452 replies to this topic

[Kookas]

Thanks. Credits to icychopstix and westmidsfireman as well, who provided me (and I hope they will continue to provide me) with info that'll hopefully make this a fairly realistic mod.

With luck, I'll be able to script a fire ladder (if I manage it, this will be used instead of Hydraulic Platforms to reach the second floor of buildings, because HP units are used for rescue from higher floors (I haven't seen anyone do floors higher than the second, so it might not be possible to include this) and for putting out fires from above along with water towers). I'm already learning a fair bit about the scripting system (but I hardly know any functions at this point).

Honda CR-V RRVs have strange lightbars on the roof, does anyone know who builds them and what model they are? Maybe Code 3 Javelins?

Also, I have worked out my dispatch system, many thanks to scrivs for his detailed information on how the WMFS works and various other important details:

Each emergency vehicle will have its own (probably boolean) variable. When the variable is true, that vehicle is available for call-outs. If false, it's not. When you click, for example, the "Dispatch PRL" button, what it will do is go through a list of checks. It will first check if the closest station has an available PRL. If not, it will then check the next closest, and then the next, and so on until it finds an available unit.

When it finds one, it will dispatch it, and the time will vary based on which station it's been sent from (I have this information with me, courtesy of scrivs). The time will not always be the same (will vary for different times of day), and I may use real time (this is the problem of small time scales, you can't really make things as accurate as you might want).

If I can't make fires spread at a slower rate than they do in-game, however, I will have to use game time, else you would have an inferno across all your city before the fire engines arrive.

All this might take many lines of code, but one way or another, this will happen

Lots of useful information from scrivs formed this:

This system also allows me to implement the system of automatically sending a Command Support Vehicle. When you send one or two pumps, and then decide to send two to four more, a CSV will be sent as well.

When you have a few more, a prime mover will come bearing an Incident Support Unit.

If you have significantly more, then text will appear suggesting you dispatch the PRWT (Pump Rescue Water Tower), COBRA (a significantly more powerful water pump (in real life, it can shoot water through brick)), or HVPU.

The time period between which a dispatch is deemed a "make-up" (when more units are required) will be ten or twenty seconds.

For these, you get "white helmets" (?) and a special manager guy turning up in expensive cars (presumably with blue lights on).

If you have more than 8 firemen in breathing apparatus, a BA emergency crew will be sent out (probably from D061 Cradley Heath).

If the amount of BA-wearing firemen increases further, text will appear on the screen suggesting you send a BA Main Control Unit.

This is the order of closest stations to Kings Heath (again, information courtesy of scrivs):

C8 Billesley
C5 Kings Norton, Pershore Road South, Cotteridge
C4 Bournbrook, Bristol Road
C1 Highgate, Moseley Road
C7 Ladywood, Icknield Port Road
B1 Solihull, Streetsbrook Road
C9 Hay Mills
C6 Northfield
A6 Ward End
C2 Woodgate Valley


This might not be completely accurate, but I feel that it will do, really, and besides, the only difference you will notice is the writing on the side of the fire engine xD

[randomperson139]

The dispatch system you aim to do sounds amazing. Good luck with it

[BritishArmyReserveCadets]

If you have more than 8 firemen in breathing apparatus, a BA emergency crew will be sent out (probably from D061 Cradley Heath).

if your saying that Cradley Heath Fire Station has a BA Response Unit then your wrong, i live round the corner from the station and it has 2 Vehicle Bays, Mostly 1 Dennis Fire Appliance and a Small Equipment Van, Sometimes there is 2 Dennis Sabre Fire Appliances and the SEV is parked around the back. On Google Maps, search up "Cradley Heath Fire Station, Mace Street, Cradley Heath" and go to the location, drag the man on the left hand side of the map onto the road and look around for a big red thing, you might have to move the camera a bit to find it


PS: West Mercia Police now use G36C Holographic Sights

[randomperson139]

This is West Midlands not West Mercia

And the information about the engines and the stations came from a current firefighter in the WM Fire Service.

[Forensics]

Sounds amazing!
Also if you are wondering what the response policy is to different incidents, you should check out my local fire and rescue service's incident page and it tells you the recent incidents and what the sent.
(The Incident Commander which responds to almost every fire is this small van)

This system also allows me to implement the system of automatically sending a Command Support Vehicle. When you send one or two pumps, and then decide to send two to four more, a CSV will be sent as well.

Like a jeep or a van? If so they are usually called an Incident Command vehicles and carry an Incident Commander and equipment. I believe the Incident Commander is the one with a read helmet.
Source and I understand that is for Shropshire but they are likely to have a similar, if not the same, system.

When you have a few more, a prime mover will come bearing an Incident Support Unit.

An Incident Support Unit as a pod? Never heard of that before. Wouldn't a a lorry or a bus be more common?

For these, you get "white helmets" (?) and a special manager guy turning up in expensive cars (presumably with blue lights on).

Yeah they are usually a unmarked car with a single blue lightbar on the roof. This might help with helmet colours.


This might be useful and again I understand it's Shropshire but I suspect those plans will be nationwide.

Edited by Forensics, 27 March 2010 - 10:35 AM.

[Kookas]

Thanks for replying.

Although you'd expect us to work exactly the same, I don't believe we have a bus or a lorry like that. The only bus I know of is that Dennis Javelin which doesn't have blue lights and is probably just for community events. It might not even be in use anymore.

Also, they are called Command Support Vehicles.

** West Midlands Fire Service Website

Command Support Vehicles
There are 3 Command Support Vehicles (CSV) based at Handsworth, Solihull and Tipton that act as a central control point at incidents. There are 6 specially trained crews who are mobilised to staff the CSV, this is necessary due to the hi tech nature of the equipment contained within the CSV.

Regarding the pods, there is a special pod that's like a mobile office. I think that might be it. It's either that or a mobile canteen.

[Forensics]

OK, yes it's surprising how different they are.

[randomperson139]

About the pods, the one you are thinking of is the Welfare Module I think. That is a mobile canteen. I don't think there is a Mobile Office Pod.

[Forensics]

About the pods, the one you are thinking of is the Welfare Module I think. That is a mobile canteen. I don't think there is a Mobile Office Pod.

Yes that's what I first thought, after a bit of googling I did find one command pod but it was very old.

Kookas, where did you get the info that Birmingham have a command pod or are you getting them confused with the welfare module?

[Kookas]

That's what I was told by scrivens, that you would get an Incident Support Unit pod for make-ups above 5. There might just not be any photographs. I'm going to take his word for it...

[Forensics]

OK, sure. I suspect the Incident Support pod is similar to the welfare module, acting as a portable canteen.
If you do put one in, it could heal firefighters if they were slightly hurt.

[Kookas]

Maybe, but if I did that it would only be able to heal them if they hadn't been hurt too much (like a very small amount of health loss, any more and then they have to be sent away to hospital).

Maybe I could also make a hunger bar for firemen. After (game) hours of hard work, you will need to put him into the mobile canteen where he can replenish, or he will start to lose health. This would be a good way to do it, because it simulates him collapsing and not being able to continue without the energy required to do so. Maybe that would be too hard to do, or pointless xD

[randomperson139]

That's a really good idea
Good luck scripting it

[Kookas]

Here is my scripting plan for the pod prime mover. I fear I might have to animate each and every pod, but I might be able to get away with just retexturing the pods.

I also plan on making the USAR digger/forklift pod function somewhat with setAnimation and using Game::CreateVehicle to spawn the forklift prototype behind the PM with the pod, but I don't know what they do in real life.

I also found that in other mods, I valued significantly the ability to just hit P and watch all the car's still standing staff enter before the car leaves for home. I might try and create something like that.

Not all of these ideas will get in, but I will try my hardest, because the latter idea is what deters me personally from lots of mods, being a lazy person xD

[randomperson139]

Nice ideas! I hope you will be able to script them

[Kookas]

The key steps in doing this:
1. Create Pod off/on animations.
2. Play Pod off animation using setAnimation.
3. Spawn the Pod object with Game::CreateObject & Vector functions.
4. Remove "Place Pod" and assign "Retrieve Pod" command on the Prime Mover.
5. Assign the Pod its commands.

Sort of the reverse for putting the Pod back on, but the prime mover must be commanded to drive back up to its pod first.

Prime Movers that don't need to remove their loads in real life won't need to here either, for example HVPUs, but they will be able to anyway.

[Forensics]

Sounds amazing!

[dyson20]

Prime Movers that don't need to remove their loads in real life won't need to here either, for example HVPUs, but they will be able to anyway.

thats a good idea because if u had a few pods in the car park of a station and needed more than one you could send prime mover over with one drop it offa and collect another

[Kookas]

But the Prime Mover stays until you don't need the pod any more. Then it picks it up and goes home.

By the way, redoing the Range Rover again, because it's too small at the moment. Needs to be scaled according to the personnel models, and not according to the stock game models...

[BritishArmyReserveCadets]

i just got a letter from the police, its about an accident that happend round the corner and i gave first aid and info for medics, they have a picture of a bike on the letter, there is 2 texture styles of Police Bike,


First One


And the second i cant find an image of


Also the Police & Paramedics have Pedal Bikes, can you insert them, they are common in birmingham.
The Paramdics also have a MotorBike if you could include a paramedic MB