EMS Automated dispatch?

[Jeffn8wb]

I have been hearing an automated dispatch for EMS on the Edmonton Public Safety system over the past few days. Starts off with a siren, then a voice comes across with the dispatch/channel assignment.

[MatteBlack]

Originally Posted by Jeffn8wb

I have been hearing an automated dispatch for EMS on the Edmonton Public Safety system over the past few days. Starts off with a siren, then a voice comes across with the dispatch/channel assignment.

They have been testing this for several months now on and off. All of what you are hearing is technology demonstration and not live dispatches. It sounds A LOT better than it did at first last winter. Oh my that was bad, almost laughable...

I don't know if this is going to actually be implemented or not, I am sure the dispatch union would have something to say about it, and from what I have heard there's been little to no discussion about it on the front lines yet. I am not sure many people are even aware these tests have been ongoing.

[Jeffn8wb]

Thanks for the info, Matt. I thought it was odd that they were using the talkgroups that were normally used at night for dual channel dispatch. But since I'm still trying to figure out the system, I am still somewhat confused as it seems that the tg that they use for dual channel dispatch at night can be used for almost anything during the day. I guess that's the interesting thing about scanning.

[MatteBlack]

The talkgroups you refer to, like 2047, are patches of several talkgroups, not talkgroups themselves, sort of like a virtual talkgroup.

[Jeffn8wb]

I just heard the automated system dispatch system send fire units to an apartment complex. They checked in on working 1 enroute, so I think that they may be using the system for limited dispatching.

[MatteBlack]

It does seem a tad random, but yes, it seems they are using it today. I have heard dispatches both automated and human, so I don't know if they are just taking particular calls to dispatch this way, or just picking them randomly. The testing of this over the past week has been pretty intensive, maybe that was the "final exam" test we were monitoring. Those stupid sirens and sounds before the dispatches have to go though. They are just plain stupid and annoying.

[Jeffn8wb]

I know what you mean. Kind of takes me back to the days of the old Emergency One show that was on television. I guess the producers thought that the sound effects were cool and yes, they did grab the attention of the viewers. But to have to listen to that day in/day out would get old quickly.

I just heard a dispatch on 1100. Sounds like they are playing around with the sounds. The one they are currently using seem to be much easier on the ears than the siren.

[Jeffn8wb]

Here is an interesting article on how automated dispatching that is being used at several different departments across the nation:

http://firechief.com/technology/firefighting_hear_2/

[blackbird]

So that's what concatenated means! I like to do crossword puzzles but that's a new word for me. Thanks for the link to the article. If you want to hear a really bad robotic dispatch voice, check out Houston's live Fire/EMS dispatch. Ours is so much better, to my ears, anyway. Edmonton seems to be using talkgroup 08-094 for Fire and 08-095 for EMS dispatches today. I am hearing different alerting tones depending on the nature of the event and yes, the annoying siren is still being used. There is a "manual" voice dispatch going out on the usual dispatch talkgroups plus the new talkgroups. Could the new system be restricted to "overheads" in the stations?