Station Phone

[mdoddsjffhnfc]

It's 3:30 PM, your at the station going through your gear and your the only one in station. You stations telephone rings. What do you do? What can you do?

Basically what i'm asking is if you can answer the phone at your station. There have been times that i've been at the station and the phone rang, and i would answer it with my usual "Fire Station" and wait for the reply.

*I know its a stupid question*

[explr985]

Ummm, if im at the station, there are 8 other guys with me, 4 on the engine, 4 on the aerial. ( City Dept. ) I have never answered the phone but if I have to, answer " Engine one/Aerial one, explorer-" my last name. Also answer "Central fire station".

[dfdex1]

I only answer it if they are on a run and there is no one in the station at all then I may pick up,I have a few times.

I say "Fire Headqaurters" or "Engine company 2" depending on the station and if they ask for someone I say they are out on a run right now and stop the conversation there,the people that call are usally firefighters family members or other ff so they understand.

[Engine58]

Usually say "EMS HEADQUARTERS" or when i'm at the firehouse I answer "PROTECTION" or FIREHOUSE

[Co11FireGal]

Okay DFDEX...this is all your fault...now I'm in a "What would you do?" mood...


For those of you who said that you DO or may potentially answer your station phone...What would you do if you picked up an emergency phone call? True, most places have 911 systems, but we have actually had some of our older people in the community call the station and not 911...you never know what a panicing person will do...

What would you do? How would you handle this? Does your dept. have an SOP or SOG concerning how emergency phone calls should be handled?

[dfdex1]

Well our pre 911 number still goes to dispatch at the pd! Our 5 new numbers are unlisted execpt for the office one which only the secratary answers.The other station numbers are unlisted. HHAHAHAAHAHAHAH What would you do Cofire or is that another professional standerd I cant hold you too? LOL JK BB Just joshin ya .

[firefighterox]

if i picked up the phone and it was an emergency, i would take down the info, radio sherriffs office and give them the info to tone out the pagers. i actually had to do this once (not a call) because a farmer cut our telephone wires so each station in the county had to man a "knox box" which is a phone that is hooked into the local telephone building and re-routes 911 calls to the station phone instead of the 911 center. luckly we didnt have anycalls that night.

[firefighterox]

if i picked up the phone and it was an emergency, i would take down the info, radio sherriffs office and give them the info to tone out the pagers. i actually had to do this once (not a call) because a farmer cut our telephone wires so each station in the county had to man a "knox box" which is a phone that is hooked into the local telephone building and re-routes 911 calls to the station phone instead of the 911 center. luckly we didnt have anycalls that night. if we would have had a call i would have had to answer it "911 whats your emergency." if it was a regular time at the station i would have just answered it "Ohio Fire Protection District, Ohio Fire Dept, or Ohio Fire.

[rfcmitch]

We answer it?

I would pick it up and say "Hose 1" or "Hose 2" depending what station I am at. Its pretty simple. Its not like the olden days when we had a 911 Phone. But that would be simple too. When the light blinks and the bell rings pick it up and "Hose 1" and write down the call. But now we have pagers and a rip-and-run printer that prints out all the call info so.

If I picked up the phone and it was an emergency, we have a simple policy. Take down the info, tell the person to call 911. Then you would do the same of calling dispatch and letting them know and getting toned out for it. Pretty much though if I am at the hall, someone else is too, generally a whole bunch of people and as soon as we got off the phone we would be en-route to check it out in a truck. Not waiting for the tones.

Actually the post is pretty original in my eyes. never seen anything like it before.

[BLSboy]

We (Explorers) have to answer the phone, since it is part of our duties "Melbourne Fire, 71, Firefighter-Explorer Zuccarelli" is my response. If I got an emergency call, I would either give the phone to a FF, or, i f their out on a call, and I just arrived at the station, I would radio it in to Melbourne. (our dispatch, Eg, Melbourne, Station 71, stand by for report of unknown emergency.). Which brings up another intresting point, are you allowed to use the radios at your house??

[rfcmitch]

Yes we are allowed to operate the base radios. When you first join you arent supposed to do anything. And when you are cleared to use the radios by the chief then you can. Its pretty simple. Most of us have been cleared, but a few havent. Numerous times I have put tones out myself for work parties, help at the hall and various other things.

And I dont see a problem with it as long as it isnt abused.

[FF881D]

Being a Junior....typically I'm the one who has to answer the phone...if it were an emergency (which 99.9% of the people in our district call 911) I would take their info & problem, then tell them to call 911. At the current time my station does not have the ability to encode ourselves. Yes, I am allowed to use the base radio or any other radio.

[nmfire]

Your dept should have a policy for what to do when an emergency is phoned to the firehouse. It is VERY important that these things are not screwed up. There is a lot of training that 9-1-1 dispatcher have that you do not posess. The caller calling 9-1-1 themselves is best because of the ANI/ALI information that will show up on the screen. If that is not possible or not safe enough, you need to know what information to get and what to tell the caller.

[firefightermatt]

Any member of my dept. can answere the phone....I dont normally answere the fire phone though, because that is the dipatcher's job. If the phone ring's whoever can get to it quickest answeres it with either fire department or fire station. Thats how it is.

[Irons6789]

Riiiing......Can You Get That?

If we get a verbal/walk-in alarm or if the phone rings to report something, the best thing to do is take in all the information you can, especially the address! Pick up the landline to dispatch and let them know to send the assignment. Or contact the dispatcher on the air and let them know you just received a verbal alarm for such and such a situation at such and such an address.