FDNY no longer ALLOWS Volunteer EMS

[rdm258]

http://www.vosizneias.com/47160/2010/01/17/new-york-ny-fire-department-booted-volunteer-ambulance-companies-from-911-system/
FDNY banned the EMS Vollies from running 911 calls.

 

[LosBomberos2811]

The volunteers called Long's claim "ludicrous," and said the FDNY was playing semantics.

"It's a complete lie. They call us all the time. If not through their system, they call us on the mutual-aid radio system or just call us directly," said Gunning, who also heads the Glendale Volunteer crew.

This is false.  When I was EMS, one of the desks I operated was the the MARS....which was never on.  They would sometimes call us on the phone, but we would only notify the boss and ask them if they needed additional resources.  They would call in and tell us they where crewed, but we never gave them runs.  They are not VAQd into the 911 system and can not be tracked.   

 

[AuxWarYearsCapt]

LosBomberos2811..................I do not know what year you were in EMS, but your statement is incorrect. It is very TRUE that EMS called the vollies back in the days.  I belonged to the Middle Village Vollies from 1972 to 1998 and worked Saturday night from 1800 hrs to 0800 hrs sunday morning. Middle Village was designated as EMS Unit 94 John by EMS and received numerous calls thru the MARS system, which was installed in the Middle Village Vollie headquarters by a EMS radio tech. At the start of our tour we would radio the MARS desk from our headquarters to log into service. After that we would do a radio test with the MARS disp. via our portable MARS radio which was also issued to us by EMS. Back then the usual disp for Mars was Mr. Howie Berger who always was on every Saturday night. After we received a call from the EMS MARS board, we would have to follow the same radio rules as a regular EMS unit, 10-88 at scene, 10-82 to hospital ( 32, 39, 58 etc ), 10-88 at hospital and 10-98. This was also followed up by a phone call to the MARS desk to see if any other info was needed by EMS. And YES we were the only unit that responded to the call and received a call ID # the same as any other EMS unit would have received. We did receive the some calls via the MARS radio, but in the most part we received the call from EMS MARS via our HOTLINE PHONE NUMBER. And also please note that we had also received emergency EMS calls via the Queens Board by the disp's, a few that I know for a fact that are still dispatching on the Queens Board as of this date. ( Mark E Mark ) you were in the old days and are still now the best of the best in dispatching.  

And this issue regarding the EMS MARS radio regarding the vollies did not only apply to Middle Village V.A.C., it also included the Glendale, Ridgewood, Forest Hills and Woodhaven Vollies.

 

[LosBomberos2811]

I worked in EMS from 99-05.  My last stop was in EMD.  I was the QUeens E-W and Manhattan S Dispatcher and when not working those desks I did the ARD thing or the Divert, Tracking, and overflow desks.  The MARS radio was never on as far as I can remember.  When in  training as a RD and ARD they told me it was used back before my time, but not used anymore.

I never entered a vollie unit as active and I never gave the vollies a job.  I would get phone calls from them when they wanted ALS, in that case I created a job and set it to the appropriate board.  The VACs aren't in any of or dispatch matrix. The only VAC I remember really talking to much was Hatzollah they always called for ALS, then would cancel before the unit went 88, but it was over the phone and not the MARS. 

 

[rdm258]

Is that the same for the Central Park Vollie EMS?

 

[QUEENS1985]

I think this article is meant to say we aren't going to get logged on. A few months back we got word that the FDNY is going to put us on the 911 system; giving us radios, unit #'s, and MDT's. NYC REMSCO was discussing it with the chief of EMS, and i guess they decided not to do it.