Let's roll 'em structure fire

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ht1000uhf

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What in the world does "Let's Roll 'Em" mean?

Dallas Fire Rescue's automated dispatch system will always say "Let's Roll 'Em Structure Fire" when dispatching a structure fire.

Any idea what it means? Any idea of why they put it here?

Anything?
 

RadioDaze

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Maybe there's some old tradition associated with it, maybe a radio operator of days gone by who is memorialized that way because he/she always dispatched the calls that way.

Or maybe there's always a fire at the same business, perhaps the "Let's Roll 'Em" medicinal marijuana shop. Or a bowling alley.

Just dumb guesses from me.
 

texasemt13

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Interesting...

In San Marcos, when they say "Let's Roll 'Em" it is in reference to the end of a fire, meaning roll up all the hoses (remember male threads inside the roll!).

I think it is kinda neat to memorializ an old dispatcher that way- repeating their common phrases.
 

DFD855

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It was actually pretty cool to hear in the stations when an "actual" person would be dispatching. I remember them saying "lets go now" and "lets roll em lets roll em" and when they would kick out hazmat they used to call the guys glow worms...... now that locution has taken over it sounds kinda corny to hear the computer with some "personality" kick out a box..... I get chuckled everytime I hear a box go out. on a side note.... even though we are using automated dispatch and locution terminals in the stations the guys are still required to man the watch and ring the house bells to signal who goes.
 

FIREBUSTEREMT

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let's roll 'em, lets roll 'em !!!!!!!

What in the world does "Let's Roll 'Em" mean?

Dallas Fire Rescue's automated dispatch system will always say "Let's Roll 'Em Structure Fire" when dispatching a structure fire.

Any idea what it means? Any idea of why they put it here?

Anything?

Before technoligy took over man-kind,the dispatcher at the DFD ALARM office (660 on the radio) would announce to the fire stations involved in the call (BOX ,location etc.) if the alarm office was getting numerous calls to that location, that indicated a working fire, they would also say "pull up your boots"
 

hiegtx

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Before technoligy took over man-kind,the dispatcher at the DFD ALARM office (660 on the radio) would announce to the fire stations involved in the call (BOX ,location etc.) if the alarm office was getting numerous calls to that location, that indicated a working fire, they would also say "pull up your boots"
And, depending on the dispatcher on the shift, they'd sometimes add "let's go downtown", or some other geographical reference to where the fire was.
 

SCPD

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That was that GOOD OLE Dispatcher they had in the 80's

Let's go now ... Roll up your boots Engine-XX take the box ...

Ahh, Back when DFD was fun to Listen to ....

Was at Parkland one weekend waiting to get sewed up, the ER nurses used to yell AMBULANCE and DFD would Correct them with MICU (Pronounced MY-COO) so eventually in the ER you'd hear MY-COO when DFD pulled up ...

Rescues used to be 700's ... they'd get the Rip & Run and call out 737 going to what-ever need T&I usually followed by Over-load in ... Ahh the Good ole Days!
 

DFD896

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"Let's Go Now" replaced "Lets Go Now Men" once the department began having females join the ranks. another one is "lets roll'em, lets roll'em"

"Pull up your boots" was another oldie back when the boots were pull ups before turnout pants were required.
 

zerg901

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"Lets go now" is probably the exactly right phrase to get everyones ears and brains engaged to hear the message the first time. There is probably some heavy duty brain / audio processing research out there that deals with this phenomenon / situation. "Calling all cars" - "attention all units" - "hello all stations" - all are 3 words long. Hmmmm. Peter Sz
 

DickH

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... "Let's Roll 'Em Structure Fire" when dispatching a structure fire.

Any idea what it means? ...

Oh c'mon now, use a little imagination. Of course, if it was Las Vegas it could mean roll the dice. :)
 

SCPD

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Oh c'mon now, use a little imagination. Of course, if it was Las Vegas it could mean roll the dice. :)

Hmm, "Lets roll em" used by DPD might be incriminating or even down right illegal - but for DFD it is a definite common sense thing!
 

Para078

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Lets roll'em structure fire

I thought that was how they let the stations know they were getting a structure fire. Never heard it on any other calls.
I hate locution. It ruined Ft. Worth. Used to be fun listening to them just hearing the different voice inflection from the human dispatchers. You felt like you were listening to old school tradition. Now it's high tech boredom.
 

prostudent1

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It's actually not a tradition at all and has nothing to do with live radio dispatchers. DFD started doing it to pay homage to the passengers aboard flight 93, who fought the hijackers on 9/11. As the story goes, passenger Todd Beamer placed a call on one of the satellite phones on the plane and reported that the plane had been hijacked. While he was on the phone, a plan was created to take the plane back from the hijackers. The last audible words from that phone call were "Are you guys ready? Let's roll em."
 

Para078

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Dallas was using "Let's Roll 'em in the 70's when I started listening to them.
 

mdulrich

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It's actually not a tradition at all and has nothing to do with live radio dispatchers. DFD started doing it to pay homage to the passengers aboard flight 93, who fought the hijackers on 9/11. As the story goes, passenger Todd Beamer placed a call on one of the satellite phones on the plane and reported that the plane had been hijacked. While he was on the phone, a plan was created to take the plane back from the hijackers. The last audible words from that phone call were "Are you guys ready? Let's roll em."

Todd Beamer said, "Are you guys ready? Let's roll." The Todd Beamer Story "Let's Roll" — History.com Video

Mike
 
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Lets Roll Em

What in the world does "Let's Roll 'Em" mean?

Dallas Fire Rescue's automated dispatch system will always say "Let's Roll 'Em Structure Fire" when dispatching a structure fire.

Any idea what it means? Any idea of why they put it here?

Anything?

I lived in Dallas from 1981 to 1988 when a BOX was dispatched on the station alert they use to say LETS ROLL EM,LETS ROLL EM NOW BOYS i liked it this means time to go to the call jump in the trucks Cleveland says Wheels Rolling this way Dispatch Knows the units are on their way left the station.
 
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Dallas 1981 to 1988

It's actually not a tradition at all and has nothing to do with live radio dispatchers. DFD started doing it to pay homage to the passengers aboard flight 93, who fought the hijackers on 9/11. As the story goes, passenger Todd Beamer placed a call on one of the satellite phones on the plane and reported that the plane had been hijacked. While he was on the phone, a plan was created to take the plane back from the hijackers. The last audible words from that phone call were "Are you guys ready? Let's roll em."

when a call was dispatched over the UHF station alert they always said that when i was their for 8 years and DFD was ON VHF at the time.
 
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"Let's Go Now" replaced "Lets Go Now Men" once the department began having females join the ranks. another one is "lets roll'em, lets roll'em"

"Pull up your boots" was another oldie back when the boots were pull ups before turnout pants were required.

OMG i remember Pull up your Boots then you know its a working fire.i liked living in Dallas from 1981 to 1988 station alert was UHF and main dispatch was VHF
 
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