Busies/denials during emergencies - RFS wasting resources

[Scotty]

Another emergency, another day of busies.

Watching Horsley Park (145) today through Unitrunker on my home PC from work during the storms and it is at 100% capacity for at least 70% of the time. Busies/denials are occurring for all emergency services (SES, FRNSW, RFS, ASNSW) as well as the other users who need access (RMS, energy authorities, etc).

The main culprit seems to be the RFS - with many TG's not related to Sydney using up valuable space on the site. I am regularly noting up to 7 channels (of the 15 usable channels) being used by the RFS, leaving only 8 channels for all other users. Crazy.

Increasing capacity is one way to fix the issue, but why is there any need for the likes of The Lakes, Hunter Valley, Gosford, Chifley, ect constantly using up resources on a site in the middle of Sydney?

The restricting of TG's for specific areas to sites covering those areas should be implemented to prevent this from continuing to occur. Doing so would almost immediately eliminate capacity issues.

I understand RFS HQ may want to listen to to these channels, but there are more efficient ways of doing that that don't tie up resources.

[citabria]

Bring on Phase 2...!!!

[Scotty]

Is Phase 2 even on the cards for NSW? Even if it was it would be years away - a solution is needed far sooner than that. This is an issue that effects even the most well resourced sites during every major emergency.

[freqwaves]

NSW Rural Fire Service Headquarters
Street address: 15 Carter Street, Lidcombe NSW 2141
They are located 3km from Chullora so why don't they trunk off this site?
I don't know if they use directional yagis but maybe they should turn them around.

[Bigfella237]

Why would a statewide communications centre be trunking off any site, shouldn't their consoles be linked into the NOCC directly?

[Mr Flibble]

You would think that... 10 points for being optimistic... It's probably not the guys in the OCC that are causing the issues but people in their offices with their portable on particular talk groups... Every office in there has a couple of radios sitting in a charger

[Mike Alpha]

NSW Rural Fire Service Headquarters
Street address: 15 Carter Street, Lidcombe NSW 2141
They are located 3km from Chullora so why don't they trunk off this site?
I don't know if they use directional yagis but maybe they should turn them around.

Don't forget the Homebush RAS GRN site which is only 1klm away from RFS HQ.

Mike

[Mike Alpha]

Apparently Heathcote GRN site has been in site trunking mode since Monday.

Mike

[matthewn1983]

There's been a few sites, 145 been in ST as well a few times.

[system_tech]

Old news. GRN NOCC had this talk with RFS HQ numerously between 1995 and 2009.

Limiting talkgroups to geographic areas also discussed ... and not agreed.

Slow learners it appears.