Manpower issues

[Jay34]

What is a good way to resolve these? In my opinion, easy way to resolve manpower issues is to consolidate departments into one another.

 

[bigbluemsp]

What is a good way to resolve these? In my opinion, easy way to resolve manpower issues is to consolidate departments into one another.

That hasn't solved budgets, or manpower. What you end up with is 2 departments into one with same amount of officers in each city just under 1 name.

It never has had any benefical factors unless the entire county does it.

 

[OsloViking1975]

That hasn't solved budgets, or manpower. What you end up with is 2 departments into one with same amount of officers in each city just under 1 name.

It never has had any benefical factors unless the entire county does it.

That makes me think of the Colorado forum. Elbert County Dispatch in Colorado was all turned over to Douglas County Dispatch in Colorado. So now another county has to dispatch another county on top of their own. This of course was to save Elbert County money for other things but that makes me feel bad for those who had to look for another job because of dismantling a dispatch center which I think was a bad mistake. That means that Douglas County has to learn whole new streets etc.. I know there are maps and things for dispatch but for another county to have to learn more streets and where to put the officers I think will make response times longer. Maybe I'm just rambling but thats just how I feel.

I agree with bigblue it doesn't have any beneficial factors of which Elbert County Dispatch is no longer.

That also makes me think of the Mount Clemens Police when they were dismantled.

 

[SCPD]

It is like Mecosta and Osecola counties ar e under 1 dispatch center in Mecosta county.

As far as FD's and manpower issues that will never go away unless you have a full time engine crew during the day.

When i was on Harrison Fire we could have 30 FF on the roster we had 16 to cover 364 square miles out of 2 stations at the time now it is down to 1 station.

We were lucky to have 6-8 people at a fire scene during the day you might have half that.

My station was station #2 in Dodge City but during the day i could make calls to station 1 or 2 due to manpower issues since i lived the same distance from both stations.

When i was on the Dept i made 98% of all the calls and 99% of the time i was on the hose sometimes i had to wait for Gladwin Fire to show up with manpower.

 

[Jay34]

Ive heard of stories where lonely lil volly departments have been become part of a countywide fire department, making them fulltime departments to where it helps with response times to calls due to personnel already being at the station

 

[SCPD]

Yep when i was on the dept we were talking about putting a full time engine crew on durring the day.

Back then we had 3-6 house fires a week sometimes we had 6 calls a day from accidents to grass fires etc now there lucky to have 3 calls a week they don't run on accidents unless the jaws are needed plus they shut station #2 down.

Thats what happens when your budget gets tight when i was on the Dept we had a budget of $150,000 a year to cover everything we were paid $7 an hr at that time 1 night i spent 12 hrs straight on power lines down.

 

[E-Man]

we were paid $7 an hr at that time 1 night i spent 12 hrs straight on power lines down.

This is something I have always had a problem understanding? Does the FD & LE get reimbursed from the Power Company, for their time responding to wire down?

If not, then why should the $ come out of the FD or LE budget? I understand it may fall under to protect and serve, and I understand if there is a fire.

But especially in these hard economic times, why not require the Power Company to have adequate manpower, to respond in a timely manner to these calls? And since the Power Company owns the Poles and collects rent from other utilities attached to their Pole (phone, cable etc.) seems to me, it should fall under their responsiblity to chase, identify, and report to the correct company the problem?

 

[SCPD]

Nope at the time i was on the dept we did not get money back.

Today if the line is down and not a danger you will tape off the area.

Back when i was on the Dept we could not do that we had to wait until Consumers Energy showed up.

 

[E-Man]

IMO, the responders and dispatch are providing a free service to the Power Company.

I hope they at least provide the caution tape.

 

[SCPD]

IMO, the responders and dispatch are providing a free service to the Power Company.

I hope they at least provide the caution tape.

LOL Nope never have and never will

 

[drdispatch]

This is something I have always had a problem understanding? Does the FD & LE get reimbursed from the Power Company, for their time responding to wire down?

If not, then why should the $ come out of the FD or LE budget? I understand it may fall under to protect and serve, and I understand if there is a fire.

But especially in these hard economic times, why not require the Power Company to have adequate manpower, to respond in a timely manner to these calls? And since the Power Company owns the Poles and collects rent from other utilities attached to their Pole (phone, cable etc.) seems to me, it should fall under their responsiblity to chase, identify, and report to the correct company the problem?

Last summer we had a volunteer fire department respond to wires down on a secondary county road, right after a round of heavy thunderstorms. The power company was called, & showed up 6 hours later. About a month later, at the county fire chief's meeting, a representative of the power company was asked to attend & explain their severe weather response protocols. He said that if severe weather occurs, they call in everybody, including meter readers, so that they can get somebody (even if they are not an electrician, just someone in a company vehicle with a yellow light) on scene to relieve the fire department within 30 - 45 minutes. The fire chief in the above incident stood up & asked what the h*** happened the night he had people camped out at a wire down. The company rep said he didn't know but would certainly look into it. I know the power company was called at least 3 times that night for that incident alone.

 

[SCPD]

LOL thats what we were told by Consumers Energy back in 2000 to this day response times are still well over 2-6 hrs.You might get lucky if a employee is in the area and they show up in 30 min.

The other issue is with pulling meters off the house in house fires they do not want you to touch them but you need power shut off right now and they might take more then an hr to get there in some areas.

We just pulled the damn things off if we had to.

 

[OsloViking1975]

That hasn't solved budgets, or manpower. What you end up with is 2 departments into one with same amount of officers in each city just under 1 name.

It never has had any benefical factors unless the entire county does it.

Well I do not know how true this is but the 911 Telecommunications 1 class I'm taking at Baker my instructor who is ClintonTowship Dispatch supervisor was telling me that Roseville,Eastpointe,St.Clairshores are going to merge into one dispatch center not sure if there are any others. But what he told me there is building of 11 mile where they will be, not sure of the cross street.

 

[bigbluemsp]

Well I do not know how true this is but the 911 Telecommunications 1 class I'm taking at Baker my instructor who is ClintonTowship Dispatch supervisor was telling me that Roseville,Eastpointe,St.Clairshores are going to merge into one dispatch center not sure if there are any others. But what he told me there is building of 11 mile where they will be, not sure of the cross street.

Yes this is happening

 

[OsloViking1975]

So well this take a while or go very quickly?

 

[gregg22]

strange
As a energy company employee we were told that fire and police departments were billing our company at 400 dollars an hour.about three years ago our company cut way back on its wire down responders .This has made itself known with what has happened recently.

 

[drdispatch]

So well this take a while or go very quickly?

There's the trick: If it is done PROPERLY, it will take longer, but everyone will be more pleased with the result. If it is done quickly, for the sake of getting it done, well, you know the old saying; "Haste makes waste". And there is no do-over on something like that. They would be wise to take the time to do it right the first time or not do it at all.

And if they can design a new center from the ground up, with dispatcher input, so much the better.