Use of radios on the fireground

[Cutty630 37]

Here is a question I have been dying to ask for awhile. This topic is not meant to bash or single out and certain department in westchester so please choose your words wisely.

Question: Do Westchester Departments use 46.26 as a talk around channel once on scene at an incident way to much?

[TRUCK6018 50]

Question: Do Westchester Departments use 46.26 as a talk around channel once on scene at an incident way to much?

YES!!! With the implemention of the fireground freq's, there is no need for the amount of chatter on 46.260 as there still is.

[Cutty630 37]

To answer my own question I think that many westchester depts once on scene at an incident bigger then a auto alarm (ex. structure, piaa, smoke in a structure.........) tend to use 46.26 as a talk around channel. Maybe they are giving orders to rigs or giving a progress report to incoming rigs, but many times this will go on for the length of the call. Does every dept have a fireground freq. seperate from 46.26? I guess that I'm lucky in my dept because each riding position on each rig has a high ban radio which we turn on as soon as we are responding. This frees up 46.26 for any dispatching or responding apparatus. The high ban radios work for at least a mile if not longer away. So it's pretty good, if the chief has any special instructions for the apparatus he can use the high ban as opposed to 46.26. Of course this is only my opinion and I know that each dept has its own sop's and sog's

[Remember585 815]

In a perfect world, 46.26 would remain as a dispatch only channel, but perfect is a long, long ride from Westchester.

I have noticed many more departments switch to alternate fireground channels - whether it is low-band, high-band, UHF, FRS, walkie-talkie, CB - and Thank GOD!

I think now with the addition of the UHF Fireground radio channels, each department should create an SOP / SOG that lays down a plan for all incidents.

I know that in Croton, we are in the process of a UHF conversion, and once it is in place, we will dispatch on 46.26, and operate on UHF from there.

Luckily, departments like Peekskill, Yorktown, Mohegan, Somers, Bedford Hills, and many others, have begun to utilize the uhf radios, which - in case you didn't know - work better!

Stay safe out there!

[RES20CUE 40]

Absolutely, once you arrive and find you have something more than a routine Annoying Auto Alarm, you should move to an alternate channel.

Even if it's not the new UHF system- 46.14 and 46.42 have been around in Westchester for a long time. Also 46.30 is a state-wide fireground channel, even if you can't afford to start buying the UHF radios- use the other low-band channels!

The UHF fireground frequencies work well, but if you have a 4-mile long diesel spill, it doesn't work! I started on UHF ch. 1, but was forced to switch to 46.14 to be able to talk to everyone from the start to the end and in between. What is going to happen in a situation like this on the new system?

[RWC130 594]

The UHF fireground frequencies work well, but if you have a 4-mile long diesel spill, it doesn't work!  I started on UHF ch. 1, but was forced to switch to 46.14 to be able to talk to everyone from the start to the end and in between.  What is going to happen in a situation like this on the new system?

RES20CUE, When you say that you were forced to switch to 46.14 because the UHF doesn't work do you mean the radios didn't work well or other departments were not on UHF to communicate with the IC?

4-Mile Diesel spill? WOW! #-o

[TRUCK6018 50]

4-Mile Diesel spill? WOW!  #-o

The current county-wide UHF fireground system will not work with these distances as it's a low power simplex system.

[Guest alsfirefighter]

If an IC would use a mobile radio instead of portable's that I often see, you would still be close to being able to communicate on UHF LOS (Line of sight) or simplex.

Cutty, your not bashing anyone, its a problem long going and one of the utmost examples of how Westchester's emergency services are amock. You have a "county control" whom has no control over anything on a main operating frequency. Coupled with shear ignorance of many department members and their leadership, equals the problems of 46.26. What is a kicker is how attitudes change and how the whine and cheese comes out when some of the worse offenders get a job and they are the ones getting "stepped on."

[COMMANDCHIEF 4]

Alternate use of frequencies is key to fireground operations. The only person still on 46.26 at a scene should be the IC. All other units should be working on a tactical frequency. The IC should be monitoring both. Poor radio discipline at the company level is a contributing factor.

[tbendick 27]

As you all know FDNY is the largest Fire Department and has yet to come up with a communications system that works. Just look at dispatching SI and the Bronx still share one freq.

Some things to consider.

The UHF firegrounds are limited to 2watts from a handheld radio. They shouldn't be used from a mobile radio. I think this is a FCC thing. FDNY just started to use 40 watt radios for fireground and reprogram portables upto 5 watts.

Maybe some people could look into removing these limits..

As far as range goes, a system that might use a PacRat with the lowband and UHF linked might work well in cases of range problems.

However I would say that the design should be of a mobile cross band repeater between two mobile radios. Not the old school PacRat's. Here is an example of how it could work.

Large scale incident where you want to link to areas, "Command Staff" not FFs. Area 1 could be on Fireground 1 linked to 46.14 and then area 2 could be on Fireground 2 linked to 46.14. Chiefs in both areas now can talk to each either over a longer range. If you were to use this with all the FF's you would just double you communications trouble.

With two mobile radios linked you could change the lowband and the UHF channels. Unlike the PacRat style which is set to only channel.