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Turn left here..No back there
When I was a captain we were disptached to assist on a tree into the house that should have been 3 mins away. After 20 mins of riding around I swore I would never get lost again. Now they call me RAnd McNally because if I say get on and lets go I know were I'm going. But I've noticed that alot of officers; 1- don't know neighboring districts 2- can't read maps.
We had an assisit (we do about 85% of our calls as assists) on a 2nd alarm house fire. The area is densely packed and on the ADC Map it shows like 20 streets in an inch area. I had to pull over, take the map from the officer to find the location. I'll tell them, I know the development (but not where the street is) they know they have to find the street as we respond.
There was a run with the nieghboring company to a street that we've been to dozens of times. Why did the incoming cheif get lost.
Is this a problem in my company or others?
We had an assisit (we do about 85% of our calls as assists) on a 2nd alarm house fire. The area is densely packed and on the ADC Map it shows like 20 streets in an inch area. I had to pull over, take the map from the officer to find the location. I'll tell them, I know the development (but not where the street is) they know they have to find the street as we respond.
There was a run with the nieghboring company to a street that we've been to dozens of times. Why did the incoming cheif get lost.
Is this a problem in my company or others?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Eng10Squad on
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In our deptartment everyone that drives or rides in the front officer seats goes through a extensive map evaluation. Mostly are simple class room sincerios. We have a map book for our first due area broken down into developments and main throughfairs. These maps show block numbers, hydrants, and high risk buildings. On another note about the assist problem, our neighboring companies all have the same type of map books that we carry. Maybe your neighboring companies have the same type of map books. This is how it is done in our county not sure if its the same everywhere else. I am sure the other fellas on this site could help you out more than I can. Good Luck!
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Permalink Reply by NOVAFireman on
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I take it your department does not make it's own map books using Visio, or similiar programs. Each of our stations is responsible for making/updating maps of their first due area, and usually one shift takes care of that. Copies are posted online for other stations to print off and store on their rigs. My rig carries 1st through 4th due maps, and ADC's for the metro area.
Each map will have running routes from the front ramp of the fire house to the street listed on the page. We also show house/building locations on the pages with address, hydrant/water supply locations, and special hazards.
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Permalink Reply by Cody on
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In our department we carry (on every truck) a map of the entire county as well as a map book sectioned off by districts. That is all well and good as long as everyone trains on using them. But now we have slowly started puting GPS's in our trucks. They work well as long as you keep the maps updated.
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Permalink Reply by Davin Eshelman on
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All I have to say is get a GPS system. It wouold make finding locations a lot easier
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Permalink Reply by John Crabbe on
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Is this a problem in my company or others?
I would say it is a safe bet that this happens elsewhere as well. I know there will be people to say you should know your response district and so forth and they are right. However, I find there are always those streets that are tucked back, rarely go to, etc that kind of throw you, especially when the cross street is a dead end. Now some people can look at and memorize a map and have no problem , I can't, I learn by "hands on" and driving the streets helps. However, there is NO reason people shouldn't know how to read a map. This also makes for a good training around the table, have people learn how to look things up in the map book etc.
For us, we have mapping on our MDT's which give us a route etc and is quite useful, but we do have mapbooks on each rig and everyone should know how to use it.
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"For us, we have mapping on our MDT's which give us a route etc and is quite useful, but we do have mapbooks on each rig and everyone should know how to use it."
I agree. Our MDT's have mapping features too, but the mapbooks are a great backup. We've found ourselves responding to street addresses on a couple of occassions that had not been updated in the program at the time of call.
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Permalink Reply by Truckinainteasy on
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Not sure why you would use ADC in an active mutual aid situation. We carry them only for out of county responses and they are pretty much useless now with GPS and mapping on the MDC. Prior to the mapping program we had a company build map books of our area with hydrants, LZ's, etc and provide an index by first due local. Are you from a rural area? Maybe just a GPS like tom tom would work.
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Permalink Reply by J. D. Rinard on
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We have been talking about getting a GPS system for our trucks. mostly for mutual aid calls but it would help in district too.
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Permalink Reply by Just Plain Craig Moyer on
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Has anyone ever just taken the van or car as a group and drove around mutual aid. Checking out the most active area's and seeing whats there. We did it years ago and it was a big help. Having GPS and maps are good but knowing where you're going is a whole lot better.
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Permalink Reply by FETC on
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Craig, knowing your own district and trying to know a mutual aid district are two different beasts. I have a different mentallity...
I tell my members that if you are assigned to drive the piece, it is your responsibility is to get us from Point A to B. Look it up on the map before we leave the station if you are questioning yourself, (we have a big city map located on the wall near the drivers side of the piece) It is not the officer's responsisbility to be asked last second, "Is it this street or the next one?"
The officer has many different things to think about, seat belt, seat belts for everyone else, sign on radio, answer updates, radio control, thinking where the water supply is, getting out the pre-plan (if there is one) donning his/her SCBA, delivering the crew assignment in the cab, controlling the cab's adreneline, the last thing I need to do is worry about driving the apparatus. Otherwise, might as well put the officer in the DRIVERS SEAT.
Now let's look at the driver's responsibility.... 1. drive the truck in a safe manner, 2. arrive at the desired location. PERIOD. To have an officer have to pull his head out of a book, or look up at the last second to then determine where the hell are we? And then make a split second decision on this right or the next one is simply put UNFAIR. I have found if you allow the drivers to ask how to get there on calls they will solely rely on the officer to spoon feed them everytime.
Now on the other hand, mutual aid responses... if we don't have a map to use then it is dispatch's responsibility to spoon feed the apparatus on how to get there... it is not your town.
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Permalink Reply by Smoke Eater on
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We don't seem to have that problem, much. We do to an extent but it's mainly with newer members. Our main problem is people with cell phones. They drive by a small, controlled brush fire and call it in as a structure fire without stopping to check it out first. Or they will pass a stranded motorist and call it in as an MVA. And the sad thing about this all is, most of the time these people don't even know where they are. They may give the last road they remember passing as the location of the call. Then it turns into a wild goose chase. Had that happen on Thanksgiving one year. Someone hit a deer and it went through three depts. before someone finally found it.
You gotta love the cell phones!!!
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Permalink Reply by Michael C. Harrison on
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That is very much a problem in your company (seems like you already know that, but you asked)
And we don't have much of a problem with that at my vol. or career dept.s because it is a pride thing.
From day 1 rookies are drilled incessantly on their district (1st due along with the entire alarm district), and as they move up to drivers they understand that knowing where they are going is their number one priority.
Make them go out and drive their area and walk their area, and when they are finished....make them do it again.......step up, take pride in knowing your area...and then instill that pride in others.
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