most of us use either minitor pagers or cell phones to receive calls.I've found both good and bad on this.The pager you can hear the initial call come across,but if you are in a bad area like in a store it come's in staticy.With the text you can read the message and not miss the call over the pager.Know the thing that I have a problem with is some of the time dispatch does not put the call over the phones.what if that is the only thing you have to depend on if you do not carry a pager or you left or forgot to bring it with you.That has happened to me quite a few times.I just wanted to know you're opinions on this.
OUr dept and other volunteer depts in the county have the alpha pagers and some still have the voice pagers. My dept use to have the voice and I hated it. You couldn't understand it have the time and sometimes you get nothing but static. The alpha pagers I really like. If you have a good dispatcher they'll give you directions and a better understanding of what's really happing. That way you kind of know what to expect when arriving on scene.
I think what happened was terrible.And I agree about weather their safe or not.You shouldnt be texting or talking on the cell while driving anyway's.I never answer my cell while driving.
I can see not using the text at night and while your on the road that's just plumb stupid. I was talking about like if your in a meeting or something like that. It would be perfect when I'm in my EMT class.
I agree Nikki,seeing at night and at 3 am isn't great since your half asleep and driving to the station in all sorts of weather in the first place.I prefer having my minitor,than a alpha-numaric pager.An as far as cell phone thing goes I think ,IT'S A STEP B-A-C-K-W-A-R-D-S,in dispatching.Since thats why the "Home Receiver" or Plectrons & Minitors,Where developed in the first place.Instead of just relying on Phone Calls and House Sirens.
I think the alpha and the cell phone text are basically the same thing as far as text goes.I carry a minitor 2 4 and my cell.But I mostly rely on my pagers.Like I said some of the time dispatch wont or dont put the calls over the text.
I agree that at night when your half asleep still, that th alpha pager sometimes is a bad thing. That's why I rely on my radio that our dept has. Everybody in our dept has a radio that has the dispatcher's ( Sheriiff's Dept ) frequency along with Forestery, EMS. It can of helps out when your trying to wake up.