Positive story on scanning !

[a1emt]

Group,

I've been keeping a collection of "positive" stories related to scanning by the general public. With many agencies encrypting ALL of their public safety radios,this article shows but one example of how an "open" system can be beneficial in an emergency.

http://www.mymuskegonow.com/news/127791623.html

"...A third Citizen Life Saving Award was bestowed on Mark Zelechowski of
Hillview Drive for saving three youngsters whose boat capsized on Little Muskego Lake.

Zelechowski was working in the garage one early evening last May when his wife heard on their scanner that a boat had capsized out on the lake. She called to her husband, who could just barely see the boat in the middle of the lake as he scanned the waters from shore in the closing darkness.

He jumped into his boat and set out immediately, making his way through the whitecaps on the wind-whipped lake.

Eventually, Zelechowski pulled alongside the three youngsters, all in their
early teens. They were in water up to their chest as the raft they were in sank underneath them. Their paddle boat had already sunk.

The boys were wearing life jackets, but they were shivering and cold as
Zelechowski hauled them into his boat. An ambulance was waiting on shore to take them to the hospital."

If there isn't a 'sticky' thread with these type of stories, it would certainly be a good one to start... I have dozens of others I can contribute.

Jim M.

 

[CrabbyMilton]

It's like anything else in life. You can chose to put an instrument or tool to benefit the world or cause harm. It's always the turdbaskets that give scanners and people who use them, a bad reputation. So uit is indeed good when a story like this comes up. Police and fire departments can and should scramble sensitive and confidential transmissions but not transmissions of this nature. Thank You for posting that.

 

[Scannerhead1983]

I would agree, Encrypting vice and narcotics traffic, or any type of tactical operations should be encrypted for the safety of the agents. But general dispatching and rescue calls should be open to the public to listen to. I'll give a good example here, Years back we had a suicide call, The call came into dispatch from the gentlemens son, Who dialed 911 from his cellphone. The call ended up having to be routed from the highway patroll, to the sheriff, to the police department. He was in his garage with a loaded shot gun to his head. I called the local dispatcher up handeling that nights shift, and advised him of the cordless phone frequencies, Most of the local PD carries scanners with them, So with the information I gave him, the PD was able to actually hear the mans communications between himself and his son,, And was able to save a little time, and know exactly what was going on at the scene, Rather than having to rely on the info being routed via multiple departments. In the end the PD was able to get to the man, Rescue him and get him the proper treatment he needed.

 

[fxdscon]

Group,

I've been keeping a collection of "positive" stories related to scanning by the general public. With many agencies encrypting ALL of their public safety radios,this article shows but one example of how an "open" system can be beneficial in an emergency.

I'm not from Wisconsin, I live in the Boston area. I read your post while looking through the "Today's Posts" here on RR.

I don't know if you are collecting these types of stories from just the Wisconsin area, or if you are looking for all such stories. I'll send this one along from Northbridge Massachusetts that occured yesterday, in case you would like to add it to your collection.

Here is a short quote from the story at WHDH TV News, Boston:

"Meanwhile, James Dawe, who listens to the police scanners heard the incident, arrived at the scene and jumped in to help. He found the boy in the water and likely saved his life. " ​

Read more: http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/local/12005124259540/stranger-saves-boy-father-drowns-in-pond/#ixzz1VIV188v4​

 

[dugan]

I don't have evidence of this story, because it never made the news, but I was listening to our local police search for a mentally ill person who was off her meds and wandering in the area. From what was said I gathered she was a danger to herself mainly. I heard the dispatcher report that a scanner listener had called in with a report on sighting this person. She was found shortly after that.

 

[a1emt]

Thanks for the info and positive feedback!

Jim