Fort Worth Fire Department Channel Assignment Changes.

[Harold]

Quick observation after monitoring for a little while. Could be wrong, as I often am.
Sounds like Medical calls are routed to the appropriate N or S console, Fire/Rescue calls go to a Fire Dept. console, then they are dispatched by "Locution" on that channel. If a Fire Apparatus is assigned to an EMS call it is Patched to FAO 1. Not all EMS calls are getting a fire apparatus. If the call is going to a Member City that City is also Patched. Just heard a vehicle fire go out on FAO 1 was not patched to either of the EMS channels.

Looks like the dispatchers stationed at each of the consoles (EMS S, EMS N, FAO 1) then can talk to the units on what ever channel they are assigned to.

I would think the single Locution channel has been phased out.

Edit: Just heard a Commercial Structure Fire dispatched, only went out on FAO 1. Neither of the EMS Channels was patched.

 

[fwfdengine2]

Fire runs typically would go out on FAO and the locution channel if a company was out of quarters. So for that vehicle and structure fire on FAO1 the company must have been out of station.

From a listening perspective it would be sad to see Locution go. Now, unless a company is out of the station and no EMS assigned you won’t be able to hear the address of the incident.

From a functionality standpoint it makes sense. No need to clog up all radios with non stop automated voice.


Edit: unless they’ve gotten rid of the in/out of quarters functionality and all fire locution is now on FAO 1 but it seems like less traffic than before.

 

[BenScan]

Their Facebook incident page hasn't been working for a while either, so it's getting a little more challenging to figure out where a fire is at if you come in late to the call. After all units are responding to some fires, the dispatchers will say on the responding channel, something like "that's all companies responding to 1234 Some St.", but not always.