Live Dispatch is Entertaining
Nov 24th, 2006 by Alex
A friend of mine runs a server that streams live dispatch for Loudon County Fire & Rescue using the same software that I used to stream MP3’s to buddies in college. Pretty cool use of technology if you ask me. I quickly discovered that some guy does the same for Anne Arundel County Fire Department (out of his home, no less) and I spent a couple hours listening while watching Comedy Central tonight.
Just like listening for your Metro station, sometime it’s hard to understand what’s being said. But in the course of two hours I distinctly heard two calls for breathing difficulties, one call for an injured person, one call for chest pain, one call for seizures, someone fainting at Texas Roadhouse on Mountain Road, and one cardaic arrest on account of a shooting. You never know what’s going to come next. So it’s somewhat morbid, but quite fascinating. Especially so since you’re intimately familiar with most of the locations being mentioned.
The most interesting call was rather cryptic. The fire department was directed to respond to the upstairs bathroom of the Gold’s Gym at Marley Station Mall. Since an ambulance wasn’t requested, I was wondering what could be a fire hazard in a bathroom. Ten minutes later the follow-up call came through; a wall-mounted paper towel dispenser had caught fire. Perhaps I’m naive, but only in Pasadena do people think it’s entertaining to light a paper towel dispenser on fire at half past seven on a Friday night. Sheesh.
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