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Post by 911guy on Sept 30, 2003 20:53:19 GMT -5
Most, if not all of you, are familiar with what some counties refer to as "Tactical" and "Still" alarms. Essentially, some type of non-emergent call, borderline public service - trees down, traffic control, etc.
In my opinion, having these type of alarms, with definitions on what constitutes a tactical or still alarm, including pre-assigned frequencies for them, would tremendously ease the congestion normally associated with most storm-related incidents.
Anyone else's thoughts???
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Post by canton1 on Oct 1, 2003 0:26:49 GMT -5
I have to agree for the most part except setting a frequency for what type of calls. There is was to much confusion now with people switching to the right channel at the right time. It would be to hard to educate everyone to remember this call gets this and this call gets another
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Post by Firegirl on Oct 1, 2003 7:55:51 GMT -5
I know that when I was in Iowa this summer visiting my dad I was telling how crazy things get when there is a bad storm. All of the departments in his county have their own frewquency to work off of for those type of calls. Just a thought........
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Larry
Junior Member
Posts: 24
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Post by Larry on Oct 1, 2003 11:27:09 GMT -5
I have to agree with Jeff on this one, get the bullshit, storm,or non emergency calls off a dispatch and fireground operations channel on to a channel that isn't gonna be used very often and yet the 911 center monitor and talk back to field units. If everyone knows that 1 channel is set aside for these type of calls I don't think it would be that hard to learn.
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Post by BCDISP on Oct 1, 2003 12:43:56 GMT -5
I think it's a great idea to be using Tactical and Still Alarm dispatches. I was raised in a setting that uses these incident types and it was a great idea. You knew from dispatch info wheather it was a tactical alarm or still alarm or a true box alarm, and you knew it quick because the dispatcher said it right after the stations due on that alarm ie... Station 57 a tactical alarm Rt 220 just south of Dushore Boro for a vehicle fire no exposures.
I think we can use our existing tactical channels for the assigned frequency.
If anyone would like to see Lycoming/Sullivan criteria for tactical/still/box alarm let me know and I can post it.
Just my thoughts.
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Post by Firegirl on Oct 1, 2003 16:42:45 GMT -5
I don't disagree with you Larry, county still needs to hear what we are doing. I just thought it was nice when we had that one storm come through and you and Pat kept up with county on the calls for us. The rest of us just talked to you guys on our channel. No one else needs to hear our trivial talk of "another tree down". Just my thought.
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911Mom
Full Member
Welcome to the real world!
Posts: 60
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Post by 911Mom on Oct 1, 2003 18:01:45 GMT -5
A thought from someone sitting behind the radio. Having the departments go to their "private" frequency for all the booha is a great idea, but make sure that IC stays available to us so if we need to give them more incidents or information they are there to recieve and disseminate it to their people in the field. My greatest fear is that someday during one of these storms the poor guy who just had a tree with live wires fall on his vehicle won't be able to get through to us because someone else is talking about the chainsaw being out of gas. I know, I always pick the worst case scenario, but hey thats life! And this is my own opinion, not my place of employments.
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Post by Firegirl on Oct 1, 2003 18:58:19 GMT -5
my thoughts exactly Sue!! ;D
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Post by canton1 on Dec 5, 2003 0:43:01 GMT -5
I think it's a great idea to be using Tactical and Still Alarm dispatches. I was raised in a setting that uses these incident types and it was a great idea. You knew from dispatch info wheather it was a tactical alarm or still alarm or a true box alarm, and you knew it quick because the dispatcher said it right after the stations due on that alarm ie... Station 57 a tactical alarm Rt 220 just south of Dushore Boro for a vehicle fire no exposures. I think we can use our existing tactical channels for the assigned frequency. If anyone would like to see Lycoming/Sullivan criteria for tactical/still/box alarm let me know and I can post it. Just my thoughts. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Cant you figure out it is a Tactical alarm when the dispatcher says that you have a Structure fire or give a BOX??? What is a Tactical compared to a BOX---TO me If it is a BOX it will be a tactical alarm
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Post by 2Truck on Dec 8, 2003 17:32:19 GMT -5
Still vs. Tactical, is that like oranges vs. apples? As most have stated something has change with the way that alarms are dispatched in the county. One way to alleviate the chatter on the dispatch channel would be to dispatch on another frequency and get the main and tactical frequencies away from the dispatch.
As for alarm types, in Cumberland County all calls are refernced to a "box" area. In each area the alarm is broken down into 2 types local alarms and box alarms. A local alarm (I'm assuming this is what you are refering to as a still alarm) consists of the department whose jurisdiction the call is in (in some parts of UA Twp. we have additional engines or rescues on the box due to the distance that we have to travel). A local alarm could be either an emergency or a non-emergency response, and could consist of anything from debris removal to an accident with entrapment to a vehicle fire to an automatic alarm with no conditions. A first alarm is given if there is a a reported working fire or an automatic alarm with conditions. This system seems to work well since an alarm can we upgraded to a first with only a few words spoken, as can additional rigs be added to the call since all of the surrounding rigs are listed in their run order (proximity to the call). Although the system sounds confusing it is acutually pretty simple to understand because each incident type is stated what type of alarm is to be dispatched. I'm not saying the system is the best or the worst, just trying to add some more fruit to the salad.
[glow=red,2,300]If anyone would like to see how one of these alarm cards is set up PM me and I'll see that you get a copy of one.[/glow]
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Post by Medic12 on Jan 3, 2004 23:31:59 GMT -5
In Lycoming/Sullivan Counties Alarms are done like this- They sometimes still use a Box alarm to describe the location but its like this... Box alarm- Any type of structural fire, vehicle into structure, vehicle fire endangering structure, plane crash etc. Usually a multi-station response. Tactical Alarm- Any type of fire that doesn't immediately endager a struture, chimney fire, vehicle fire, brush/forest fire. Single station response Still Alarm- Non-fire... fuel spill, trees/power lines down, special assignments, fire police calls, and public assistance calls. MVA - self explanitory, any type of motorized vehicle crash. Rescue Assignment- Any type of land, rope, or water rescues, land searches, fall victims in the woods etc. Special Call- anytime a unit is called to mutual aid assist another station with a non-fire call or when manpower is needed to assist an ambulance. Also once a chief or an officer radios on scene, they (county) dispatch 3 beeps and say "copy Chief ## on scene all units move to frequency 3". It avoids a lot of unnecessary radio traffic. I do however like how Bradford County puts that little pulse/warble on the end of the tones to identify fire, mva or ems.
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