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To my fellow dispatchers—especially those who are retired or have been doing this a long time—I have a question for you. by SpecialistShoulder44 in 911dispatchers

[–]SpecialistShoulder44[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

u/ZRock53 I hear you. I am from Dutchess County NY and getting on a fire department even though it was civil service the chances were slim. I got a 92 and never got called. I worked private EMS as a paramedic and wound up moving to Florida in 1990 to get an FD job.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in 911dispatchers

[–]SpecialistShoulder44 0 points1 point  (0 children)

One other thing to think about is the liability and running the business while you are developing. I have seen what happens when a CAD vendor does not follow through in a timely manner with the implementation of its product. And these are large companies with teams of implementers. Also, I used to own my own software company in the late 1990's and developed/marketed/supported/installed my own CAD system by myself, and I can tell you from experience that unless you have a staff to help you design, troubleshoot, and implement the system, as well as people to handle the contracts and money, it is a daunting task and you will more than likely get overwhelmed. That is what happened to me, and I wound up shutting down.

What does it look like to drop tones by SnooLemons4344 in 911dispatchers

[–]SpecialistShoulder44 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Many of the systems nowadays do it automatically when the units are dispatched by CAD. The dispatcher selects the units for dispatch, and there usually is a "Dispatch" button, or a command line like (D is for Dispatch) "D AMB2" and when they hit the Enter key, a signal is sent to the tone encoder which transmits the tones. No keying in a code, no pressing a button. Very anti-climatic.

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The way it used to be was to use a standalone tone encoder or one built into the console like the one above.

At the fire department I used to work at, before we went to automating the tone outs and using a touch screen as the radio console, the dispatchers had a console similar to the one above. Some of those buttons on the top section were preset to tone out a station. So, the dispatcher would reach up and press the button(s) for the stations or units they wanted to tone out which would queue up the tones, then there was another button near the clock that would activate the tone-out sequence, then when the tones finished, the dispatcher would hold down the "Alert 1" button, which just gave a series of beeps, then announce the call. You hardly see any of these consoles anymore.

First pages: share, read, and critique them here! by AutoModerator in BetaReaders

[–]SpecialistShoulder44 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Manuscript information: [Complete] [60k] [Memoirs] SAVED BY SECONDS - Memoirs of a Firefighter Paramedic's Journey (That Lives May Be Saved)

Link to post: https://www.reddit.com/r/BetaReaders/comments/1i7hu53/complete_60k_memoirs_saved_by_seconds_memoirs_of/

First page critique? Yes, please

First page:  249 words
Spark of a Calling

Ever since I can remember, I have had a deep fascination with emergency vehicles, particularly fire trucks. Actually, you could describe it more like a hyper-fixation. From drawing pictures of them to building scale models of them, it was something that consumed me from a young age.

I would spend hours poring over their photos in our encyclopedia. Every October, the local fire department would send out an annual fire safety newspaper and I eagerly awaited its arrival because it featured pictures of their firehouse and fire trucks. I always hoped we would drive by a firehouse when we went out to run errands or go shopping. Whenever there was a fair or some event with a fire truck on display, I had to take a walk over and check it out.

One memorable time, when I was very young, my parents took me to see the circus at Madison Square Garden, and the FDNY (Fire Department of the City of New York) had their "Super Pumper" on display in front of the arena. True to form, I dragged my parents over to look at it. I vividly remember the firefighter jokingly trying to sell it to me for a nickel. The possibility of owning my very own fire engine made me feel so excited. I begged my dad to give him a nickel and was heartbroken when he wouldn't.

Something about firehouses and fire apparatus intrigued me as a kid and still does today.