WA Radio Scanner Users' Group

This is my first post in here. I only registered about a week or so ago but I have been observing this forum for several months.

There are a couple of points I would like to clear up about comments that have been made about various things.

The crash on the Mitchell Fwy and ZO100's comment about the M.R.D. green lights and cameras.

The M.R.D. in East Perth operate a computerised system called S.C.A.T.S. which enables the operator to control the t.c.l.'s with a few simple key strokes via a computer located in their control room.

Those of you who listened to what was happening at the scene of the crash may recall a request was made to extend the time the green light was operating at the Vincent st exit to allow more traffic to exit the Fwy more quickly.

Each of the emergency services has a dedicated phone number which puts them in direct contact with the duty controller at the M.R.D.

What usually happens is the emergency control room V.K.I. S.J.A. and to a lesser extent F.E.S.A. will phone the M.R.D. advising them of an up coming incident which then enables the operator at the M.R.D. to pull out pre planned routes from just about every outer metro location to every major hospital or other location as required in the Metro area.

When everything is set to go the person riding shotgun will contact the contoller by mobile phone with a location approaching ....

A good example of this is the high speed organ (heart lung et'c) escorts from R.P.H. and occassionally QE2 to the airport which are done by the Police.

The organs are taken from the deceased at the last possible moment to coincide with the departure of the aircraft from the aiport and the organs and the doctor are conveyed to the airport by the police.

Unlike the old days when the police would block intersections for this and high speed ambulance escorts the police use 2 cars both are class 1 vehicles and both drivers are pusuit qualified.

The reason 2 cars are used is in case one breaks down or crashes the other one can take over and hopefully complete the escort.

The officer riding shot gun usually in the 2nd car maintains direct contact with the controller via mobile phone constantly updating him / her with their location and the lights are changed accordingly enabling a nonstop high speed run.

I hope that explains how and what happens.


Another point that was raised was the broadcasting of Police officer's mobile phone numbers over the Police Radio Network (I can't find the thread now)

The numbers you do hear broadcast are company numbers (owned by the Police Service) which are changed every couple of years. There is a couple of sections that have elected to retain their numbers indefinitely and not change them when the others are.

It is very rare for a private number to be given out over the radio and this is only done with the express permission of the officer concerned and this only accurs when the matter is of an urgent nature.

All mobile phone numbers are kept on a data base which can be accessed by V.K.I. and the various I.M.U.'s.

Usually the officer requesting the phone number is contacted by phone and the number they are requesting is supplied to him or her over the phone.

I hope this explains that point

just.nosey wrote: Each of the emergency services has a dedicated phone number which puts them in direct contact with the duty controller at the M.R.D.

What usually happens is the emergency control room V.K.I. S.J.A. and to a lesser extent F.E.S.A. will phone the M.R.D. advising them of an up coming incident which then enables the operator at the M.R.D. to pull out pre planned routes from just about every outer metro location to every major hospital or other location as required in the Metro area.

Welcome aboard I spoke to a close friend who's been a paramedic with SJA for 7 yrs and he told me he's never seen or heard of M.R.D. controlling lights for them and there's no "pre planeed routes".

Plus with two people in the van, one driving and one looking after the sick in there back doesn't leave anyone else to be on a phone. Police doing escorts, yep heard of them being on the phone updating M.R.D.

Basically brings me back to the point of, unless M.R.D. have a traffic monitoring camera at the lights and can see a vehicle approaching it would be a bit hard to know whats going on.

Be assured I do know what I am talking about and there is most definitely pre planned routes and those routes have existed for about 20 years and are updated on a regular basis eg when the Graham Farmer Fwy was built extensions to the Roe Hwy and the Kwinana Fwy were made. I conceed it's more common for the country ambulances to use them than the metro ambulances but they do exist and are available. I have seen the sheets and have used them myself over the years both in the old days when the Police would man the intersections and more recently using the S.C.A.T. system.

just.nosey congratulations. your information is very good and accurate S.C.A.T.S. is a working model in W.A.... it is controlled by the M.R.D. and iwrks a treat. Next time you here an emergency service calling for the use of it, watch the locations and lights ... you will understand and support the idea

just.nosey wrote:Be assured I do know what I am talking about and there is most definitely pre planned routes and those routes have existed for about 20 years and are updated on a regular basis eg when the Graham Farmer Fwy was built extensions to the Roe Hwy and the Kwinana Fwy were made. I conceed it's more common for the country ambulances to use them than the metro ambulances but they do exist and are available. I have seen the sheets and have used them myself over the years both in the old days when the Police would man the intersections and more recently using the S.C.A.T. system.

I have no reason to doubt you and from your info I figured you work in the control room above the tunnel What does S.C.A.T. stand for, I'll get my mate to ask some operators if they know about it.

He said he's never seen any routes in there operations centre and wouldn't really help because they go to hospital different ways all the time depending traffic and how easy others on the roads are making it.

BTW, He thinks perhaps the lights are controlled by the taxi's commision. If you sit at a set of traffic lights the next set are green and then when yours go green they turn red before you get to them

I have no reason to doubt you and from your info I figured you work in the control room above the tunnel What does S.C.A.T. stand for, I'll get my mate to ask some operators if they know about it.

Sydney Co-ordinated Adaptive Traffic System.

Just FYI, many major tcl intersections can be changed by remote control and there a alot of cameras placed at various major intersections and all along the freeway...this is public information...

these can be accessed via Dept of Transport or MRD (i think) website where you can view traffic on line...

They even have a camera over the intersection of Pinjarra Rd and The Mandurah Bypass

Urgent medical/ambulance escorts do follow (or at least used to where possible) predetermined priority access routes to enable the quickest and safest route to the required destination...

This is information that i was aware of when i worked briefly in a city hospital's emergency admissions area some time ago...

I believe it can now be co-ordinated via control rooms, vehicles involved and cameras if necessary...

No I don't work for the M.R.D. and I never have.

I do believe there is a plan in place that will enable Emergency Vehicles to change the direction the Green light is being displayed but to the best of my knowledge this has not been implemented yet.

I have been told that F.E.S.A. can control the tcl's in the C.B.D. from their control room but how true this is I am not sure perhaps if there is someone from F.E.S.A. in this forum they might like to confirm or deny this.

just.nosey wrote:No I don't work for the M.R.D. and I never have.

I do believe there is a plan in place that will enable Emergency Vehicles to change the direction the Green light is being displayed but to the best of my knowledge this has not been implemented yet.

I have been told that F.E.S.A. can control the tcl's in the C.B.D. from their control room but how true this is I am not sure perhaps if there is someone from F.E.S.A. in this forum they might like to confirm or deny this.

I've been in there a few times and can confirm that no, they cant do this !

Thanks for that Fastlane, As I said I wasn't sure I believe there are plans a foot in this area as well, which is being modeled on the system that is in use in Auckland N.Z. however this could still be some time away.

There is a system in the UK were emergency vehicles have a remote "controller" which they can use to change lights as they approach, this was talked about over here a few years back but was decided it wasn't needed.

Perhaps if the Traffic Control Centre had a screen which allowed them to see SJA's vehicle GPS map they could monitor and assist with T.C.L's that way.

My mate said "it up to the driver which way they go" i.e. getting off the Farmer heading towards RPH there's atleast 3 different choices you have. He also said he's working with a freshly graduated "student officer" and they had never been told about any main roads maps.

The sheets I am referring to are not maps they are A4 sheets of paper which list all the intersections with TCL'S between point A and B.

I am currently on holidays however when I return to work I will photo copy one of them and bring it home scan it and add it to this thread.

The points you seem to be missing are:

These are used mainly for high speed escorts usually for country Ambulances although they can and have been used by Metro Ambulances as well, although now they have the chopper I would expect this to happen less often.

These might occur once or twice a year, They are certainly not an everyday event.

I can't explain why your mate hasn't at least heard of them and nor do I intend to try.

All I can say is that I have used them several times and they do work well.

ZO100_marto wrote:There is a system in the UK were emergency vehicles have a remote "controller" which they can use to change lights as they approach, this was talked about over here a few years back but was decided it wasn't needed.

They have this in the US too. Its actually an infrared receiver on the lights and like you said, some sort of controller that emergency services vehicles and even some doctors have. They activate it and it sends out a signal to the lights ahead and changes them.

Problem is people have figured out how to replicate this signal and are using it for their own benifit.

http://www.i-hacked.com/content/view/176/44/

I remember awhile back M.R.D kept the lights green for a large bikey procession they also had WAPOL keeping a close eye on the event as it was a result of a bikey feud at the time and it was a high profile member. They showed images of the procession on the news and not one bukey had a helment on. I guess WAPOL let them get away with it for respect. Cant remeber exactly when it happened tho. I am sure some of you will remeber it any way.