Basic Wildland Fire Management

Radio Radio CommunicationsCommunications

ObjectivesObjectives

Upon completion of this section, you will be able to:1. State 5 main rules that must be observed when

operating radio stations2. Recall priority for radio communication

messages3. Name 3 emergency signals4. Describe how to initiate an emergency signal

Basic Wildland Fire Management

Radio Communications SystemsRadio Communications Systems

• Simplex requires line-of-sight– Transmit and receives on 1 frequency

• Duplex transmits via radio repeater– Transmits on 1 frequency and receives on

another– Requires line-of-sight to repeater– Delay during transmission

Basic Wildland Fire Management

Use of Radio CommunicationsUse of Radio Communications

• Is radio message absolutely necessary?• Is it as brief as possible?• Are you in the best location for transmitting?• Are you using the appropriate channel?• Is your battery low?

Basic Wildland Fire Management

Federal RegulationsFederal Regulations

• 5 main rules when operating radios:– Don’t deliberately interfere with another

station– Don’t transmit unnecessary signals– Don’t transmit a message containing profane

language– Don’t divulge or use information you may

overhear– Don’t transmit a false distress signal

Basic Wildland Fire Management

Priority of MessagesPriority of Messages

• Priority of communications is:– Distress (e.g. MAYDAY)– Urgency (e.g. PAN PAN)– Safety (e.g. SECURITY)– Aircraft– Smoke– Fire– Routine messages

Basic Wildland Fire Management

Phonetic AlphabetPhonetic Alphabet

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Letter

WordLette

rWord

Letter

Word

A ALPHA J JULIETT S SIERRA

B BRAVO K KILO T TANGO

C CHARLIE L LIMA U UNIFORM

D DELTA M MIKE V VICTOR

E ECHO N NOVEMBER W WHISKEY

F FOXTROT O OSCAR X X-RAY

G GOLF P PAPA Y YANKEE

H HOTEL Q QUEBEC Z ZULU

I INDIA R ROMEO

Words & PhrasesWords & Phrases

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Word or Phrase Meaning

Acknowledge Let me know you received and understood message

Confirm My version is … is that correct?

CorrectionAn error has been made in trasmission. Correct version is …

Over Conversation ended and response expected

Out Transmission ended and no response expected

Read Back Repeat all of message back to me exactly as received

Say Again [Don’t use word repeat]

WilcoYour instructions are received and will be complied with

Words Twice Communications difficult, please send each word twice

Signal CheckSignal Check

• Procedure for signal check:Jasper DispatchTHIS IS 972SIGNAL CHECK 1,2,3,4,5. HOW DO YOU

READ?OVER

Basic Wildland Fire Management

Emergency SignalsEmergency Signals

• MAYDAY indicates personnel in grave and imminent danger and require immediate assistance

MAYDAY spoken 3 timesTHIS IS … spoken 3 timesShort, plain language description of location

and emergencyOVER

• PAN PAN indicates urgent message regarding possible jeopardy to life

• SECURITY indicates message regarding safety (i.e. navigation, road alerts, weather warnings)

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Cancelling MAYDAYCancelling MAYDAY

• When station is no longer is distress:MAYDAY spoken 1 timeALL STATIONS spoken 3 timesTHIS IS …Filing time of original distress messageCall sign of person in distressShort, plain language description of why

distress is cancelledSILENCE FINISHEDOUT

Basic Wildland Fire Management

ConclusionConclusion

• Radio communications critical component of safe and effective fire management operations

• Is your radio message necessary, clear and concise?

• In the event of an emergency, do you know how to initiate an emergency signal?

Basic Wildland Fire Management

ObjectivesObjectives

Upon completion of this section, you will be able to:1. State 5 main rules that must be observed when

operating radio stations2. Recall priority for radio communication

messages3. Name 3 emergency signals4. Describe how to initiate an emergency signal

Basic Wildland Fire Management