Baltimore County P25

[firebal]

Hello all

I just wanted you let you all know that I am in the process of redoing all the Radio and User IDs for Baltimore County. The last time they had been updated was 2012. More than 85% of those no longer match the current Unit numbers.

It is taking a long time as I have never done this before and are figuring out all the IDs though listening and quickly writing down the numbers and Unit IDs.

If anyone knows of any other way please let me know. Also if anyone wants to attempt the Police I am still working my way though the fire department first.

Also if anyone else is or wants to listen to Baltimore County P25 using SDR Trunk and wants all the Radio ID's and Talkgroups I can send you my playlist file.

 

[maus92]

Hello all

I just wanted you let you all know that I am in the process of redoing all the Radio and User IDs for Baltimore County. The last time they had been updated was 2012. More than 85% of those no longer match the current Unit numbers.

It is taking a long time as I have never done this before and are figuring out all the IDs though listening and quickly writing down the numbers and Unit IDs.

If anyone knows of any other way please let me know. Also if anyone wants to attempt the Police I am still working my way though the fire department first.

Also if anyone else is or wants to listen to Baltimore County P25 using SDR Trunk and wants all the Radio ID's and Talkgroups I can send you my playlist file.

Good luck - it's going to be a big project!

 

[firebal]

Good luck - it's going to be a big project!

Yes. I'm only taking one step at a time right now. Wish there was a better way then writing really fast.

 

[sfb88]

If you are doing this as an hobbyist and not as an employee, have you considered sending a request for information to the County government citing the Maryland Public Information Act?

 

[jkahn]

You might also think about recording the transmissions for later playback and transcription

 

[firebal]

I will have to try that. Sometimes I still cannot tell who is talking especially on TGs like highways.

 

[pratzert]

Hi fireball.

Thank you very much for your work in updating things.

I appreciate it.

And if you get a chance, I'd like to have your Baltimore County P25 list.

Thanks again.

 

[firebal]

Hello pratzert,
It is actually on hold while I am away at college but your are very welcome.

 

[firebal]

Just noticed that that in the County budget they cut out fire personnel based in the 911 center. Very interesting change. While I know they may have had to many people in the position, cutting it out completely seems like a mistake. I haven't visited the 911 center lately but last time I went they also had this role on the police side.

 

[maus92]

Are they transitioning to civilian dispatchers?

 

[firebal]

Are they transitioning to civilian dispatchers?

I believe they have always had civilian dispatchers the change I believe is the elimination of the ADO position but I could be wrong. Maybe
Dispatcher308 knows?

 

[Dispatcher308]

I believe they have always had civilian dispatchers the change I believe is the elimination of the ADO position but I could be wrong. Maybe
Dispatcher308 knows?

They have had civilian dispatchers (as I was one at one point in life) for a long time, the only people that are sworn FD Personnel are the ADO personnel, I have not heard anything about the elimination of those positions (But I no longer work or volunteer in the county so I dont really know the answer, but I have feelers out to old friends.) The Police also have an PDO and they are sworn personnel. They are not supervisors of the civilians in anyway, they just assist with administrative issues and making phone calls, they are mostly Corporal and Sergeants

 

[firebal]

They have had civilian dispatchers (as I was one at one point in life) for a long time, the only people that are sworn FD Personnel are the ADO personnel, I have not heard anything about the elimination of those positions (But I no longer work or volunteer in the county so I dont really know the answer, but I have feelers out to old friends.) The Police also have an PDO and they are sworn personnel. They are not supervisors of the civilians in anyway, they just assist with administrative issues and making phone calls, they are mostly Corporal and Sergeants

Thank your for your insight!

This is what i was referencing to is in the County Budget on page 8 "We moved uniformed fire personnel from the 911 center back to the field, where their skills are most valuable."
There is more specific information in the fire budget information. "the deletion of five emergency medical services positions . . . in the Alarm & Communication System Program (1603). The Office of Budget and Finance advised that these five positions are Fire Liaison positions assigned to the 911 Center; however, as part of the Administration’s cost-savings initiative, it was determined that 911 Center staff could handle the liaison duties. " Perhaps this is another job that is not the ADO.

Also in my visits to the 911 center I was told the the PDO also acted as a liaison and gave assistance to the civilians about police procedure and operations. Maybe I was told wrong.

 

[maus92]

Could this have been a program where EMS personnel were assigned to give telephone advice / instructions on CPR / choking, then was decided it was no necessary or cost effective? IDK, but the budget justification verbiage sounds familiar - politicians have said as much in the past.

 

[firebal]

That could be it and would be redundant as most dispatchers can do that already.

 

[Dispatcher308]

Could this have been a program where EMS personnel were assigned to give telephone advice / instructions on CPR / choking, then was decided it was no necessary or cost effective? IDK, but the budget justification verbiage sounds familiar - politicians have said as much in the past.

No as the 911 Operators are certified to give those instructions by MIEMSS as Emergency Medical Dispatchers and they a trained to give pre-arrival instructions. Dispatchers have been able to do this before I started and that was almost 20 years ago.

No it was purely administrative it was 2 people per shift mostly a Fire Lieutenant and a FF/EMT or FF/PM mainly on light duty. They mostly did status changes of equipment as they went in and out of service, gave personnel information as to where they could pick up reserve units, changed aliases on radios as needed, gave information on transfers of units and when to alert Volunteers for Fire or EMS standbys, notified on call personnel after hours, sent out sit rep pages on fires or departmental incidents, gave information to Dispatchers of what Chief's were on duty so they could read the info at 0700 & 1700 everyday (cause that's really important info).

 

[maus92]

No as the 911 Operators are certified to give those instructions by MIEMSS as Emergency Medical Dispatchers and they a trained to give pre-arrival instructions. Dispatchers have been able to do this before I started and that was almost 20 years ago.

No it was purely administrative it was 2 people per shift mostly a Fire Lieutenant and a FF/EMT or FF/PM mainly on light duty. They mostly did status changes of equipment as they went in and out of service, gave personnel information as to where they could pick up reserve units, changed aliases on radios as needed, gave information on transfers of units and when to alert Volunteers for Fire or EMS standbys, notified on call personnel after hours, sent out sit rep pages on fires or departmental incidents, gave information to Dispatchers of what Chief's were on duty so they could read the info at 0700 & 1700 everyday (cause that's really important info).
View attachment 77027

Clearly those positions did something, and that "something" will have to be done by someone else - unless those were simply positions where people were "stashed" like the military does when there is no specific job available atm.

 

[firebal]

Interesting conversation I just heard on a Fire talk group where the dispatcher advised a medic unit that the police were unable to switch to the Fire Interop channel PF99. I would have though that a talk group although not used a lot would have been created specifically to allow police-fire interop. Espeically with one of the driving factors of P25 being interop and cross agency communication. Perhaps the officer was just not familiar with the radio and did not understand how to switch to the fire talk groups. Thoughts?

 

[firebal]

No it was purely administrative it was 2 people per shift mostly a Fire Lieutenant and a FF/EMT or FF/PM mainly on light duty. They mostly did status changes of equipment as they went in and out of service, gave personnel information as to where they could pick up reserve units, changed aliases on radios as needed, gave information on transfers of units and when to alert Volunteers for Fire or EMS standbys, notified on call personnel after hours, sent out sit rep pages on fires or departmental incidents, gave information to Dispatchers of what Chief's were on duty so they could read the info at 0700 & 1700 everyday (cause that's really important info).

Is this a separate job from the ADO?

 

[riveter]

Interesting conversation I just heard on a Fire talk group where the dispatcher advised a medic unit that the police were unable to switch to the Fire Interop channel PF99. I would have though that a talk group although not used a lot would have been created specifically to allow police-fire interop. Espeically with one of the driving factors of P25 being interop and cross agency communication. Perhaps the officer was just not familiar with the radio and did not understand how to switch to the fire talk groups. Thoughts?

Welcome to Radio for Public Safety. If it's more than 2 channel positions away from the officer's primary channel on their primary radio zone, chances are already above 50% they have no idea what it is or what it's for.