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Should all members of a department have portable radio's
I am on a small department in south west Iowa. We have 25 members and cover 2.2 sqaure miles. 22 of our 25 members live in town. Only officer's can respond to the scene and everybody else goes to the station. Our chief issued a HT 1000 portable radios to all the members . My idea was to mount chargers on the wall near the trucks if it's a fire call grab a radio on your way out the door because I dont think that all members need a radio assigned to them. But he wanted everybody to take a radio home with them even though the rules he laid out says that only officers will go enroute over the radio for all calls, EMT's /paramedics for medical, and divers for water rescue. The firefighters are not allowed to talk on the main dispatch channel only our fireground channel. I also think that there is more potential for these radios to be broken or stolen just lying around somebodys house or left in a POV. Does anybody else have an opinion on this.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by T.J. on
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This has been discussed a lot in here, I feel YES every firefighter needs their own radio, unless they miss use that right then they lose it.
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Permalink Reply by Paul Montpetit on
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Too many "portables" are a bad thing.....We have a number of agencies up here that give their members portables....when a call goes out it sounds like a chicken coop...all the chatter...and that's on a primary fire frequency.....Now on a fire scene...?? Then yes, most definitely...people need to know what is happening and have the ability to call a mayday if needed...and yes someone outside can call a mayday if they see something has happened....Stay safe and keep the faith......Paul
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I understand the chicken coop thing, but thats one reason why people lose them on our department. If its not importent talk them dont talk we're really strict on this, but yes we've got a local department that every firefighter has to tell central their enroute to the hall.
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Permalink Reply by Kimberly A Bownas on
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All of our EMT's have a portable paging radio and then the fire side started with just the drivers with this style radio. We are very strict about the radio usage. For the most part the members are mature and don't misuse the radio. There are a few that just can't help them selves but that is anywhere. We cover 68 square miles with a single company so we have members that are spread out all across the district. This does make it a little easier.
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Wow, Kim sure your not on my department, we also cover 68 square miles and 2 townships, so like you said it's nice to have those radios spread out along your lines.
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Permalink Reply by Rob Ollier on
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In the county where I volunteer, almost every firefighter is assigned their own portable radio. The department I volunteer for has a standing rule, when a call comes out then a officer is to acknowledge the run. Unfortunately, some of the other departments don't have this rule. The traffic over the radio can ,at times, be very caotic. Some of the radio traffic sounds as if they were using the phone instead of a radio. "Hey bubba I'm on my way. I'm passing old man Henry's farm right now. Put my gear on the truck." Not to mention how many radios our department has had to replace because someone damages, loses, or neglected.
At my full time job,in a different county, no one carries thier own portables. They are provided for each seating position, in chargers, mounted inside the cabs. They are labeled.(ie..E1 AO, E1 OIC, E1 A..ect). It becomes the resposibility of the Officer of that apparatus to ensure that all radios are docked after a call is complete. This has cut down on radio cost by limiting the number of radios needed, 1 for each seating position on each apparatus equaling 25 radios compared to one for each member equaling 45 to 50.
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Permalink Reply by BillySFCVFD on
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Upon reading the post started by Nicholas, I believe we are talking about VFDs not paid depts. VFFs are on duty 24/7/365 and need a radio assigned to every FF that is available at any given time. Paid depts need a radio for every FF available on the shift on that's on duty and sometimes for those available in reserve. Assets such as radios should be used smartly, same as turn outs, SCBAs, PASSs, etc... No room for mishandling or abuse, it defeats the purpose. TCSS
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Permalink Reply by Chris Cromwell on
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I feel that in theory this is a great thing, however in application this doesn't always work. I think there would be alot of chatter on what ever frequency you choose to operate on. Not only is that annoying but could be dangerous, if someone had a need to call a mayday it is like anyother radio net sometimes you get "walked on" and that message is delayed or never recieved. But on the flip side if there is an interior attack team in trouble without an officer how will they communicate their mayday? There are advantages and disadvantages, I am not sure which out weighs the other.
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Permalink Reply by brian rogers on
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We have 142 sq. miles to cover and I wish all of our members had portables, being the only REAL VFD in Stephens County Texas we need them.
Wayland VFD would love to be able to buy radios for all of our guys and gals. They are needed, I understand the "chatter" issue, just have to train your people on proper use of the radio. One can talk too much on one.
www.waylandvfd.webs.com
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Permalink Reply by Kenneth Holley on
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Most everyone on my dept has one and it works real good. Untill we have a call. Then it sounds like roll call at a convention. Sometimes you have people talking over each other and then you have dispatch trying to get tones out. The chief has told us that dispatch does not care or keep track of all of us. they only care about chief officer's and engines and who goes on scene first. I hardly even use mine except on the fireground and them its on the local channel.
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Permalink Reply by Dan Thomas on
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I feel, unless you are a line officer or chief officer, that you don't need a portable radio. I think in this case it doesn't matter if you are paid or volunteer. ANY firefighter takes the chance of leaving it somewhere or, God forbid, gets drunk or stupid and wants to play on the radio. I've heard it and it makes the department look insanely bad. Another reason why I don't think it's a good idea is that they make perfectly good pagers for everyone. Most of our members carry the Minitor V and they work very well. There is also a good reason why they make big base stations that can be mounted in apparatus. Carry all your radios there and you can get one when you get to a scene.
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Permalink Reply by Steve on
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I personally think this is a bad idea. As stated above a minitor will do the same job. You don't need 500 people calling in service. I think depending on the size of the crew on scene as far as how many portables need to be on a crew. I've found that when two people are very close to each other and one tries to speak on one of the portables, there's to much interferance from the radio the person has one foot from you.
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