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800 Radio Questions and Answers for EMS:
- If you lose an 800 radio issued by the County, do
you have to replace it? Answer: Yes. Any damage or loss not covered by
the warranty is the responsibility of the agency the radio was issued to.
- Can we get a TAC permanently allocated for
administrative purposes (so that we would not need to request permission to
use it)? Answer: We recognize that the time it takes to request a TAC
assignment merely for the purpose of having a several sentence conversation is
cumbersome. Until the system is fully loaded and we have an opportunity to
assess the need for all the TACs we presently have allocated, it is not
reasonable to remove a TAC from the bank and designate it as a free-for-all
TAC. What is logical, and may suit the current need would be to move
non-response related transmissions to EMS2. There is no permission needed to
use EMS2 and, unless an emergency button is activated (which would override
any other traffic present) or Communications directs overflow traffic there,
the EMS2 talk group is free.
- Is it reasonable to ask for a TAC assignment when
arranging rendezvous for an ALS intercept? Answer: Absolutely. ALS
intercepts are an ideal activity to move to a TAC channel. Either the
requesting ambulance or the responding medic should request a TAC assignment
to handle ALS intercepts.
- If I have incoming MA communicating with the County
on the old VHF OPs frequency, how can my first responder speak to them?
Answer: if you have a responder who would like communication with an incoming
out-of-county ambulance, request a TAC assignment from EMS Dispatch and ask
them to patch the incoming ambulance onto your assigned TAC. This will allow
you to communicate with the incoming unit without interfering with
communications on the EMS1 talk group. EMS has the capability to temporarily
patch the VHF Ops frequency or the VHF 715 frequency onto any 800 talk group.
- I notice that there is a TAC assignment being given
at dispatch whenever Fire is assigned to a response. Am I supposed to
switch to the TAC? Answer:
Every Fire response is
automatically assigned a TAC; this includes EMS assists. The TAC assignment is
for Fire use in incident management (i.e., communications between chiefs,
responding personnel, stations, fire police and apparatus). EMS is being
advised of the TAC assigned to Fire so that EMS can speak to responding Fire
units IF NEEDED. There is no expectation that EMS switch to the
TAC or monitor it. There is an expectation that EMS advise when
Fire is not needed or when response of Fire should be downgraded to a scene
where EMS is already in attendance. Cancellations and downgrades can be made
through EMS Dispatch on the EMS 1 talk group or by contacting responding fire
units directly on the assigned TAC. Obviously, the ability to speak directly
to Fire has never existed previously and we encourage more frequent direct
conversations to facilitate safety and better patient care. That is the reason
you are being advised of the TAC assignment being given to Fire.
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