The Social Network & Community JUST for Firefighters
Portable Radios- One For Each Crew Member or Do You Have to Share Them?
Several months ago, my F.D. updated our portable radios so that each seating position had it's own portable radio. We were able to do this due to a grant. This ensures that each crew member on that rig has his/her own radio. This has greatly improved safety and communication. I was just wondering what other F.D's, (from big city to small town) are doing.
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Paul on
-
I can answer both sides of your question, Big City and small town. This is a double edge sword. I work for a large full time department. As of right now, on an engine company, the officer and the hydrant FF has a radio. So 2 out of 5 FF’s has a radio. On our truck companies, the officer, one of the roof FF’s and the FF that goes to the back has a radio. So 3 out of 5 FF’s on the truck has a radio. With that, there is just about enough transmitting that you want on our fire-ground frequency. I also work for a small understaffed suburban department. Every member has a radio. There have been many occasions that the fire ground frequency gets jammed up because IC is reporting on the fire, transmitting what the next in company must do and communicate with the entry crew. The entry crew is reporting on interior conditions, asking for water and updating the IC. The mutual aid companies are doing the same. There can be, if discipline is not maintained, ALLOT of radio traffic.
So here in lies the problem. Do I believe that everyone should have a radio for the purpose, at best for safety? Yes. But the more members you have on your department, the more chance you have for people getting on the radio for the wrong reasons. That clogs up the radio frequency if there is a true emergency. No matter what policy and procedure you have in place, every department has one or more high strung members that you won’t be able to keep off that thing. So unless you have and follow strict procedures and strict progressive punishment for improper use of the radio, you will have problems.
-
Permalink Reply by Art "ChiefReason" Goodrich on
-
Paul:
You hit on exactly what I was going to post.
You can give everybody and their brother a radio and I'm not saying that you shouldn't. It's nice to have one on if you get into some type of trouble or see changing conditions that only you see. The radio is great.
But, many have "trucker's syndrome". Breaker, breaker; what's your twenty? Whatchu doin'? You got a sister, blah, blah blah? You see what I see?
Some who have them feel compelled to use them...and use them and use them.
If you can control it and keep fresh batteries in them, then more power to you.
But if you have trained that the officer never leaves their men and everything in the group is communicated through the officer, you can get good intel and still keep everyone safe.
IMHO.
TCSS.
Art
-
Permalink Reply by Damon Dyer on
-
Around here we all have one it works pretty good except with one dept. . Some of their favorite things to do is to get on the radio and ask the other to give them a call . They ask if the other is at homethen tell them to come out side cause they are in their driveway .
-
Permalink Reply by Brian Dumser on
-
Sounds like their F.D. needs radio SOP's. If they keep using them like cell phones, how's the battery going to be when they need it for a real incident?
-
Permalink Reply by randi on
-
all are trucks are equipped with portable radios with every airpack on the truck so everytime you pack up you are to grab a portable radio so basically every interior firefighter is equipped with a portable radio for fire ground operations
-
Permalink Reply by Adam Box on
-
I have an interesting take on this as I am on two fire departments, each with a different radio policy. One FD has at least 2 portables on each apparatus, but this is supplemented by probably 15-20 radios on the gear racks. anyone with the frame of mind to grab a radio before heading out can find one. The down side to everyone having a radio is an overabundance of radio traffic with non-necessary chatter. (ie. "chief, what do you want me to do? I'm just standing here.") Also, it leads to whenever someone keys up their radio, they're hit with feedback from the other radios in the area.
The other department has 2-3 radios per apparatus and they are assigned based on fireground task. With many of our members responding in personal vehicles, it leads to a lot of scrounging for radios and arguments of "Gimme your radio, I've been assigned to go in. You don't need it." It makes things difficult. The other downside to this is that if you grab a dead radio, your team could be out of communication with command.
Personally, I believe that as many people should have a radio as possible, but there should be discipline in using them or even turning them on. If there's a two man search team, only one of them should have a radio on. The other can carry a radio but leave it turned off in case the other radio goes dead, you get separated, etc.
-
Permalink Reply by Teia Kenyon on
-
I am on 2 depts and for both pretty much everyone that wants a radio has one and both depts have enough for every seat in the trucks. A lot of people also own their own radio's on the one dept. both my depts are small towns
-
Permalink Reply by Blake Haun on
-
i am from a small department that runs an average of about 2 calls a day. we have 3 (all 2 man crew) engines , a brush truck, a rescue truck, and a squad suburban ( used for medical calls) all the apparatus have 1 portable radio mounted in the cab witrh exception to the rescue truck. rescue has a walk in back that seats 4 and the cab can seat three, with ten portable radios. rescue goes on all fires and mva's. so when rescue arrives on scene, anyone else who does not have a radio, they get it off rescue. squad only has one portable radio because radio communication with other members on a medical scene is not as much as a nessisity. we have a chief, assistant chief, 2 captains, and 2 Lt's. all the officers are supplied portables by the department.
-
Permalink Reply by mike on
-
im on a small volunteer dep. we only cover 27.5 square miles. and each member in the dep. gets a portable radio and a pager to carry with them. most of our members leave their pagers at home and carry the radio with them. because when we are dispatched if you are goin to the fire house then you "go on the air" with dispatch. and each of our trucks has a mobile in it also. and if you want to you can purchase a mobile for in your pov if you want but thats up to you its not required.
-
Permalink Reply by Amy Silva on
-
Every department, town, city, and county are different. I get calls at work from FFs in departments where everyone is issued a radio, and also get calls from volunteer FFs who either have to share a few radios between them, or are asked to purchase their own radios if they want them.
I personally believe that portable radios are an essential part of keeping you all safe, and I hope that no one would take the risk of entrance without one!
Stay safe out there!
-Amy
http://www.radiotech.com
-
Permalink Reply by Tom Setzer on
-
Small town VFD here and I agree that is a great idea. One step further is issue EVERY member thier own portable. Expensive? Not if it has a pager capasity. These radios are actually 100's cheaper than Minitors. Save money and increase safety at the same time.
-
Permalink Reply by Fire Capt. 1304 on
-
I am on a small VFD and we have a radio issued to almost all of our members. The only problem that I have with them taking the radios home is when we do get fire calls everybody forgets thier radio at home so it ends up being only officers with radios anyways. I say put them on the trucks that way you have them when you need them.
© 2024 Created by Firefighter Nation WebChief.
Powered by
