Obscure Locution incident types?

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JoshYourITGuy

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After listening to Columbus Fire and hearing Locution on 10 FIRE for over the last few years, I still do not know what the true meaning of a few incident types that Locution uses.

ATTEMPT - Is this possibly a suicide attempt?
OB - Is this Obstetrics? Like a woman going into labor?

Does anyone have a list of all the types Locution uses and their meanings? I know there is another one, but I cannot remember, something about "high life risk", heard it for a large gas leak.
 

16b

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Your two guesses are correct. Both of those terms have been standard with CFD since before Locution. Some of the dispatchers used to get a little creative with the OB--heard "oh baby!" a few times.

Unfortunately I can't help with the second question.
 

JoshYourITGuy

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Thank you for confirming the first two.

As for the "Oh Baby", I still like the banter of real dispatchers, plenty of good stuff on OverheardOnTheScanner's site.

I'm still searching the web for a list, so far I have come up with nothing.
 

Jay911

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For what it's worth, Locution's dictionary is wholly dependent on the customer's needs. It's customized for each agency that uses it, so what is in use in Columbus is not necessarily the same dictionary used in Calgary.

Because of this, you're unlikely to come up with a list. It'd be like finding a list of all fire call types in all dispatch centers around the world. What one agency calls a structure fire, another might call a commercial fire, another may call a taxpayer box, another may call a 69D3, another might call BLD or BLD-HIGHRISE.

You're likely to have better luck by trying to find someone who will share with you all the incident types specific to Columbus.
 

wa8pyr

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Does anyone have a list of all the types Locution uses and their meanings? I know there is another one, but I cannot remember, something about "high life risk", heard it for a large gas leak.

You probably heard "high rise risk" (I forget the exact phrasing) which is automatically sent for all structures over X number of stories, I think five or seven.
 

W8RMH

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Your two guesses are correct. Both of those terms have been standard with CFD since before Locution. Some of the dispatchers used to get a little creative with the OB--heard "oh baby!" a few times.

Unfortunately I can't help with the second question.

I have heard the OB - Baby term in other jurisdictions. This was a so-called phonetic not to confuse it with OD (overdose). I remember more than once carrying an OB kit into a overdose call and getting a funny look from the officer.

"High-Rise Hazard" is the other term questioned.

From the Columbus SAFETY PROGRAM AND EMERGENCY PROCEDURES FOR HIGH-RISE/ HIGH-RISK BUILDINGS -

The term “high-rise building” means "any building having an occupied floor(s) located more than 75 feet above the lowest level of Fire Department vehicle access", however I have heard it dispatched for buildings as high as 2 stories."
 
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tk000

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As others have confirmed, yes to your assumption about what "OB" and "ATTEMPT" mean.

As to the other (actually there are two others that may be getting combined/confused) -

"HIGH RISE" is referring to a multi-story structure. I recall reading somewhere that 4+ stories typically qualifies a building as a high rise risk in regards to firefighting; but I also believe this may be a manually tagged field within the system, meaning a 3-story building may result in in a 'high rise' dispatch, while some other 8-story building may not.

"HIGH LIFE HAZARD" is a high-occupancy structure; e.g. a mall or hotel. Again, I suspect this is a manually tagged item, so you'll regularly hear fire alarm/gas leak/etc dispatches for locations that certainly contain a lot of people, but don't go out as 'high life hazard'.

Locations with either of these markers in the system will also result in additional companies (extra battalion chief, extra medic, EMS coordinator, for example) being included in the initial dispatch for a 'report of a fire'.
 

JoshYourITGuy

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Ahhh, yes, I heard it again the other day: "HIGH LIFE HAZARD!" (Locution practically yells it). Seems to be tagged on high-density areas, big gas leaks, and other things which would technically be a high life hazard.

Thank you everyone!
 
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