Tucson Fire Automated Dispatch

[kd7eir]

Tucson fire has gone to an automated dispatch system. It's the Phoenix G2 VoiceAlert, using the Samantha voice.

 

[DanRollman]

Tucson fire has gone to an automated dispatch system. It's the Phoenix G2 VoiceAlert, using the Samantha voice.

And Northwest, Golder Ranch, Avra Valley, Three Points and Rincon Valley fire departments have been recently added to the dispatch channel formerly used only by Tucson and South Tucson fire departments. They also all now share response channels as well (routine responses are on 4 tactical channels divided by area, regardless of jurisdiction, and full alarm responses are on one of 3 fireground channels regardless of jurisdiction.)

These departments do NOT yet have automatic aid to respond to calls regardless of jurisdiction (though Tucson Fire still sends a full alarm to fire calls in South Tucson). Tucson, Northwest, and Golder Ranch are working on developing true "auto aid" to respond to eachothers calls automatically, but so far only air/power units and water tenders respond as closest unit regardless of jurisdiction.

All fun developments...

 

[kd7eir]

And Northwest, Golder Ranch, Avra Valley, Three Points and Rincon Valley fire departments have been recently added to the dispatch channel formerly used only by Tucson and South Tucson fire departments. They also all now share response channels as well (routine responses are on 4 tactical channels divided by area, regardless of jurisdiction, and full alarm responses are on one of 3 fireground channels regardless of jurisdiction.)

These departments do NOT yet have automatic aid to respond to calls regardless of jurisdiction (though Tucson Fire still sends a full alarm to fire calls in South Tucson). Tucson, Northwest, and Golder Ranch are working on developing true "auto aid" to respond to eachothers calls automatically, but so far only air/power units and water tenders respond as closest unit regardless of jurisdiction.

All fun developments...

And makes it miserable for those of us that only want to listen to one particular agency.

 

[JohnnyGent]

Tucson fire has gone to an automated dispatch system. It's the Phoenix G2 VoiceAlert, using the Samantha voice.

I dislike Samantha! She just got a job at my local dispatch center.

 

[cookmaster]

YO Dan in the last few days, i have been Hearing Tucson Fire Dept units asking for BLS units for Transports on Talk Group 15011,i don't see that Talk Group in the PCWIN Data Base here on RR.com,do you know what this Talk Group is named and and what is it used for?

 

[DanRollman]

Strange. I show that is now E11 Training. Do you think it could have been radio usage training of some sort?

 

[kd7eir]

YO Dan in the last few days, i have been Hearing Tucson Fire Dept units asking for BLS units for Transports on Talk Group 15011,i don't see that Talk Group in the PCWIN Data Base here on RR.com,do you know what this Talk Group is named and and what is it used for?

I have it as B3 Crosspatch with TPD Team-1

 

[DanRollman]

I have it as B3 Crosspatch with TPD Team-1

Those cross patches went away with all this fire agency reprogramming. TFD now just has the TPD Team channels in their radios.

 

[cookmaster]

no Training at all,they are using it right now,it seems to me it's being used for talking directory to incoming AMR BLS Ambulance and other stuff,years ago TFD when they where on UHF they had a Frequency dedicated just use to talk to then it was Southwest Ambulance,so the BLS incoming Ambulance would not interfere with Radio COMMS with other Units on,also i have that Talk Group listed as TFD B8 TAC.

 

[kg7wbb]

Does anyone have the new list of talk groups for TFD, or are the ones in Radio Reference current?

 

[DanRollman]

Really strange. Just spoke to someone at city comm, who talked to the two TFD captains assigned to communications. Neither of them know what that could be. AMR uses the 4 new regional response channels directly, so no need for a special channel for AMR responses anymore.

 

[cookmaster]

OK thanks Dan for the up date i will try and keep a closer ear on it and try and figure it out,when i do hear them its very rare on Talk Group 15011 asking for a transport,anyways maybe what i am hearing is training i will keep on it for now!

 

[cookmaster]

after doing some more Research Dan you are 100% corrected on Tucson Fire Talk Group 15011, its a Training Talk Group E -11, one of 8 Talk Groups for Training at @tucson Fire Dept Training Academy on South Wilmot RD!

 

[scullen223]

I dislike Samantha! She just got a job at my local dispatch center.

This is the first time I've heard an automated dispatch. I retired as a Fire Comm Supe an it's SO annoying! When a real dispatcher is doing dispatches you can dispatch freeway calls, which this system in basically unable to do. It can't say "Eastbound 8 East of Tavern, in the center divide". It also cannot give additional info on fires. "structure fire" doesn't cut it when you are in the field. You need to say what the report is in the initial dispatch, i.e., "fire showing from the back of the house", so they know it's probably a real fire, not burnt food, etc. My guys loved it when I would always say exactly what it was, so they could tell if it was crap or a real fire. That's my take...

 

[DanRollman]

This is the first time I've heard an automated dispatch. I retired as a Fire Comm Supe an it's SO annoying! When a real dispatcher is doing dispatches you can dispatch freeway calls, which this system in basically unable to do. It can't say "Eastbound 8 East of Tavern, in the center divide". It also cannot give additional info on fires. "structure fire" doesn't cut it when you are in the field. You need to say what the report is in the initial dispatch, i.e., "fire showing from the back of the house", so they know it's probably a real fire, not burnt food, etc. My guys loved it when I would always say exactly what it was, so they could tell if it was crap or a real fire. That's my take...

All that was true before the level of reliance on in-vehicle computers that we have now. Most of the dispatchers I've talked to love the automated dispatches once they get used to it, because it frees them up to do other tasks that are more important than reading words off a screen into a microphone.

Any additional information that needs to be given by voice (and there isn't much, anymore) can and is still given on the response channel. Exactly what color the car is, or whether it is on the left or right, really won't matter at all for several minutes after the dispatch (at which point the unit often needed it repeated again if it was only given during the initial dispatch when they were still crawling out of bed and doesn't show up on the computer).

I've also heard firefighters of other departments bemoan that dispatchers blab and blab about all sorts of details they really don't need in the dispatch, and will read for themselves on the screen while they are on the way if that need those details at all. So there is clearly a generational shifting happening in how public safety dispatching works.

 

[scullen223]

That's definitely true about freeing you up to do more important things. And yes some dispatchers can give too much info, but I found there were a lot of times where they gave nothing. I know they have the printouts and the CAD, but I still say that automated voice is way annoying. It would be interesting to poll the Captains and see what percentage likes and dislikes it. Thanks Dan for updating all of the Tucson Fire info!
I was a fire dispatcher/supervisor in San Diego for 34 years, just retired last year. Can't seem to turn off the scanner

 

[DanRollman]

... I still say that automated voice is way annoying.

The automated voice is an 'acquired taste' Of course, I've also listened to plenty of human dispatcher voices I've wished I could switch to an automated voice. The voice TFD is using is as upbeat and energetic at the end of her shift as she was at the start. She never mumbles. She never talks back. She's learning her Spanish street names pretty well. And she never, ever misreads what was on the screen or reverses numbers.

It would be interesting to poll the Captains and see what percentage likes and dislikes it.

Maybe, if you polled them a year or more in, after they were used to it. Of course, I'm not sure the Captains would care as much about the results of a poll asking Dispatchers whether the Dispatchers like how the Captains get their job done. Either way, the fireman who are card-carrying members of the '100 years of tradition unimpeded by progress' club probably will never like it.

Thanks for your service in San Diego.[/QUOTE]

 

[scullen223]

The automated voice is an 'acquired taste' Of course, I've also listened to plenty of human dispatcher voices I've wished I could switch to an automated voice. The voice TFD is using is as upbeat and energetic at the end of her shift as she was at the start. She never mumbles. She never talks back. She's learning her Spanish street names pretty well. And she never, ever misreads what was on the screen or reverses numbers.



Maybe, if you polled them a year or more in, after they were used to it. Of course, I'm not sure the Captains would care as much about the results of a poll asking Dispatchers whether the Dispatchers like how the Captains get their job done. Either way, the fireman who are card-carrying members of the '100 years of tradition unimpeded by progress' club probably will never like it.

Thanks for your service in San Diego.

[/QUOTE]

Thanks. I was talking about a poll to see what percentage of field personnel liked the automated vs. a dispatcher doing it. And I have heard a couple of mispronunciations, but not many. I have NO problem with technology improvements. It's just that I found the more things get automated the more problems we had, especially in the GIS area. We had a couple times when we would put in a call, and due to GIS errors the computer couldn't route anyone. As long as it's works it's great. But we had a lot of problems also. We had a Tri-Tech CAD, I know there is a lot of CADs out there now. Us old timers from the 80's that used the old DOS-based McDonnell Douglas CAD loved it. It was super-fast, and we never had one single problem with it. We couldn't figure out why San Diego City was so slow in getting out a dispatch (our 35-40 seconds vs. 2 minutes) until we got the same CAD they had. Then it all became clear! Progress marches on for sure...

 

[JohnnyGent]

This is the first time I've heard an automated dispatch. I retired as a Fire Comm Supe an it's SO annoying! When a real dispatcher is doing dispatches you can dispatch freeway calls, which this system in basically unable to do. It can't say "Eastbound 8 East of Tavern, in the center divide". It also cannot give additional info on fires. "structure fire" doesn't cut it when you are in the field. You need to say what the report is in the initial dispatch, i.e., "fire showing from the back of the house", so they know it's probably a real fire, not burnt food, etc. My guys loved it when I would always say exactly what it was, so they could tell if it was crap or a real fire. That's my take...

She's SO bad she has dispatched my local FD to an address with "cross streets are dead end, and dead end". Sad

 

[Foresigt]

I don't know if most of you realize it but with the exception of when the units are out of the station they don't even hear Samantha. At least in Phoenix, the station packs have been dispatching the units, with a computerized voice, for quite some time. Even when there were live dispatchers

In these days of CAD and MCT's they almost don't have to put any dispatches over the air.

That being said, I hate the drone of Samantha. I miss the individuality of the dispatchers.