Communications and Interoperability
The communications and interoperability resource page is designed to help firefighters keep up with the latest communications gear and best practices in mutual-aid and interoperability.
How to minimize scheduling strains and mission misalignment between the department’s shift-workers and administrative workforce
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said false claims about withholding aid are demoralizing to relief workers
Mayor Brandon Scott said the city is readying a team of call takers, dispatchers, support staff and a supervisor to deploy in a few hours
Troubled dispatch technology, staff shortages, lack of ambulances and increased call volume weighing on the system
How people, data, processes and things help public safety increase operational efficiency
IoE provides connectivity and innovations never seen before
A cell phone caller gave the wrong location, but a second landline caller should have alerted the dispatcher to the error
Problems lie with the department’s mapping of response districts that determine who responds where
Authorities are investigating whether there was confusion with dispatching the proper fire department when the fire was first reported
Asst. Chief Charles Dowd is one of subjects of a federal investigation into FirstNet; he has been transferred to run the transit division for reasons unknown
Most 911 systems can only accept texts from Verizon cell phone subscribers at this time, raising concerns that people with other carriers will send a text that can’t be processed
Firefighters aren’t being the first notified about fires in their area; officials say dispatchers should receive training to make determine which department to call
Integrated push-to-talk, NPSBN and multi-band radios soon will expand how fire and EMS can communicate on scene
His goal is to raise $10,000 for a formal uniform loaner program for volunteer departments to have formal dress uniforms to wear during services to honor fallen comrades
Public-safety IT managers need to focus on publish-and-subscribe models for interoperable, public-safety networks
Mayor Bill de Blasio said “it’s not acceptable” that ambulances took more than 10 minutes to respond to a fire that killed two children
Two children died in the blaze; an ambulance wasn’t dispatched after the working fire was confirmed
Some report having communication problems with the central dispatch, while the police chief expects most agencies will join
The mayor’s $8 billion budget outlined plans to unify emergency call centers and gradually replace uniformed firefighters with lower-paid civilian phone operators
The city wants to form a committee to review the report of a consultant, who has been criticized for failing to meet with rank-and-file firefighters
Pryme radio products have released a new line of headphones, accessories and mics for law enforcement
“We actually looked into this about a year ago, and everyone on council at the time was well on board,” Police Chief Ken Frost said
A staff member allegedly failed to follow protocol for notifying emergency responders of the outage, which lasted a total of 55 minutes
An 89-year-old man drowned while a worker who took the call did not advise him to try to get out of the sinking SUV, and fumbled the dispatch
Wearable technologies show promise for firefighters and chief officers.
Crews had no idea where to go because their radios were incompatible
Firefighters were dispatched to Grand Street, not Grand Avenue, but officials say that did not contibute to the loss as the home was already fully engulfed
The report criticizes LAFD leaders; proposes partnering with civilian ambulances and replacing 200 firefighter positions with civilians
An investigation found that state dispatchers failed to call in some of the closest firefighters and equipment
Chief David Litton says part of the delay comes from 911 dispatchers starting the response clock before sounding the alarm at the station
The investigative report recommends discipline for the five firefighters and four 911 dispatch employees who sent the ambulance to the wrong address
Questions about inheritance taxes, daylight savings time and a complaint about a roommate stealing beer demonstrate some of the non-emergency calls dispatchers have dealt with
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- IAFF: Voice Radio Communications Guide for the Fire Service, Section 6 - System design and implementation
- IAFF: Voice Radio Communications Guide for the Fire Service, Section 4 - Portable radio selection and use
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- Tech in 2020: How the fire service leveled up its technology game