Hamilton County

[Agentblack]

If anyone else has any questions regarding the HamCo EDACS system, please direct your questions to me directly as it has clearly been demonstrated numerous times on this forum that W8FCC does not know the interworkings of this radio system. I will gladly answer any questions that I am able to answer, and will gladly ask those who have the answer and provide you that answer if possible.

 

[SCPD]

Well for one I'm not just a scanner listener and two if I did not have inside info I would not post it nor would RR put my info in there DB. As for having Battery Back up and Generators they are not always dependable as MECA just found out a few weeks ago. And by the way in your post 81 and 83 you claim they do not use portables no where did you say Safe T as one would take it you are saying portables on the EDACS so get your information correct.

 

[SCPD]

Really it comes down to training and terms used as an example Carmel Fire calls for Noblesville to assist on a run so before that engine leaves there district they call in saying we are switching to Carmel’s system and then when they are done in Carmel they hit in on Carmel dispatch and say returning to are system when in fact they are still using the same radio system they are changing talk groups not changing radio systems. So listeners do get confused by the lack of radio training some users have when they here other terms used.

 

[Agentblack]

For those of us who use the network, There is some training issues with every agency on the network, I agree with you there. However, we users of the network know that they are not "leaving" the network, rather just switching to a different system talkgroup, however, it is universally understood by the dispatch centers that when a user "leaves" their network and goes to a neighboring towns dispatch channel, that means they are no longer the original agencies responsibility.

For example, Carmel sends Engine 41 to assist Westfield (THIS IS AN EXAMPLE). Carmel Engine 41 (hereby E41) will notify their dispatch that they are switching to westfields system. Carmel dispatcher acknowledges that. Now, from this point forward until E41 returns to Carmel dispatch channel, this truck, its manpower and equipment is the responsibility of Westfield Dispatch. Further, you will not hear the Carmel dispatch "hitting up" E41 for their 10 minute benchmarks, or about an emergency button activation (Sig52). This becomes the responsibility of Westfield Dispatchers.

Once E41 advises they are in service from Westfield's run, they will tell Westfield Dispatch that they are in service and switching back to Carmel "system". At that time, Westfield is no longer responsible for this truck.

Every radio in HamCo is programmed in with different system groups. This forces the users to switch to the respective agencies system groups. For Example all carmel fire MIGHT be labeled CFD, westfield as WFD, noblesville as NFD, etc. They have to switch "systems" in order to access the fire grounds for that particular agency, which is possibly where the "switching to so and so's system" comes into play.

It may not completely be the lack of radio training on the users of the EDACS system, rather, the lack of knowledge from operations of the network to the scanner listener.

Regards.

 

[zerobleu]

To backup paramedic18, I don't think it’s a lack of "training" it’s more the lack of terminology.

As paramedic18 posted the use of "system" here has a double meaning.

Think of the programming in your scanner. Radio systems and talk groups are programmed into different banks in your scanner. Well in the EDACS world they use the term "system" to define a bank of talk groups. There are several systems programmed in each radio that all have the channels of the EDACS system programmed in them at a limit of 16 talk groups per "system" on a portable radio. They may also be programmed with MECA "systems" so firefighters can easily switch to MECA if they're called for mutual aid.
Other "Systems" programmed in the radios are the conventional frequencies for Hamilton County as well as the NPSPAC frequencies.

Like paramedic18 stated the firefighters use the term "system" to signal to dispatchers that they are switching to the Carmel "bank" of talk groups and are no longer communicating with their home dispatch center.

As to the dispute of the portable radios: Yes there are portable radios in the center. Both on the HCSO side and Noblesville side of the center. If there is a need to use something other than the C3 Maestro IP consoles that are installed there are mobile radio's wired to the system for that. The portable radio's are not used unless there is an evacuation or a complete power failure in the center, which I can only recall happening a few times but even then power is typically restored within minutes once the generators are manually activated. The portable radios that are in the HCSO/Noblesville center are for the EDACS system ONLY. There are no Safe-T portables in the center. There are a few mobile Safe-T radios built into some of the consoles (on the Noblesville side) and at an interoperability island. These radios are also all networked into the EDACS system to provide patches if necessary.

Noblesville and Westfield use Safe-T only as a backup if communication is poor during a time the system is in Bypass or some other failure state. Those radios are easily accessible to the Noblesville Dispatchers and they are the mobile radio's that are connected at the Noblesville consoles.

Hope I provided some insight or clarification if it was still needed!