BY JOHN WHITINGER
Look AT a critique of any drill or exercise, and you will probably find communications as the No. 1 problem area. Even critiques of actual incidents often cite communications as a major problem. But when was the last time your department actually had a communications drill?
We provide firefighters with personal protective equipment and SCBA and spend hours and hours training on their proper use. We invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in fire apparatus and spend hours training our engineers to properly operate it. We even invest in the latest RIT gear and self-rescue equipment and spend countless hours training on how to save our own. But time after time, we hand a firefighter a portable radio and send him into harm’s way, sometimes without even showing him how to turn it on! Let’s face it, most firefighters know more about the features on their cell phone than they do about their radio. If something goes tragically wrong, that one radio could make the difference in getting out alive.
Every firefighter should be able to pick up his radio, turn it on, change the channels, and be able to communicate with someone in total darkness. A firefighter should also be able to identify the beeps and tones the radio emits and know exactly what they mean. Do your firefighters know what the low-battery beep sounds like? What about other sounds the radio might make? If the radio beeps while you are listening to someone else, is that the signal that your battery or the other party’s is running low? Or, are you just assuming that it is a low-battery signal? Does that beep mean something else? Everyone should know how their radio operates. Just as engineers need to know the apparatus for which they are responsible, firefighters should be familiar with every piece of equipment they carry, including the radio.
EVALUATION DRILL
Here is a communications drill to try. Send each crew out to a different location in the immediate area and tell them to remain there. Once everyone is in place, have dispatch give you a simulated alarm. As the incident commander, if your communications are good, you should be able to control the events that are about to happen. As the drill unfolds, remain on the same frequency; this will help you evaluate your communications more effectively. No sense throwing a bunch of kinks in the system at this point-you can do that later. Keep the drill simple and straightforward. Once the drill is complete, call everyone back to the station and compare notes. You should have the same information the frontline firefighter on the third-due engine company has.
Start out by questioning what just happened. Which was the second-in engine company? Did they hit the hydrant? What about the first-due engine company? Did they advance a line? What door did they go in? Was there anyone trapped? Was a primary search completed? Did the ladder company put up a ladder? To which window? Did they communicate that to the engine companies operating inside?
The point of this exercise is not to critique but rather to evaluate your current communications situation. If the drill went relatively flawlessly, then start adding in complications, such as switching to a different frequency. Then switch to multiple frequencies-one for fireground, another for rescue or water shuttle. Bring your department’s communications up to speed. Take an honest look at what your department is doing, and give it an honest evaluation.
RADIO TRAINING
Whether your department buys a new apparatus, a thermal imaging camera, or rescue gear, you make sure that your firefighters are trained on its proper use. So why do we buy radio after radio and just stick them on apparatus without training firefighters on using them first? If you do that, you are just asking for trouble.
All departments should ensure that personnel are properly trained on using their existing radios. Also, if considering a radio purchase is in the future, make sure members are trained on the new equipment before you put those radios in service.
When purchasing new radio equipment for firefighters, administrators can go a long way to help avoid potential problems. Start by selecting simple, rugged radios. Firefighters don’t need sophisticated radios with options they will never use. Save some money, and increase the chances of saving a life. Officers may need radios with more functionality, but frontline firefighters do not.
CHANNEL DESIGNATIONS AND MUTUAL AID
Also take a look at your frequency-naming conventions. Calling or naming a specific frequency by the channel programmed into your radios is great (e.g., Channel 1, Channel 2). However, if they are all programmed the same, what happens when mutual-aid companies arrive? Is your Channel 2 the same frequency as theirs?
To solve this problem, many departments have designated regional naming conventions for specific frequencies. No matter which channel you and the five other departments with which you are working have programmed in as “Metro Fireground 1,” everyone is on the same frequency. Some states have even assigned specific frequencies for fire use in the event of a regional or statewide incident. If your state has something like “State Fireground” or “State Mutual Aid” frequencies, be sure that you include these in your radios’ programming.
In addition, be sure that you use the same naming convention it uses. For example, if it calls 155.550 ”State Fire Operations,” don’t call it or label it “State Fireground” on your radios; leave it as “State Fire Operations.” Otherwise, it will only cause confusion when it’s time to use it. Also, be sure to have your channel-naming convention clearly labeled on every radio. Remember that it should be permanent; waterproof; and in a large, easy- to-read font.
NONRADIO COMMUNICATIONS
Communications on the fireground or at a drill site may consist of much more than just radio operations. What happens when your radio’s battery dies or if your department doesn’t have enough portable radios to go around? What about hand signals, tool placement, or wall markings?
Hand signals. All these forms of communication should be practiced along with radio skills. Teach all of your firefighters the proper hand signals for apparatus movement, water movement, and fire attack. Everyone should know the hand signals for “Stop,” “Turn right,” “Turn left,” “Slow down,” and “OK to proceed.” All personnel should also know the hand signals for “Ready for water,” “Charge the line,” “Increase pressure,” “Decrease pressure,” “Shut down,” “Break down,” “Move right,” “Move left,” “Move forward,” “Move back,” “Hold position,” “Evacuate,” “Emergency shutdown,” “I’m OK,” “I’m not OK,” and “Firefighter down.”
Here’s a great way to practice hand signals while still getting hands-on, flowing water training you need. Take one company with a pumper to a local spot where you can connect to a hydrant and advance a handline. Now, have the crew put the handline in operation and connect to the hydrant using only hand signals-no talking and no radio. It’s a great way to help crew communications and teamwork.
Other kinds of communication. Along with radios and hand signals, you should address the many other forms of communication in your training regularly. Here are a few things to consider: Does everyone in your department know what a red “X” on a door means? Does it mean “Search complete,” “Building unsafe,” or something else? How about your mutual-aid departments that might be called in to help? Do such signs mean the same thing to them as they do to your firefighters? Does a hydrant wrench on top of a hydrant indicate something? How about a set of irons left in a doorway? A hose with a knot tied in it? What about a helmet in the door of an elevator?
Remember, not only do you need to know what these signs mean, but you also need to ensure that everyone else knows-your firefighters and your mutual-aid companies, too.
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Communications are the backbone of any fire department operation-if they are effective, they can strongly support the operation. On the other hand, if your communications are weak, your operation could suffer greatly. If communications are integrated into every drill and into the regular training objectives, your department won’t suffer from lack of communication. ■
■ JOHN WHITINGER is a senior firefighter, a fire safety inspector, and a public information officer with the Western Reserve Joint Fire District in Poland, Ohio. A 14-year veteran of the fire service, he has more than eight years of experience as an emergency medical dispatcher. Whitinger has been involved in communications operations for more than 20 years, serving with the U.S. Air Force as a mobile communications operations technician.
