Photo courtesy of Universal-Macomb Ambulance Service, Inc.
I
received a call from Detroit last week.
It seems like a proposal has been made for emergency transport vehicles
(ambulances to civilians) to dump the use of Detroit's multi-million dollar
trunked 800 MHz system and go back to a single VHF channel at E911 for ambulance dispatching.
If
you are not familiar with the radio problems in Detroit, click here. Millions of dollars have been spent on
equipment and a highly touted maintenance program called Managed Services which is often used as the justification for sole source purchasing. Apparently, no other manufacturer is capable
of performing such high level service, but that's not our story. Our story is about common sense!
What
these articles omit is the fact that not only fire and police are dispatched on
the 800 MHz system, but ambulances as well.
Now, we are talking SERIOUS potential for loss of life. Over a generation ago, Michigan, as well as
most other states had a VHF radio system for ambulance/hospital communications
that worked. There is now a proposal to
bring a single channel VHF system back for primary ambulance dispatch communications!
A
2007 article that presents an overview of the generation old system is available by
clicking here. We've now been asked to assist in solving
the dispatch problem in Detroit. That's what we are here for. What's YOUR problem? We are available 24/7 at 205.202.1269. BTW, that 55 Caddie still looks pretty good doesn't it?
