GPS

[ENG27SQ]

With GPS systems becoming a big thing. How many of you have them in your trucks of Chief Buggys? We recently installed some on our units. 1 in the Chiefs Buggy, 1 in the Ambo and 1 in the Rescue Engine.


Haven't had a call yet to use them but what's everyones take on these? Are they a positive addition? Or just another piece of equipment for the officer to play with along with the Q2B and Radio?

[Kramer]

we just put one in 4112, and are gettin one for the chiefs truck i believe...havent needed it yet, but seems like a great tool from just playing with the one in 12

[mumbles181]

At my Paid Company we've placed into service GPS/AVL (Global Positioning System/Automatic Vehicle Locator) units on every truck. We are using Verizon Units. The system had a rocky start but after an upgrade from verizon it works wonderfully. Calls are going to the closest available unit, we can send directions to the units MDTs, along with two way messages. If they are out of the truck we can set the system up to forward messages to the truck cell phone. If your thinking about getting GPS it's well worth it to get the full package GPS/AVL.

[3101]

I have my own personal GPS unit in my command vehicle. It is a Garmin StreetPilot 330 and I move it around from vehicle to vehicle, whatever I happen to be driving. It has come in handy many times when the pager goes off, old age kicks in, and suddenly I can't remember for the life of me where that damn street is, you know.... the one I drive past a couple of times a week!!

Hopefully in the near future all of our apparatus and command vehicles will have laptop computers and GPS will be included.

[WebBoss]

If you have the Garmin's with the audio outputs, and firecom headsets, it's very easy to plug the Garmin's into the headsets for play by play directions. Just something to share if you wern't already aware of it.

[PtFireGuy]

I've Noticed a few times while using my GPS unit that it is sometimes slow and tends to not be able to keep up with me. Are the GPS units gonna be able to keep up with some of our countys "safe" fire truck drivers?

[3105]

ptfireguy said:

I've Noticed a few times while using my GPS unit that it is sometimes slow and tends to not be able to keep up with me. Are the GPS units gonna be able to keep up with some of our countys "safe" fire truck drivers?

Sounds to me like one more compelling reason to slow down.....

[voyager9]

ptfireguy said:

I've Noticed a few times while using my GPS unit that it is sometimes slow and tends to not be able to keep up with me. Are the GPS units gonna be able to keep up with some of our countys "safe" fire truck drivers?

Since the military use GPS to guide Cruise Missiles, I tend to think you are driving way too fast.

I can see GPS as useful for finding streets/addresses but we really shouldn't need them for turn-by-turn directions. We should be familiar enough with our locals to know how to get from A->B once we're reminded where B is.

[Kramer]

voyager9 said:

ptfireguy said:

I've Noticed a few times while using my GPS unit that it is sometimes slow and tends to not be able to keep up with me. Are the GPS units gonna be able to keep up with some of our countys "safe" fire truck drivers?

I can see GPS as useful for finding streets/addresses but we really shouldn't need them for turn-by-turn directions. We should be familiar enough with our locals to know how to get from A->B once we're reminded where B is.

our locals we should know, but i think the reason to get the gps system isnt for the local, but if you get called to the opposite end of the county or even state for a cover or major assignment. some recent instances being the warren grove fire, the southampton pig barn, and flotowns job the other night. we got it for that end of the spectrum as opposed to our 1 square mile local

[ENG27SQ]

My argument is now that we're training with mutual aid companies as well as us being on their grids, why not have the GPS? I don't know where every street in Tabernacle is, or Southampton, or Ocean County. I personally think they are great tools, if they are used properly.

[voyager9]

fire292rescue said:

My argument is now that we're training with mutual aid companies as well as us being on their grids, why not have the GPS? I don't know where every street in Tabernacle is, or Southampton, or Ocean County. I personally think they are great tools, if they are used properly.

I 100% agree that GPS is a useful too and has its place on the apparatus. I don't think the officer/driver should have his head buried in it for most of the calls.

The one advantage I see with the built-in systems vs commercial GPS units is the ability to add an overlay with all the hydrants, LZ's, special points. I'm sure you can do that with the hand-helds but maintaining that list would be a pain.

[ENG27SQ]

voyager9 said:

fire292rescue said:

My argument is now that we're training with mutual aid companies as well as us being on their grids, why not have the GPS? I don't know where every street in Tabernacle is, or Southampton, or Ocean County. I personally think they are great tools, if they are used properly.

I 100% agree that GPS is a useful too and has its place on the apparatus. I don't think the officer/driver should have his head buried in it for most of the calls.

The one advantage I see with the built-in systems vs commercial GPS units is the ability to add an overlay with all the hydrants, LZ's, special points. I'm sure you can do that with the hand-helds but maintaining that list would be a pain.

I agree with you voyager, the driver needs to drive, plain and simple. The officer, well we all know what jobs the officer of the apparatus has while en-route to a call. Normally, me being one of the (if not the first) first ones arriving at the station I'll punch the address in before we get the truck outside so who ever rides the seat whether it be me or an officer, it's already set to go. One less thing to frustrate the officer. Cause I know running the radio, finger on the Q2B, foot on the air horn, the last thing we need is to be punching an address in on the way.

[voyager9]

fire292rescue said:

One less thing to frustrate the officer. Cause I know running the radio, finger on the Q2B, foot on the air horn, the last thing we need is to be punching an address in on the way.

That and think about route-of-travel, hydrants, reports, sizeup, intersections, getting the pack on with the seatbelt on, and "Did I leave the stove on?"

The other thing I was thinking is that the route recommended by the GPS may not be the best for us. We have to consider water supply, other responding apparatus and time of day.

[PtFireGuy]

voyager9 said:

ptfireguy said:

I've Noticed a few times while using my GPS unit that it is sometimes slow and tends to not be able to keep up with me. Are the GPS units gonna be able to keep up with some of our countys "safe" fire truck drivers?

Since the military use GPS to guide Cruise Missiles, I tend to think you are driving way too fast.

I can see GPS as useful for finding streets/addresses but we really shouldn't need them for turn-by-turn directions. We should be familiar enough with our locals to know how to get from A->B once we're reminded where B is.

Good Point. I wasnt thinking about it to that aspect.

[ENG27SQ]

voyager9 said:

fire292rescue said:

One less thing to frustrate the officer. Cause I know running the radio, finger on the Q2B, foot on the air horn, the last thing we need is to be punching an address in on the way.

That and think about route-of-travel, hydrants, reports, sizeup, intersections, getting the pack on with the seatbelt on, and "Did I leave the stove on?"

The other thing I was thinking is that the route recommended by the GPS may not be the best for us. We have to consider water supply, other responding apparatus and time of day.

Seems as the job just gets more of a load everyday eh? lol

[3101]

admin said:

If you have the Garmin's with the audio outputs, and firecom headsets, it's very easy to plug the Garmin's into the headsets for play by play directions. Just something to share if you weren't already aware of it.

I usually have the volume turned down. I don't need turn by turn directions most of the time to streets in Moorestown, I just sometimes need a reminder of where the street is. The best part is the GPS will usually put you within one house of the address you are looking for with a few exceptions.

Responding to out of town calls is a little different. I need directions but not until I am in the area because I am familiar with many of my mutual aid areas.

[shader101]

since its a option in most new vehicles will prob be a good option in all new emer services vehilces and it would be nice if the county,maybe the state on bid, would get involved for some standarization and ease of mapoverlays for hyd local,draft points/ lzs ect in any and all districts across the area like a mapshare any new tec stuff that makes our jobs a little easier and safer can't be a bad thing

[galiean251]

We have them in the Chief's car, the Duty Engine and the Quint on the Fire side and all of the Rigs on the EMS side.

I think that once the systems can have more data stored within them they'll be indispensable on fire calls, but most consumer units can only hold about 200 custom points where a town like Medford that's less than a third of the hydrants - not to mention the non-hydrant side of town. Even in rural towns, that would be maxed out with draft points or water supply information pretty easily (Keith can vouch for the quick GPS data collection we put together back when I ran out there on his end of the woods - it was over 100 points on a pair of handheld GPS units and that was only part of Woodland and Pemberton).

On the EMS side, I've used them considerably more - especially if we're going to a hospital that I'm not as familiar with or get dispatched out-of-area the minute we clear from MHBC, etc.

As for the earlier person who mentioned the GPS not being able to keep up with them - this is a common complaint with the older Garmins, and we've seen that here too - but it's never happened with the Magellans at the Squad and the Mivos or the newer Garmins we have.

-- Sean

[1900]

We have Garmin GPS' in RE-1911 and U-1918 the guys like them, we stil have maps and are not focused directly on the GPS, but we do run alot of mutual aid and it is a helpful tool...but it is a tool not a solve all.

I have Garmin GPS on the laptop in the Chiefs buggy same system as 1600...it was cheap and works...I have made all of our hydrants way points so its a cheap and effective way to mark our hydrant...I can make any special hazard or anything flagged a way point...I have also made the forset fire towers way points and I can locate a fire from there info, or give info back to them...and it has been dead on balls accurate in that aspect...

It also has a measuring tool, which would be helpful when deciding hose lays or tanker shuttles...

In all they are good tools, I hope to add the laptop to the RE in early 08...

[RngrVnc33]

Notebook in the AMBO has a wireless card, so MAPQUEST.com works for me in a jam........

-Knott-