A fire pager is a device normally carried by firefighters and emergency medical service personnel. It is designed to emit a tone whenever these people need to be deployed to a particular area. This item can also relay messages from a dispatcher at a remote location. It can also act as a scanner or communications device so that workers can talk to one another and hear what their fellow team members might be doing.
This piece of mobile communications equipment is usually small enough to be worn on a person's belt. It normally has two knobs on its top so that volume and channel selections can be made. There is typically a speaker and microphone on the front of this device. A special compartment on the back of this pager commonly holds a rechargeable lithium battery.
Many types of fire pagers allow the user to choose the tone he would like to hear in the event of an emergency. Some models can also be set to vibrate rather than beep. The signals emitted by this equipment are usually very loud so they can be heard easily even in congested areas. Headphones can often be used with this type of pager if a user is concerned about others being disturbed by the noise it makes.
A fire pager normally must be recharged after being used for a few hours. This is usually accomplished by plugging a charging station into an electrical outlet and placing the device into a special slot. Some models may allow personnel to place only the battery in the charger, thereby keeping an extra one charged at all times.
This emergency beeper is most often used by volunteer firefighters. This is because trained personnel are not always at the fire station when an emergency situation arises. A fire pager can reach them at their homes or places of employment, so they can respond to a crisis sooner than if they were to rely only on a telephone call.
Although volunteer firefighters often use this product, emergency medical personnel and paid firefighters may also use it. This is because it can allow them to hear what is going on around them. Many crews find it especially helpful when personnel are in more than one location and need to communicate with each other.
In the past, volunteer firefighters were often alerted to the outbreak of fires by sounding an alarm or ringing a bell. This could mean that workers may not be able to respond to situations quickly. The birth of the fire pager has allowed emergency workers to arrive sooner, so they can save lives and protect property.