PG COUNTY, MD NEW GENERAL ORDERS

[Fireman902]

This forum is only intended to see how people in PG County like the new General Order 3-6. Please do not bring any hatred in with you.

What do you think about the new forums.
Any Lt. Colonel's, Majors, or even Dispatchers out there care to share their feelings, please do as well.

[FFE3BFD]

Fireman902, Please enlighten us all to what General Order 3-6 is.

[kvfdlife]

The new general order is giving the dispatchers a lot more to do on box and street assignments. Now they have to keep track of who is responding with what per their position on the run card, do replacements on the fly, along with listening and replying on the radio at the same time. Imagine two boxes dispatched at the same time on the south side between 1600 and 1700 (prime time for under staff due to “shift change”). Unless they have hired a few more people just to keep track of who’s responding, the dispatchers will have their hands full. Adding another BLS on certain 9I seems like a good idea. But how does the CAD figure out which companies are coming from opposite directions. If the CAD is not doing it, how much time is added to the dispatch if this task is done manually? Looking at the appendix, the four paid men at Co 22 sure have a lot of talent (how many services are there at Co 22? (dive unit 22, hover craft 22, high angle rescue 22, confined space rescue 22, haz-mat 22, truck 22, squad 22, engine Co 22, ECU 22, collapse 22 plus a few more…) if one service goes out on a call, a lot of other services that are not available any where else in the county are not immediately available.
No plan is perfect, all we can do now is see how it works…

[Firefighter194]

I hope Tiburon CAD isn't as bad as everyone says it is. Here in Allegheny County, PA we are currently implementing this CAD.

[This message has been edited by Firefighter194 (edited 02-25-2001).]

[MB1213635]

Personally I don't like the new general orders. They need to look into removing the portion that requires dispatchers to automatically call special alarms for understaffed units. I think that should have stayed under the first due chief's discretion. Would make the dispatcher's job a little bit easier.

[MB1213635]

[This message has been edited by MB1213635 (edited 02-24-2001).]

[housesiren]

The way the County has implemented General Order 3-6 makes no sense at all. Instead of the intended effect of less equipment on the street, it has increased the amount on each call. Not only is more equipment is on each call, it is coming from a greater distance. If the second due station gets out with extra equipment, it makes no sense to disptach a distant truck company when the second due truck gets out with 3. It seems communications is doing this even though the second due station might have 15 people on the call. Tonight I heard a chief tell communications twice to stop sending equipment on the call...that he had enough. Also, I heard communications tell the 2nd and 3d pieces from the first due station they were extra and the next engine they were 2nd due. That just confuses things because the 2nd engine from the first due station will assume the 2nd due reponsibilities.

[tillerman14]

I agree that hey should take out the part of sending more apparatus if one is understaffed. Also get rid of that 1st due 2nd due bullsh*t. The way a call is diaptched is the way you are due on the assignment
EXAMPLE: Engine co's 11,35,13,7 Trucks 14,12 Squad 1

This has worked fine for many years and now it is not good enough. Sounds like to me that someone has to much time on their hands thinking of stupid **** to do,,,,,,there are not nearly enough dispatchers up there at communications,,,,,It seems to me that communications has become a wicked stepchild of the fire dept

Also get rid of the part where it only allows double-pulling for the first three companies due on an assignment and the having to call in with second crews.

[housesiren]

I have a few questions about the new general orders:
1. can the 3rd and 4th due engine respond wagon-pumper?
2. if a unit gets out understaffed, will communications dispatch a unit from a station with a 2nd crew that is already on the call, or will they dispatch a unit fromthe 8th due station on the box?
3. can a chief officer overide communication's decision to add equipment to supplement understaffed units?

[This message has been edited by housesiren (edited 02-23-2001).]

[11927]

housesiren....

I am a dispatcher for the county.
The way it SHOULD be is ....

If you call a second crew in, and your station is before the next unit that would be specialed, you would be due.

Any engine can go wagon pumper....no matter what your due is.

A Chief Officer, or command can override anything. They have command, and communcications should do what they wish.

If you are Driver only, you will not be allowed to run outside your first due, unless you are a Pumper or speical piece of Apparatus (MSU, Tanker, etc)

[11927]

and also, for the Topic Host...as a Dispatcher, I do not like the new general order....

What about Company 44, an all career station...if the ambulance goes out, the Captain or Lieutenant in the station will stay there, and earn an ungodly amount of money, to not be alerted to a call....that's the county Government for you....how do you think the citizens would like that???

[Smoke286]

gee Mr dispatcher, not just a little bit jealous are we?

[11927]

Jealous of what?

[tillerman14]

I have to agree with 11927 it sucks!!!

The Basic Rules:
1. If you are within the first three companies due on the call you can double or triple pull.

2. If your engine is due on the call you can run wagon/pumper (two engines for those of you reading who are not from PG)

3. If your truck or squad is due on the call (and you are not within the first three stations) you can only take that piece and not double pull

4. But if you are due on the run card after the special service and only have engines, you can run wagon/pumper even though you might be passing a station with an engine crew in the station.

Make sense???

A chief officer can override decisions. They just have to speak up.

The county fire chief wanted to reduce the amount of units running up and down the street but with this new general order even more companies are running up and down the street. On this new general order if a unit is understaffed communications automatically has to dispatch another unit and does not have to ask the chief or command officer running the call like it used to be.

[tillerman14]

Also how could I forget the first due, second due bull****,,,,,I personnally feel it is an embarressment to the command staff of the county fire dept.

Firefighter194 whatever you do,,,do not get Tiburon it is not designed for FD use,,,,,tell them to come check ours out and they (communications) will be more than glad to tell you how much it sucks,,,,,tell them not waste their money on those paperweights.