I've Been Hearing Through The Grapevine That We Are Going To Get New Rigs With New Laptop Computers In Them(we Use The Mdt System Here In The Nyc Ems System). Its Also Being Said That They Are Going To Install Gps Tracking To Better Keep Track Of The Units And And Lower Response Times To Better Serve The Public. Noble Idea And I Do See The What They Mean, But I Can't Help Thinking That This Is Only To Better Keep Track Of Us.
Gps Locators
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rescuecpt
Community Leader Emeritus
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Well, you work for them, right? Why shouldn't they keep track of you?
SUNY Stony Brook keeps track of their ambulances - they can even see how fast they're driving. It's pretty neat.
SUNY Stony Brook keeps track of their ambulances - they can even see how fast they're driving. It's pretty neat.
SafetyPro2
Forum Safety Officer
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This is getting to be a pretty common practice with any vehicle fleet. Actually, some have been using similar systems for a long time with GPS just being the latest technology. At one of my previous jobs (a newspaper), all of our delivery trucks were equipped with a "black box" system that tracked vehicle speed against time, so at the end of the day the date could be downloaded and analyzed. It would show how long the vehicle had been stationary as well as showing the top speeds it reached. I believe it also logged some vehicle performance data (oil pressure, temperature, etc.) so you could hopefully maintenance issues before they became a breakdown. It also had a rudimentary control panel in the cab which allowed the driver to, for example, "flag" an accident or other abnormal events.
There's talk that our current MDT system is going to be upgraded with GPS sometime in the next year or two. Besides adding a navigational capability, it will also allow dispatch to more easily determine which rig is closest to a call, and will also be used to automatically determine when a rig is enroute (if it starts moving, its enroute).
There's talk that our current MDT system is going to be upgraded with GPS sometime in the next year or two. Besides adding a navigational capability, it will also allow dispatch to more easily determine which rig is closest to a call, and will also be used to automatically determine when a rig is enroute (if it starts moving, its enroute).
Raf
Forum Lieutenant
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GPS is a great technology and mainly for the reasons SafetyPro has mentioned, it will aid the response time and efficiency of ambulances and other emergency vehicles.
i_drive_code3
Forum Crew Member
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and if i get lost??
we're getting a gps system installed in our units within the next week or so...our administrator says that we should not be using to find addresses in our small town
but they will be great when we head up into the hills and need exact coordinates for the helicopter. of course, as of right now there are no helipads in operation at the hospitals so we cannot use the helicopters but um that is another story...
kate
we're getting a gps system installed in our units within the next week or so...our administrator says that we should not be using to find addresses in our small town
but they will be great when we head up into the hills and need exact coordinates for the helicopter. of course, as of right now there are no helipads in operation at the hospitals so we cannot use the helicopters but um that is another story...kate
KEVD18
Forum Deputy Chief
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have em in all our rigs. no navigational capability yet. just admin tracking
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I worked for a company that had GPS modems for rig tracking attached to the radios.... the easy way to foil them was to "foil" them - taking a peice of tin foil from a breakfast sandwich and covering the GPS antenna.
At the squad, we have MDC's (Laptops) in every in-county ambulance. We have Microsoft Streets and Trips installed, and the little cheap GPS antenna that comes with it... the county is looking into more durable antennas, but this is it right now. We can use it to find locations, and it will follow location, giving an approx. speed readout. There isn't a way for this to be tracked right now.
Also, the County did have Automatic Vehicle Locators (GPS, i think) in every ambulance 5-10 years ago, but they were turned off because of the "my sandbox" rule that the county chief's use.... too many times the CLOSEST ambualnce would be sent, not always the company that covered the area.....
Jon
At the squad, we have MDC's (Laptops) in every in-county ambulance. We have Microsoft Streets and Trips installed, and the little cheap GPS antenna that comes with it... the county is looking into more durable antennas, but this is it right now. We can use it to find locations, and it will follow location, giving an approx. speed readout. There isn't a way for this to be tracked right now.
Also, the County did have Automatic Vehicle Locators (GPS, i think) in every ambulance 5-10 years ago, but they were turned off because of the "my sandbox" rule that the county chief's use.... too many times the CLOSEST ambualnce would be sent, not always the company that covered the area.....
Jon
MedicPrincess
Forum Deputy Chief
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MedicStudentJon said:
I guess that makes sense. Fight over sending the closest ambulance, and can provide the quickest care.
Anyway....we don't have GPS in our units. They keep track of us by requiring us to tell them where we are when they call...
Dispatch.. "Medic 8"
Me.... "Medic 8, on Hwy 98"
Dispatch... "Medic 8, thats a big road, do you have a cross street"
Me.... "Oh yea!" pause as I try to figure out where in heck we really are "Medic 8, we are in front of the Walmart"
Dispatch... sounding a little ticked... "Medic 8, there are 3 Walmarts in the district. Which one are you in front of?"
Ok, so it was my first shift. After that, we had my area familiarization lesson. I now know what the cross street is for the Wal-Mart in Medic 8's zone.
Wingnut
EMS Junkie
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EMTPrincess said:I guess that makes sense. Fight over sending the closest ambulance, and can provide the quickest care.
Anyway....we don't have GPS in our units. They keep track of us by requiring us to tell them where we are when they call...
Dispatch.. "Medic 8"
Me.... "Medic 8, on Hwy 98"
Dispatch... "Medic 8, thats a big road, do you have a cross street"
Me.... "Oh yea!" pause as I try to figure out where in heck we really are "Medic 8, we are in front of the Walmart"
Dispatch... sounding a little ticked... "Medic 8, there are 3 Walmarts in the district. Which one are you in front of?"
Ok, so it was my first shift. After that, we had my area familiarization lesson. I now know what the cross street is for the Wal-Mart in Medic 8's zone.
LMAO...I'm really looking forward to your stories of the road :lol:
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About a year ago our units had GPS systems installed. We have mini laptops in the front as an MDT, and it tells dispatch our exact location.
When a call comes in it brings up the closest unit by distance (straight line), and then dispatch will either confirm that or send closer units.
On the road it has a little arrow that simply tells us where we are, no navigational abilities yet. I use my Garmin iQue 3600 when I'm working the rig. It has an "Emergency Vehicle" routing feature that will almost always give me the closest/most direct route.
When a call comes in it brings up the closest unit by distance (straight line), and then dispatch will either confirm that or send closer units.
On the road it has a little arrow that simply tells us where we are, no navigational abilities yet. I use my Garmin iQue 3600 when I'm working the rig. It has an "Emergency Vehicle" routing feature that will almost always give me the closest/most direct route.
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MedicStudentJon said:
A lot of times, this becomes a funding and liability issue, especially when you are talking about districts within the county.
For example, let's say your company is closest to Point A, which belongs in District 1's primary response area. The tax money spent by the resident at Point A goes to District 1, not your company so your only hope for reimbursment is patient billing. Now let's say something bad happens, and everyone involved in the call gets presented with a lawsuit. Who's at fault? Your ambulance company, because you provided the care or District 1, because they are the primary agency?