Portable Radios

[StickySideDown]

Does anyone know of a state regulation that mandates that both EMT's on a 911 Ambulance service must carry a portable radio each?

The service I work for has many portable radios, but only allows one person on the truck to use a radio at a time. Me being the rebel I am took a radio as well so both my partner and I both have one. I take if for safety reasons. There are many times where my partner and I will split up and one run to the truck for equipment ( I.E. grab a stair chair or a long board ) and then get locked out of apartment buildings and etc. It does come in handy.

After a while the service I work for yelled at me and my partner for each taking a portable radio and will only allow one of us to carry one per truck. If I can find a state regulation or some code in the NJAC then I would be able to fight this. I have looked all over but have come up empty handed.

 

[Bosco836]

Although a bit outside of your jurisdiction, you may find this of use:

http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j...sg=AFQjCNHoDu8eLj8kkaM2zL2dPjFeHjQQcw&cad=rja

 

[fortsmithman]

With my service each member is issued a pager and portable.

 

[Tigger]

It's never been a regulation anywhere I worked at. We only get one portable and while two would be ideal, I am honestly fine with having one. Generally we avoid splitting up, but when it is needed the person remaining inside keeps the radio and if I really need something else from my partner, I'll just call his cell with mine. Two portables would be nice but I just don't see that happening. Some days I don't even get one.

 

[Handsome Robb]

Everyone is required to check out a radio when working. Even paramedic interns usually end up with one.

All employees are issued a pager or IT sets it up so they get pages on their phone.

 

[feldy]

all employees are issued a radio at the start of employment and are are expected to carry it with them at all times while on duty...our old trucks dont have radios in them, the new ones do.

But that is just a company policy, not a state requirement.

 

[Devilz311]

I don't know of any state regulation that requires a portable radio. Technically, and NJ Licensed ambulance MUST have a mobile radio with the JEMS channels programmed, but it doesn't say anything about portables.

I actually just took a new rig to trenton for the initial inspection last week, and nothing was even mentioned about radios.

 

[DrParasite]

there is no regulation requiring each person on a 911 ambulance to have a portable in NJ.

less than 10 years ago, it wasn't uncommon for fire trucks to only have one radio for the officer. so if you have 6 guys in a truck, only the guy in charge would have a radio. thankfully most departments have improved to one radio per FF per truck.

heck, i went on a 911 call a few years ago where we had 0 radios between the two of us, and we were forced to make a hasty exit when our fall victim was actually thrown through a fishtank by her husband, who had greeted us as the door.

Every person on a crew should have a radio. usually the biggest problem is the expense of the radios themselves, as well as accounting for them (ie, people having them and forgetting to returning them at the end of the shift in the same condition they left at). and with NJ ems not being tax funded, it's often hard to get enough money to get that many radios when there are other expense that are more expensive (fuel, equipment, new trucks, etc)

 

[usafmedic45]

There are many times where my partner and I will split up and one run to the truck for equipment ( I.E. grab a stair chair or a long board ) and then get locked out of apartment buildings and etc. It does come in handy.

There's a really freaking simple work around that 99% of EMS personnel can use in situations like this. It's called a 'cell phone'. Nothing is more obnoxious, speaking both as a field provider and a former dispatcher, then a bunch of EMS, fire or LE personnel tying up the frequencies with a bunch of stupid chatter. It's a big problem especially with EMS (because of the high turnover and resultant lower average age and maturity) and volunteer fire personnel. There's a big problem this time of year back where I grew up with the fireground tactical channels being all too often with the volunteers using them to coordinate deer hunts. No, I'm not kidding.

 

[DrParasite]

There's a really freaking simple work around that 99% of EMS personnel can use in situations like this. It's called a 'cell phone'.

sure, when you are both issued cell phones, by your agency, or your agency is paying your cell phone bill, absolutely. however, if you are going personal cell phone to personal cell phone for work related stuff as you are on a job, absolutely not. it's a bad precedent to set (if the boss doesn't provide something, don't worry, we will pay for it out of our own money, so the company doesn't have to in the future). issues radios and methods of communication are there for a reason. and they should be used. and before you ask, yes, i feel the same way about people who purchase their own personal radios because the issued ones are crap and/or don't work properly. use the department issued equipment, it's there for a reason.

Nothing is more obnoxious, speaking both as a field provider and a former dispatcher, then a bunch of EMS, fire or LE personnel tying up the frequencies with a bunch of stupid chatter.

oh quit whining. and i say that as a current dispatcher and part time field provider. if it's about the incident you are on, than it should be transmitted over a radio, where the transmissions are all recorded, and the agency provide the lines of communication. whether it's as simple as "get the reeves instead of the stairchair" or "let us back in, the door is locked" it should go over the radio. plus it's unprofessional to be talking on your cell phone while you are at the patient's side. if you don't like hearing all the incident related "chatter" than find a new job, or don't pay attention to the radio.

It's a big problem especially with EMS (because of the high turnover and resultant lower average age and maturity) and volunteer fire personnel. There's a big problem this time of year back where I grew up with the fireground tactical channels being all too often with the volunteers using them to coordinate deer hunts. No, I'm not kidding.

that's a problem with radio discipline and training, not everyone having a radio.

radios should be used for official business. not coordinating deer hunts, not saying happy birthday or congratulations, not running late for dinner notices. if it has nothing to do with FD or EMS, or an FD/EMS operations on a scene, than it doesn't belong on the FD/EMS radio. if people can't do that, either discipline them, or take the radio away, plain and simple.

 

[NomadicMedic]

Each EMS station has 3 radios and 6 batteries in a charger. Each crew member takes a radio, alpha pager, minitor and narc keys at shift change. It's not an issue for us. We're on a state wide 800mhz system and the coverage is excellent on both portables and the truck radio.

Each radio is identified on the dispatch console, so any screwing around will get dealt with quickly.

However, we have an encrypted BS channel just for the medics. Some of the stuff heard on that talkgroup is pretty funny.

 

[fortsmithman]

the volunteers using them to coordinate deer hunts. No, I'm not kidding.

If they did that here suspensions would be handed out. As mfor the cell phones here in the NWT cell phones only work in the major communities. Cell phones do not work in about 90% of the NWT.

 

[Tigger]

sure, when you are both issued cell phones, by your agency, or your agency is paying your cell phone bill, absolutely. however, if you are going personal cell phone to personal cell phone for work related stuff as you are on a job, absolutely not. it's a bad precedent to set (if the boss doesn't provide something, don't worry, we will pay for it out of our own money, so the company doesn't have to in the future). issues radios and methods of communication are there for a reason. and they should be used. and before you ask, yes, i feel the same way about people who purchase their own personal radios because the issued ones are crap and/or don't work properly. use the department issued equipment, it's there for a reason.oh quit whining. and i say that as a current dispatcher and part time field provider. if it's about the incident you are on, than it should be transmitted over a radio, where the transmissions are all recorded, and the agency provide the lines of communication. whether it's as simple as "get the reeves instead of the stairchair" or "let us back in, the door is locked" it should go over the radio. plus it's unprofessional to be talking on your cell phone while you are at the patient's side. if you don't like hearing all the incident related "chatter" than find a new job, or don't pay attention to the radio. that's a problem with radio discipline and training, not everyone having a radio.

radios should be used for official business. not coordinating deer hunts, not saying happy birthday or congratulations, not running late for dinner notices. if it has nothing to do with FD or EMS, or an FD/EMS operations on a scene, than it doesn't belong on the FD/EMS radio. if people can't do that, either discipline them, or take the radio away, plain and simple.

If it's a department issued cell phone, is it then no longer unprofessional to use a cell phone in front of a patient? Somehow I just don't see a distinction there.

I have no issue with using a cell phone for work related purposes in front of patients, and I use my own. We are not issued cell phones, and we have one radio frequency for chair-cars, BLS, and ALS so I try to avoid using the radio. I also tell the patient who I am calling so they don't think I am making a personal call or something like that.

If we call dispatch, the call is recorded so there isn't an issue there. I call dispatch probably a couple of times during a shift since the whole company does not need to know that Betty Ann is going to be 15 minutes more on the dialysis machine, or that dispatch gave us the wrong address on a 911 call. If I call my partner to ask him to bring something up from the truck, that conversation does not need to be recorded. I'll call hospital EMS lines on my phone too since those lines are recorded and dealing with CMED patches and call ins is a pain and half the time the ER staff can't figure out how to use the radio.

It would be nice to have a company issued cell phone for these uses. But they don't give us those so we make do. I don't feel like I am being taken advantage of since I could use the portable for everything, I just choose not in the interest of not looking and sounding like a fool.

 

[DrParasite]

If it's a department issued cell phone, is it then no longer unprofessional to use a cell phone in front of a patient? Somehow I just don't see a distinction there.

it's still unprofessional. but if it's a dept issued cell phone, it is a clear sign that the department wants you to use it.

I have no issue with using a cell phone for work related purposes in front of patients, and I use my own.

you don't, and that's fine until you go over your minutes and are paying $0.35 for every minute. my former agency doesn't pay my cell phone bill, and as such, I won't be spending my hard earned money on something that doesn't benefit me.

We are not issued cell phones, and we have one radio frequency for chair-cars, BLS, and ALS so I try to avoid using the radio.

sounds like a great argument for separate radio channels for ALS, BLS, and chair cars. If that's too expensive maybe your agency should start issuing vehicle assigned cell phones?

If we call dispatch, the call is recorded so there isn't an issue there. I call dispatch probably a couple of times during a shift since the whole company does not need to know that Betty Ann is going to be 15 minutes more on the dialysis machine, or that dispatch gave us the wrong address on a 911 call. If I call my partner to ask him to bring something up from the truck, that conversation does not need to be recorded.

always keep dispatch updated of any delays, they like it, it makes their job much much easier. out of curiosity, what happens, when your cell battery is dead? or left in the truck? than what do yo do?

I'll call hospital EMS lines on my phone too since those lines are recorded and dealing with CMED patches and call ins is a pain and half the time the ER staff can't figure out how to use the radio.

sounds like a training issue with the ER staff. maybe your agency should talk to the ER management to educate the ER staff on how to use their equipment?

It would be nice to have a company issued cell phone for these uses. But they don't give us those so we make do. I don't feel like I am being taken advantage of since I could use the portable for everything, I just choose not in the interest of not looking and sounding like a fool.

what if they don't give you a jump kit or it's missing equipment, would you then use your own? if your agency doesn't provide turnout gear for MVAs, will you use your own?

it's not that I care if you chose to use your phone or not. That's the individual provider's choice. the issue I have is people using personal equipment and spending their own money on stuff, because the agency fails to provide necessary equipment to do the job right. Because once you open the door, it can be hard to close it. After all, if they don't give you what you need, don't worry, the employer will pay for it out of their own pocket.

 

[Tigger]

it's still unprofessional. but if it's a dept issued cell phone, it is a clear sign that the department wants you to use it.
you don't, and that's fine until you go over your minutes and are paying $0.35 for every minute. my former agency doesn't pay my cell phone bill, and as such, I won't be spending my hard earned money on something that doesn't benefit me.

I don't think it's more unprofessional than the radio. All you have to say to the patient is "I am calling the ER now to let them know we are coming." They're not going to think twice about that. My plan is unlimited so that's too much of an issue but I would think twice if it was not.

sounds like a great argument for separate radio channels for ALS, BLS, and chair cars. If that's too expensive maybe your agency should start issuing vehicle assigned cell phones?

Either would be appreciated, but until a solution is found (allegedly seperate frequencies), there are not a lot of other options.

always keep dispatch updated of any delays, they like it, it makes their job much much easier. out of curiosity, what happens, when your cell battery is dead? or left in the truck? than what do yo do?

My battery is never dead since I have a charger in the truck. If I forget it, my partner calls or I borrow the facility's phone.

sounds like a training issue with the ER staff. maybe your agency should talk to the ER management to educate the ER staff on how to use their equipment?

That would be lovely, though much of my dislike for the radio patches comes from having to call a regionwide channel (which can mean waiting in line to call with other units) and then wait and wait for someone at the ER to pick up. I'm not sure there's much an ambulance company can do. At least with the phone they don't have much choice but to pick it up.

what if they don't give you a jump kit or it's missing equipment, would you then use your own? if your agency doesn't provide turnout gear for MVAs, will you use your own?

it's not that I care if you chose to use your phone or not. That's the individual provider's choice. the issue I have is people using personal equipment and spending their own money on stuff, because the agency fails to provide necessary equipment to do the job right. Because once you open the door, it can be hard to close it. After all, if they don't give you what you need, don't worry, the employer will pay for it out of their own pocket.[/QUOTE]

I have drawn the line with the phone and "personal use equipment," i.e. stethoscope and shears that came from a different job. The company also provides those things as well, but I choose to use my own. I don't already have bunkers or a first in bag, so it's not likely I would go out and purchase them.

My company provides us with a means of communication to dispatch via a portable radio, so it's not like they're forcing me to use my phone or anything. I just choose to use it because it makes my job easier and my bosses, at least for now, do in fact have some degree of appreciation for their employees and have not taken advantage of us in any way. Yet.