it opened the vehicle overhead door instead of sending you an "Avon calling" ding-dong.
 
One of our fire departments recieves their calls via text message also. The only problem with it is the human error factor that on occasion dispatch forgets to send it with the tone or sends the wrong department.
 
Mountain Res-Q said:
Unless your agencie is willing to invest some time and money into fixing that screwed up system, sorry bud, but you will have to live with it. My sugestion for fixing your dispatch system is simple, but requires a big change... at little cost...

Cell Phone Text Message Paging... Hear me out...

Everyone now-a-days has a cell phone. Everyone texts like it is going out of style. Your cell-phone has a e-mail address that allows you to send a text from a cell phone to a computer... or visa versa. (i.e. 1234567890@(your providers e-mial route).com) That is what our dispatchers are doing now. The cost of keeping up a pager system that never wants to work correctly is too difficult... So now we get our pages for SAR calls via cell phone texting. All dispatch has to do is send out a two line text via computer to the group of cell phone e-mail addresses that it has listed for every team member. The same system is used for the local ambulance and works well... the only draw back being the cost of recieving texts (if it costs you). In all honesty... so far this system rocks and I get pages via cell that I don't get via pager. JUST A THOUGHT!!!
Click to expand...

Oh my!!! But some believe it is sinful to have cell phones at work!
 
Medic744 said:
One of our fire departments recieves their calls via text message also. The only problem with it is the human error factor that on occasion dispatch forgets to send it with the tone or sends the wrong department.
Click to expand...

Ya, human error is always an issue. Just get smarter dispatchers... they do exist. ^_^ Paging via cell seems to work for us now... and the local ambo has been using it for years, completely abandoning tones, with great success. If the unit doesn't come on the air as responding with in ~60 seconds... re-page it. Fo me, my cell works in places my pager won't. and wiht a pager, it woun;t store the pages if I don't have recieption. no signal... no page. With the cell, my provider hold teh page until i have a signal, so I an respond eventually... which on SAR is better than nothing.

Sasha said:
Oh my!!! But some believe it is sinful to have cell phones at work!
Click to expand...

Ya... they have their place and it is great that we can use the technology at our disposale for a good purpose... I love the system. That and we were talking about experimenting with Reverse 911, so that all the team members phones (home, cell, and work) ring and play a recorded message from dispatch that says (for instance), "All team members respond to Pincrest Lake for a rescue. 30 hypothermic teenagers near Cleo's Bath. Call Deputy ______ if you are able to respond."
 
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We have one or 2 that we can count on but they keep demanding days off and wanting to go home at some point. Love ya Cody!
 
That's an interesting system... But its not that big of a deal to me to carry two radios. Especially since I could leave one on the table when we go for a run. I just feel bad for my partner(s) to have to come get me before each run even though its on their way from the living spaces to the garage. A sense of being responsible for myself ya know what I mean?
 
I know the feeling. Somehow with a few guys I work with Im responsible for waking them up if we get a call because they don't want the radio in the room with them.
 
Medic744 said:
I know the feeling. Somehow with a few guys I work with Im responsible for waking them up if we get a call because they don't want the radio in the room with them.
Click to expand...

I am the exact opposite. I can not sleep with out that background chatter. Even now, I keep a scanner on low volume in the background at home. I know... it is sad, and a bit whackerish... but hey, what ya gonna do. It aas even gotten so bad that I recognize the tones for some local fire units and I have been know to awaken at the sound of them getting dispatched out...
 
Buy a naby moniter and leave the bay end by the speaker, the other wnd in the room with no speaker.
 
Scout said:
Buy a naby moniter and leave the bay end by the speaker, the other wnd in the room with no speaker.
Click to expand...

This^ or get whatever amount of wire and an external speaker and splice into the main wire and viola....I think!!!!!
 
Have your partner come get you in the conference room if you get a call.
 
We have the text message paging however ours is automatically done by the computer. In the computer during my shift I am assigned to medic 7, anytime a dispatcher drops a call on medic 7 I get a page with the call number, address, chief complaint and any other information we have. What system are you using that dispatcher error could come into it?
 
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