Columbus Fire 'automated' Dispatch

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hosehead88

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Started listening to CFD on the Blackberry today and was shocked to hear that the dispatching was being done by an automated system instead of a live human voice.

It has been over a year since I have been there...so this may be old news...but when did the system go live?

Thanks
 

wa8pyr

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Its not bad, it does take some getting used to. Some stuff is pronounced "wrong" but overall its pretty good.

Intelligibility in some cases is 100% better...
 

phatboy48

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It works great as long as the computer driving it is working correctly. I heard it mess up one night about a week ago and it dispatched the same run about 15 times before somebody at the FAO caught it and rebooted the PC. In true firefighter fashion, somebody chimed in on the air with the phrase "Groundhog Day" while this was going on. Laughed so hard I almost fell off the chair!
 

rdale

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What is the purpose of the system.

Did you click the link above?

What Is Automated Dispatching?

Automated dispatching is a computerized system which actually speaks the 911 dispatch when it reaches the designated rescue crew that will respond to the fire, accident, or medical emergency — rather than the dispatcher. This allows for faster dispatching, and allows dispatchers to either stay on the line with person calling in the emergency, or to talk with fire chiefs as needed.

How Does It Work?

Automated dispatching works as a complement to a Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) system installed in most emergency communication centers. The emergency call is translated to a text message by the CAD system, which identifies the location of the call, and then determines which rescue crew should be notified to respond. The dispatcher reviews the information, confirms it, and then "commits" the dispatch with one key stroke or mouse click.

At that point, Locution Systems' CADVoice® automated dispatching system takes over, and assembles word "bits" stored in a pre-recorded audio database into a clear, accent-neutral spoken dispatch that’s sent to the designated rescue unit for response. The dispatcher makes the decisions, but the computer speaks the dispatch.

By separating the act of speaking the dispatch from the dispatcher, the system reduces 911 call stacking, and improves response times.

The Benefits of Automated Dispatching:
• Ability to handle higher call volumes without adding staff
• Reduced call stacking
• Reduced emergency communications center employee turnover due to reduced dispatcher stress
• Fewer "please repeat" responses from rescue crews
• Faster response times

Seems like a waste.

In what way?
 

ajpritch

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It is a waste when calls still take forever to go out becuase they still have to approve each message. Now a lot of the issues CFD has had are still becuase its new and should be worked out like saying street names wrong and buisness wrong like Meijer which I believe they have submitted to be fixed but they still have the system lock up or repeat the same dispatch over and over again from time to time. For the amount of money they spent on it you would think it would help speed up the process but if you ever deal with them you know it doesn't
 

rdale

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It is a waste when calls still take forever to go out becuase they still have to approve each message.

I dunno... Put a stopwatch next to you and do the following:

1) Read a dispatch on the screen and press ENTER.
2) Read a dispatch on the screen and then read it on the air several times.

Gotta believe #1 will be much less time than #2?
 

ajpritch

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You are correct on that part but one reason the said of news the bought it was for when they had storms and got busy answering the phones. If you time the time it takes for them to put a call all the way through cad. If you listen for example on mutal aid runs when a Columbus unit is asked for in a suburb it can take several minutes to the point that some stations like 28 listen to MEC dispatch and can be on the scene of a MEC run prior to CFD even putting the run out. The issue is with the dispatchers. Technology is meant to help aid in tasks like this but the people running it still need to be tranied dispatchers not fire fighters.
 
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From experience I can tell you there is quite a bit of lag time from when a run comes over the PA versus what you hear on the scanner. Depending on how busy the FAO is you can have up to 3 minutes after the pre run information is let out till when the actual run once again hits the PA in the different houses. If your sitting in the truck normally the run is already on the display.

There have been a few times 28's was so late getting out the door they were canceled literally in quarters. I can't say if they are or aren't listening to MEC on a separate radio or not. My answer to this situation is living in the township better than the city itself since there are humans doing the job.
 
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