Interoperability With DPW

[x635 4,066]

With winter coming soon, I'm wondering if any department has direct radio communication with their local DPW in case they need a road plowed or area sanded so they can respond and operate safely on scene?

I know, in many cases, the IC or Dispatcher sometimes has to call the local PD, who has to call the highway foreman, who has to call the truck, but does any IC or company have the capability to directly call the highway foreman or plow/sander directly from their rig?

I know many departments had this when they had low band and before they made radios all fancy.

[v85 212]

I believe our fire IC's have DPW frequencies in their radios. But they will usually just go through dispatch since our town PD dispatches FD/PD/EMS and can talk to DPW/Transit

[shfirefighter 19]

Our DPW foreman is my chief driver and responds to 95% of all calls

[Jybehofd 85]

in northern Westchester alot of the volunteers work for the DPW. and carry there pager in the truck and help out where they can. I know some of the DPW trucks in north castle actually have 46.26 on there radios or the VHF repeater to 46.26 I am sure there not the only town that has this. But other wise there is no offical communication unless you call a police desk or the DPW desk directly

[JimEMS 0]

Yes, every FD and EMS mobile and portable. Fully interoperable.

[1210671 10]

The City of Peekskill Police Desk monitors and can communicate with all city

fire, ems, and DPW frequencies 24/7.

[velcroMedic1987 330]

Yes, every FD and EMS mobile and portable. Fully interoperable.

Fully interoperable? Really?

Are you referring to Westchester County?

[Bnechis 3,961]

Yes, every FD and EMS mobile and portable. Fully interoperable.

We have a DPW dispatch station (and FD & PD) in our EOC radio room so during major storms we can work together. After listening to the DPW radio for a while I learned that we can not be "interoperable" even if we can talk on their channel. This is because we use plain english and they use DPW speak.

Hey bob, you missed a sofa on main st.

Jim replow that area.

Which truck picked up the TV's that were in the road? Sammys truck did.

No truck numbers, if you do not know who is on which truck or which route you do not stand a chance.

[JimEMS 0]

Yes, fully interop. In Fairfield County.

[SOUSGT 357]

We have a radio with DPW frequencies in each rig. We used to go off the county frequencies in a storm and use the DPW radios. Also, the EOC is in our building and we have DPW, Police as well as the county radios in service there.

[everybodygoes 331]

Skeeter, this is Roscoe, go hit the jones driveway again, she can't get out, Roger Roger

[esu78 0]

@x635 we can talk direct to Greenburgh DPW from EOC, Comsec and a few select mobiles

[firemoose827 324]

We usually go through dispatch who has the capability to contact them direct or call them. Most chief officers have radios with the DPW freq on it and can talk direct with them but its not used too often.

I used to work DPW and I knew to go to the scene if they had a job in the winter, otherwise the super was in the office or had a scanner in his truck and would dispatch the closest plow to the scene if he heard of a fire in the area and we had a plow on scene before the dispatch even got a chance to pick up the phone.

Works better in small communities though I would imagine.