Radio Problems and Communication

For several years the Fire Service has been conducting extensive testing to identify the cause of intermittent transmission quality problems. As many of you know at times transmissions are garbled or have static that makes communications difficult if not impossible.
Until the problems are corrected, personnel need to keep in mind some steps that can be taken to maximize the ability to provide clear communications.

Companies shall "Repeat back" tasks assigned via the radio.
In most cases the person sending the transmission will not know the
transmission quality. The person receiving the transmission needs to inform the sending unit their message is " Unreadable ". The sender can then attempt transmission again following the steps outlined below.
Move a few steps in any direction and attempt communication again.
Speak in a normal tone of voice.
Hold microphone 5 to 6 inches from your mouth or ESP.
Keep transmission clear, concise and pertinent.
Re-keying the mike and attempting the transmission again may provide a clearer message.
Keep antennas on portable radios, pointed vertical and away from your body.
If transmitting on a speaker mike, try getting your portable out and away from your body if you are unreadable.
Do not handle radios by antenna.
Keep radios as dry as possible.
Keep batteries fully charged.
Be sure you are on the correct operating frequency before going on shift or committed to work.

If an URGENT CALL FOR HELP or other IMMINENT EMERGENCY RADIO TRANSMISSION is not successful on the assigned OPS channel, any member who hears the transmission should relay it to command or dispatch immediately.

Until we can get reliable commnuications in the hands of every firefighter, make sure you do all that you can to reduce the potential human factors.


Pete Lamb
Copyright 2013