Jefferson Firefighters
11-13-2008, 12:13 PM
We are currently using a radio system that is dangerously flawed.
Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Norman uses the same radio system with an extremely high transmission success rate and has offered his office's assistance and expertise, but to date CAA Deano Bonano has declined his help.
Primarily, the system suffers from an echo which renders transmissions difficult to understand; in some locations the radios are totally inoperable.
In the Lakeway Buildings, the new radio system required repeated attempts, in addition to physical movement throughout the buildings, to facilitate a successful broadcast. Additionally, at East Jefferson Hospital problems were encountered and radio broadcast were totally unsuccessful. This presents a danger on the fire scene because vital messages may not be received or transmitted.
As we learned during the 9/11 attacks, the lack of dependable communication resulted in massive loss of life to both fire personnel and the public, alike.
The majority of our firefighters have no radio equipment available to them during firefighting operations, which renders them incapable of communicating with incident commanders.
Until recently, we had several fire trucks that were not equipped with mobile radios compatible with the new radio system.
In response to our concerns about the faulty radio system, which were reported to CAA Bonano prior to its full implementation, Mr. Bonano simply suggested we could use hand signals when the radios aren’t functioning properly.
Common sense dictates that hand signals and intermittent radio transmissions are not acceptable, and they are not a substitute for a reliable communication system.
<O:p</O:p
CAA Deano Bonano continues to report the radio system fully operational, and a simple investigation would prove it is not.<O:p</O:p
Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Norman uses the same radio system with an extremely high transmission success rate and has offered his office's assistance and expertise, but to date CAA Deano Bonano has declined his help.
Primarily, the system suffers from an echo which renders transmissions difficult to understand; in some locations the radios are totally inoperable.
In the Lakeway Buildings, the new radio system required repeated attempts, in addition to physical movement throughout the buildings, to facilitate a successful broadcast. Additionally, at East Jefferson Hospital problems were encountered and radio broadcast were totally unsuccessful. This presents a danger on the fire scene because vital messages may not be received or transmitted.
As we learned during the 9/11 attacks, the lack of dependable communication resulted in massive loss of life to both fire personnel and the public, alike.
The majority of our firefighters have no radio equipment available to them during firefighting operations, which renders them incapable of communicating with incident commanders.
Until recently, we had several fire trucks that were not equipped with mobile radios compatible with the new radio system.
In response to our concerns about the faulty radio system, which were reported to CAA Bonano prior to its full implementation, Mr. Bonano simply suggested we could use hand signals when the radios aren’t functioning properly.
Common sense dictates that hand signals and intermittent radio transmissions are not acceptable, and they are not a substitute for a reliable communication system.
<O:p</O:p
CAA Deano Bonano continues to report the radio system fully operational, and a simple investigation would prove it is not.<O:p</O:p