FDNY Union Disputes Response Time

[JBE 328]

I've re-read this thread and read the complaints of the Firefighters. Getting just an intersection and no second source and it turning out to be a job does happen. It even happened prior to UCT. Prior to UCT, we would just mutter a few choice words, followed by, that one sure snuck up on us.

APCO, you say, Izzy?? HA!!!! You're talking about the FDNY. APCO standards etc mean absolutely nothing to the department. We tend to do things our way and disregard national standards. I haven't run a tour monitoring my calltakers since we started listening in, and I probably won't till Friday at the earliest, so I'll let you guys know then how it's working out. I have seen numerous mistakes made by PD at the end of the tour when the calltakers hand me the error reporting logs.

[JBE 328]

I called PD a little while ago to give them a report of a person struck by a car at Suffolk Street and Delancey Street. when PD Answered, I said, I have a 53 Henry(Person struck) at Suffolk Street and Delancey Street. After a moment the operator said, 53 Henry Street?? Need I say more??

Oh but I will!!! Person struck by a car, Apartment 7E, the Engine company says, I don't think the car could make it down the hallway. Apparently the person got hit earlier, and then came up and called for help. Or, fire in the garbage shoot!!!

The problem has existed for years, long before UCT got started.

Edited December 7, 2009 by JBE

[nycemt728 49]

I called PD a little while ago to give them a report of a person struck by a car at Suffolk Street and Delancey Street. when PD Answered, I said, I have a 53 Henry(Person struck) at Suffolk Street and Delancey Street. After a moment the operator said, 53 Henry Street?? Need I say more??

Oh but I will!!! Person struck by a car, Apartment 7E, the Engine company says, I don't think the car could make it down the hallway. Apparently the person got hit earlier, and then came up and called for help. Or, fire in the garbage shoot!!!

The problem has existed for years, long before UCT got started.

I agree theres always been problems ie not being able to enter cross streets or locations w/o addresses into the system manually... but correct me if I'm wrong, but unless theres a gigantic console w/ every 10-code that gets pushed for a call, why not just say, I have an xyz at 123 st...why bother w/ 10 codes in this instance and give another chance to screw up?

Edited December 7, 2009 by nycemt728

[JBE 328]

Point taken..I am truly aggravated that part of my job has been taken away by IMO incompetent, undereducated, uncaring people, who as far as I am concerned have no business trying to do my job.

[M' Ave 1,466]

Point taken..I am truly aggravated that part of my job has been taken away by IMO incompetent, undereducated, uncaring people, who as far as I am concerned have no business trying to do my job.

We're all upset too!

[efdcapt115 1,511]

You knew this was coming:

"A man badly burned last month in a fatal Queens blaze in which firefighters were sent to the wrong address plans to sue the city."

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/queens/fdny_flub_guy_to_sue_LMPbZ57YHkNc6Q4CXlDNmJ

[FFLieu 70]

Good.

[JBE 328]

They'll settle out of court. I was working Thanksgiving Day when our illustrious mayor came to visit. Bad enough he didn't knock with his elbows because he gave all his goodies to the PD operators. He said to my call takers, "If 79th and 5th comes in, make sure it goes out first." I wish I had been on that side of the room when he said it. I would have told him with UCT, he should be thankful it doesn't end up going to Brooklyn as 79th and 5th in Bay Ridge as opposed to his town house on the Upper East Side. Jerk..

[FFLieu 70]

They'll settle out of court. I was working Thanksgiving Day when our illustrious mayor came to visit. Bad enough he didn't knock with his elbows because he gave all his goodies to the PD operators. He said to my call takers, "If 79th and 5th comes in, make sure it goes out first." I wish I had been on that side of the room when he said it. I would have told him with UCT, he should be thankful it doesn't end up going to Brooklyn as 79th and 5th in Bay Ridge as opposed to his town house on the Upper East Side. Jerk..

Just goes to show you that he couldn't give two flying ones about people like you and me. If 79th and 5th comes in, make sure it goes out first, but what if, at the same time, there is a fire in an orphanage with 50 children trapped inside?

"Please Sir, may I have some more?" NYC's middle class is turning into a real-life version of "Oliver Twist" more and more each day.

[JBE 328]

The changes have been in place for a month and a half now, and I have to say, it's getting to a point where we're taking the calls and interrogating the callers more and more. Although, I have filled out two more mistake forms in the course of my tour. One was routed to us as a Haz Mat conditon with no description other than the apartment number. My calltaker does the interrogation, and makes it an odor of gas. Turned out to be a sewage back up. Pretty crappy situation.

The mayor is out of touch and doesn't understand the system as it worked prior to last year. Commissioner Cassano came out and said the system worked(HE'S SO FULL OF IT!!!!). We get incorrect locations from PD every day, every tour. It's a problem, like I said, that has been going on for years. But you don't hear about it unless it's a major screw up. I remember one from my dispatcher days in Manhattan. PD gives it to us as a fire on the 7 Train at Roosevelt Drive and 61st Street in Manhattan. It was actually in Queens.

A number of years ago, there was a shooting at City Hall. The NYPD operators could not put City Hall into the computer without cross streets, whereas FDNY can put in City Hall and it automatically gives us cross streets. The same goes for EMS, they can't put in named locations like FDNY can. Example: The Hutch and Senger Place=Bronx side of the Whitestone.

The biggest change that comes is now the focus is still on us, so if someone dies, the powers that be will try to blame it on us.