BOSTON MASSACHUSETTS FIRE DEPARTMENT
Boston - The Hub of the Universe - Capitol City of The Commonwealth/State of Massachuestts
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Table of Contents
1. Latest News
2. Quick Links
3. Radio Test History
4. Radio Callsigns
5. Radio Messages on A Typical Box Alarm
6. Radio Procedures
7. Dispatch - # of Dispatchers On Duty
8. News Stories - 1999 + 2000
9. New Rigs
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Paul Christian Named New Chief - March 2000
Changes For BFD/EMS Dispatching - April 2000 - 1 Man Dies
Photos of Fire and EMS Units at a 2 Alarmer near Boston Common - August 2000
The "First Due" website has great photos of the 9 alarmer in South Boston from ?September 2000 (Jan01)
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Quick Links
BFD Radio System - Detailed Info - by PS
1982 Study of BFD by John T OHagan Associates
Eliot's Boston FD Webpage with Ton's of Info
Profile, Roster, and Photos of BFD - by John Galla - 3/99
For more info, please go to the Boston Fire Department WebSite
For more, more info, please go to the Boston Fire Buffs WebSite
For more, more, more info go to Zerg On BFD at www.geocities.com/45peter
BOSTON FD RADIO ONLINE LIVE - at www.intap.net (Providence Citywide firebuffs website)
Chief Pierce's Rebuttal to Boston Globe - ?Feb 1999 - From BFD Website
List of Boston Stations and Units plus list of fire box groups and list of old Engine Company names
There is a Online Guide to the BFD on the Internet somewhere - maybe you can link to it from the Boston Fire Buff's Site - Joe Brooks is possibly the author
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Radio Tests
1999 + 2000 - none (except Sunday mornings some district chiefs do tests in various subway stations)
Back in 1970s they tested all mobile radios at 9AM - they had units from Boston Navy Yard (E1 - South Boston + E2 - Charlestown) and Hanscom AFB Engine 11 (foam truck) and Logan Engine 1 and ?Quincy Eng 7 and Brookline Eng 1 + ?2 - all on 33.74 - then around 1972 they started adding more HTs - portable radio checks were done initially on 153.89 for all units - this was phased out around ?1975.(At 7PM - on 33.74 - they would test E31 and E47 - the fireboats - and E54 (on Long Island) - and R1, R2, Lighting Plants - ?1975 to ?1985).
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Radio Callsigns
Car 3 = District 3 Chief
Car 3 hundred = D3's
Aide/Driver
C 6 = Deputy Fire Chief On Duty/N
Division
C 6-hundred = C6's Aide/Driver
C 7 =
Deputy Chief On Duty/S Division
H 1 = Safety Chief
On Duty
H 100 = H1's Aide/Driver
Engine 2 =
Officer on Engine 2 on the mobile radio
Portable
Engine 2 = Officer of Engine 2 on his portable
radio
Engine 2's Pump = Pump Operator of Engine 2
on the mobile radio
Ladder 2 Roof = the 2nd
portable radio on Ladder 2
Rescue 101 or Rescue 1A
= 2nd portable on Rescue 1 (?impromptu)
Rescue 1
Piece = mobile radio on Rescue 1
12/99 "Engine 2
chauffeur" heard
January 2001 - "Engine 28 Hydrant" + "Rescue 1 Roof" + "Rescue 100" + "Tower Chauffeur" are some recently heard callsigns for portable radios
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Dispatch Operations - Radio Messages on a Typical Box Alarm
A typical dispatch for a building fire goes like this - attention tone - Striking box 1761 for 25 Columbia Rd, striking box 1761 for 21 Columbia Rd - 483.1625R - beeep - box beeped two rounds - 30 seconds later - Box 1761 has been tranmitted for 25 Columbia Rd, Box 1761 has been transmitted for 25 Columbia Rd, OK Car 7? - Car 7 is responding - Engine 21 to Fire Alarm - Fire Alarm answering Engine 21 - Engine 21 is at 25 Columbia Rd, we have smoke showing - OK Engine 21 you are at 25 Columbia Rd with smoke showing - all companies responding to Box 1761 switch to Channel 2, Channel 2 is the fireground channel for box 1761 - 483.1875R - Eng 21 to 21's pump - charge the line! - Car 7 to Fire Alarm - Fire Alarm answering Car 7 - Car 7 is at Box 1761 - OK Car 7 you are at Box 1761 (Car 7 is now IC) - Car 7 to Fire Alarm - Fire Alarm answering Car 7 - Fire Alarm strike the 2nd alarm on Box 1761 order of Chief Dunbar - OK Car 7, on the orders of Car 7 we will strike the 2nd alarm on Box 1761 - 483.1625R - beeeep - 2 beeps + 1761 beeped - repeated - beeeeep - Fire Alarm to Engines 3, 52, 20, Ladders 29, 6, Tower 1 - respond to the 2nd alarm on Box 1761 for 25 Columbia Rd - OK Engine 3? - Eng 3 OK - OK Eng 52? - Eng 52 responding - OK Eng 20? - Eng 20 has it - Ladder 29? - Ldr 29 OK - Ldr 6? - Ldr 6 OK - Tower 1? - Tower 1 OK - 2nd alarm has been transmitted for Box 1761 for 25 Columbia Rd - OK C7? - C7 OK - Channel 2 is the fireground channel for Box 1761 - All companies responding to and working at Box 1761 use Channel 2.
If the first arriving units have nothing showing, they will tell the dispatcher to issue a Code C - "Fire Alarm to all companies responding to box 1262, Code C" - this means - slow down, turn off your sirens, proceed to the box location with the normal flow of traffic. (Code Cs were started around 1994)
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Radio Procedures
Still alarms (1 or 2 company responses) are not announced on Channel 1 - all other calls are announced on Channel 1. Boxes are beeped on Channel 1 and some administrative paging is done there also.
On Channel 5 - 453.65 - you will hear stations/companies being dispatched to incidents if they are first or 2nd due - this channel is shared with a local prison hospital and is not used at all times by BFD - only the dispatcher transmits on this channel - stations acknowledge via the telegraph system with 3 blows
Apartment numbers for incidents are not broadcast until the first arriving units calls off at the scene. The first arriving unit always gives the address at which they are arriving.
The dispatchers use the "echo" method - they repeat all messages (in their entirety) that are received from units in the field.
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Dispatch Operations
A minimum of 5 dispatchers are on duty at all times at the Fire Alarm Office (Fire Dispatch Center) which is located at 59 the Fenway near Fenway Park (home of the Boston Red Sox baseball team). Depending on vacations, schedules , and sick days, up to 8 dispatchers may be on duty at any one time.
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NEWS STORIES
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February 1999 news articles in the Boston Globe newspaper about the BFD
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May 24, 1999 - Firefighter Union President Neal Santangelo is in trouble with the Law - something about unauthorized obtaining of a credit card and theft of $1000. Also - car fire in the Small Car Shop at Fire HQ happened Sunday afternoon. (Sept00 - on Boston Firefighters Union website - some action was ?voted against Mr Santangelo)
In the Boston Globe - 7/?28/99 - $2,000 in checks dissappeared off someones desk in the Fire Prevention Office
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Thanksgiving Dinner and Life at Station 33 - November 1999
21 January 2000 Boston Globe - article about 58 page management report on BFD
April 2000 - EMS/FD Dispatch Problems Take A Life
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January 2001 - there are ongoing frictions between the Mayor and the firefighters Union. The Chief Financial Officer of the City is the Acting Fire Commissioner.
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New Rigs -
In June and July of 1999 Boston FD will give E16, E17, E24, and E41 1999 Emergency One 1250GPM/750gal pumpers - the old E41 will go to E51
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per July 1999 Fire House Magazine - minimum staffing is 4 people per Engine Company and 5 people per Ladder Company
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Compiled - 3/15/99
Updated - 4/29/99 - 5/29/99 - 6/29/99 - 11/27/99 - 12/26/99 - 3/23/00 - 28Apr00 - 15May00 (BFD/EMS dispatch problem)(station list) - 15Sept00 (radio info + moved to link)(1982 Study) - 23Oct00 (photos 2 alarmer) - 30Jan01 (misc info)