Communications & Alarms

Chapter 3

Firefighters Handbook

Unit 9 - Fire

COMMUNICATIONS & ALARMS

INTRODUCTION• What is communication?

• Transferring of information through a medium

• From the fire standpoint, communications process must include four basic elements

• Information form the caller must be:

• received

• Understood

• Recorded accurately

• Communicated to emergency responders

• Reports from citizens are usually categorized as:

• True emergencies

• Percieved emergencies

• Nonurgent crimes

• Requests for information

RECEIVE

UNDERSTAND

RECORD

COMMUNCATE

Communication process must be complete and clearly understood in order to be effective.

COMMUNICATIONS PERSONNEL• A communications center may also be referred to in some instances as a PSAP.

• PSAP = Public Safety Answering Point

• Primary role

• Receive emergency requests from citizens, evaluate the need for response and ultimately sound the alarms that starts first responders on their way to the scene of an emergency.

• Receiving the call is on the first challenge.

• Often the telecommunication is also the PIO (Public Information officer)

• Liaison between the fire department and the media

• Telecommunicator:

• Upon receiving call, must be able to give firefighters pre arrival instructions

• NFPA 1061 standard, standard for Professional Qualifications for Public Safety Telecommunicator specifically states the characteristics or trains that a person hired as the telecommunicator should have.

• Ability to multi-task

• Make decisions based on common sense

• Maintain composure in stressful situations

• Maintain a balanced tone while communicating

NFPA REQUIREMENT• NFPA states that 95% of alarms should be answered within 30 seconds and in no case

call the initial operators response to an alarm call be longer than 60 seconds.

• It also recommends that the dispatch of the appropriate fire services should be made within 60 seconds after the completed receipt of an emergency alarm.

COMMUNICATIONS FACILITY• Typically placed in areas where there is little risk of damage either by natural or man

made hazards.

• Every communications facility should be supported by a back up locations incase the primary faculty is forced to close.

COMPUTER AIDED DISPATCH

• Many departments use CAD today

• Keeps track of location of active incidents and units assigned to each location

• Creates and stores valuable records

• Database of maps, hazard spots, pre-fire plans, policies.

• Information can be transferred from main CAD to fire apparatus and command vehicles

• Handout of dispatch flow chart. .

Scenarios

METHODS OF RECEIVING REPORTS OF EMERGENCIES

• Most common include:

• Conventional telephones

• Cell phones

• Emergency call boxes

• Automatic Alarms