JBE

Oh believe me, we do give attitude. Especially when someone out in the field is being a prick. But there is a way to go about it. It;s the honey/vinegar thing. There is a way to verbally spank someone on the air as so not to embarass them, it's little subtle things. It will take time for these guys to get in the groove and used to new surroundings. Support them and they will do the right thing by those in the field.

It's not pre piped. I would presume it does get used occasionally. Gotta admit it looks cool. They've been doing that for a number of years. As for space, If I hear tell correctly, they are kind of limited with space as it is.

I just wanted to touch on Seths' comment about blaming the dispatcher. Like I said before, we are not clairvoyant or omnipotent. If we screw something up, call us and tell us. Politely, of course. If there is an assignment you think you should be going to, look into getting the protocols or assignments changed. We are usually pretty receptive to your concerns. I do have a battalion chief friend who is looking to get a bunch of his assignments changed, not only because he wants to get into everything, but some of the assignments are just wrong. Unfortunately the proper fires haven't been lit under the right rear ends. And as for CAD, remember, it is a Computer ASSISTED Dispatch System. If you know better than the computer, and if it isn't something like banging out Katonah to something that is in Croton Falls District, go ahead and do it. Most bosses, if they understand the reasoning of the dispatcher and agree with it, should go to bat for you.

I've been working downtown in the Training Unit for the past couple of days, teaching probie dispatchers how to properly talk on the radio. I feel kind of hypocritical telling some people, "Do as I say, not as I do, or did" When I was a regular dispatcher, I will admit to being a bit of a cowboy on the radio,(There are at least a few people out there who can confirm this!!!) addressing voices I recognized as Chief, Cap, Loo, etc. Now I'm in a position where I have to tell these probies, "You WILL do it like this" My co instructor brought up a good point. "There's X amount of members out there listening to your every word, along 300,000 buffs" He is so right.(Some dispatchers have "Fan clubs") Here's a few more helpful hints for you dispatchers out there. Some of these are really basic stuff you pick up on day one, but it's always nice to get a refresher. CONTROL: You're the one on the radio, you're in charge of that radio. The office could be going to hell in a handbasket, but if you maintain your calm, the guys and gals out in the field will never know. Inversely, if you sound like you're scared, or lost in the shuffle, it doesn't matter how the rest of the crew is doing. CONTROL CONT: Prioritize your messages. You've got four incidents going, a Raging Fire in a vacant building with exposure problems, a car wreck on the highway with minor injuries, a small brush fire in the local park and an engine out on an EMS assignment. The engine on the EMS run calls, presumably to see if EMS is responding, just as a chief is calling with a request for more help, or a progress report. Who are you going to answer first?? The answer is obvious. Now, if you're in a situation where you're getting info from your supervisor or fellow dispatchers and the radio is buzzing with activity, don't hesitate to have all of those units standby unless urgent. Get the info, and then answer units in the priority in which they are calling. DEMEANOR: This correlates with the calm mentioned in the first section. Be as pleasant as you can. Don't go so far as to let an "OK hunny" pass your lips (Don't laugh, it's happened!!!) If you're in a rotten mood, it's gonna show. Honey/Vinegar once again, folks. Everything in moderation. FIND YOUR GROOVE: This is something I try to impress on newbies. You'll get into a style of talking, or more accurately, a tone of voice that keeps you comfortable, but can also calm jittery voices you hear out there. Especially when it's hitting the fan. You stay with a simple smooth demeanor, you can have a chief screaming for help in one breath, and in a few minutes time, they'll be purring like a pussycat(for lack of a better term). It is infectious. UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE SAYING/HEARING: Another very important lesson. This goes back to my earlier thread involving firehouse visits. Understand what the field forces mean when they give a report. To the untrained ear, a progress report such as the one I will use as an example would sound like complete gibberish. We've got a fire in a two frame 30 by 50. Fires out the windows on the exposure four side. Two lines stretched, two in operation, Trucks and Rescue are doing VES and checking for extension, primaries in progress. Joe $#@% the Ragman, and his cousin Jane Q. Public may have no clue what this means, but you should. Understanding the responsibilities/duties of units you dispatch takes the weight off when you're confronted with a situation such as this. BE FLEXIBLE, AND ANTICIPATE: You have to be ready for just about anything that comes your way. You have a set response policy for a building fire, you're getting numerous calls for it and in your judgement, this is going to be a situation where the units responding are going to need more help. Now, for those of you who dispatch larger departments or paid departments, you, as incident commander prior to a unit arrival, may want to pad the response. Add an engine, a truck, a rescue. This is a simple theory, you have the toys in the toybox, take them out to play, but don't go crazy. Just know how many you can take so as not to deprive other kids in the neighborhood, and that you have the option to put those toys back.(Thank you SFAD G. Morstatt for that one) In NYC we have a system known as CIDS(Critical Information Dispatch System) This alerts us and the members to various aspects of specific structures, such as construction, possible heavy fire loading, collapse potential, and other hazards, such as unruly inhabitants who have a penchant for throwing things at people or the building may be booby trapped by drug dealers, or pit bulls, etc. Due to CAD limitations, a lot of stuff in these information tidbits is abbreviated, HORRIBLY!!!! Before you read it out, read it to yourself, to make sure you understand what it says/means. If you don't understand it, ask for a little help as so not to sound unprofessional. This can cause problems, if something comes out wrong or it's misunderstood by the field forces. It may at times seem inconsequential, but I can tell you from personal experience, proper and timely announcement of pertinent information can, and does save lives, civilian and uniformed. I think this about covers it for now, if I pick up anything else that is useful, I'll add to this thread or post a new one. Feel free to comment on this here or PM me.

Heck, I'd be more than willing to come up on my own time and talk to your folks. I did take the test for that job in 96.

Welcome aboard and enjoy the ride!!!

With all the CGI out there, you think they could do it more realistically. I think the most realistic I have ever seen fire portrayed was in the factory fire scene in the beginning of Backdraft. They were heading up the stairs and all they saw was the smoke and the glow.

Try he dodged the proverbial and literal... Maybe she should have used one of those bullets on herself.

Probably late spring, early summer.

And, to sweeten the pot some. I was told two weeks ago that a class of anywhere between 20 and 30 is coming in.

And the whole Fire coexisting harmoniously with the EMS folks is DEFINITELY fiction.

Turd Watch?? I stopped watching that years ago...

As it stands right now, they pretty much run citywide. With Rescue 1 responding with their collapse unit to certain spots. I have to refresh my memory with the response matrix. I figure once all three are delivered, it'll be Rescue 1 covering Manhattan and maybe some parts of Queens with R-4 backing them up. R-3 gets Manhattan above 125th street and the Bronx with R-1 backing them up. R-4 getting the rest of Queens with the other rescues backing them up. R-2 Brooklyn and SI with R-1 and R-4 backing them up. There is this whole Rescue Collapse Task Force thing that came out last year when R-6 was in service. Not sure how much of it has changed since R-6 went bye bye.

Just an FYI, R-2 has theirs quartered with Ladder 132. R-4 will be getting one. They don't have one right now. R-5 is a Haz Mat Tech Unit.

It really depends on where the boat is, and what kind of boat. Please bear with me as I am doing this from memory. The nearest street box to the body of water is transmitted, with land units going to that location to see if they can see it. The Marine Company(ies) are started out to where the vessel is reported. You get a situation like you had last night, it could have been feasible for Marine 6 w/manpower assigned from quarters to head out. It's pretty much, the nearest street box with a Rescue Company, Marine Unit, and a Tactical Support Unit, and I believe a Squad. If it is reported on a ferry or excursion boat, like the Circle Line, we send em 2 boats. Each of the marine companies has a specific unit assigned for Manpower as needed.

If they made it in the smaller scale, 1/64, I'd buy it in a second.

That wouldn't be Elmont, would it??

I'm working on the Tiller for a couple of Da Shops kitbashes, and doing my own on one of the ALF's. I'll save my money on the Squad.

I got a little star chart from one of my uncles when I was a teenager. It was stars with a thing that circled it so you could adjust for seasons. He thought I was a space cadet(As some who know me could probably confirm), and he wrapped it in tinfoil. I ended up giving it to my brother. Cool site though.

A lot of the time, most of our info is coming from a computer link from NYPD or FDNY*EMS, so we rarely speak to the caller. When we do speak to a human being, a lot of different things happen. We either get the wrong location.(ESPECIALLY HIGHWAYS!!!) The caller doesn't know if there are injuries, and they usually say the vehicles involved are smoking.(Caused by boiling antifreeze oftentimes) They say the magic word, smoke, we send out the proper assignment. In my experience, we turn out what is necessary, and give EMS a tickle, because when people see those units coming up, a lot of the time, they will want to go get checked out at a hospital. I guess my philosophy is, better to turn em out and it be unfounded than not turn em out and end up getting jammed up.

Check the NY Daily News, apparently there is an ad for the job in there.

Sometimes certain things go beyond the point of settling it in house. This is something that could have, and obviously did go beyond the big red door. In house discipline may not have been enough. Especially in light of what went on on Cameron Place and Walton Avenue. Nobody is taking any chances. The chief in Sacramento did what he had to do. Because if he did nothing than a slap on the wrist, and the activities came out, he would be facing a raging $hitstorm of why he didn't do more. By ripping those involved with a penalty such as this, he is not only sprucing up the image of his own department, he is, in effect, saving his own @$$.

Don't know the guy, so I can't really talk smack. It was a very quick ceremony.

Port Chester has(had) one. Mamaroneck has one. I think Rye.

There's a whole set of these games out there with the Yeti. This is one variation of the original.