Hey All,
As you Know its a NJ EMS Requirement to have the H.E.A.R network programmed in the rigs radios.
However, do any hospitals even monitor or use them. I feel like everyone has moved to call in reports via phone. Also, anyone know the deal with the gate to the ER bay at Jersey Shore, we used to be able to key up and have it open but now it doesn't respond with any key ups. Asbury FD will sometimes just drive through it instead of waiting for it to open via the button.
No answer would be NO, I am the communications officer for my EMS agency, every time I get an ambulance inspected by the state one of the first five questions is do you have the JEMS plan if those of you newbies here a quick JEMS 101
JEMS = Jersey Emergency Medical Service
JEMS 1 - Home / Your towns Radio Channel
JEMS 2 - H.E.A.R. = Hospital Emergency Ambulance Radio
JEMS 3 - Statewide Coordination - Staging
JEMS 4 - Statewide Coordination - on use this on-scene coordination.
I have asked numerous times and written to the state, Why to we need JEMS 2 / HEAR if no local hospitals monitor it? NEVER as in NEVER have, I received a coherent answer.
The fact of the matter is your 911 BLS agency is the bastard child of radio communications and we are
on the front line of emergency hospital transport, here are examples of million dollars radio systems in New Jersey that do not include BLS Radio plan
Statewide MICU trunked network - just had a visit to a comm center that is on the network and there base radio was off and clearly marked MICU trunked radio network.
Statewide Trauma Network - listen to radio test by REMCS more then half of the agencies don't even answer up on the test.
HERN Network = Hospital Emergency Radio Network, This more or less replaced the HEAR Radio however again listen to the radio test not many hospitals answer it, Does the BLS ambulances have access to this network the answer is no.
North and South MEDEVAC network - REMCS coordinates the medevac helicopters on this network.
Statewide BLS = Nothing as in Zip !!
In my strong opinion, there should be a Statewide BLS network where every ambulance in the state of New Jersey must have one so if you have to do any type of coordination with any regional communication center you can so it.
I have run into many times in my 36 year career where I needed to reach out to get medics and give a hospital notification and thank god for regional communications centers like REMCS that has bailed me out from time to time especially if I was going to UMDNJ Newark with a patient or Newark Hospital but not every communication center plays nice I have too many examples of that their stock answer is where too busy to answer you.
Maybe someday before I retire smart one will smarten up on the state level and finally tackle this issue and please so-called experts that may reply to this thread say is a money issue we piss away more money on some of these useless grants that are being pushed out, example, there one Hudson County town that has a brand new police boat that has sat in there police lot since the day I got it after 9-11 and was never placed in service.
Sorry for the long answer.
TM.
