Portable Radio's

[Karl Spackler]

Just wondering how many portable's are carried on your trucks.

[RES2CUEFF/PM]

My Department carries portables for each crew member/team. (Ie: four radios for four-six crew members)

[junkie123]

we have 2 on ours one for the officer and one for the pipeman

[SkyPilot]

My department has a radio for each FF (three) on the engine and one for each medic on the ambulance. We have a few extras in case they ever put a fourth on an engine. I also advised the chief that we should buy at least 14 more radios in the future if we wanted to have a radio for each FF when and if we reach that day we have four on an engine.

Brian Rueger
Capt. (Ret)
Hampton Div. of Fire & Rescue
http://hampton.gov/fire/splash.html

[ENGINE52ISHERE]

My station has 2 on each peace. I strongly disagree with the driver always snatching the portable in the back that’s there for the (lineman) but its whatever. I have suggested the department to get more radios for the equipment especially for the rescue squad that only has 2 of them. I guess they don’t under stand that it’s a safety issue and you may need to split into teams. I thought they passed a new NFPA rule to have more than 2 portables?

[Tick6665]

My station has 2 on each peace. I strongly disagree with the driver always snatching the portable in the back that’s there for the (lineman) but its whatever. I have suggested the department to get more radios for the equipment especially for the rescue squad that only has 2 of them. I guess they don’t under stand that it’s a safety issue and you may need to split into teams. I thought they passed a new NFPA rule to have more than 2 portables?

Thats not the case....it's a money issue that we have brought up several times to the County that we need more portables, but they keep turning the extra money down. We only get $2,000 every 6 months for radio's, portables, pagers, maint. One new portable cost around $2,500.00 and we can't buy anything unless we go through the County. I've purchased them on e-bay, and they will not program them, and we are in the process of getting a few more but the County cut our funds for radios again.

[ENGINE52ISHERE]

I was not bashing anything or anyone so keep that in mind. I was curious on how other departments went about there radio issues. I know a lot of departments and counties like Prince Georges County where I came from let everyone and there mother have one! Now I think that’s out of hand but I think after 9-11 they said everyone could have one due to safety issues.

[Karl Spackler]

My station has 2 on each peace. I strongly disagree with the driver always snatching the portable in the back that’s there for the (lineman) but its whatever. I have suggested the department to get more radios for the equipment especially for the rescue squad that only has 2 of them. I guess they don’t under stand that it’s a safety issue and you may need to split into teams. I thought they passed a new NFPA rule to have more than 2 portables?

Thats not the case....it's a money issue that we have brought up several times to the County that we need more portables, but they keep turning the extra money down. We only get $2,000 every 6 months for radio's, portables, pagers, maint. One new portable cost around $2,500.00 and we can't buy anything unless we go through the County. I've purchased them on e-bay, and they will not program them, and we are in the process of getting a few more but the County cut our funds for radios again.


we just purchased the motorola ht-1250 for $775 already programmed.

[5inchLDH]

We have at least 2 per piece, and carry 3 on the tower. We use the HT1000 for UHF communications (we're in PG County), and use the XTS5000R for mutual aide (since everyone around us uses 800mhz).

PG also has a program that allows individuals to purchase their own portables (not, to my knowledge, through the county). These portables don't count in the radio to apparatus assignment (so you can have 2 portables assigned to the piece, and 6 people, all of whom have their own personal portable).