Further information on response pages

[6739264]

A question that may merit some interesting discussion...

What further information should be included on a response page / MCT Message? Are there things that SHOULDN'T be included?

Personally I see a large amount of superfluous information such as "Call from SAPol" "SAPol and SAAS En route" "Clean up only" "U/K Entrapments" Does it really bring anything to the message?

Do we need to know what agency received the call? If we need further info, does this request not go through Adelaide Fire anyhow?

Do we need to know that the other emergency services are also responding? (Isn't this assumed? Any deficiencies should be covered in your Arrival Message and SITREP anyhow)

As per [A document I now can't find], we are meant to be canning "Clean up only" for a multitude of reasons... eg:

22-01-11 13:29:52 MFS: *CFSRES INC036 22/01/11 13:29,RESPOND Vehicle Accident,HINDMARSH TIERS RD,HINDMARSH TIERS MAP 0 0 0 TG148,NEAR THE TENNIS COURTS, CLEAN UP, 2 CARS,STH029 HIND00

22-01-11 13:39:11 MFS: FROM MFS INCIDENT 036, 1 ENTRAPMENT FROM SAPOL

Additionally, why provide information that may restrict crew turnouts? We all know people pick and choose their calls.

Why state that there are Unknown entrapments? If something is not confirmed, why waste space in the page with it?

As I write this, the classic example has come up:

22-01-11 13:58:18 MFS:1: *CFSRES INC039 22/01/11 13:57,RESPOND RCR,STH BOUND B4 TH ANGLE VALE EXT ANGLE VALE RD,ANGLE VALE MAP 31 B 13 TG102,IS THE NORTHERN EXPRESSWAY, BEFORE THE A,NGLE VALE TURN OFF. U/K ENTRAP. FROM AMB,OS. CITY

22-01-11 13:58:20 MFS:e: BOUND.,DALK19 VIRG19 -oo-

If that's not a shitfight of information, I don't know what is. Also note that the page is now split over two pages, thus preventing the response tone from activating for longer that 2 seconds.

Is it that hard to keep response page information clear and concise? A location + X Street + landmarks + Confirmed entrapments/persons reported should be enough. If you're unsure of entrapments, then it should be an RCR response, if just cleanup, then Vehicle Accident. Oh to be back in the days of MVA Spillage's.

We're not meant to be interrogating that pager... it's simply alerting us to a need for our appliances at a given location.

[safireservice]

followed by this:
MFS: *CFSRES INC039 22/01/11 14:02,RESPOND RCR,ANGLE VALE RD,ANGLE VALE MAP 31 B 13 TG102,NOT ANGLE VALE RD. IS THE NORTHERN EXPRE,SSWAY, B4 THE ANGLE VALE TURN OFF. CITY,BOUND. U/K ENTRAP.,DALK19 VIRG19
Is it or isnt it Angle Vale rd? If not why put it as Angle Vale road? Are the comms officers that lazy? Why couldnt it have been Northern Expressway, Angle Vale?

[6739264]

followed by this:
MFS: *CFSRES INC039 22/01/11 14:02,RESPOND RCR,ANGLE VALE RD,ANGLE VALE MAP 31 B 13 TG102,NOT ANGLE VALE RD. IS THE NORTHERN EXPRE,SSWAY, B4 THE ANGLE VALE TURN OFF. CITY,BOUND. U/K ENTRAP.,DALK19 VIRG19
Is it or isnt it Angle Vale rd? If not why put it as Angle Vale road? Are the comms officers that lazy? Why couldnt it have been Northern Expressway, Angle Vale?

I'd like to assume that the cause of that is more to do with the limitations of the CRD system, rather than operator laziness. Don't know the area, but I'm assuming its due to the Northern Expressway only being a couple of months old.

[Alex]

followed by this:
MFS: *CFSRES INC039 22/01/11 14:02,RESPOND RCR,ANGLE VALE RD,ANGLE VALE MAP 31 B 13 TG102,NOT ANGLE VALE RD. IS THE NORTHERN EXPRE,SSWAY, B4 THE ANGLE VALE TURN OFF. CITY,BOUND. U/K ENTRAP.,DALK19 VIRG19
Is it or isnt it Angle Vale rd? If not why put it as Angle Vale road? Are the comms officers that lazy? Why couldnt it have been Northern Expressway, Angle Vale?

I'd like to assume that the cause of that is more to do with the limitations of the CRD system, rather than operator laziness. Don't know the area, but I'm assuming its due to the Northern Expressway only being a couple of months old.

Northern Expressway does not exist in BOMS yet, neither does 'angle vale, angle vale' like you may see in some country responses where data does not exist. Accusing people/comms of being 'lazy' is slightly unnecessary.

[bajdas]

Fully agree to shorten the data in the pager messages. Even the use of RESPOND and date/time (unless it reflects when the call was received) is a waste. The pager has a date/time that the page was received separately.

One of the issues is a group of people from different organisations agreeing to a correct format that satisfies the database requirements that is fed from this pager data, as well as what is displayed on different types of pagers/MCT

That agreement would be difficult.

How do SAAS get the pager messages so short ?

[OldOne]

Just remember the pager data not only goes to different model pagers,  but also to data terminals, in car displays, auto logging systems and even door opening controllers.  Some decoding systems use the comma (,) as a data base delimiter or new line char in the displays.

SACAD will probably have a different format again as there are no standards between agencies, even the SES SCC computers are set up with random formats as each computers seems to be running different software version !

OldOne

[Alan (Big Al)]

Fully agree to shorten the data in the pager messages. Even the use of RESPOND and date/time (unless it reflects when the call was received) is a waste. The pager has a date/time that the page was received separately.

One of the issues is a group of people from different organisations agreeing to a correct format that satisfies the database requirements that is fed from this pager data, as well as what is displayed on different types of pagers/MCT

That agreement would be difficult.

How do SAAS get the pager messages so short ?

All they need is the unit being called the category of the job  and the address all other details are given via radio

[bajdas]

... even the SES SCC computers are set up with random formats as each computers seems to be running different software version !

Paging dispatch is not part of the database. It is individually typed pager message.

[OldOne]

Paging dispatch is not part of the database. It is individually typed pager message.

that's is the one big problem between the SCC computers and operators,  even the date/time, Inc No header is not in a standard format from SCC which make it very messy importing data from the paging system.  At least the MFS header format is constant for response pages and can be used to extract information.  When SCC come on line you can totally forget any logical format in pager messages that is useful for any electronic use and all must be hand processed.

Oldone

[boredmatrix]

Bring back stock standard "beepers".

SAAS paging is generated directly/ automatically by the CAD, and takes specific tidbits of info from the case.  U only need a priority and address ....not all this other $hit that gets sent.  Honestly.....who cares about who called it In and their phone number?

[J Squared]

the name of the caller and the contact number help when response details are sketchy, ive been to a few jobs like an apparent tree down, but found nothing. Same scenario with apparent 'smoke in area', its easy to make a quick phone call to try and get further information from the caller, for some exact location details

[pumprescue]

Bring back tone only pagers, and have in computer in the station with the details, might get more than 2 people rock up to some calls.

I wouldn't have an issue with the SAAS style of paging, address and map reference and job category. Get the rest of the info when your at the station.