Author Topic: CB radio on trucks (Read 9976 times)

CFS_Firey · « **on:** August 19, 2005, 04:45:57 PM »

Out of curiosity, do any of the rural brigades (or even more Urban brigades) use CB radio to talk to truckies on the way to an incident to try and find out more details, or an exact location?

strikeathird · « **Reply #1 on:** August 21, 2005, 07:53:40 PM »

Nope.

Mike · « **Reply #2 on:** August 22, 2005, 09:36:58 AM »

I wouldn't say we carry it to talk to truckies...... much more useful to talk to the private fire appliances..... and members that are travelling in...

mengcfs · « **Reply #3 on:** August 22, 2005, 02:18:52 PM »

UHF (CB) radios are very handy for rural Brigades. We use them to talk to other agencies on the way to jobs (far more easier and quicker than organising a GRN multi agency talkgroup) and to talk to private fire appliances such as farmers. The UHF channels are published in the Council Bushfire info kit that is posted to everyone in the district.
Adam

oz fire · « **Reply #4 on:** August 23, 2005, 01:15:16 PM »

My brigade doesn't being urban, however I know lots that do and swear by it to speak to locals and other emergency services.

It was very useful when in NSW in 2001, as appliances/ command cars with it could use it as a general chat channel - for non fire service business and also to speak with NSW rural fire applinaces.

I know some brigades along Highway One who use it to monitor the truckies, as for things like RCR they tell all their mates where it is, so it narrows it doen for the fire/rescue/medical and traffic response.

Mike · « **Reply #5 on:** August 23, 2005, 02:03:04 PM »

Was thinking about this a bit more, and remembered several large storm incidents where it has been very useful.... where a few locals have offered to deliver sandbags etc....

rescue5271 · « **Reply #6 on:** August 26, 2005, 01:13:11 PM »

We do have a CB in car 1 and in the base,most of our rural appliances have them but only to talk to private units on the fire ground. They do have there place but can also be used to pass information that should not get out like a death or who was killed at a MVA. As this as happened in my area. So yes they have there good and bad side ...

strikeathird · « **Reply #7 on:** August 27, 2005, 04:12:30 PM »

If anything you may be able to warn oncoming big rigs of an accident. They may be able to form up and slow traffic on approach ?? LIke the old smokey and the bandit days......

But, it is a possibility!

CFS_Firey · « **Reply #8 on:** August 28, 2005, 01:11:15 PM »

Wouldn't it be nice if the truckies were slowing people down on the freeway rather than sailing past at 100km/h!
I can see plenty of good reasons to get them, even to just put them in the group cars...?

kat · « **Reply #9 on:** August 28, 2005, 01:30:27 PM »

We have always had a UHF in station, later fitting one to the lead rural appliance and have recently, due to the usefulness, had one fitted to the P. Our Group (well our old Group

) even had proper laser cut signs printed to identify that we had had UHF 10.

While I guess it was primarily for fireground chatter with the farmers around the more rural Brigades we have utilised it several times to ask truckies for locations of vehicle accidents where we have been unable to locate or info was confusing. A favourite we get here is something like 10kms towards Melbourne on the Princes Hwy. The (main)road to Melbourne is actually the Dukes Hwy past Tailem Bend with the Princes Hwy going south to Mt Gambier. Even local (MB) police will insist it's on the road to Melbourne, the Princes Hwy. These could be anywhere - including the Mallee Hwy (Ouyen Hwy,Pinnaroo Rd) to Sydney.

About 10 seconds on the UHF and we get completely accurate info

Sam · « **Reply #10 on:** December 14, 2005, 10:53:23 PM »

Hi,

In the Angaston Group every appliance is fitted with a UHF CB for mainly rural use with farmers. We also use it as a spare chat channel and it comes in handy! We do use it a lot when we have MVA's on the highway to get info from trucks, or to tell trucks about diverts etc, etc. I think after the E.P fires they are making this more common.

Alan (Big Al) · « **Reply #11 on:** December 15, 2005, 08:26:08 AM »

Both the Goolwa units carry UHF radio's they come in handy for heaps of things, we also use them to talk to SAPOL at times if they need additional info to get to the job we are at!!

Robert-Robert34 · « **Reply #12 on:** December 15, 2005, 07:12:59 PM »

Just before SAGRN Radios were due to be fitted in all CFS appliances a few years ago i suggested at my brigades general meeting that Kalangadoo 34 should be fitted with a UHF CB Base Radio so we could use to incase of a fire on a farming property

Everyone present at that meeting thought it was a good idea and our brigade funding was going to be used to purchase a radio however at our AGM the very next month when i was about to present the captain with the options of what radio was best our Group Officer said that there wasnt any point of putting a UHF CB in the truck as it would interfere with the SAGRN being it worked on the same band

However this did not stop us from purchasing 2x UH040XR UHF CB handhelds out of the brigade money and these have come in handy during training exercises

It also has an advantage for Kalangadoo brigade members such as myself who have UHFs in our own cars as we can talk directly to Kalangadoo 34 or Wattle Range Base to find out what is happening

Although at times i think that a base radio in our truck would have been alot better as we could have contacted landowners who were battling that fire on the Kalangadoo-Glencoe Road in 2002 and found out where the fill up points were rather than having to fill up from a stock trough

strikeathird · « **Reply #13 on:** December 15, 2005, 10:11:03 PM »

haha.. Robert, tell your group officer that the GRN would not have problems with CB, and visa versa.. I tell ya mate, he took ya for a ride, cause thats the silliest thing I have heard in relation to GRN. If your management meeting passed a motion to buy the CB's, your brigade has every right to do so...

rescue5271 · « **Reply #14 on:** December 16, 2005, 04:40:33 AM »

Most of our rural appliances have a UHF but we dont in our 34 may be its time we did,then we would have to give more training to crew members how to use it?? is there a SOP on UHF radios.

Robert-Robert34 · « **Reply #15 on:** December 16, 2005, 06:46:40 AM »

Very true strikeathird i can tell you this it was also the silliest thing i've ever heard as well becasue we all know that the GRN works on the 400-419 MHz scale which is well away from the 476-477 MHz UHF Citizens Band but that the Group's fault for opening their mouth to have their say during a brigade meeting

Oh yeah hey rescue5271 did you recieve my reply to the email you sent me earlier today as ill be home next Monday and Tuesday

Alan (Big Al) · « **Reply #16 on:** December 16, 2005, 01:49:07 PM »

You certainly did get taken for a ride Robert34, you obviously have a real nice group officer

. We also carry three UHF handhelds on both our appliances as well as the truck based uhf, they come in very handy when there are multiple people on traffic control and not enough VHF radios to go around. We also sometimes give them to BA teams to use in a house fire or something like that. Very handy little things those UHF radios, and our group was totally supportive of the idea. Any group that wouldn't support something like UHF radios would have to be nuts i reckon.

Robert-Robert34 · « **Reply #17 on:** December 16, 2005, 03:32:36 PM »

At the risk of being scorned by the other members of this site i'd have to say that our group is nuts as UHF CB's would save valuable time from waiting to be allocated SAGRN simplex talkgroups by SOC but it seems that our group doesnt want any brigades for some reason

I also asked our Group Officer if the UHF CB could be placed in our fire shed as a sub base but it was the same answer so yeah i guess you could say that i was taken for a ride

strikeathird · « **Reply #18 on:** December 16, 2005, 10:30:20 PM »

Quote from: mundcfs on December 16, 2005, 01:49:07 PM

You certainly did get taken for a ride Robert34, you obviously have a real nice group officer . We also carry three UHF handhelds on both our appliances as well as the truck based uhf, they come in very handy when there are multiple people on traffic control and not enough VHF radios to go around. We also sometimes give them to BA teams to use in a house fire or something like that. Very handy little things those UHF radios, and our group was totally supportive of the idea. Any group that wouldn't support something like UHF radios would have to be nuts i reckon.

Just watch out in BA environments (House fires, Flamm. Gas etc) mate, they are not "Instringently" (Spelling) Safe. Meaning they are not housed / protected from giving off sparks / static electricity etc.

Just be careful.

Alan (Big Al) · « **Reply #19 on:** December 17, 2005, 02:09:44 PM »

Quote from: strikeathird on December 16, 2005, 10:30:20 PM

Just watch out in BA environments (House fires, Flamm. Gas etc) mate, they are not "Instringently" (Spelling) Safe. Meaning they are not housed / protected from giving off sparks / static electricity etc.

Just be careful.

Generally we only use the UHF's during mopup once all the action is over!! Just out of curiosity are the VHF protected from giving off sparks because the VHF radios seem to be of a poorer quality than the UHF's that we carry??

I really can't understand why some groups won't let the brigades have them because they are great for use when crews are down a gully and need to talk to the pump operator and there aren't enough VHF radios to go around etc..

strikeathird · « **Reply #20 on:** December 17, 2005, 02:21:00 PM »

To be honest, I am unsure. I was under the belief that the Motorolla Handsets were the only units that are instringently (spelling) safe. However, Do-Not quote me on that, as I will have to clarify it !

Robert-Robert34 · « **Reply #21 on:** December 17, 2005, 03:51:38 PM »

When it comes large scale fires here in the South East UHF CB Radios normally have the upper hand because the channels dont get jammed by 2 or 3 people trying to talk at the same time on one channel

Plus the farmers here use their own base channel such as channel 10 or 15 for their fire fighting traffic rather than tie up the emergency or repeater channel... and also most privately owned milk tankers use UHF so it would be easy for CFS units to call for a tanker to refill their appliance rather than wait for one

I must mention that TimberCorp and Integrated Tree Cropping also utilize UHF Radios for their business & fire ground communications because they are bluegum forestry companies

medevac · « **Reply #22 on:** December 17, 2005, 05:02:48 PM »

as far as im aware.. none of the radios issued by CFS are intrinsically safe... with the exception of those provided to HAZMAT brigades

Mike · « **Reply #23 on:** December 19, 2005, 06:13:54 AM »

pagers, GRN and VHF radios issued by the CFS are definately NOT intrinsically safe.

If a radio was, it would be very clearly marked so. I would be quite surprised if they were. With that in mind I'd treat any UHF in the same boat.

Im not aware of any HAZMAT brigades having radios that are any different.

strikeathird · « **Reply #24 on:** December 19, 2005, 07:44:20 AM »

So I guess BA teams probably shouldn't be taking radios in with them to house fires / LPG leaks, Car Fires, Hazmat jobs.. ?

However, I certainly wouldn't go in without one, so its catch 22 i guess.