I posted a thread on here several months back about our dispatching system here in our county. Our Fire Depts are trying to get an automatic page for mutual aid for structure fires and our sheriffs dept is buckin us on this. Were also trying to get them to dispatch Fire automaticly to vehicle accidents, which they refuse to do. As a matter of fact, our ambulance service has requested fire several times to respond and they say police officers on scene say its not needed. Who the hell are they to say this ??? They dont have fire training, and EMS requested it for scene safety on highways and potential fire hazard. Several times police have cancelled ambulance service also. We tried talking to the Sheriffs office, but keep getting the run around. Our EMS and Fire Dept protocals state that we will dispatch one another for calls for safety reasons. I dont know what else to do or who to talk to. Its like talking to a brick. Any suggestions??? Thanks for any info.

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The states fire marshal office doesn't have the capability to oversee the PD in any real issue. They have enough with investigations and code compliance inspections. As I have typed in about 3 of these threads on this subject, the EMA for your area is the agency to contact to straighten this out. If they understand that the PD is playing "the lone ranger" they will put a stop to it. The EMA controls the grants and without them the pd may reconsider the issues.
Well I called our regional Emerg Director. He stated I should check into getting a MABAS set up. I know somewhat of this. DO any of you use this, and if so, how you like it ??? The MABAS guy came and gave a speech up here like 2 years ago for our county and only 4 people including myself showed up for it. Im going to try to get another meeting set up with him I think after I talk to some more Chiefs around here. Thanks for all the info and suggestions. I will keep going on this and keep you updated.
Man I feel for you I've been thru this and it was a long battle but you just keep working on it.Finally some one complains why wasn't the fire dept sent or why weren't first responders sent and things get changed.Wish you the best with it.
Budd
We have just the oppesite problem. No sherriff's. Sometimes we have to wait for a half hour or so on an assault for the scene to be secured. I have responded code 3 to a structure fire and have SO follow behind me also code 3. When I stopped to let him go around he stopped and asked me where we were going and if we needed any help. Once in awhile they'll get on scene first but ours don't want to due ANY fire/ems work that they don't have to. It will probley take a car fire or someone who should have received medical attn to get your sherriff to change his policy, course that will be after the lawsuit.
This all sounds very familiar, my county's 911 center USED to be just like this and the sad thing about it is I used to be a 911 dispatcher for the center years ago but I always looked for any reason to page out the Fire Dept mostly because I was a firefighter to. But they were doing the same thing not sending fire units to wreck scenes so it finally took the Fire Chief to write a certified letter that was sent to the director of the 911 center, the sheriff, and the county manager that basically explained that fire units WILL be dispatched to all wrecks and EMS calls that may require assistance from the fire dept and if this was not corrected legal action will be takin. Well it must have worked because now we are even dispatched to wrecks involving deer and fender benders but hey it makes our run numbers look good.
How ignorant is this? This is a disgusting topic, it will take someone getting severly hurt or God forbid even killed before the police even think about keeping a firetruck around. I know here a few years back we had the problem with PD not letting us shut lanes down on the highway because they wanted the flow of traffic to keep moving. Before this problem was resolved a captain for a dept. in the state was actually arrested by a police officer on the scene of a MVA because he had his Engineer block a lane for scene safety. Needless to say this was thrown out of court but still. The ball had already been put in place to start rolling with the State Government over this issue, but it didn't take long after this when a pumper in a neighboring district of mine was actually side swiped one night while working an MVA on the highway. I would suggest contacting your State Representative about this issue, then go from there. I hope this was some help for you.
Bull:
All of the various heads need to meet.
If that isn't possible, then your fire department attorney should lay out the liabilities involved with one agency cancelling another agency, making medical or tactical decisions without the proper certifications and the costs associated with making bad decisions based on who has the bigger who hah!
Your situation is a sad one. It is not only ridiculous that this mentality exists post 9/11, but potentially, it could be dangerous.
Your public image is suffering because the cops aren't playing nice.
Fixable, but will take time.
But, don't give up.
When moving mountains, you may have to put down the shovel and get on a bulldozer.
TCSS.
Art
MABAS is happening!
We have the system here in Illinois and IT WORKS!
We have a DeCon truck, are getting an air truck and a light trailer in our MABAS district.
One of our firefighters is the president of our MABAS district. Last week, we met and did a table top for a drill set for October. It was very well attended by both career and volunteer dept. members.
If nothing else has been successful in getting aid responses, this should do it.
Push it.
Anything worth getting is worth fighting for.
Good luck.
TCSS.
Art
Sound like the various Chief officers (Fire, EMS & police) need to have a meeting and discuss this issue before it bites them in the a$$. Who's going to take the blame when EMS requests Fire to the scene and the Police say disregard and something happens resulting in injury to a cop/EMS/civilian? Food for thought...Stay safe!
EGOMANIAC and all to often us firefighters fall into that same pit. not saying that you bull are in that pit but someone else may have really pissed someone off in the past. that has happened here in our county and the citizens have suffered for it a long time. we now have 911 and changed all that till a fire truck showed up at a scene that the sherriff quote was in charge of and he went to dispatch to change it. 911 stood by the fd but when ems who is scared spitless of the sherriff asked that the fd not be paged automatic it went back the way it used to be. not quite as bad but ems has to call for us or we don't get dispatched. until we all get the idea that we are SERVANTS and not bosses it will only take one to foul things up. it took a long time and some changes at the voting polls to get where we are and the same sherriff just beat 1700 to 300 so we still have the ego to deal with. this won't get resolved quickly it will take years.
go to the judge it might work if that dont work go higher

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