Last Weeks 95 Car Pile-Up In Grand Rapids Update

[jack3726]

I wonder if the push will be put on to do something sooner rather than later for Kent County. Most of the area FD's use old UHF/VHF stuff but I am sure there would have been some sort of a FD tactical freq that they could have all used. As far as the PD goes, not so sure that the County, nor Rockford, Walker or the City of GR for that matter have access to the Rockford MSP MPSCS tac or some other freq's for interoperability in there patrol cars.

http://www.woodtv.com/Global/story.a...p;nav=0RcdXUdI

[cdenton]

There is some big meeting going on today (Tue, Mar 15) about getting some kind of ability for the different agencies to all talk to each other. With MSP all digital, maybe this will be used to push more locals toward digital, too. It seems like they need to do something 'cause inter-agency communication is getting to be a bigger priority now, what with Homeland Defense issues and all.

[wesm1957]

Originally Posted by jack3726

I wonder if the push will be put on to do something sooner rather than later for Kent County. Most of the area FD's use old UHF/VHF stuff but I am sure there would have been some sort of a FD tactical freq that they could have all used. As far as the PD goes, not so sure that the County, nor Rockford, Walker or the City of GR for that matter have access to the Rockford MSP MPSCS tac or some other freq's for interoperability in there patrol cars.

http://www.woodtv.com/Global/story.a...p;nav=0RcdXUdI

I heard most of the communications the day of the accident, all 3 scanners going non-stop. I know most of the local police departments in the Grand Rapids area are on VHF high and in the past I have heard them talking to each other on each other's freqs.. I also hear the state police talking to local dispatchers from time to time. I do have to say from listening that day all the departments involved were well organized and did a great job working together. I know when I lived in Ohio and took part in mock disaster drills, nothing compares to the real thing.

[jack3726]

Curious was the old MEPPS used at all during this. I am surprised that like batallion fire chiefs or Chiefs of Police don't have a handheld or in car radio that they could talk to the state on, maybe they do I don't know. There used to be a statewide fire channel that I am sure all the FD's have, I think it was like 154.280, guessing though. It will be interesting to say the least on what they plan on doing. I hope that this one situation won't drive the whole area into digital, but you never know.

[Thunderbolt]

Originally Posted by jack3726

There used to be a statewide fire channel that I am sure all the FD's have, I think it was like 154.280, guessing though.

That frequency is 154.295 MHz. the Statewide DNR Fireground channel. I know all of the departments up in that area have that channel and since mutual aid was activated, they more than likely were using it.

73's

Ron

[bodnarp]

Kent County has a VHF "countywide" frequency that all departments use.

[n8jsn]

I know I am a bit late on this but..

County was working on County Wide along with GRPD, Rockford PD and Cedar Springs PD. They also were active on North County..


Med 8 was active along with GRFD 1

MSP was using several diffrent talk groups. Since it has been a few weeks I cant remember the exact #'s. As for interoperability betwe en county and msp.. To my knoledge there was none, the EOCC was not fully activated and RACES personel were canceled within 20 minutes of being put on standby. I know that the MSP base station at the dept was not manned and our portable was sitting in the cabinet in the same room.

Just my .02.. of course I wont admit to knowing any of this

J