Fire Department Announcements

[ISP7840]

I am seeking any input regarding announcements concerning fire department functions. My agency conducts three daily pager tests and broadcasts announcements requested by the fire departments. These can include pancake breakfasts to meetings to work details. The problem is that if the test and announcements are scheduled for 9PM, and the Dispatchers don't immediately get to it for whatever reason, at 9:03PM, a fireman is calling up complaining. To me these announcements are a courtesy and take a backseat to any emergency situations that are happening. I am also wondering if their are any FCC regulations regarding the use of public safety frequencies to announce the menu for the next fire meeting. Any help in this area would be greatly appreciated.

[MrJim911]

We only do one test per day and it is to test the functionality of the system, not to let people know about breakfast.

[BrandiC]

We only test twice a week. We do often get too busy because we are a small agency with only two dispatchers on at a time, if we cannot get the tests out in the 1 hour window then we don't do them. We do sometimes get calls later asking if we had done the tests. We do not page unless it is to dispatch an agnecy to a call or for the tests.

One thing we do that I find usefull is to have a "911 users" meeting, I believe it is once a quarter. Each agency we dispatch for sends a representative, usually the Chief and they meet with our dispatch director and the higher ups at the Sheriff's Office (all dispatchers are sworn sheriff's deputies at my agency). At the user's meeting they discuss policies and procedures and can usually stop practices like fireman calling in about test pages.

[Dave]

Pancake breakfast and menus??? Wow, I've heard it all.

[911disp 726]

We do a few daily radio checks and tone tests and 2 weekly tests on the radio. Our problem is never really what we send but the personnel on the other side. We have Volunteer FFs leave open mikes on Main Dispatch for up to a half an hour, EMS personnel exclaim good morning to a dispatcher by name (it embarrassed the dispatcher tremendously), people play short recordings of music or sounds on main, and various other unproffesional things, these are just the recent ones. Im not sure FFC rules on any of these, and it is hard to track down who is doing it unless we recognize their voice. Then we have to get the fire chief or EMS chief to actually do something about it. Mostly, its just frustating.