A brilliant and terrible Tuesday morning

Fourteen months into retirement I am teaching a Fire Officer II class at the Reagan National Airport fire station. The classroom is also their kitchen. The kitchen has a television.

The acting battalion chief steps in, apologizes for the interruption, and turns the television on. 

Good Morning America (ABC) is covering the breaking news of a plane that has hit the World Trade Center.

As the news camera focuses on the entry hole, many of the experienced air-crash-rescue guys are speculating on what type of plane hit the tower and the issues facing FDNY.

After a dozen minutes I try to restart the class. Agree to leave the television on with the sound turned down. I get one or two sentences out when we see the second plane hitting the tower.

Class over!

You do not need a Formal Announcement to Mobilize

As FDNY Firefighter James Hanlon (Ladder 1) points out in the opening of the Naudet Brothers documentary 9|11:

… there were days we would go to the Trade Center five times in a single shift. My point is, we knew those towers as well as anybody. But nobody, nobody, expected September 11th.

When the civilian editors of Fire-Rescue Magazine and Journal of EMS were vetting my article, Attack on the Pentagon: The Initial Fire and EMS Response (April 2002 issue), they struggled with the concept that hundreds of emergency responders initiated action without receiving a formal notification.

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Fire Department never expected a 757 to be used as an assault weapon against the Pentagon. When the second plane struck in New York, the dozen off-duty members attending the Fire Officer class joined the 16 on-duty members preparing for the unknown.

They were not alone.

Most of the senior staff and urban search and rescue commanders in my department started purposeful action when they heard of the second plane in New York City. The information came through radio and television, informal digital networks and word-of-mouth.

Rapidly deploying 72 USAR members and 75 tons of equipment

It takes dedicated action by dozens of staff, support and non-USAR firefighters to make a deployment happen.

A point of pride is the ability to assemble the team well within the response deadline for domestic and international response. A deployment represents an administrative five alarm event.

A small role I had while assigned as a company officer at the Fire and Rescue Academy was to respond from home to get the facility unlocked on evenings, weekends and holidays. The Academy, with six classrooms and a large training bay, is the point of staging and assembly for the team.

Far from high tech. The tasks included moving apparatus out of the bay, properly configuring the "quad" – a large space with movable walls to create smaller class spaces, and powering up the facility.

Have to do Something

Ten years ago I also had a part-time job as a civilian Fire Instructor III at the Fire and Rescue Academy.

American Airlines Flight 77 struck the Pentagon shortly after I left the airport.

I was stunned. What could I do? No fire gear in the car, not in uniform, my "retired" fire department ID card did not provide KardKey access to headquarters or communications.

Headed for the Academy. Maybe they are assembling a fire crew with Engine 407.  I was at the Academy in 1982 when we loaded up a Suburban with EMS gear and responded in near-blizzard conditions to the Air Florida 90 crash at the 14th Street bridge.

Not this time. All of the on-duty uniformed staff are away, either responding to the Pentagon or the anticipated USAR deployment. None of the remaining staff experienced a USAR deployment. 

I looked up in time to see the South Tower collapse on live TV. 

Purposeful Action – Setting the Academy for USAR deployment

No more wondering what to do.

Without asking for authorization, started moving academy apparatus out of the high bay building and up the hill. Configured the quad. Tried to set up the communications equipment, but no one had the key to the cabinet.

Before the 11 am official federal mobilization notice, the academy was ready …

… and I was on my way home, satisfied that I did something worthwhile in reaction to the unthinkable.

An Inherent Orientation to Action

Emergency service folks are hard-wired to take action.

To validate the impact of our Citizen CPR program we tried to identify the background of every person who performed CPR prior to the arrival of the department. More than half of the citizen responders were off-duty or former police, fire, ems and health care staff. 

The same orientation that motivated Jeff Simpson, a Dumfries-Triangle Rescue Squad volunteer EMT who was near the World Trade Center. 

From the National EMS Memorial:

"I have no doubt whatsoever that, while I was stricken with disbelief and inaction, Jeff was figuring how he could help.

It was clear in the few minutes we were in the plaza that thousands of people had and would continue to be injured. There were many police, fire and EMS squads arriving at the scene and it was toward these and the injured that Jeff was headed the last time I saw him.

Frankly, there was no other reason for him to go towards the World Trade Center. His hotel, work site and safety were in the opposite direction.

With the second plane hitting the tower, Jeff would have been thinking about the increased number of casualties. I believe Jeff was caught in the collapse of the towers.

I do not know if he was inside the towers or working at one of the triage stations that had been set up close to the towers. In either case, he was doing what he was trained to do and spent his final hours helping the victims," stated Joseph T. Finnegan.

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Earlier 9/11 essays:

2011: Remembering 41 EMS responders who died at WTC, including a hero from Prince William County, Virginia

2010: A Terrible and Brilliant Blue Sky Morning

2008: Reprint "The Anger Never Dies"

New 999 call taking system placed out of service

Updated at 10.10pm

To be attributed to a London Ambulance Service spokesperson:

"We are currently still using our manual system for managing 999 calls; this involves recording calls on paper and passing information to ambulance crews over the radio.

"We switched to this system earlier today (8 June) after we experienced technical issues with a new 999 computer system that we introduced last night.

"We have now decided that we will revert back to using our original computer system while the issues with the new system are being resolved; we will do this in the early hours of tomorrow morning.

“Our priority remains to answer all incoming 999 calls, giving priority to those patients with the most serious illnesses and injuries.

“We would ask people to use their ambulance service wisely at this time and consider where else they may be able to get medical help if it is not an emergency, for example NHS Direct, walk-in centres or minor injuries units.”

- Ends -

A similar problem occured in 1992.

From this University College London online course by Ian Sommerville:

The London Ambulance Service introduced a new computer-aided despatch system in 1992 which was intended to automate the system that despatched ambulances in response to calls from the public and the emergency services.

This new system was extremely inefficient and ambulance response times increased markedly.

Shortly after its introduction, it failed completely and LAS reverted to the previous manual system.

The systems failure was not just due to technical issues but to a failure to consider human and organisational factors in the design of the system.

Software Engineering 7 Case study: The London Ambulance Service Despatching System

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Keeping the Keypad Humming….

Fayette County Public Service Building (Google Street View)

A FAYETTE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA, MAN is in jail after being arrested Tuesday night and charged with 2,760 counts relating to six charges involving 9-1-1 abuse.

Chad Everett Cooper, 21, was picked up by a Uniontown police detective after the supervisor of the county emergency dispatch center reported a series of abusive phone calls to 9-1-1 over a period of 17 days, April 14 to May 1.  The Tribune-Review reports:

Detective Donald Gmitter this morning said Cooper used a cell phone to make the calls. "He would call and ask the dispatchers what kind of panties they had on, whether they were thongs, and ask them questions about sex," Gmitter said. The police then used GPS tracking coordinates provided by the 911 center to narrow the caller`s location to a Masontown address. With that information, along with other details provided by the cell-phone manufacturer, police were able to identify Cooper.

When police confronted Cooper late Tuesday at his residence, Gmitter said Cooper had the cell phone in his pocket. Police used the phone to call 911, which confirmed it as the one used to make the calls, Gmitter said.

After questioning him, Cooper admitted that he had made the calls.  He was then arraigned on  445 counts each of stalking; harassment involving acts of lewd, lascivious, threatening or obscene language; harassment for making anonymous calls; harassment with intent to harass, annoy or alarm another person; obstructing the administration of law and disorderly conduct.

The Uniontown Herald-Standard has MORE.

Firegeezer calculates that to be just over 162 violations per day.  A busy boy, indeed.

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Wednesday Morning – Can You Hear Me Now?

Do you remember from early March when we mentioned new devices that will bring broadband internet to remote areas?  It had to do with little cellphone receivers that can be stuck on a utility pole and serve a neighborhood, or a rural homestead, and eliminate the need for those monster cell-towers with a dozen antennae on them.  (The story about the LightRadioCube is HERE.)

Along the same subject, a few days ago AT&T released information about a development that will be useful to emergency services, especially USAR teams.  Officially called a Remote Mobility Zone, they describe it as a "cell tower in a suitcase" and one of the many uses for it would be a means of internet and phone hookup in remote and/or disaster areas that don't have wireless service.  The device comes packaged in a small container along with a separate satellite-reciever dish and requires an outside power source, something that all FD's have anyway.

Instead of waiting for local cellphone providers to get to your location and set up a temporary cell tower, the RMZ permits you to set up shop right away and establish links to the outside world for both internet and phone service.  It can handle up to 14 simultaneous phone calls and has internet downloading ability, however it's a lower speed than broadband.  But at least you get connected.

Because of its convenient size, it can be carried (or mounted) in a car.  Initially, the cost of one of these will range from $15,000 to $45,000 depending on amenities.  Also those pesky "monthly fees," but I'm sure that all those costs will be negotiable.  One drawback is that the things only work in areas where AT&T already has coverage, but you can bet that the competition will soon meet that inconvenience with their own service.

There are a couple of other levels of coverage available including a mounted arrangement for things like mobile command centers that are covered in AT&T's press release that you can READ HERE.

Now let's activate our Mobile Equipment Check operation and get our apparatus and equipment ready for the day.  I'm going to download another pot of coffee to keep everybody healthy and then we'll meet back in the day room later.

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NHL Playoffs – Quarter Final Round

Tuesday Scores

Tuesday brought a lot of drama to the playoffs with Chicago mounting a near-impossible comeback against Vancouver, taking their game to overtime, and Montreal edging out Boston to force a game-seven tonight.  After tonight's games in Boston and Pittsburgh, the first round will be completed and the field halved to eight teams.  Here are last night's results and a bit of video replay:

Western Conference

(1) Vancouver Canucks vs. (8) Chicago Black Hawks —   Canucks – 2, Hawks – 1 OT.  Vancouver wins series 4-3.

(2) San Jose Sharks vs. (7) Los Angeles Kings —   San Jose wins series 4 -2 and advances to next round.

(3) Detroit Red Wings vs. (6) Phoenix Coyotes —   Detroit wins series 4-0 and advances to next round.

(4) Anaheim Ducks vs. (5) Nashville Predators —   Nashville wins series 4-2 and advances to next round.

Eastern Conference

(1) Washington Capitals vs. (8) New York Rangers —   Washington wins series 4-1 and advances to next round.

(2) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (7) Buffalo Sabres — Flyers – 5, Sabres – 2.    Philadelphia wins series 4-3 and advances to next round.

(3) Boston Bruins vs. (6) Montreal Canadiens —  Canadiens – 2, Bruins – 1.   Series tied 3-3.  Deciding game Wednesday night.

(4) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (5) Tampa Bay Lightning — Series tied 3-3.  Deciding game Wednesday night. 

Montreal Forces a Game-7 For Tonight:

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Older Satellites Reaching End of Lifespan

TWO YEARS AGO IT WAS recognized that the second generation of satellites of the Global Positioning System (GPS) would begin deteriorating due to age and would need to be replaced soon.  It was decided at that time to use the opportunity to upgrade the accuracy of the system and modernize the program and signals.

The first of the replacement satellites, built by Boeing, was launched into orbit last August and has been functioning fully since then while tests were run to see if all the "stuff" worked ok.  The new series called GPS IIF (or GPS 2F) will add 12 satellites orbiting in the array.  Space Daily tells us:

(This) first GPS IIF was set healthy to navigation and timing users worldwide, Aug.26, 2010. To-date, the satellite is performing its navigation mission well and its atomic clock's performance is the best seen on-orbit.

The GPS IIF satellites provide enhanced military signals that are more resistant to jamming, greater accuracy through advanced atomic clock technology, a new third civil signal for safety-of-life applications and a longer design life of 12 years.

The GPS constellation is the strongest it's ever been with 31 satellites currently on-orbit. The addition of the first IIF SV and the on-track production of the GPS IIIA SVs demonstrate the Air Force's commitment to maintaining GPS as the gold standard for positioning, navigation and timing information.

The accuracy in determing actual position in civil use will be noticeably improved.  Currently the noted positions from personal devices is accurate to about 20 feet.  The newer satellites will narrow that down to about 2 to 3 feet, virtually spot-on.

Artist's rendering of the GPS IIF space vehicle  (NASA image)

The second GPS 2F has been delivered to Cape Canaveral and is being loaded and prepared for launch from a United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket later this summer.

For a good description and review of the history of the GPS satellites and the configurations of the different classes, READ THIS article from Kowoma.de.

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"What'd she say?"

THE MOBILE, ALABAMA, FIRE DEPARTMENT is phasing in a dispatch system where the radio dispatch transmissions are being broadcast by an automated digital voice.

The new system has been utilized on a trial basis for the past month and is now being brought online for full operation.  The call-takers and dispatchers still function as always with the call-taker entering the info. into the computer, sending it to the fire dispatcher who reviews the call and initiates the proper response.  What's different is that instead of the dispatcher following up with a vocal over the radio, an automated voice takes over and announces the dispatch.

Fire Chief Stephen Dean indicates on this video report that the procedure does not eliminate any jobs, but instead assures a consistent tone and diction to the "radio voice."  Watch WALA-TV Ch. 10's report:

Firegeezer says:  Always cynical, especially when major expenditures are committed without any savings, I am wondering out loud.

1)  If the dispatchers' diction and "accents" are a problem, wouldn't hiring a tutor be a lot cheaper than purchasing this equipment and new software? 
2)  Is the City admitting that they are employing people to talk on the radio who are not qualified to talk on the radio?
3)  Surely a department with a dispatch system this sophisticated has computer terminals in the cabs of the apparatus that display the address and details in printed format.  If that's the case, then the "accent" problem is overriden.
4)  Saves time?  Come on…..
5)  I'll bet you that the vendor who sold Mobile on this system convinced them that this could lead to eventually eliminating positions and relying on the computer for more and more phases of the call-taking and dispatch functions.

There's probably more to this story that we haven't been told yet.

Mobile Fire and Rescue Department WEBSITE.

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Tuesday Morning – Take Time to Thank Your Dispatcher

Our friend Tim McMenamin is the Director of the Routt County (Colorado) Communications Center and he is reminding us that this week is National Public Safety Telecommunications Week.  This event is marked each year during the second full week of April, and here we are. 

I spent a very enlightening and enjoyable year in dispatch and our motto was "We catch every fire."  And that's true.  That's where every call begins, however the information is relayed to the emergency services, and it is always funneled through the emergency communications center to be properly dispatched and kept connected with the public safety section until the incident is completed.

Fountain Valley PD photo

Bill Carrow, president of the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) sent out this announcement:

This week is set aside in order to honor the hard work and dedication of our public safety telecommunications professionals. The personnel receiving emergency calls constantly deal with the public in their most dire of times. Radio dispatch personnel ensure that appropriate equipment and personnel are alerted and respond to the scene. They also maintain surveillance over first responders in the field, acting as their life-line to ensure they make it to the scene and back safely.

Our call-takers and dispatchers are truly the first of the first responders, because without them no fire apparatus, police cars or ambulances would be dispatched. They act as the vital link in the chain.

During this week, we also honor the technicians that maintain radio and emergency phone systems, the trainers that provide basic and remedial instruction to our communications staff and the supervisors, managers and directors that guide the daily operations in centers across the country.

While I'm sure that all of the 9-1-1 centers are aware of this and sharing stories and perhaps a cake or two, many firefighters and paramedics in the field might not have heard about this.  So take a moment today to call your dispatcher and thank them for their efforts in providing the proper foundation for every emergency.  A pat on the back is always appreciated.

Now let's pat our pumpers and ambulances, getting them checked out and ready for the day.  I'm going to make some more coffee and listen to the department radio.  See you back in the day room.  Later we can check out Dispatch Magazine Online HERE and APCO's website HERE.

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Obscure Cellphone Company Shows How to Do It.

IN RECENT YEARS THERE HAVE BEEN several instances where small-town citizens have started complaining about those pesky fire sirens making those horrible noises whenever one of their neighbors has an emergency and needs help.  And when the local VFD builds a new firehouse in a different location, a war breaks out when they start constructing a tower for the house siren.  Getting the Yuppies’ permission to erect a tower for your siren is a difficult struggle at best.

But fear not, a possible solution may have been discovered by an upstart cellphone company called NextG Networks.  Their game plan came to light last week in Mt. Sinai, New York (Long Island), when the Demarco family came home one evening and found a 40-ft. metal pole sticking out of their front yard.  They soon learned that within a few days there would be a platform placed on the top with an array of cellphone equipment on it.

Apparently NextG had applied for a permit to erect their mini-tower, but the town of Brookhaven had not approved it.  So, going on the presumption that since the permit was never denied, then it would be ok to build it, up it went.

Watch WABC-TV’s video report on what happened next:

Read the story on WABC’s webpage HERE.

Firegeezer asks you:  Is there any sweeter sound than this? ….

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NASA astronaut Doug Wheelock checked in to the international space station, hence unlocking the “NASA Explorer Badge.”

NASA Explorer

You are now 220 miles above the Earth traveling at 17,500 mph and unlocked the NASA Explorer Badge!

Show this badge and get a free scoop of astronaut ice cream.

Douglas W.
Unlocked by Douglas W. on Fri Oct 22, 2010 at 10:09 AM.

.

From Adam Ostrow at Mashable/Social Media:

The outerspace checkin officially kicks off a partnership between Foursquare and NASA, with NASA’s new Foursquare page offering a list of the venues where you can unlock the badge. Users will also get tips about those venues when they check in using their mobile device.

As an interesting related note, I moderated a panel earlier this year at TWTRCON New York with Foursquare CEO Dennis Crowley, who was asked by someone in the audience from NASA what they had to do to get a badge (a frustration for many brands), which drew a few chuckles from the crowd. Crowley answered something to the effect of “do something really unique,” and it would seem that’s what ultimately has transpired several months later.

NASA has been fairly ambitious in its own right when it comes to social media, however. Astronauts have been tweeting from space since 2009.

Read entire article HERE

Mike “FossilMedic” Ward

The Here You Have message arrives in an email generated from one of your correspondents who has you in their address file.  If you click on the link, it takes over your computer flooding it with thousands of inbox items and then starts using your address book to send out thousands more using your name.

ABC News ran a report on it Thursday evening and they show you the virus in action:

d