I still have my doubts, and I've been around the block a few times. This may be very nuanced to some. And it involves a lot of generalities. While FD, PD and EMS all respond to "emergencies", the nature of PD and EMS calls generally involve a situation which has occurred. Like I said, this is very general, and there are many exceptions. FD responds to situations that are occurring and are more likely to escalate.
Hence the need for more consistently dependable communications.
A bank robbery doesn't tend to get bigger; a medical emergency tends to happen, but fires always tend to grow. This was what was taught to us in FDNY dispatch "grooming" in the 1960's and 70's. And it's one of the reasons the FDNY took over EMS--- because EMS had to become more of an emergency service than a patient transport.
This is perhaps one of the reasons that the FDNY tends to be more conservative in moving forward. Members Alarms50 mentions in a post above that the FD was being affected by "atmospheric ducting". Many strange things can occur in the world of communications.
I've done well over 5 decades of PD, EMS and FD listening ( and "a bit" of dispatching [LOL] ), so that I rarely turn that stuff on anymore. FD activities are, in my mind, the least necessary to "keep secret" from the public. And this is not my heart or my head talking, just my gut feeling.
The city is likely looking to standardize their communications networks, and "digital" and "trunked" are financially big business for some commercial enterprises. But there is still enough none-D and none-E stuff coming over the scanner to get a peek at things going on in the hood.
I'm expecting some blowback on my post, but hey, it's just one man's opinion. Happy scanning.
