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.

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Permalink Reply by Don Towne on February 20, 2009 at 8:23am

I have issued EACH member a radio, both paid and volunteer. Many of our folks respond off duty and usually arrive before the rig. Radios allow them to conduct a size up immediately- however, radio discipline sometimes is a problem-

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Permalink Reply by lisa on February 20, 2009 at 8:27am

Yes my department also given us are own

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Permalink Reply by jason lassiter on February 20, 2009 at 8:45am

we are vol. in alabama and we all have portables we have two radio sytems here UHF and 800 I have both radios the 800 is a backup for the UHF

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Permalink Reply by Tony Bearden on February 20, 2009 at 8:52am

I am Chief of a volunteer fire dept. We have 20 members, usually can count on 13 or 14 on a structure fire, less on anything else. Each member has a radio, and all the PPE needed. Eight of those 20 have a pager also (nice to carry the pager and leave the radio in your car, until a call). We have received 4 AFG grants, none for radios, as this has always been something the department provides each member. We have strict radio use rules and don't have a problem with that. IC communicates with our county 911 and everyone else communicates on a fireground channel once on the scene. This works well and keeps the 911 channel free from clutter during incidents. I feel each member on a scene needs to have communication capability, whether needed or not, and if nothing else, just to here what is needed to here.

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Permalink Reply by ZAKMAN on February 20, 2009 at 9:23am

THANKS CHEIF, I FELT I WAS DOING SOMETHING WRONG WHEN TAKING A RADIO. IT'S A POWER TRIP HERE ,ONLY OFFICERS HAVE THE RIGHT TO HANDLE RADIO'S. HERE THE OFFICERS SAY, THAT NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO YOU NEED AN OFFICER WITH YOU. GOOD LUCK IF ONE SHOWS UP TO A SCENE DURING THE DAY.

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Permalink Reply by GREG HARMON, FIRE CHIEF on February 20, 2009 at 9:30am

We are a small town (2700), and are all volunteer. Currently all officers have a portable radio they carry at all times. We are working on getting everyone a radio with paging capabilities. Everyone should have a radio, you never know who will show up at the station for a run. If your the only one with a radio you can't talk to anyone!

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Permalink Reply by Randy VanderHeiden on February 20, 2009 at 11:42am

Our department has had portable radios for every on duty member. With grant assistance last year, we upgraded all of our radios last year from Motorola to ICOM F70. The small volunteer department requires anyone in a hazard area to have a portable. Usually plenty to go around.

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Permalink Reply by LC on February 20, 2009 at 1:09pm

I issue a portable to all interior and Active members. We are a small Department in NY. 50-70 calls per year. We also have our own frequency which helps with responses.

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Permalink Reply by Mark Hall on February 20, 2009 at 1:24pm

We similarly equip on a per-position basis. We run on a digital trunked radio system and at $1500 - $2500 per radio, giving them out per person is not an option. Besides, in spite of some vendor's opinion to the contrary, not everyone needs a radio and not everyone who has a radio needs to talk on the thing!

One question that we are struggling with - who of you are running incidents on a simplex fireground channel (per NFPA guidelines) as opposed to always running on repeated or trunked channels? My chiefs complain about having to carry two radios when we run on the simplex channels because they still have to talk to Dispatch.

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Permalink Reply by Mike O on February 20, 2009 at 1:25pm

We were able to do to same thing with a grant except we issued the radios to individuals since some of our trucks do not have crew cabs. This is a terrible problem however. Radios have been lost and damaged and even stolen from members. The upside is in our rural area members have been able to call in everything from wires down to MVA and EMS related issues they happen upon. Members do show up with out radios on calls therefore defeating the purpose. If we had it to do it again we would put them he the rigs.

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Permalink Reply by jeff kerr on February 20, 2009 at 1:26pm

I think that is a good idea and our company is tring to do the same. But due to decreased funding we have been unable to do that yet. Because we also needed a tanker which we go a grant for so hopefully we can do that soon.

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Permalink Reply by Fire Chick on February 20, 2009 at 1:37pm

we have some on the trucks so when u get there u can get a radio, but as for each person no... i dont think everyone needs one.. most of the things u do on a fire scene u are not alone...