Extra Needed Help Response Problem

[sop]

Let us say that you have a volunteer department with a very limited amount of mobile radios and not a budget big enough to purchase more. For an example, they get a call from dispatch to respond to a scene of a MVA. What is the best and quickest way to contact extra needed persons that do not have mobile radios?

 

[JPINFV]

Pagers.

Heck, in the age of the cell phone, mass text message could work just as well.

 

[NomadicMedic]

Most CAD systems can send text messages to members phones.

Also, alpha pagers are cheap.

 

[sop]

Could you explain how this process would work? I'm sure we won't have time to look a number up when responding to a call.

 

[NomadicMedic]

Your dispatch center should handle the alerting of additional resources.

CAD is "computer aided dispatch" and it's blanket term for the computerized console that dispatches and sends information to mobile terminals and pagers. Ask your communication center director if the CAD will support SMS messaging for your department members.

 

[medicdan]

Have you looked at something like this:
http://iamresponding.com/
Send dispatches via CAD, then use the above tool to ensure appropriate members are responding...

 

[bahnrokt]

Call dispatch via cell phone, ask for additional resources to go out over pager.

 

[sop]

Thanks all for the information. I'll send it to my dispatch director.

 

[Handsome Robb]

We have a paging system that we use on/off duty. Generally off duty pages are "all calls" or open shifts. On duty they are for call information and other 'housekeeping' items throughout the day. If you want they will give you an actual pager otherwise you get them as text messages on your phone.

 

[HiVis]

Iamresponding is what my VFD uses on top of pagers. You put their # in your phone, get a page via text, call it, then hit 1 for <5 minute, 2 for <10, etc. It's a darn good system.