Radios

[FyrFighterMook]

As a Jr, can you use the radio the sign into assignments or what ever? And are you aloud to use a portable for ground operations? I am but many of my surrounding companies do not let there Jrs use them. I guess its because the guys at my station know they can trust me. Usually the only thing I say is something like "Camden County, 6324 responding/on location/returning to station." Or "6322 to 6311, pick up the hydrant and connect to 6331 in Div. B." You know, just small stuff.

The first time I used the radio my lt. said to me "Mook, do you know how to use the radio?" I replied, "Yes I know how to use the D-mn radio, I've been waiting 10 years for this sh-t. Camden county 6324 responding!" He said, "Very good mook." But I guess it was more funny at the time.

[WFDjr1]

Yes, I can use them, but I rarely ever do, besides marking trucks responding, in service, etc. The last time I used the radio for operations, we were on an MVA, I was doing traffic control, and someone drove up and said that there was another wreck about 1/8th of a mile away, so I let EOC and the lieutenant on the truck know without walking all the way back to the truck. This was in early to mid-December.

[JRFireman]

Yes we are. An easy example I can think of is for when I become the hydrant man. I have also put us responding once, and the guy told me to do it.

[Custer 1647]

Yes, I (the only explorer) can use the radio to do on any business that needs to be completed. Getting paged out yes i say 1647 Enroute, or 1647 On The Scene so on so fourth. I do call for mutual aid departments sometimes and I am the radio operator when we are responding to a run which I am the passenger and have the free hands. I have 2 radios. One is a Motorola HT 600 and the other one is a Vertex VX-150 both are good radios. But yes I use the radio whenever I need to or when I try to get ahold of someone since we use a repeater system that covers about 150 mi area

[Station32]

Yes I am allowe to use the radio, And i am 99% of the time using the radio in the engine when we are responding because we are in a rural area the hole line officer thing is not as important so the Seniors usaully jump in the back we they have room to dress and use the pack seats since Jrs. can't go in i sit in the front passanger seat since it doesn't have a pack and use the radio and siren. Once again being not aloud to go in i end up with a portable when we get there because usually 1 out of the 3 in the pack team carries a radio so there is a extra.

[gordo5engine]

we have to get checked off on comunications first. but after that we usually end up with a radio in hand.

[firefighterox]

i am usually the one using the radio in the engine because i have a free hand and its safer for me to do it than the driver. i am usually on the first due engine. i call us enroute, in service, and sometimes call mutual aid. if i get lucky i can get my hands on a portable. not usually because we just started using portables in 2002 and we only have six of them.

[backdraft663]

i cant grab a hand held radio. there only 6 of them and there for the firefighters. but im aloud to talk on the radio in the truck (portable)and tell them were in route, if i can make it to copilit seat before anyone else takes it. our handhelds cost a couple thousand dollors cause there the new 800 mhz radios, as along with the truck mounted radios. but the only handheld us cadets can grab is the ones in the salvage truck but only us 3 cadets can communicate back and forth. we usually only use them for traffic.

[mgdrummer929]

At my station there just aren't many firefighters, especially ones that respond. We have 4 during the day and 10 at night. They essentially consider me a firefighter since I'm the only explorer at my station and because of the lack of firefighters. About 99% of the time I get an HT and use it to communicate with the other guys. I do a lot of hydrant work and tool running, but a lot of other stuff too.

[WFDjr1]

I don't think we as Juniors and Explorers should be allowed to ride front seat in the first out engine, ever. The only two trucks I ride front seat on are the truck and 2nd out engine, and I only ride front seat on those when the paid guys are at minimum staffing, and there are no other volunteers that wish to ride in that spot.

[mgdrummer929]

I just go where I am told by my officers. If that's in back, that's in back. If it's up front, it's up front.

[firefighterox]

backdraft you must have some good radios. ours are motorolas and only cost like 100 dollars per radio

[mdoddsjffhnfc]

Our Assistant Chief said that we can use the radios if we're in the front seat. We'll be going over the County Radio Procedure Manual this month so we'll have more knowledge on what were doing. My Assistant Chief even said that if one of us [juniors] is up front and the driver turns the radio/electric siren holder towards him to turn it back towards you because thats the job for you.

The 2 times i used the radio were for saying "Camden County, Engine 6911 Responding at Reduced Speed" and the 2nd was a portable when i was at the hydrant, "2912 from hydrant, we're ready" That one was for a call in Magnolia and they were way shorthanded to have one of there guys hit the hydrant.