CAP Talk

Operations => Emergency Services & Operations => Topic started by: kc2ush on June 01, 2009, 07:17:53 PM

Title: do the any of the ground teams use pagers
Post by: kc2ush on June 01, 2009, 07:17:53 PM
i was wondering if any of the ground teams use pagers that is if we even have them
Title: Re: do the any of the ground teams use pagers
Post by: fireplug on June 01, 2009, 07:27:19 PM
AZ Wing members use a private paging service. Memebers buy/rent pagers and the Wing pays for the air time.
Title: Re: do the any of the ground teams use pagers
Post by: Eclipse on June 01, 2009, 09:11:24 PM
Pagers like this?
(http://tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:gfgbuMUIizfVfM:http://depts.washington.edu/uwmcdir/home/pager.jpg)

No.  At least not unless the member already has one and happens to give that as their alert number.

Its 2009, every phone sold has text capability and most member use it.  Our our-calls are done via a wing-wide text backed up with email.

Title: Re: do the any of the ground teams use pagers
Post by: IceNine on June 01, 2009, 09:18:43 PM
I thought about one time getting the pagers like they use at restraunts.  And when the GTL or aircrew gets a tasking you just dial in their number.  For use at missions only of course.

Instead what I did the last time I ran Ground Branch was immediately form GT's based off of the incoming resource list, have the GTL sit at a table and start a 109.  And then I loaded their cell into my email.

When I needed them I just emailed an SMS (Text message) to their cell to report back to my desk for briefing.  Worked well as long as they had kept track of where their team members had been re-assigned so they could gather them quickly.
Title: Re: do the any of the ground teams use pagers
Post by: RADIOMAN015 on June 02, 2009, 01:55:41 AM
Quote from: kc2ush on June 01, 2009, 07:17:53 PM
i was wondering if any of the ground teams use pagers that is if we even have them

Personally, unless the paging system (or sms text messaging) is set up properly, you may get pages/text messages that don't pertain to you e.g. you are in the western part of the state & there's a mission in the eastern part of the state.  That was one of the reason I took myself off the wing page network.
   
Appropriate personnel (sq commander, sq es officer, wing comm officer, etc) all have my home, work, & cellphone numbers.  IF they need me they can call me (and they do ;D).

I think many missions are actually handled by individual calls to individual members and not as a general page anyways.  (Actually they try paging and no one responds so they have to call key personnel anyways)  Most people don't have their pagers or cellphones on at 0200 hrs in the morning.

It cost enough to be in CAP as it is, why add more cost ???  Use what you have availabe to you, e.g. cellphone as well as the regular wireline phone.
RM     
Title: Re: do the any of the ground teams use pagers
Post by: Flying Pig on June 02, 2009, 02:12:16 AM
They still make pagers?
Title: Re: do the any of the ground teams use pagers
Post by: Stonewall on June 02, 2009, 02:29:06 AM
I remember in the late 80s going to Radio Shack to inquire about pagers for ground team use.  So friggin expensive.  Had to buy multiple pagers with a system to support it.

Like we were so important and part of some elite rapid deployment SAR team...ahh my cadet daze...I miss them...

Um yeah, no, can't see anyone using pagers these days.  Text alerts, yes, to cell phones.
Title: Re: do the any of the ground teams use pagers
Post by: EMT-83 on June 02, 2009, 02:30:18 AM
Yes, they still make pagers. My old 150 MHz pager works in areas where cell phones don't penetrate into buildings, something like half of my server rooms.
Title: Re: do the any of the ground teams use pagers
Post by: Eclipse on June 02, 2009, 02:31:29 AM
Quote from: RADIOMAN015 on June 02, 2009, 01:55:41 AM
Personally, unless the paging system (or sms text messaging) is set up properly, you may get pages/text messages that don't pertain to you e.g. you are in the western part of the state & there's a mission in the eastern part of the state.  That was one of the reason I took myself off the wing page network.

In my state you simply would not be called.

We page wing-wide., I've never heard of anyone complaining.

Most of our members want to know what's going on in the state, whether it effects them or not. 
Title: Re: do the any of the ground teams use pagers
Post by: RADIOMAN015 on June 04, 2009, 10:26:53 PM
Quote from: Eclipse on June 02, 2009, 02:31:29 AM
Quote from: RADIOMAN015 on June 02, 2009, 01:55:41 AM
Personally, unless the paging system (or sms text messaging) is set up properly, you may get pages/text messages that don't pertain to you e.g. you are in the western part of the state & there's a mission in the eastern part of the state.  That was one of the reason I took myself off the wing page network.

In my state you simply would not be called.

We page wing-wide., I've never heard of anyone complaining.

Most of our members want to know what's going on in the state, whether it effects them or not.
Well actually our wing alert system allows email alerts which I kept.   Always somewhat humerous to see the pleas for assistance being sent out at 0200 hrs in the morning with no responses (which I can see the next day, based upon the number of message that were sent out) :(   Even Volunteer FD's have specific groups (A,B,C,D) they run on alert for a specific time.  For ANY CAP wing to just put out a generic page & hope someone replies is a receipe for disaster :-[.   As I said before, I'm not hiding and they know how to get in touch with me depending upon what time of the day it is.  Same applies to most members.  That's really why we have a chain of command in the first place, why circumvent it with a paging system ???  Also IF you want to run a specific alert/response group/team for a specific geographic response area (with the team members on standby, ideally a specific squadron), that is also fine with me.  HOWEVER, the pager system just may not work at certain times of the day (e.g. 0000 to 0600 hrs local). 
RM
Title: Re: do the any of the ground teams use pagers
Post by: DBlair on June 04, 2009, 10:29:40 PM
Whoa... Pagers still exist?

I remember in the 1990s when we used to have pagers as part of our alert system, but I had no idea that these were still in use.
Title: Re: do the any of the ground teams use pagers
Post by: Hill CAP on June 04, 2009, 10:48:32 PM
Quote from: kc2ush on June 01, 2009, 07:17:53 PM
i was wondering if any of the ground teams use pagers that is if we even have them

Virginia Still uses the MetroCall Pagers for all there ES People, You buy the pager it has a number for just CAP and a blank spot where you can have a private pager number also if you wish.

The pagers look like (http://g-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/amapedia/63/89/09/A3EEYKONBMQWQW_1166574098963._SL300_.jpg)

Works well except anywhere south of Roanoke cause the serves doesn't reach that far.

FLWG has Text to Cellphone.
Title: Re: do the any of the ground teams use pagers
Post by: Tubacap on June 05, 2009, 02:18:11 AM
What type of system use for the all call text to cell phones?  Do they pull the data from eServices?
Title: Re: do the any of the ground teams use pagers
Post by: Polecat on June 05, 2009, 02:26:24 AM
Just to let us know when the 80's are calling.  ;)
Title: Re: do the any of the ground teams use pagers
Post by: Eclipse on June 05, 2009, 02:27:43 AM
In my Wing, those who want to be on the ES call-up roster submit their number to Wing.

They have set up with the various cel services that the originating system is not spamming the text pagers.
Title: Re: do the any of the ground teams use pagers
Post by: MikeD on June 10, 2009, 01:16:32 AM
I've got 2 of the 3 CAWG email "paging" systems set to get forwared to my cell phone from gmail.  T-Mobile only has my cell number as the email address, and eServices and/or CAWG's system can't deal with email address that are only numbers. 
Title: Re: do the any of the ground teams use pagers
Post by: brasda91 on June 10, 2009, 10:14:34 AM
I have a text pager, funded by the squadron.  No camera cell phones where I work.