Quote:
Originally Posted by lawn psycho
Strike a nerve did we?...Not trying to split hairs. By all means people should call 911 ASAP but while on the water a call via VHF has several benefits. If you have multiple passengers have one call on VHF and one on the phone. It would be interesting to see if they would dispatch the same agencies and have the same response tree......
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Nope, didn't strike a nerve at all...I am more interested in getting the most correct information out to folks that boat in New Hampshire waters.
Each State runs a different type of E911 dispatch center. For example, Maine's PSAP system is completely different than New Hampshire's.
In New Hampshire you will get the quickest and most accurate response by utilizing our centralized E911 system. That is not conjecture, but a simple fact. I have worked as a firefighter in New Hampshire under the original localized 911 system when it first arrived in the seventies. I have also worked the newer centralized system as a police officer for well over 20 years. I have worked first hand with the existing system for the past 14 years.
The emergency response system in New Hampshire has been designed to originate from Concord for a variety of safety, technical and personnel reasons. To bypass that system and attempt to contact local agencies direct, either by phone or radio, bypasses the safety features of the system. Additionally, many local dispatch centers are designed to have limited personnel on duty as there function is to dispatch local response personnel and not be tied up directly on the phone with multiple calls. For example If an agency only has one dispatcher on duty and they are inundated with direct calls or a lengthy single call it can and does delay dispatch of appropriate first responders.
You are obviously unfamiliar with New Hampshire's system and are giving out bad, potentially deadly advice.
But as not to beat a dead horse here I have made my point. The reader is free to determine which advice is more appropriate to follow.
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