I've been listening to scanners in LA for going on 20 years or so and there are a few catchphrases that are so rare that when I hear them broadcast it's like getting a little gift from the scanner gods.
LAFD's dispatchers have a few little gems that I always love catching in the clear. It's akin to finding secret levels or hidden "easter eggs" in video games. In the past few years, the soothing automated female dispatch voice and the gentle chimes have replaced the live human dispatching calls over station speakers. But when OCD used to do the honors, they always ended the dispatch by saying "OCD Clear." When they dispatch over the radio, 99% of the time, you'll never hear the "OCD Clear" sign-off, for reasons I don't fully understand.
But tonight I got a full dose of OCD in its glory. A Reported Smoke (RS) went down in FS61's first-in and the dispatch went over the scanner just like you'd hear it back in the day at the station. The dispatcher hit the long rings and then came on the air with a clipped, "Structure": a heads-up to the station that a structure fire dispatch was coming down the pike (and causing every guy in the station to start scrambling to the app bay). Then he dispatched the units and, the address, incident time, number and Tac channel and he ended the whole thing with a good, old-fashioned "OCD clear."
Ahhhhhh.
p.s. the fire was a bullshit curtains over space heater caper that was easily handled by the first alarm assignment.
Showing posts with label OCD. Show all posts
Showing posts with label OCD. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
So Long Capt. Myers**
One of the LAFD's three Public Service Officers (PSO) who sit in the bowels of City Hall East (until the new OCD is fitted out at the new FS 4) has been promoted to Captain I. The indefatigable Brian Humphrey posted the news on the LAFD blog that his colleague Ron Myers on the "A" Shift is going to see daylight again as a Captain at FS 90 out by the Van Nuys Airport.
So that leaves Brian ("B" shift) and d'Lisa Davies ("C" shift) as the permanent PSO's as they look for someone to fill the vacant spot. The LAFD is unique in that they have a permanently assigned PSO attached to the dispatch center 24-7. The LAFD staffs its dispatch center entirely with sworn personnel and they work on the same 24-hour modified Kelly platoon schedule as the field units. The dispatchers work, sleep and eat four stories underground for 24 hours at a go (there's even a cook* who makes fire station-worthy meals).
Not only do the PSOs field routine calls from the public and the media, but they maintain the LAFD blog and for the past few years have been sending out increasingly more helpful and useful incident alert email/pager notifications. Mr. Humphrey, who has basically become known throughout the country, if not the world, as the "voice of the LAFD," has been at it the longest and Ms. Davies replaced longtime PSO Jim Wells** after he retired a couple years back. It's quite a good gig they've got going and Mr. Myers was an excellent part of the team.
Code6Charles wishes him luck at 90's.
* As a commenter pointed out, the cook rotates as part of the daily dispatch crew in the same way they do at typical LAFD stations, so there's no extra personnel assigned as a so-called "permanent cook."
** Jim Wells retired as the former LAFD PSO. Jim Hill is a local, longtime sportscaster for KCBS. Total brain melt on my part.
So that leaves Brian ("B" shift) and d'Lisa Davies ("C" shift) as the permanent PSO's as they look for someone to fill the vacant spot. The LAFD is unique in that they have a permanently assigned PSO attached to the dispatch center 24-7. The LAFD staffs its dispatch center entirely with sworn personnel and they work on the same 24-hour modified Kelly platoon schedule as the field units. The dispatchers work, sleep and eat four stories underground for 24 hours at a go (there's even a cook* who makes fire station-worthy meals).
Not only do the PSOs field routine calls from the public and the media, but they maintain the LAFD blog and for the past few years have been sending out increasingly more helpful and useful incident alert email/pager notifications. Mr. Humphrey, who has basically become known throughout the country, if not the world, as the "voice of the LAFD," has been at it the longest and Ms. Davies replaced longtime PSO Jim Wells** after he retired a couple years back. It's quite a good gig they've got going and Mr. Myers was an excellent part of the team.
Code6Charles wishes him luck at 90's.
* As a commenter pointed out, the cook rotates as part of the daily dispatch crew in the same way they do at typical LAFD stations, so there's no extra personnel assigned as a so-called "permanent cook."
** Jim Wells retired as the former LAFD PSO. Jim Hill is a local, longtime sportscaster for KCBS. Total brain melt on my part.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Close But...
...no Greater Alarm. LAFD Rescue 827 rolled up to the rear of the CBS studios and called in some fire showing from the rear on the second floor. OCD filled out the assignment and once Batt. 5 got on scene he reported heavy fire venting from the rear of the complex at the crowded Hollywood intersection of Sunset Boulevard and El Centro Avenue.
Batt. 5 pushed the "Greater Alarm" button and OCD sent a nice big assignment with USAR rigs, and plenty of Light Forces, including LF89 all the way from North Hollywood, and Task Force 3 from its quarters Downtown! Sounded like it was shaping up to be a gnarly Major Emergency, that I would have caught from the very, very beginning!!! A true rarity these days.
Alas, it was not to be. Batt. 5 quickly tucked his tail between his legs and told OCD that it was an exterior fire only and it was knocked down. Boooooo! Station 27 and 82 handled the overhaul. Everyone else went home.
Batt. 5 pushed the "Greater Alarm" button and OCD sent a nice big assignment with USAR rigs, and plenty of Light Forces, including LF89 all the way from North Hollywood, and Task Force 3 from its quarters Downtown! Sounded like it was shaping up to be a gnarly Major Emergency, that I would have caught from the very, very beginning!!! A true rarity these days.
Alas, it was not to be. Batt. 5 quickly tucked his tail between his legs and told OCD that it was an exterior fire only and it was knocked down. Boooooo! Station 27 and 82 handled the overhaul. Everyone else went home.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
LAFD Station 36
I must be a tad slow on my LAFD station updates but the new Station 36 appears to have finally opened down in San Pedro on July 8. Just heard them on the scanner going available from some EMS call.
Take a look at the pic...looks like a classic "retirement house" to me...not a rookie in the bunch. Also notice the classic 1990 vintage Seagrave holding down 36's fort. Quiet enough house that they're probably way down on the list for a new rig. What's funny is that I'm sure they were on tonight's shooting down in Pedro, but I didn't hear them go out because I was locked in on the LAPD Harbor frequency.
What I did hear about two minutes ago was Rescue 112 telling OCD that 36's was closer on a call they got dispatched on. One of the familiar female voices working OCD 4 tonight came back and told the medic on 112's that "the computer still says we should send 112 to this call." Medic's reply: "We're enroute." Old habits die hard, boys.
Nothing like hoping to get out of a Sunday night call by trying to beat the system and sacrifice the "new" boys on the block. My advice to the boys on Rescue 112: For every call you're on, there are two others that they can't dispatch you to.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Smooth
The LAFD might have a completely fucked internal culture with lots of bad apples (and a few truly rotten ones), but they're the best fire department in the world because of the way they handle things like today's early morning fire out in Van Nuys.
Don't ask me what I was doing awake at 2 a.m. on a "school night" but I heard LAPD Air 8 tell OCD that they had a single-family dwelling with smoke and fire through the roof near Sherman Way in Van Nuys. OCD sent out the structure assignment and a few minutes later Task Force 39 was on scene in the 13800 block of Enadia Way. I don't know who the Captain (II) was on TF39 last night, but he was as cool as a cucumber.
Until Battalion 10 arrived on scene a good eight minutes or so later, the Task Force Commander of old 39's was directing a finely choreographed ballet of fire-attack teams, search and rescue, truck companies on the roof, truck companies inside, and staging companies as they arrived on scene. No chaos, no confusion, no concern. The fire was raging inside a home under renovation, but each firefighter and captain who got on the radio during the incident was calm, cool and collected--even the guys at the end of the nozzle inside. The boys from Battalion 10 (who catch a decent amount of fire in the modern, generally fire-less, era) obviously work well together.
Knockdown was achieved in only 22 minutes, a remarkable feat, given that likely more than 90% of fire departments in the U.S. would have lost the house completely. Anyway, it's fires like those that make visualizing the LAFD at work through the little scanner speaker such a joy.
Kudos also to the LAFD and LACoFD who played well this morning on the radio on a mutual aid response to a brush fire in the County along the Antelope Valley Freeway. Everyone played nice and kept the fire to only about 10 acres.
Don't ask me what I was doing awake at 2 a.m. on a "school night" but I heard LAPD Air 8 tell OCD that they had a single-family dwelling with smoke and fire through the roof near Sherman Way in Van Nuys. OCD sent out the structure assignment and a few minutes later Task Force 39 was on scene in the 13800 block of Enadia Way. I don't know who the Captain (II) was on TF39 last night, but he was as cool as a cucumber.
Until Battalion 10 arrived on scene a good eight minutes or so later, the Task Force Commander of old 39's was directing a finely choreographed ballet of fire-attack teams, search and rescue, truck companies on the roof, truck companies inside, and staging companies as they arrived on scene. No chaos, no confusion, no concern. The fire was raging inside a home under renovation, but each firefighter and captain who got on the radio during the incident was calm, cool and collected--even the guys at the end of the nozzle inside. The boys from Battalion 10 (who catch a decent amount of fire in the modern, generally fire-less, era) obviously work well together.
Knockdown was achieved in only 22 minutes, a remarkable feat, given that likely more than 90% of fire departments in the U.S. would have lost the house completely. Anyway, it's fires like those that make visualizing the LAFD at work through the little scanner speaker such a joy.
Kudos also to the LAFD and LACoFD who played well this morning on the radio on a mutual aid response to a brush fire in the County along the Antelope Valley Freeway. Everyone played nice and kept the fire to only about 10 acres.
Friday, February 09, 2007
Short and Bittersweet
That's the gist of the message the LAFD's Brian Humphrey posted on the LAFD blog earlier today. "Staffing issues" are cited as the reason for the blog's indefinite hiatus.
Humphrey alluded to staffing changes in a mass email he sent to LAFD email recipients earlier this week. Times could be a'changing down in the bowels of LAFD's OCD section. Maybe they're re-evaluating the role of the 24/7 Public Service Officer who takes up a chair (and bed and meal) down in Dispatch, hundreds of feet below City Hall East.
We'll see how this all pans out, but I hope it doesn't spell the death of the excellent blog Humphrey et. al. have put up for the last year or two.
Humphrey alluded to staffing changes in a mass email he sent to LAFD email recipients earlier this week. Times could be a'changing down in the bowels of LAFD's OCD section. Maybe they're re-evaluating the role of the 24/7 Public Service Officer who takes up a chair (and bed and meal) down in Dispatch, hundreds of feet below City Hall East.
We'll see how this all pans out, but I hope it doesn't spell the death of the excellent blog Humphrey et. al. have put up for the last year or two.
Friday, January 26, 2007
LAFD's New Voices
So, I thought mine ears were deceiving me earlier today when I turned on the scanner and heard Santa Monica Engine 121 going "available in quarters"on LAFD's dispatch channel 7. I automatically assumed the SMFD engine had been called out on a mutual aid run with a Venice (63), Mar Vista (62) or Palisades (23, 69) LAFD station, which is sometimes the case. I figured they'd been canceled and were just telling OCD they were off the call.
A few hours later, I heard a full blown dispatch in the city of Santa Monica, with SMFD resources and a Gerber ambulance all check in, going en route on OCD 7 (859.4375). Then, I heard a SMFD EMS run on OCD 4--the city's EMS dispatch channel. Could it be???? Was LAFD suddenly dispatching for SMFD? Was this the beginning of the Apocalypse?
The answer is yes, and maybe. Thanks to Kerry over at LACountyfire.com, LA City is now contracting out dispatching services with SMFD as part of an arrangement to test out radio cooperation between fire agencies in Region A. Region A is a grouping of fire departments that all offer mutual aid with each other and mix and match when forming Strike Forces to fight brush fires.
According to Kerry, if it's successful, LAFD could begin dispatching for other agencies on contract, since the City is the region coordinator! Holy shit. This is actually pretty big news and a pretty big adjustment for the extremely territorial City boys.
Already, because SMFD isn't hooked up to the LAFD's mobile computer system, they have to do all of their updates via the radio; they can't just punch a key on the computer to let dispatch see their status. That's virtually a doubling of LAFD's radio traffic, which is a pretty quiet affair these days.
In general, LAFD will "simulcast" all major incidents via the radio and over the nice computerized lady system that now "rings down" at each fire station. Instead of hearing loud bells and buzzers of days past, followed by a grizzled old dispatcher's voice, the men and women of the LAFD are now treated to a steady warble, followed by the smooth voice of a woman from Utah who recorded all of the dispatch combination possibilities. She calmly announces the call: so when a triple GSW comes in, there's no drama on the station intercom, just a middle-American voice telling the units they're going to a shooting.
The live dispatchers will still broadcast major incident dispatches over the air--ones that usually require multiple units from different stations. They also still dispatch any unit over the radio that's out of quarters and driving around the city. But at night, things get super-quiet. That's because all of the EMS dispatches that don't require fire company resources (ambulances without fire engines) are dispatched over the telephone--literally.
It's a throwback from the days when the firefighters didn't want to be awoken by numerous middle of the night EMS calls. Never mind that the opposite isn't the case! If an engine or truck company gets a call that doesn't require EMS, they still get rung down on the overhead speakers and all the station lights go on automatically....who cares about the medics' and EMTs' sleep, right?
Anyway, now that SMFD will need verbal dispatches 24/7 look for the frequencies to get busier. If this experiment works out, it's possible that Culver City, Beverly Hills and others (maybe the South Bay FDs) will all get dispatched by the City. Region C, which includes the Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena departments, already has this centralized system, known as Verdugo Dispatch.
As a side note, I was wondering why the SMFD unit identifiers changed in the last few weeks. What was previously "Engine 1" is now "Engine 121" etc. Must be to align the units with other departments in Region A. I suspect we'll see BHFD changing their identifiers eventually, as well.
Also, be interesting to hear SMFD adopt LAFD terminology.
Let the games begin.
A few hours later, I heard a full blown dispatch in the city of Santa Monica, with SMFD resources and a Gerber ambulance all check in, going en route on OCD 7 (859.4375). Then, I heard a SMFD EMS run on OCD 4--the city's EMS dispatch channel. Could it be???? Was LAFD suddenly dispatching for SMFD? Was this the beginning of the Apocalypse?
The answer is yes, and maybe. Thanks to Kerry over at LACountyfire.com, LA City is now contracting out dispatching services with SMFD as part of an arrangement to test out radio cooperation between fire agencies in Region A. Region A is a grouping of fire departments that all offer mutual aid with each other and mix and match when forming Strike Forces to fight brush fires.
According to Kerry, if it's successful, LAFD could begin dispatching for other agencies on contract, since the City is the region coordinator! Holy shit. This is actually pretty big news and a pretty big adjustment for the extremely territorial City boys.
Already, because SMFD isn't hooked up to the LAFD's mobile computer system, they have to do all of their updates via the radio; they can't just punch a key on the computer to let dispatch see their status. That's virtually a doubling of LAFD's radio traffic, which is a pretty quiet affair these days.
In general, LAFD will "simulcast" all major incidents via the radio and over the nice computerized lady system that now "rings down" at each fire station. Instead of hearing loud bells and buzzers of days past, followed by a grizzled old dispatcher's voice, the men and women of the LAFD are now treated to a steady warble, followed by the smooth voice of a woman from Utah who recorded all of the dispatch combination possibilities. She calmly announces the call: so when a triple GSW comes in, there's no drama on the station intercom, just a middle-American voice telling the units they're going to a shooting.
The live dispatchers will still broadcast major incident dispatches over the air--ones that usually require multiple units from different stations. They also still dispatch any unit over the radio that's out of quarters and driving around the city. But at night, things get super-quiet. That's because all of the EMS dispatches that don't require fire company resources (ambulances without fire engines) are dispatched over the telephone--literally.
It's a throwback from the days when the firefighters didn't want to be awoken by numerous middle of the night EMS calls. Never mind that the opposite isn't the case! If an engine or truck company gets a call that doesn't require EMS, they still get rung down on the overhead speakers and all the station lights go on automatically....who cares about the medics' and EMTs' sleep, right?
Anyway, now that SMFD will need verbal dispatches 24/7 look for the frequencies to get busier. If this experiment works out, it's possible that Culver City, Beverly Hills and others (maybe the South Bay FDs) will all get dispatched by the City. Region C, which includes the Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena departments, already has this centralized system, known as Verdugo Dispatch.
As a side note, I was wondering why the SMFD unit identifiers changed in the last few weeks. What was previously "Engine 1" is now "Engine 121" etc. Must be to align the units with other departments in Region A. I suspect we'll see BHFD changing their identifiers eventually, as well.
Also, be interesting to hear SMFD adopt LAFD terminology.
Let the games begin.
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
LAFD Gets Into the Action...**
***WRAPUP 12:39*** Shit, folks, that was quick. They grabbed it at 2 acres and are sending rigs home. The helos are actually already back at home at Van Nuys airport. That was a lot typing for a little fire!
***UPDATE 12:01***: Here's a rundown of the currently committed companies (and where they're normally stationed, to give an idea of how the department floods the zone on Red Flag days):
E76 (first in company--Cahuenga Pass)
E41 (Hollywood)
Task Force 27 (Hollywood)
E60 (North Hollywood)
E82 (Hollywood)
E86 (Toluca Lake)
E97 (Studio City/Mulholland Drive)
E7 (Van Nuys)
E52 (East Hollywood)
E39 (Van Nuys)
Pre-formed Tactical Team w/ E85 (Harbor City), E38 (Wilmington), E3 (Central City)
2nd Tac Team w/ E61 (Miracle Mile), E1 (Lincoln Heights), E11 (Pico-Union)
Division 1 (Command officer who covers central and west LA)
EMS 11 (Paramedic Supervisor from Battalion 11's district, Pico-Union/Rampart/Westlake)
RA86 (Toluca Lake)
BC5 (Hollywood)
BC14 (North Hollywood)
BC 10 (Van Nuys/Sherman Oaks/Encino)
BC 11 (Pico-Union/Westlake)
Helicopters, 1, 4, and 6
Bulldozer team
LA County is also sending a full brush assignment consisting of 4 helos, 5 engines, 4 camp crews, 1 water tender, 1 dozer team and 2 BCs.
No one's fucking around on this one....
# # #
Not to be left out of the brush fire fun, but City Fire is just getting on scene of a bunch of palm trees and brush involved next to the northbound 101 (Hollywood) Freeway at Lankershim.
Hollywood's Battalion 5 is now the Universal IC, requesting a full brush assignment, including helos to the scene. Pretty much every LAFD resource assigned to Hollywood is now committed. E76 is first onscene with E82 just rolling up and some North Hollywood units are also enroute. E60 is heading to the Mt. Lee helispot (at the Hollywood sign) to refuel the water droppers.
Batt. 5 is in charge, for now. The action's on OCD Channel 9 and Tac 13, for now. With Division 1 enroute and two additional Batt. Chiefs ordered, it's getting bigger on the resource side, though it may scale back down just as quick.
OCD is blitzing in the their pre-deployed tactical teams that consist of three engines each, two engines and a BC shy of a full Strike Team.
They're shutting down parts of the northbound 101 as the fire just jumped a road and is heading towards Universal Studios. Started at 1/4 acre of grass but growing. IC thinks they can get a quick knockdown once the two water droppers are overhead.
I can just now see the smoke popping over the Hollywood Hills from my office window.
***UPDATE 12:01***: Here's a rundown of the currently committed companies (and where they're normally stationed, to give an idea of how the department floods the zone on Red Flag days):
E76 (first in company--Cahuenga Pass)
E41 (Hollywood)
Task Force 27 (Hollywood)
E60 (North Hollywood)
E82 (Hollywood)
E86 (Toluca Lake)
E97 (Studio City/Mulholland Drive)
E7 (Van Nuys)
E52 (East Hollywood)
E39 (Van Nuys)
Pre-formed Tactical Team w/ E85 (Harbor City), E38 (Wilmington), E3 (Central City)
2nd Tac Team w/ E61 (Miracle Mile), E1 (Lincoln Heights), E11 (Pico-Union)
Division 1 (Command officer who covers central and west LA)
EMS 11 (Paramedic Supervisor from Battalion 11's district, Pico-Union/Rampart/Westlake)
RA86 (Toluca Lake)
BC5 (Hollywood)
BC14 (North Hollywood)
BC 10 (Van Nuys/Sherman Oaks/Encino)
BC 11 (Pico-Union/Westlake)
Helicopters, 1, 4, and 6
Bulldozer team
LA County is also sending a full brush assignment consisting of 4 helos, 5 engines, 4 camp crews, 1 water tender, 1 dozer team and 2 BCs.
No one's fucking around on this one....
# # #
Not to be left out of the brush fire fun, but City Fire is just getting on scene of a bunch of palm trees and brush involved next to the northbound 101 (Hollywood) Freeway at Lankershim.
Hollywood's Battalion 5 is now the Universal IC, requesting a full brush assignment, including helos to the scene. Pretty much every LAFD resource assigned to Hollywood is now committed. E76 is first onscene with E82 just rolling up and some North Hollywood units are also enroute. E60 is heading to the Mt. Lee helispot (at the Hollywood sign) to refuel the water droppers.
Batt. 5 is in charge, for now. The action's on OCD Channel 9 and Tac 13, for now. With Division 1 enroute and two additional Batt. Chiefs ordered, it's getting bigger on the resource side, though it may scale back down just as quick.
OCD is blitzing in the their pre-deployed tactical teams that consist of three engines each, two engines and a BC shy of a full Strike Team.
They're shutting down parts of the northbound 101 as the fire just jumped a road and is heading towards Universal Studios. Started at 1/4 acre of grass but growing. IC thinks they can get a quick knockdown once the two water droppers are overhead.
I can just now see the smoke popping over the Hollywood Hills from my office window.
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