So everyone here doesn't get the wrong idea here, since I worked C-MED New Haven for many years I would like to let you know how the center operates.
The South Central Regional Emergency Communications System (aka C-MED New Haven) operates all of its MED channels with the repeaters on (MEDs 1-8 and MED 10. MED 9 is not currently in use by the center but is available on a simplex tactical basis if need be. The reason for this is because the region is by far the most active and involved C-MED center in CT, from start to finish we handle all of the call. We also operate with the repeaters on all the time so that when a unit is patching other units can hear the patch as well so they don't come up on a "dead" channel and start talking all over the patch, which still happens more often than not.
In the old days and technically still on the books, when a unit arrives on scene they are assigned to a MED Channel that is located on the closest tower off of MED 10 (dispatch).
First off, all the radios are set up "semi-duplex". In other words, if you have listened to FDNY on any of their dispatch channels, we can still hear the field units while we are transmitting. Same concept, different terminology.
We have four towers with "dispatch" MED 10 on them, only the tower at the West Rock / New Haven site has the repeater on it. The other three towers are located in Seymour ("Valley"), Guilford ("Shoreline") and Meriden ("Meriden/Wallingford"). For the most part, the repeater for MED 10 can be heard in 85 to 90% of the coverage area (rough estimate). Now most of the towers have two MED "patch" channels on them. The Valley tower has MED 1 (R) and MED 6, West Rock has MED 4 (R) and MED (7), the Shoreline tower has MED 2 (R) and MED 5 (no rep.) and Meriden has MED 3 (R). We also have towers with single frequencies: East Rock in New Haven has MED 6 (R), West Haven is MED 8 (R), Milford is MED 8 (no rep.) and Cook Hill in Wallingford is MED 5 (R).
To talk to a hospital, we have a "matrix" computer, basically a controler that hooks a hospital line to a MED tower (set up for MEDs 1-8 only). With the "Matrix" it is possible for an ambulance in Guilford (eastern part of the county) to talk to Griffin Hospital located in Derby (the extreme west of the county) over the radio. Our two trauma facilities are in New Haven (Yale and St. Ray's) so we can have a unit in the eastern most part of the region on MED 2, hook up Yale to that tower and have them talk to each other for directions. When the unit gets closer to coming into the city we can put them over on MED 6 (East Rock) or MED 7 (West Rock) depending on their location and hook up Yale's radio to that tower. Not a hard concept. This way if a medic / EMT cannot call via a phone, they have full radio contact with the hospital and also with C-MED.
We do occasionally take down the repeaters on all the channels for various reasons: Sensitive info, horse play, those occasional phone company test tones that drive everyone nuts, ect. To really understand how we operate in "Region 2" you need to listen to MED 10 to understand if your not from the area to gain a better understanding. Our center is laid back but when it comes being serious, there is no bull how we operate.
If anyone has any questions please feel free to ask and I'll answer it the best I can.