Alphanumeric Pageing

[JohnnyOV 2]

We are looking into getting a pageing system for our campus EMS. We looked into the idea of minitors, but a tone system would need to be set up and that didnt seem practical. So we started looking into alphanumeric pageing.

Does anyone know what kind of equipment is needed to dispatch an alphanumeric pager and where we could find out about the equipment?

Thanks

[WAS967 97]

Westchester County has a system called i-page which is integrated into the CAD system and automatically pages calls out to the people in the appropriate paging groups. If you are successful in getting on your feet and your local dispatch center that dispatches EVAC has a similar system, maybe they would be willing/able to put you into the system so that you are paged when a call goes out on your campus.

Way back when we did our own alpha paging (in the days before nextel) we had a console from Motorola that basically was a TTY terminal and a modem that allowed you to send out your own pages and not have to go through an operator every time. You can also get software that is readily available that will allow you to send pages to pagers, cell phones, etc for Windows. I will see what I can find in the Sharware/Public Domain for you.

Getting setup with Nextel or similar and putting all the phones in a talk group could prove beneficial but pricey. If you setup a call group for a bunch of nextels and stick one in your campus security dispatch office, one key up of the nextel would signal all of your team. Consider talking to a Nextel rep. Other cell carriers are also offering similar services. I saw a commercial on TV recently for a carrier offering a service similar to nextel call groups but adds the ability to see on your phone who is online and who is unavailable/DND. I cannot recall the carrier's name at this time.

EDIT: Quick Google reveals: http://www.notepager.com/

Edited January 26, 2006 by WAS967