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Night Watch
Does your Department still do Night Watch? Intrested to know how many departments still carry on this tradition.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on
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I didn't misread it at all. I used to work for a municipal department that had both day watch and night watch, sleeping on the cot in the watch room for night watch, etc.
We have phones all over the station, so they can be answered anywhere, not just in a watch room.
Doorbell - not a big deal, as the front door isn't far from the officer's bunkroom in most of our stations.
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We have Zeetron station alerting with radio/tone backup and speakers all over the stations, plus the old school rip-and-run printers (think "KMZ 365 here). We also have phones all around the station, so we can answer them from anywhere.
Think "using modern technology" to make life easier for the crews here.
As for shootings, stabbings, or whatever right next to the station, they can get help simply by using the ringdown phone that is front-and-center on every one of our stations. They'll get help quickly even if all of the units assigned to the station are on other calls. Suspicious stuff we don't want broadcasted can go out over the Zeetron, station phones, secure email, or via the mobile MDTs on the rigs.
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I don't work for Bluffton. I live there.
I've worked for departments that had both day and night watch and in high-crime areas and I know the principle behind it. I also know that if you replace the doorbell with the ringdown phone box the caller can get help quickly even if all the companies assigned to that station are on other calls. The doorbell doesn't help in that situation, neither does a night watch firefighter who is on the rig out of quarters.
In two of the places I used to work, we had security fences around our quarters in order to have our cars still there at the end of the shift.
Tradition is fine. Using technology to improve the standard of coverage and the ability to respond in a timely manner no matter if the station is occupied or not is even better.
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Permalink Reply by Wade Seely on
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We don't do night watch. Every thing is shut and locked for the night. the doorbell is loud enough that you can hear it, and we have a direct connect phone i nthe foyer. All emergency calls are routed through dispatch and handled that way. As for personal calls 99.99% of people have cell phones now and use them for private calls.
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Permalink Reply by ashfire on
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The only time my station pulled a night watch was when we moved into the new station down the road from the old station and the alert system was not setup. So each member had to sit at the desk for an hour and then wake the next guy for duty until he waked the next guy.
Every station had a alert system which was connected to the house siren which would ring a bell or sound a kaxton or light a light in the bunkroom. The red phones (Headquarter Phone) were connected to kaxtons to wake everyone,
Half the time it seemed someone had a sixth sense and would wake up before a call was dispatch for our station and yell for everyone to get up after they heard the radio communication.
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Easy - in that department, night watch was an assignment, not a state of wakefulness.
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Permalink Reply by 55 TRUCK on
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You do nightwatch the DC way. We'll do it the IFD way, the right way.lol
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Permalink Reply by capcityff on
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Hey man I'd MUCH rather do it your way. I hate night watch, especially when working at a single engine house. haha I was just messing around with you guys saying that if you're asleep, you're not really watching anything. haha
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Permalink Reply by Robert Owens on
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Except the back of your eye lids...lol
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We hardley sleep as it is on nightwatch,can't imagine having
to stay up plus do runs. More power to ya brother.
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