East China Schools Question

[dcpaq2]

Group,

I dont know if anyone knows the answer to this but here goes...

I noticed in the database for St. Clair County the license for East China Schools has expired although I know that this school district still runs their school buses. Anyone know why they would let their license expire unless they moved to a different frequency range or something?

Doug

[KD8FSJ]

Originally Posted by dcpaq2

Anyone know why they would let their license expire unless they moved to a different frequency range or something? Doug

There is a listing for them on the MPSCS TG-2956.

Paul

[dcpaq2]

Im not sure what that means Paul, Can you explain?

Thanks

Doug

[smartboy06]

That means that they moved to the MPSCS (the state of Michigan's Digital P25 system) with the rest of St. Clair County's public safety and school districts...you would need a digital scanner to monitor it. They probably won't be using their old freq any more, since they probably took the old radios out of the buses.

East China is listed in the database as being on talkgroup 2956.

Hope that helps....sorry if I'm stealing your thunder, Paul.

[bigbluemsp]

They won't be installing any 800's on the buses until RESA gives them the rest of the money to purchese them.

[MPSCS]

No wonder the schools never have enough money to buy toilet paper!

[EC-7]

Originally Posted by SIG-INT

No wonder the schools never have enough money to buy toilet paper!

No Crap.
Why in the world does a school bus need a $4000 mobile Digital radio?
Do they really need statewide coverage?
Do they really need inter-op with Police Fire EMS?

Whats wrong with a whole county of schools using a single UHF or VHF freq on a shared community repeater, using $200 radios?
And we wonder why our tax $ is so mis-managed.

[WU8Y]

Originally Posted by EC-7

No Crap.
Why in the world does a school bus need a $4000 mobile Digital radio?
Do they really need statewide coverage?
Do they really need inter-op with Police Fire EMS?

Whats wrong with a whole county of schools using a single UHF or VHF freq on a shared community repeater, using $200 radios?
And we wonder why our tax $ is so mis-managed.

In the event of a mass evacuation, (think Katrina) I could imagine school buses being used to transport people and therefore interoperability could come in handy. Even in normal use statewide coverage could be useful, say during field trips. Neither of those uses, however, would really require a digital system, but since we've got one here...

Frankly, I think a more important thing to put onto a school bus would be APRS-style position and status beaconing.

[Wyandotte]

Originally Posted by EC-7

No Crap.
Why in the world does a school bus need a $4000 mobile Digital radio?
Do they really need statewide coverage?
Do they really need inter-op with Police Fire EMS?

Whats wrong with a whole county of schools using a single UHF or VHF freq on a shared community repeater, using $200 radios?
And we wonder why our tax $ is so mis-managed.

Let me take a guess what's happening with East China Schools radios:

They have had good ol' simplex radios for 20 to 30 years. The same antenna and coax has been up at the bus garage for as long as the first radios were put in. The old coax is as lossy as a 30 year old garden hose, and the ol' antenna has got more corrosion than the Edmond Fitzgerald. The system just isn't working well. So someone has suggested all new radios. Heaven forbid they try a new antenna and feedline first. That would be too cost effective.

Like I've said many times in many posts, a whole lot of taxpayer's money is needlessly spent because of scenarios just like this. The ol' system just aien't what it used to be, but they can't figure out why.

[bigbluemsp]

East China has a prep in their main office along with all the other schools in every district in the county.

Every Friday at noon Resa does a ALL CALL check or randomly they will tell schools to conduct a drill or a pass out information needed for schools.

They used to have to do it over the phone one school at a time which took more then a hour.

Yes they need coms with First Responders in the event that something happens like a active shooter, severe storm striking the building and etc.

[EC-7]

Originally Posted by bigbluemsp

Yes they need coms with First Responders in the event that something happens like a active shooter, severe storm striking the building and etc.

Then simply give PD dispatch 1 bus radio @$200 VS giving 30 buses each a $4000 PD radio.
For "mass evacuation" they still don't need a digital radio. PD Dispatch can get on the bus freq.

Livingston Co uses desktop fire paging system, in case of emergencies and notifications, but its never used, cause its not really needed.

I can see for field trips needing communication, but give the bus driver a cheap prepaid cell phone.
Come on, Digital radios aren't needed for that.

When I was in school, the bus drivers were confused with the old 2ch Motorola Maxar radios, using the Monitor button. There were also several times when they mixed up the Radio and bus inside PA mics.
Dont confuse them with a talkgroup or system or anything more than 2 knobs.

Maybe its some whacker doing the installs, I mean the buses DO already have cool flashing lights and a PA, give them more radios and antennas!

[bigbluemsp]

Originally Posted by EC-7

Then simply give PD dispatch 1 bus radio @$200 VS giving 30 buses each a $4000 PD radio.
For "mass evacuation" they still don't need a digital radio. PD Dispatch can get on the bus freq.

Livingston Co uses desktop fire paging system, in case of emergencies and notifications, but its never used, cause its not really needed.

I can see for field trips needing communication, but give the bus driver a cheap prepaid cell phone.
Come on, Digital radios aren't needed for that.

When I was in school, the bus drivers were confused with the old 2ch Motorola Maxar radios, using the Monitor button. There were also several times when they mixed up the Radio and bus inside PA mics.
Dont confuse them with a talkgroup or system or anything more than 2 knobs.

Maybe its some whacker doing the installs, I mean the buses DO already have cool flashing lights and a PA, give them more radios and antennas!

Our central dispatch has enough to worry about in the new place then to monitor 8 school districts.

[freqs]

I think its a good thing school districts having access on mpscs . In the case on a mass emergency alone. busses will be used for mass transit.Now giving pd to radio com with school busses you would need a prep for each school distric on that pd's area. school districs overlap pd districts .each school is on seperate freqs .All school's on one freq is overload say 100 or 200 busses on one freq say a child has a medical issue or gets hurt the time it take for that driver too reach base with other driver's on the radio could be life or death .Giving cell phones to driver thats not o good thing .Do you want a driver transporting you child on the phone and driving .(i dont) Not only the cost for each driver to have a phone is alot more than the cost of radios are you willing too pay taxes for that .Second state and local pd frown on commecial drivers on the phone and it is a law.As far as drivers not knowing how to use a radio thats the transportation's head; his job to train drivers how too use the radios .Its the law each commercial driver must know all about the vehicle and all equipment on that vehicle period and how they operate.last they dont make busses look like emergency vehicles. All the lights are for the saftey of mine and your child

[bigbluemsp]

Well said.


BEsides to use the system you have to attend the training session.

THey will be trained before they use it.

[rdale]

Originally Posted by freqs

I think its a good thing school districts having access on mpscs . In the case on a mass emergency alone. busses will be used for mass transit.

Put a bus radio in the EOC. Buses don't need to be in constant communication with on-scene responders, they are told where to stage and they drive there. Big waste of money.

[freqs]

Thank you bigblue .Well if not mpscs than they need a state wide freq in busses because like i said in macomb county we have from 2 up to 4 school disticts in each city not all on the same freq .So a radio set up with EOC needs freqs for each school district or private bus co .In case of a mass emegency you may be useing busses from other area's of the state .And i agree mpscs is not cheap so a statewide freq in all busses may be the way to go

[rdale]

Usually in a disaster they just don't load up the buses though and send people on their way, they send a police officer or some other authority figure that will have a radio with him...

[bigbluemsp]

Originally Posted by rdale

Usually in a disaster they just don't load up the buses though and send people on their way, they send a police officer or some other authority figure that will have a radio with him...

And being a weather man taught you this how?

Of all the classes on disaster prepardness, Homeland Security, critical incident management response nothing ever ever spelled out, read or said anything to the fact that one of authority would be on the bus.

They maybe in escort but not on board all the buss.

Im sure glad you took those several hundreds of hours of course work on that to tell us all what and how it's done.

[rdale]

Originally Posted by bigbluemsp

And being a weather man taught you this how?

As I think we've discussed before, and you certainly know, I'm in emergency management too. With more education than you, but thanks for playing.

Of all the classes on disaster prepardness, Homeland Security, critical incident management response nothing ever ever spelled out, read or said anything to the fact that one of authority would be on the bus.

And I didn't say that they would be ON the bus.

They maybe in escort but not on board all the buss.

Which is what I said. Read my post again. It's not been edited. It does not say that an officer will be on every bus.

[1002]

Dang, Rob......Did you turn off the sunshine in Kimball or something ??????