DISPATCHES

DISPATCHES

Associations petition for Emergency Medical Radio Service

The International Association of Fire Chiefs and the International Municipal Signal Association have filed a Petition for Rulemaking with the Federal Communications Commission calling for the establishment of an Emergency Medical Radio Service (EMRS).

“There currently is no public safety priority for EMS radio,” explains Michael R. Granados, a major with the Prince George’s County (MD) FireDepartment and chairman of the IAFC’s communications committee. “We want to establish such a service, which involves identifying available frequencies and user eligibility requirements, as well as bring EMS under the umbrella of public safety in FCC regulations.”

There is an increased demand for emergency medical services, according to Granados, but not enough frequencies to support the volume of communication with hospitals. “Medical dispatches involve longer conversations than most fire/police dispatches. Technicians have to relay patient history, blood pressure, and a host of technical information to the hospital. In some busy metropolitan areas, medical units have to wait in line for air time,” Granados says.

Rural areas are not without their problems. Sometimes interference on UHF is caused by hilly terrain, forcing many EMS organizations to go back to VHF, which has very little spectrum available, according to Granados.

Following are the main points of the proposed service:

  • The EMRS would be established as a Public Safety Radio Service under Subpart B of Part 90 of the FCC’s rules.
  • The initial allocation (below 800
  • MHz) for the EMRS will consist principally of those Special Emergency Radio Service assignments currently available to persons engaged providing EMS. A number of proposals arcmade to enhance the utility of these assignments for the EMRS. In addition, the exclusive paging restriction on the 453 MHz assignments will free four additional frequencies for EMRS use.
  • Eligibility would be limited to those who provide basic or advanced life support on a regular basis. Use of
  • EMRS frequencies would be authorized only in connection with provision of emergency medical services to the public, and only to the extent that such services include the provision of basic or advanced life support.
  • The coordination of the EMRS assignments would be conducted by LAFC and IMSA.
  • Frequency coordination in the EMRS will accommodate, to the maximum extent possible, state and local EMS frequency utilization plans.

Granados says that this is not the final answer but rather the first step. “We have to take the frequencies from somewhere, and people need time to get off those frequencies,” he says. He anticipates a year-long rulemaking process from filing to comment periods to final rule. “It won’t answer all our problems, but it will give EMS some relief,” he concludes.

Salt Lake City passes fire tost recovery ordinances

Salt Lake City, Utah passed an ordinance in April that allows the fire department to charge those responsible for negligently caused fires. Thus arsonists, people who use illegal fireworks that cause fires, and building or business owners who are ordered by a city worker to render a vacant/abandoned building safe and fail to do so, resulting in a fire, will have to pay the costs of fighting those fires.

The fire department lobbied city council, saying it couldn’t afford to spend taxpayers’ money on those who willfully violate the law. It w-as prompted mainly by two major local events in July—Independence Day and Pioneer Day celebrations. “We receive several hundred calls a day on those two days,” explains Battalion Chief Gordon W. Nicholl. “Most of them are malicious fireworks. We wanted to charge people for using them. We cannot legislate against stupidity or minor negligence, but in cases of gross negligence where people willfully violate the law, we can charge accordingly.”

The department analyzed the cost of firefighters’ salaries during the time it takes to fight such a fire. It then figured in the hourly operational cost of apparatus and the purchase cost of equipment to arrive at the sums for the penalties.

There have been no cases of fines as yet, but the big test will come in July, according to Nicholl. He says he does not know of any similar ordinance in the United States.

The second ordinance passed is a common one in U.S. cities: It recovers costs incurred responding to haz-mat incidents. These costs can be more expensive than those associated with negligent fires because of the extensive time involved in mitigating such incidents.

“Our city will no longer charge the law-abiding communityfor services rendered to people who break the law,” Nicholl concludes.

Certified fire apparatus mechanics

The International Association of Fire Chiefs reports that 15 people in the Fire Mechanics Certification Program have successfully completed Level I certification as of May. The program combines the qualifications of successfully completing specific Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) tests and an IAFC test. Preparation for certification involves mostly independent study.

Since the program’s inception in 1989, 132 people have taken the IAFC Level I examination. The first Level II exam was administered in March to six people. The Level III program is planned for fall.

Conference issues call for papers

A call for papers has been issued for the “Conference on Firesafety Design in the 21st Century,” scheduled for May 8-10, 1991 at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Massachusetts. Potential speakers are asked to submit 500-word abstracts and biographical data by August 1, 1990. The papers presented will focus on the social, legal, political, attitudinal, economic, and institutional changes necessary to bring emerging fire safety design methods into actual practice in the decades ahead.

Approximately 20 to 25 abstracts will be selected on September 14. Speakers then have until March 1, 1991 to complete their papers.

The conference is co-sponsored by Worcester Polytechnic Institute and the Society of Fire Protection Engineers. For more information on submitting an abstract, contact the Conference Secretariat, Society of Fire Protection Engineers, 60 Batterymarch Street, Boston, MA 02110, or call (617) 482-9303.

Private Jets Collide at AZ Airport Killing One Person

One person was killed and others were injured when a private jet owned by Mötley Crüe singer Vince Neil collided with another jet Monday afternoon…