FDNY COMPUTER ASSISTED DISPATCH SYSTEM

68jk09

68jk09

Joined
May 6, 2010
Messages
16,314
Report that the 1970 "STARFIRE" system has been replaced with "FIRECAD" in BX as of Monday 8-2-21.
 
Well in quarters and rigs system isn’t working like old was.
Runs received in quarters have assignments wrong. First due companies missing on ticket, etc..
On rig 10-84 not shown on other rigs MDTs, can’t go 10-8 on MDT, can’t put dispositions on MDT. Everything through dispatchers
 
bf231 said:
Well in quarters and rigs system isn’t working like old was.
Runs received in quarters have assignments wrong. First due companies missing on ticket, etc..
On rig 10-84 not shown on other rigs MDTs, can’t go 10-8 on MDT, can’t put dispositions on MDT. Everything through dispatchers
Click to expand...
Imagine that! A new system that's got just as many problems or more than the old one, you would think that the people designing it working contact nor testing in the real world!
 
Is Starfire running in parallel until they get things debugged? What is the new software going to do better?
 
Is this why over the last few days I’ve heard companies telling dispatch (more than normal) they’re 10-84 at the box? I just thought a lot of MDTs were down across the city.
 
Starfire was designed in a time of mainframe computers and punch card programming before personal computers, touch screens, internet or cell phones. It out-lasted many CAD systems that were installed later and became obsolete sooner. It remained operational into times and technologies that were unimagineable in its early days.
 
Lately Chicago has been having trouble with its radio and dispatch system, telling companies to monitor the radio as well as switching to fireground frequencies for dispatch.
 
Nothing will ever outdo the expertise of the dispatch personnel who knew every street within their borough, knew the status of the companies within their borough and had foresight to plan ahead with incoming alarms. No computers, no wizardry, just common sense and great knowledge. Those were the days!
 
Agreed. Back then, dispatching was as much a social event as a job. It was always impressive to those guys in action. Now, such talent is only useful for deciding barroom bets when a smart phone is not handy.
 
memorymaster said:
Nothing will ever outdo the expertise of the dispatch personnel who knew every street within their borough, knew the status of the companies within their borough and had foresight to plan ahead with incoming alarms. No computers, no wizardry, just common sense and great knowledge. Those were the days!
Click to expand...
My uncle was a dispatcher @ Boston's FAO on the Fenway in the 60-80's time frame. Those guys knew who went before the box even finished at the office. No computers, just a piece of paper and a pencil occasionally.
 
memorymaster said:
Nothing will ever outdo the expertise of the dispatch personnel who knew every street within their borough, knew the status of the companies within their borough and had foresight to plan ahead with incoming alarms. No computers, no wizardry, just common sense and great knowledge. Those were the days!
Click to expand...

"memorymaster", I'm with you 100 % in that. Those dispatchers were amazing and were the strongest link in the chain that held it all together.

Anyone not familiar with their abilities should listen to some of those FDNY War Years audios out there. I think some are posted on this site. I bought a set of audio cd's years ago. I've played many over and over many times. But I'm still amazed every time I hear those guys who held it all together.
We are Very Proud to have some of those GREAT FDNY Dispatchers as members here on this site.

It wasn't just the War Years either. It continued into the 1980s and somewhat into the 90s, as different neighborhoods of the city began to burn on a regular basis.

I remember visiting a couple of FDNY Dispatch Offices (before the merger into the combined 911 center in the Bronx). It was non stop activity and those dispatchers performed like perfect athletes in the Olympics, every day, every hour, and every minute that passed by.

You guys did a GREAT JOB.
 
Those War Years audios are great. Listening to the dispatchers juggling the jobs as they came in. Amazing and without GPS or any modern technology. I would have loved to have my radio back then to just listen to non stop action.
 
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