London Ontario Fire Department

[Terrance99]

Has anyone noticed that LFD doesn’t give details over air of medical/accident? Dispatch just tells them to refer to their printout. Do we know the reasoning behind this?

 

[AK9R]

Maybe because more detailed information can be provided with fewer errors over the MDT than by voice over the radio.

Maybe because of patient privacy laws.

 

[gary123]

Privacy laws more than anything else. Also it keeps radio chatter down and focuses on FD related comms.

 

[Forts]

You can thank the tow's for this. They've been a problem in London for a while now. A few weeks back one of them heard a call on the scanner and while trying to rush to the scene struck and killed a pedestrian. I've heard they are even hanging out by the station's now so they can follow trucks to the calls. Sounds like LPS really needs to crack the whip on them.

 

[gary123]

London is not the only place this type of thing is occurring. You close one door with encryption and someone one will find a way to work around it. Following the emergency service vehicles is not illegal. Technically you could follow a PD unit. I do not recommend it LE gets very touchy when there is a perception of officer safety at risk and an officer seeing you all the time is not going to end well.

Ottawa has a minimum distance where tows have to stay a specified distance from a accident scene. I also know that they log the trucks seen cruising innocently in the area. A stay away zone is a good idea FD and EMS do not need to have to thread the needle to get to or from a scene or worse have some bonehead drive over hoses etc on the off chance they may get a tow. I know that some repairs are in the $4K+ range and that's good money for the body shops and tows need to make a living, too.

One solution is to maybe increase the fine from the current level to $5K. Make it a realistic penalty, not a "you know better get out of here" slap on the wrist.

 

[OntFF221]

You can thank the tow's for this. They've been a problem in London for a while now. A few weeks back one of them heard a call on the scanner and while trying to rush to the scene struck and killed a pedestrian. I've heard they are even hanging out by the station's now so they can follow trucks to the calls. Sounds like LPS really needs to crack the whip on them.

This is why more and more areas are going to rotation or call-lists for tows, to prevent chasers.