Hoseman292 said:
Bob,
I've been to the new center as a guest a few times and I've found that its nice... but it's not quite "home".
I started in the old center on Maryland Avenue in the basement of the COB... and yes I do remember the card track. We wrote everything on dispatch cards and sent them back and forth by way of it. As a radio operator, you would become familiar with the sound of the track running which meant during busy times, you would keep your right hand on it fearing that you would miss a card and the call would go undispatched.
A common joke was someone yelling, "here's a hot one for you" and lighting one of the cards on fire. If you were busy enough on the radio, you might end up grabbing a flaming dispatch card. Two days of 12 hour shifts then two nights. We had to do something to keep ourselves occupied. :lol:
Good chatting with you.
Tim
:lol: I remember when I was on REACT stayed up 1 winter [1979 storm & was living in a grouphome & was very 10-6 & on this day they excused me from the normal things the others did in the house, so I was busy non stop night & day & we had to log things on this paper chart we got & then turn them in when we had meetings. I think I had 4 to turn in while others had 1 or 2. I remember them CB RADIO days & even ECC had a REACT room [never worked it]. But that was fun calling ECC with a special # [not the 011 $ but another 7 dig #] & if we had to call 911 then we would tell them who we were & I remember this 1 call were there was a car fire but no one could find it [fire], so I got on the radio & people started to look for it. I got a call were it was & called 911 & I think for 1 hour I was on the phone while ECC [fire dispatch] was on the radio hiting all thes alarms;
TRUCK 8 GOT TO 270 & 118
All down the county! Then one time there was so much noise on the air that dispatch told me to get on the radio & tell everyone your doing something for the fire dept. & I did & nothing, so he told me what to do & I had the phone on the radio & it sounded like the tones that they use on CH2 [then] going on CB RADIO & he said something over the air like;
"This is montgomery county fire, please clear the channel"
then he told me to get back on the phone, & I did. Then the channel was clear so I could get my calls going.
Some fire person from VA was hearing me on the radio & stopped this car [someone was trying to put the flames out by speeding] & got on the radio & montgomery sent units there [the man in this car was ok, but he may have gotten an ear full from the fire people.].
So that was fun, me calling ECC & them calling me, kind of cool how we all can work together & for a few minutes I felt like I was a dispatcher by having them send out all them fire trucks all over 270.
Bob
