Standard Operating Guideline / SOG
900.14-11-C
Subject: RADIO COMMUNICATIONS
PAGES 1 of 1 / Effective Date:
1/6/2011
Rescinds:
403.13-10-GO
Application:
All JFD Personnel, Communications, METS, NCAD / Updated by: Fire Chief Randles
Authorized by: Fire Chief Randles
I. PURPOSE: To standardize and simplify communication and thereby maintain a high degree of professionalism.
II. ACTION:
1. To insure complete message clarity in interdepartmental and intradepartmental radio communications, this department has adopted plain language communications.
2. The following list will be the accepted call sign identification for Staff Officers:
Chief 1 – Fire Chief
Chief 2 – Deputy Fire Chief
Chief 3 – Fire Marshal
Chief 4 – Fire Training Chief
Chief 5 – EMS Training Chief
Battalion 1 – On Duty Battalion Chief
Battalion 2 – Call in Battalion chief
Battalion A- A Shift Battalion Chief
Battalion B- B Shift Battalion Chief
Battalion C- C Shift Battalion Chief
3. Radio Communications:
a) To insure the accuracy of interpretation of an order, always repeat the complete order when communicating the message received
b) When communicating Arrival Report message, the following list of information shall be included:
- Building size (large, medium, small)
- Building height (# of stories)
- Occupancy type (residential, commercial, etc.)
- Fire/smoke condition (nothing showing, smoke showing, working fire, fully involved, etc.)
- Action you are taking (Attack, Defensive, Rescue, Investigation)
- Action needed from others
- Establishment of geographical command (Example: “Truck 1 is Second Street Command”)
c) When in radio communication, first names shall not be used.
d) F.C.C. guidelines state to always identify the person being called first, then identify yourself (Example: “Engine 2 this is Battalion 1”)
4. When dispatched on EMS responses all Joplin fire apparatus, once the call is acknowledged, and all EMS agencies will switch to the Joplin Med Channel.
- All communications concerning the dispatched response will be on Joplin Med talk group.
- When finishing the call the Joplin fire apparatus will switch back to the Fire Dispatch talk group.
5. When dispatching a call to fire apparatus, Dispatch will assign a talk group to all multi-apparatus calls.
a) Upon receipt of the dispatch all dispatched personnel and apparatus will immediately switch all radios to the assigned talk group.
b) If any apparatus have not acknowledged the call on Fire Dispatch within 15 secs following the initial dispatch. Dispatch will inquire as to their status if they do not immediately respond they will be redispatched. If with in 15 seconds of the second dispatch there is still no answer. The secondary unit for the response will be dispatched in place of the primary apparatus.
c) All apparatus will state that they are responding on the assigned talk group and will use the assigned talk group for all radio traffic between responding units
d) Dispatch will monitor and communicate on the assigned talk group until the last dispatched apparatus has arrived.
e) All on scene communications to dispatch will go through the incident commander and will take place on Fire Dispatch talk group.
f) Once a unit is finished with their assignment and is going back in service each apparatus will state, on Fire Dispatch, that they are “Available on Air and back on Fire Dispatch.”
g) All apparatus will remain on Fire Dispatch until they receive another dispatch.
6. For multi apparatus responses, talk groups will be assigned by the primary unit responding to an incident. i.e. if Engine #4 is dispatched as the primary unit then the talk group is Fire 4.
7. All responses to the Southwest Annexation areas which has Redings Mill Fire Department providing automatic aid will be treated as Multi-apparatus responses and all responding apparatus will be assigned to and communicate with the Primary responding Joplin unit talk group as stated in item 6.
8. If a response is made to provide mutual aid for to neighboring department and the Requesting agency is in Jasper County then contact will be made with them on the FD ACU frequency which is tied to the JASCO Fire West frequency. This talk group should be used at a minimum to
a) confirm that we are responding
b) obtain the needed directions to scene of the response
c) obtain any pre-arrival instructions from the requesting mutual aid department.
9. If a response is made to provide mutual aid for to Redings Mill then Contact will be made with them on the Fire 8 talk group which is tied to the Redings Mill North repeater VHF frequency. This talk group should be used at a minimum to
a) confirm that we are responding
b) obtain the needed directions to scene of the response
c) obtain any pre-arrival instructions from the requesting mutual aid department.
10. If the mutual response is to agencies other than those in Jasper County or Redings mill the on-duty Battalion Chief will initiate a link with the requesting department using the Cross band repeater in the Battalion Chief vehicle on the responding vehicle’s talk group.
11. If a response is requested into the City of Joplin the Battalion Chief will initiate a link between the responding mutual aid company on their talk around frequency and the Joplin assigned talk group on the cross band repeater. This will be done on the responding department’s non-repeated channel if available in the cross band repeater.
12. Battalion Chiefs and Captains will be responsible to make sure that their personnel have their radios on the proper talk group.
13. Night talk groups will be the TAC channels for each station. i.e. Fire 1 will be Station #1’s night group.
III. EXCEPTION:
- Redings Mill will utilize the provided 800 MHz radio on the Joplin assigned talk group when operating within the City of Joplin.
IV. REFRENCE: None