I've been listening to the live feeds for the LA Co FD. I have a few questions. 1. What is the dispatch format...example (tone) Rescue XXX Squad XXX...are they dispatching a pvt ambulace on the same freq as the squad? Is there a chance we can get working incident feeds? Whoever is providing the feeds..thank you very much! Also, on one feed, it's labeled as Fire and EMS..what is this?
LA County FD question
- Thread starter jcanupp
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When you hear "Tone then "Rescue 120's area, Squad 119" what they are doing is called a "pre-alert" on the geographical command frequency for that region. That gives those units who are monitoring the radio channel a heads up that there is a call in that area. The Squad is a utility truck with 2 paramedics but no transport capability. Medical aid calls in LA County region (unincorporated areas and contract cities) have an engine/truck company assigned, as well as a squad, and then a private ambulance which is assigned to that area by the LA County Board of Supervisors. The private ambulance is not dispatched on the fire frequency.
What you are not hearing, unless you are listening to BLUE 8 Frequency 470.5375, is the entire dispatch or the "real" dispatch channel. There is so much radio traffic, that most units don't listen to that frequency, they just listen to their area command channel.
The reason a pre-alert is done on the geographical/regional command frequency is that you may have units on scene of a call, and a second call comes in for their area. By broadcasting it on their geographical/regional command channel, it gives them the info and if they can leave their current call, or become available, for instance, at the hospital after offloading, they can tell dispatch and take the call.
Also, LACOFD does not use GPS/AVL locators, so their dispatchers don't know exactly where they are, and it gives the units in the field the opportunity to take a call they may be closer to,or tell dispatch they are too far away, and send the next closest unit.
This feed: Los Angeles County Fire - Blue 8 Live Scanner Audio Feed will allow you to hear all dispatches countywide
This feed Los Angeles County Fire - Blue 6 Live Scanner Audio Feed allows you to hear the San Gabriel Valley geographical command channel.
Finally, units are not allowed to talk on the main dispatch channel, Blue 8, to the dispatcher. They have to use their command channel so they don't interrupt dispatches that are being broadcast.
What you are not hearing, unless you are listening to BLUE 8 Frequency 470.5375, is the entire dispatch or the "real" dispatch channel. There is so much radio traffic, that most units don't listen to that frequency, they just listen to their area command channel.
The reason a pre-alert is done on the geographical/regional command frequency is that you may have units on scene of a call, and a second call comes in for their area. By broadcasting it on their geographical/regional command channel, it gives them the info and if they can leave their current call, or become available, for instance, at the hospital after offloading, they can tell dispatch and take the call.
Also, LACOFD does not use GPS/AVL locators, so their dispatchers don't know exactly where they are, and it gives the units in the field the opportunity to take a call they may be closer to,or tell dispatch they are too far away, and send the next closest unit.
This feed: Los Angeles County Fire - Blue 8 Live Scanner Audio Feed will allow you to hear all dispatches countywide
This feed Los Angeles County Fire - Blue 6 Live Scanner Audio Feed allows you to hear the San Gabriel Valley geographical command channel.
Finally, units are not allowed to talk on the main dispatch channel, Blue 8, to the dispatcher. They have to use their command channel so they don't interrupt dispatches that are being broadcast.
They certainly are busy and have a lot of traffic! Thank you for answering my question. I live in Atlanta GA and it's kinda cool to listen in sometimes. There's one feed called Fire and EMS....what does that cover and are any of the feeds set-up to cover working incidents? Whoever provides the feeds...thank you!
Eng74
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To get the feed for a working incident you need to be near the incident since the Tac channels are not on the repeaters. The info on the calls all come up on the MDT's at the stations and in the units. Wait tell summer time when Blue 8 gets really busy.
The "Fire and EMS" feed is all of LA County Fire jurisdiction radio traffic...which would be very overwhelming to listen to. Even if there is an incident, the scanner constantly scanning channels, including Blue 8, will mean that any effective monitoring of an incident will be quite challenging. Listening to the variety of feeds of the blue channels, which are the repeated command channels, is your best bet for following an incident.
Good luck!
Good luck!
Gotcha! Thanks again for the help and the feeds!
fender1878
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Each contracted private ambulance provider has an MDT and incident printer in their respective dispatch centers. When the appropriate units are assigned to the ticket via CAD, the call is also sent to the ambulance companies dispatch MDT. A dispatcher will then acknowledge en route on the MDT and LACoFD knows that the ambulance provider received the call and that an ambulance is responding. If the incident is not acknowledged within 2-minutes, then the TRO will call the ambulance dispatch and find out what's up.
Most relevant information that one would want to hear on an incident actually takes place on the Blue response channels. The VHF tac channels are used fairly seldom. At least that has been my experience.
Most relevant information that one would want to hear on an incident actually takes place on the Blue response channels. The VHF tac channels are used fairly seldom. At least that has been my experience.
I think that most firescene traffic occurs on the VHF channels. Officers carry 1 VHF portable to talk to their crew members, plus 1 UHF portable to talk to the dispatchers. You have to be close to hear the VHF portables.
I think that "Rescue 20, Squad 25" means "rescue call in Station 20's first due area with Squad 25 responding"
Peter Sz
I think that "Rescue 20, Squad 25" means "rescue call in Station 20's first due area with Squad 25 responding"
Peter Sz
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