KD7DDC
Member
Announcing Salt Lake Valley Scanner Alerts
Starting June 1st, 2020 Salt Lake Valley Scanner Alerts will launch for full operations. We are now open for early access as we finish working out some of the bugs and details. This will be a group of Radio Scanner enthusiasts along the Wasatch Front in Utah. Our Group will monitor and share major events in the Salt Lake metro area heard on the scanner. Anyone is welcome to join us in our Discord Chat to discuss events and listen in real time. The SLVSA does not replace the RadioReference Forums, it is a additional way for the radio community to connect.. Think of the SLVSA as the more mealtime, fast-paced, as it happens discussion group. We also are looking for dispatchers to join the team!
Communications
The SLVSA uses Discord as our primary communications tool. Discord is a chat app, similar to programs such as Skype, Zoom or TeamSpeak, or professional communications platforms like Slack. It’s geared toward video game players, but is gaining use in many other communities.. We use it due to its robust communications capabilities for being a FREE service. It supports video calls, voice chat, and text, allowing users to get in touch however they please. Discord is a free service with apps available on Windows, Android, iOS, and browser based options to join.
We have a Discord server for the SLVSA that has several text and voice channels set up for users to communicate. These are broken into a few categories; General, Radio Chat, and Operations. There are also two voice channels setup; a general one for open chat, and a Scanner Feeds one for listening to radio scanner broadcasts.
Users will need to join our server (How to join a Discord Server) and then complete a verification to get access to the rooms. Instructions for this verification are in the #Welcome room when you join. To join our server use the link or click the image below:
SLVSA Dispatch
The SLVSA provides a tool for viewing, creating and sending alerts for active incidents. Our dispatch system uses Airtable which is an online database tool. The tool is made up of information, logs, and dispatching capabilities.
Any of the available Airtable links (Which are Blue) are preset with specific sorts, groups, and filters already applied. You can change these to your own preferences and it will not affect other members views or the data shown. You are unable to change any of the data. Don't worry about breaking things!
Information
The information tools are resources that give details on Salt Lake Valley Fire Departments, Apparatus, and the dispatch codes.
Stations
Listing of all fire stations in Salt Lake Valley. This includes Unified Fire, Salt Lake City, South Salt Lake, West Valley, Sandy, Murray, South and West Jordan. If there are any corrections please let us know. There are two options for viewing this data:
- Gallery: View stations with photos and general information.
- Department: Station listing grouped by department and city served with
These are displays of known apparatus in service in the Salt Lake Valley. This shows the type of apparatus, department and station assigned, and unit identifier. These are in two formats:
- Apparatus Information: Listing of apparatus with details.
- Gallery: View photos and details of apparatus. Only shows units we currently have photos of. We are always looking for submission of new photos!
The dispatch centers in Salt Lake Valley use a common alerting and dispatch code system. This system is known as Priority Dispatching™ system by the National Academy of Emergency Dispatch™ (NAED™). It includes the alphanumeric codes such as 1-D-1 (i.e. 1-Delta-1), the generic text descriptors for each code. We use these codes as part of our dispatch system. You can reference these codes here:
- SLVSA Dispatch Codes: The current listing of codes we use in our dispatch system for alerts.
- Priority Dispatch Codes: From The RadioReference Wiki which is slightly more detailed and in a web page format.
One of the most valuable parts of the SLVSA is our dispatch system. The dispatch tool allows our approved members to send notification of active incidents. These are sent out on twitter and posted to our Discord server. A feature of this system is a log of incidents that we have dispatched. These can be viewed in several ways:
- All Logs: This is a running log of all dispatches that we have posted. The list is shown with the latest dispatch first. It includes time dispatched, call type, units responded, radio channel, and additional details. Note: The records are color coded on the side with Medical (Blue), Non-Medical (Red)
- Daily Log: This is a more condensed version of the log showing only calls dispatched today. It shows the time and then formatted call details. This format is used for notifications and is shown below. Note: The records are color coded on the side with Medical (Blue), Non-Medical (Red)
Example: 5/24/2020 11:15 - BC1,TR8,ME1,HR5,ME8 | 100 S 400 W | 69-D-5 | Priority 1 - Structure Fire | SLC 2 | Reports of a house fire
Explained: Date/Time - Assigned Units | Address | Code | Type | Radio } Details
Explained: Date/Time - Assigned Units | Address | Code | Type | Radio } Details
- Dispatcher Console: This view is password protected and available to dispatchers only. It contains all of the information from the other logs and also the name of the SLVSA Dispatcher.
Using our dispatch system alerts about active incidents can be posted to our Discord and Twitter. The dispatch system is designed to streamline the process of sending an alert buy using selections instead of typing everything. You can dispatch from your PC, Tablet, and Phone with only a few clicks or taps. In the example above only the address and details are actually typed, the rest are just quick selections. These alerts are also added to our logs in the system. Only approved dispatchers will be given the form link and able to submit and post alerts.
If you would like to join our team you will need to be a member of the Discord server and complete the dispatcher application. Once you apply we will contact you with further information and instructions. We are always looking for more people to help provide as much coverage as possible.
Closing
The SLVSA is a work in progress and we need a good team to make it active. I look forward to seeing you all in the Discord server and developing the systems further. If you have questions, comments, ideas, or anything please let me know through here or on Discord in the SLVSA server.
Thanks! Damon, KC7NEC
(if any other groups would like to have a similar system for there areas let me know and we can discuss getting you set up and going)
