Does Anybody Get Annoyed Listenting To 46.26?

[doug_e 0]

This thread is similiar to the thread on the Mt. Vernon Incident Workshop. The net result is that WC is bass ackwards when it comes to DES.

From radio frequency allotment, and communication to apparatus numbering we'd better get our act together. It's like the wild west here! Individualism is our enemy!

Westchester County is too big to be small; and too small to be big! ](*,)

DC

[jml582 3]

after reading most of these replies, it seems that it goes back to one thing- Its not the radio system, Its the operators!

I can't understand why at these days and times that dept don't have fireground channels.

46.26 should be for dispatch only, not fireground talk. UHF is one of the answers.Westchester county has already designated uhf channels.

60 control in my opinion does an excellent job. as an ex chief of a northern westchester dept, either myself or my assistants were the only fireground personel communcating on 46.26-all others were on uhf.

The only time a rig should be using 46.26, is to call in and out of service.

As alsfirefighter said KISS.

[CAM502 6]

I'm new on this site, but if we all relied on computers and nobody told the dispatcher what was going on or where they were, What happens when the computer crashes?? Just asking? It all comes down to (and I know it's been said before) Westchester needs one person in charge of Emergency Services that will take control and straighten out the people that use 46.26 like it is a party line.

[Remember585 815]

A much easier task then people seem to think.

So many agencies in this county have licenses to use 46.26 from POWERFUL base stations, strong vehicle radios and now cross-band repeaters that make 4 watt portables sound like 300 watt base stations.

In the meantime, each Department should create an internal SOG / SOP / P&P / Rule / Etc. that defines what communications will be broadcast on 46.26, what frequency/ies will be used on the fireground, etc.

Just because you have a license to speak on a channel doesn't give you the right to step on other people! It drives me completely insane that Departments (mine included) wait for "bigger" incidents to get off 46.26. WHY WAIT? It's the big incidents that we need to be prepared for, and in order to do this, we have to have set SOGs for radio communications, emergency / mayday procedures, channel usage, clear-text broadcasts (NO 10-Codes), and we need to practice this on EVERY INCIDENT!!

We all need to understand the importance of radio communications on the fireground. If we can't communicate, we may have a disaster on our hands. Stop thinking that a "10-10" will end your woes. I've heard a "10-10" in effect for a substantial amount of time, then at a certain time during the evening, one Department conducted its nightly tone test. Is it their fault? Partly. But if its a PD dispatch center, they generally leave the fire radio down, turn it up to do the test, then turn it down again.

Start working from within. Pointing fingers, laying blame on others and ignoring this problem will get one of your own hurt or killed. My hat's off to those of you using alternate channels on EVERY CALL and leaving your dispatch / primary channel free.

One more thing - don't rely on your repeater system for your fireground operations. Simplex / Talkaround channels are the way to go - too often someone will keyup thru the repeater to have their message not make it to the radio they are trying to reach in the same building as them! Leave your repeater open for dispatch / command communications.

Enough for now - but I assure you I will vent on this subject again.

And again.

And again.

[doug_e 0]

I agree 585...

Sounds close to home when you describe the 10-3 during a 10-10. :-k

I've been monitoring the airwaves in this area for over 30 years and all that's changed is the ability to hear "portables" as if they were base stations.

During Flloyd a few years ago we began using our "band aid" radios (private EMS frequency) to communicate because of the congestion on 46.26. That has led us to redesign our communication plan. We'll be implementing it over the next few months to take all of our ops traffic off 46.26. Using 46.26 for dispatch, M/A,and interagency comms only.

[Remember585 815]

I agree 585...

We'll be implementing it over the next few months to take all of our ops traffic off 46.26. Using 46.26 for dispatch, M/A,and interagency comms only.

We're in the process of the same thing. We're supposedly a couple weeks from completion.

PDT_Armataz_09

[doug_e 0]

585 - gat a call last night that we'll be up in a couple of weeks too....

[pjm1733 22]

ALS FIRE,

sorry its been a while. I know cad but not westchesters. its funny i was on sixties web site reading about the upgrades in place and it looks like movement. "some" departments are going to get access to the county cads system, after training, for records and other functions. Also in place a text messaging system that departments can sign up for. I would like to reccomend that departments use the messaging system good for alarms,announcements,dates for training.

I have had an all call system in place for a while, you can go Chiefs only,Officers,Total Recall or get down to special squads. It works well saves alot of phone time and air time.

As far as dispatching with the cad system. Yes it works well computers dont crash.. Most are dumb terminals you cant do anything else other then cad. Its survived fire,flood and even blackouts. If for any reason it did go down. We have back ups in place.

I have only recently became interested in county dispatch has alot to do with this forum and listening on scanstamford . With no names mentioned. I was scanning a working fire and it "seemed" that the additional call out and call for aid was a little slow. A lot of air time wasted signing on enroute blabla bla do this do that.

What i would like to see,

if any department had a stucture fire and regardless of who dispatches that job.They enter incident type "fire" into a county wide cad system That would automatically recommend enough "in service units" to work that job. With automatic upgrades notification for 2nd and 3rd alarms. No thoughts needed.

A system like that would put enough resorces on the road for each department specific to there needs in the fastest time possible.

a northern westchester dept would get enough engines ladders tankers and a fast team on the original dispatch with out delay. obviously overrides in place so an ic could use better judgement.

its all just talk