Communications Manual

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

1

-

2006

MONTGOMERY COUNTY

FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE POLICY

COMMUNICATIONS

MANUAL

Policy 22-03AM

MAY 2006

The

Communications

M

anual

is a

policy

for

use by

MCFRS

operation

al

and

administrative personnel and Fire/Rescue Emergency Communications

Center

staff

in

appl

ying

operational procedures

,

including

800 MHz radio,

Mobile Data Computer, and Computer

-

Aided Dispatch technologies.

Although t

his document

is

not considered

classified

,

it is

proprietary

in

nature

and

is

intended for the sole use

of

MCFRS personnel

.

This document

is

not

intended

for public dissemination

.

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

2

Communications Manual

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2006

Table of Contents

1. Fire and Rescue Emergency Communications

Page

Organizational Structure

6

ECC s

Mission

6

2.

Radio

Equipment Licensing, Owne

rship, and Maintenance

Licensing

and Ownership

7

Radio Equipment 7

3.

800 MHz Radio System

Page

Radio

Unit

Designations

8

Portable Radio Unit Designations

8

Chief Officer Radio Designations 9

4.

Radio

Communications and Terminology

Page

Basic Considerations When Transmitting

9

Standardized Words and Phrases for Radio Communications

10

International

Phonetic Alphabet

13

Talk Group Terminology

14

5.

Radio Procedures and F

unctions

Page

Changing a Radio s Unit Assignment

16

Help Desk

Procedures

-

Radio System

17

Patient Transport Information

-

Initiating Transport

17

Repair Procedures

- M

obile

R

adios

18

Repair Procedures

- P

ortable

R

adios

18

Talk Group Assignments

-

Zones

7, 8, and 9

19

Talk Group Assignments

-

Mutual Aid

20

Unit Being Polled

b

efore Dispatch

20

Using

Zone 5

- Prince George s County Fire/Rescue

21

Using

Zone 12

-

Coordination

-

Alpha, Bravo

, Charlie, and Delta

22

Using

Z

one 18

-

Police Department Monitoring

22

6.

Emergency Radio Procedures

Page

Emergency Radio Communications

Signal 3

22

Emergency Button Activation

-with verbal explanation

23

Emergency Button A

ctivation

-

Silent Signal 3

23

Failsoft

Operations

24

Immediate Danger Alert Tone

IDAT

25

Incident Duration Reminders

-

IDR

s

25

7.

Mobile Data Computer Procedures and Function

s Page

Changing Unit Capabilities

- E

xis

tence of on

-board M

edic

E

quip

men

t

26

Changing Unit Designation

-

Reserve Unit Placed

In-S

ervice

26

Changing Unit Location

-

Moving Up

27

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

3

Communications Manual

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2006

Changing Unit Location -

In

-

Cty Trans

.

Initiated by MONTGOMERY

27

Changing Unit Location

-

Out

-

of

-C

ou

n

ty Transfer Initiated by

ECC

28

Changing Unit Location

w

hile on Event

-

Location Diff

.

than Event

28

Event Response

-

Fed

.

Agencies on

-

base

-

no

MCFRS response

29

Event Response

-

Fed

.

Agencies on

-

base

- with

MCFRS response

29

Help Desk

P

rocedures

for

MDCs

29

Logging

-

Off

CAD

30

Patient Transport Information Initiating Transport

30

Us

ing

Announce

Function

31

Us

ing

Mail

Function

31

Us

ing

Packet

Cluster Rescue

(

PCR

) Function

t

o Status a U

nit

32

Us

ing

Talk

Function

32

Re

-

booting

the MDC

33

Sending a

Dispatcher

Message

33

Sending an

Urgent

Message

34

8.

Emergency MDC Procedures

Page

F-

11 Emergency Key

Activation

35

F-

11 Emergency Key A

ctivation

-

Silent Signal 3

35

9.

Standard Operating Procedures

Page

Transmission of Messages

36

Circuit Discipline

36

Talk Group Usage

36

FCC Operating Rules for Public Safety Agencies

36

Assignment of Alter

nate Talk Group(s)

37

Assignment of Alternate Talk Group(s)

Full Assignments

37

Heavy Radio Traffic Conditions

37

Condition Red

38

Bidding on an Event

38

10

.

Station Alerting and Vehicle Status

P

age

MOSCAD Station Alerting System 38

Tracking Unit Statuses

39

Address Validation

39

A

utomatic

Vehicle L

ocation

, A

utomatic

V

ehicle

R

oute

Recom.

39

Controlled

vs.

Uncontrolled

Unit Status

40

11.

Pre

-

Alerts, Initial

, Second Vocal Announc

ts

Active Event

Page

Pre

-

Alert

40

Initial Vocal Announcement

Single/Multiple Unit Responses

Non

-

Full Assignments

41

Initial Vocal Announcement

Full Assignment

s 41

Initial Vocal Announcement

Service Call

42

Second Vocal Announcement

All Dispatched Events

42

12.

On

-

Scene Reporting and Communications

Page

Reporting on the Scene

43

Initial Incident Status Reports

(

IISR

s)

43

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

4

Communications Manual

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2006

Responsibilit

y

of the Incident Comma

nder

43

13.

Communications on Major Events

Page

Alternate Talk Group Assignments

43

Use of Telephones

44

14.

Communications Relati

ng

to Emergency Medical Services

Page

Special Policies or Procedures

Hospital Status

44

Emergency Inter

-

Hospital Transports

45

Routine Transports

45

Emergency Medical Dispatch

45

15.

Medical Evacuation (Med

-

Evac) Procedures

Page

Response Criteria

45

Checking the Availability of a Med

-

Eva

c

Helicopter

46

Current

Medical Evacuation Helicopter Resources

46

Helicopter Standbys

47

16.

Other Policies and Procedures

Page

Energized (

Hot

) Wires

47

Trees Down

48

Bomb Threats or Reported Devices

48

Personnel Paging

48

Response Areas and Box Area Changes

49

Special Radio Announcements

49

Audio Recordings

50

Complaints, Questions, or Concerns

about

ECC

50

Visitors

to

the ECC

50

17.

Notifications

Page

Fire

Chief

51

Senior Career and LFRD Chiefs

51

Chief, Division

of Operations

51

Duty Operations Chief(s)

51

Fire and Explosives Investigations Section 51

Code Enforcement Section 51

Emergency

Medical Services (EMS) Section

52

Public Information Officer (PIO)

52

LFRD Duty Officer and Respective Career Battalion Chief

52

Fire/Rescue Stations

52

Law Enforcement

52

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

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Communications Manual

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2006

18

.

Telephone Infrastructure

P

age

Emergency Services

-

Access to Public Safety Resources

53

Emergency Telephone Equipment

and

Facilities

53

Telephone Maintenance and Repair

54

Station Direct Lines

54

Station Direct Lines

Etiquette and Use

54

Answering Telephone Lines

55

Reporting a Re

quest for Service

-

Other than a 911 Call

55

Request for Police Assistance Calls

5

19.

Appendices

Page

Appendix A

-

Table of

Abbreviations and

Acronyms

5

6

Appendix B

-

Response Assignments Matrix

59

Appendix C

-

Audio Recording Request Form

6

3

Appendix D

Failsoft Template

Webpage

Appendix E

MCFRS Radio Template

Webpage

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

6

Communications Manual

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2006

FIRE AND

RESCUE

EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS CENTER

Organizational Structure

The

functions of

recei

ving calls

,

requesting

emergency and non

-

emergency

response assistance

,

and

dispatch

ing

personnel

to provide

firefighting, rescue, and

emergency medical

assistance

ser

v

ice

s,

are

delivered from

the

Emergency

Communications Center (ECC)

located

in the

Public Safety

Communication Center

(PSCC

)

facility

in

Montgomery County,

Maryland.

With the

radio designation

MONTGOMERY

,

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service personn

el staffing

the

ECC

are

responsible for managing all radio and data communications relati

ng

to the delivery of fire

fighting,

rescue

, and emergency medical

services in

Montgomery County.

Organizationally, ECC personnel are assigned to the

Division of Ope

rations

of

MCFRS

, under the direction of the D

ivision

Chief of Operations. The MCFRS

Communications Chief

overs

ees

, manage

s

, and

maintains

control over the da

ily

operations of the ECC.

Each shift at the ECC is

supervis

ed by a fire/rescue

C

aptain and

a

fi

re/rescue

L

ieutenant

,

whose responsibilities

include ensuring

quality

of service,

requiring

that

the actions of

uniformed

ECC

personnel

comply

with prescribed procedures. The

shift supervisors report directly to the ECC Operations Supervisor

,

who reports

directly to the Communications Chief.

The ECC Operations

Supervisor

ensure

s

that

service to the community and to

public safety

personnel

is

accomplished

in a

timely, efficient

,

and effective

manner

.

The Operations

Supervisor formulat

es

internal policies

and procedures, re

-

evaluat

es

internal and external business processes

as needed

, and monitor

s

available technologies to ensure

the provision of

optimum levels of service to the

customer. In conjunction with the Quality Assurance and Training Officer

s

of

M

CFRS

,

the

ECC

Operations

S

upervisor

manages internal processes relat

ing

to

training and quality assurance initiatives.

ECC s

Mission

The mission of the

Public Safety Communications Center

is to identify

the specific

expressed needs, desires, requirement

s, and expectations of

:

both

its

external

customers

;

the public and

mutual aid jurisdictions

;

and its

internal customers

,

MCFRS

.

ECC

also

initiate

s

and recommend

s

changes in its

own procedures

t

o

enhance

its

service

deliver

y.

ECC

fulfill

s

these

requireme

nt

s through a process

that

provides

rapid, effective, and superior customer service.

ECC coordinat

es

the

emergency and

routine dispatch and

response

s

of all

fire

fighting,

rescue

, and

EMS

services in Montgomery County

,

and supports

responses

when

mutual

aid jurisdictions respond

to

and operat

e

with

in

the County

.

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

7

Communications Manual

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2006

Its primary responsibilities include

receiving, processing, and

evaluating each 911

call

;

identifying the closest and most appropriate fire/rescue

resources to mitigate

the incident

;

and ensuri

ng th

at

appropriate

resources

are dispatched and

respond

to

each

event in a timely manner

.

RADIO

EQUIPMENT LICENSING

,

OWNERSHIP

, AND MAINTENANCE

Licensing and Ownership

.

Montgomery County is the licensee of all radio

frequencies and radio equipment

operated by

MCFRS

. As a licensee, the County

is ultimately responsible for ensuring that all related equipment and operational

procedures comply within the rules and regulations established by the Federal

Communications Commission (FCC).

Authority to op

erate any non

-County owned transmitter (portable or mobile) on

frequencies assigned to Montgomery County requires

the

advance, written approval

of the MCFRS

Fire

Chief

.

Those acquiring this approval must provide annual,

written evidence that a licensed te

chnician has verified

that the

approved

equipment continues to meet or exceed the FCC s required transmitter

measurements. Failure to comply with these requirements is cause for the

immediate

withdrawal of operating privileges.

Radio Equipment

.

T

he Co

unty s Department of

Technology

Services

(DTS

) is

responsible for procuring, installing, and maintaining approved radio equipment

purchased with County funds. The County will not authorize the operation of,

no

r

will it

assume any obligation for radio equi

pment that is owned or acquired in the

name of

a private individual

. The

County

will also not

assume responsibility for the

installation or maintenance of radio equipment that has not been approved

by an

authorized

MCFRS individual

for support with County

funds.

Once installed,

all

MCFRS

personnel

must

protect and maintain the radio

equipment assigned to their unit

s

and fire/rescue station

s

. The installation,

maintenance and, if necessary, repairs of this equipment

,

must

comply with DTS

written procedur

es.

Montgomery County assumes no responsibility for theft, loss, or damage due to

negligence or unauthorized modifications

of equipment

, nor does the County

provide insurance for any of this equipment. Furthermore, without advance

approval, the County as

sumes no responsibility for any malfunction or damage

resulting from the use of attachments

not authorized by

the manufacturer s

specifications

, or

not

approved by the County. Unauthorized modifications (e.g.,

installation of speakers, amplifiers, alarm d

evices, etc.) are

considered to have

been added

without advance approval.

If

a connection or attachment is

foun

d to

have caused an equipment malfunction

or damage

,

the equipment

will be

permanently removed

and appropriate discipline may be

issued to the MCFRS

individual

,

if the installation was in violation of this policy

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

8

Communications Manual

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2006

Unless

it is

absolutely necessary to ensure

that

service deliver

y

is

not

compromised,

MCFRS

apparatus

will

not be placed in service without a fully

-

functional mobile radio.

MCFRS

800

MHz radio infrastructure

provide

s enhanced

wide

-

area communications coverage

.

W

ith

the

placement of more than one

portable radio on most first

-

line apparatus,

MCFRS

maintains a high

degree of

safety and communications effectiveness with the

use

of

redundant

means for

transmitting radio messages.

An

MCFRS user

who fail

s

to comply with the polici

es and procedures in this policy

,

or with any rule or regulation of the FCC, the Fire

and

Rescue Commission,

or

the

MCFRS

Fire

Chief

, may be subject to withdraw

al

of authorization to operate

communications equipment used on frequencies licensed to

Montgomery

County

,

in addition to other available disciplinary measures.

800 MHz RADIO SYSTEM

The ECC uses the designation

MONTGOMERY

for

communicating with all

fi

re/r

escue apparatus

and field personnel

; similarly, field personnel use the

designation MONTGOMERY

when

using

mobile or portable

radios to contact

ECC

.

Norm

ally, it is not necessary for field units to call

MONTGOMERY

and wait for an

acknowledgement

before

transmitting

brief, routine

messages. However, during

periods of heavy radio traffic

, or before

issuing a lengthy message,

personnel

should initiate a preliminary call

, e.g., Medic 139 to MONTGOMERY, and await

ECC s response or acknowledgment before

pr

oceeding.

When operating in a manual mode

of dispatch

,

each

responding unit must ensure

that MONTGOMERY acknowledges that

a

specific unit is

responding

to an

event

.

Responding units that are not acknowledged should attempt to advise

MONTGOMERY a second t

ime. The first unit to arrive on the scene of an event

must advise MONTGOMERY of this fact

; n

o other unit, with the exception of duty

and command officers, should advise MONTGOMERY of its arrival on the scene.

Radio Unit Designations

.

All fire/rescue un

its must use their complete unit

designator when transmitting radio messages

; s

olely using numerals

to

identify a

given unit is inappropriate.

Appropriate

: Engine 191 to MONTGOMERY

Ambulance 179 is responding.

Inappropriate

: 331 s ready.

152 s on the scene.

Portable Radio Unit Designations

.

Each fire suppression unit is equipped with at

least three portable radios; each emergency medical services transport unit carries

at least

two

portable radios

.

Tankers

,

b

rush

u

nits, and support v

ehicles

generally

carry one portable radio.

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

9

Communications Manual

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2006

For radio transmissions, each position is identified by the unit s designator, e.g.,

Engine Tanker 17, and an alpha designator, e.g., A for the apparatus driver, B

for the unit officer, C for the third person (right bucket or equivalent), and D for

the fourth

person (left bucket or equivalent), etc. The alpha designator T is

assigned to the tiller position

of a truck company

.

Examples

: Engine 101B refers to the officer-

in

-

charge of Engine 101.

Ambulance 148A refers to the driver of Ambulance 148.

Truck 25T refers to the tiller person on Truck 25.

Quint 40D refers to the

fourth

person (left bucket) on Quint 40.

Chief Officer Radio Designations

.

Per

the

Integrated Emergency Command

St

ructure (IECS)

, Regulation No 16

-05AM, o

nly

certified

chief officers are permitted

to use the radio designation Chief for radio transmissions. This designation refers

to a specific individual, regardless of what unit this individual is occupying. Other

personnel, regardless of whether

the individual

is riding in a vehicle assigned to a

chief, must use the vehicle s unit designation to make radio transmissions. A unit or

an individual answering on behalf of a chief officer must make this

transmission

cl

ear.

Example

: Truck 2 answering for Battalion Chief 2.

RADIO COMMUNICATIONS AND TERMINOLOGY

Basic Considerations

w

hen Transmitting

on the

A

ir

.

When transmitting a radio

communication, it is imperative that

a

message be received and understood th

e first

time. To better ensure

that

this occurs:

a.

Listen before transmitting to ensure the talk group is clear and available.

b.

Keep all transmissions brief and concise. Organize your thoughts first and

then transmit. Avoid lengthy descriptions an

d unnecessary repetition.

While speed of transmission is important, more critical is the accuracy

and brevity of the message

being

delivered

on the radio

.

c.

Speak clearly and pronounce words carefully. Speak

in

a conversational

tone

,

with natural em

phasis and rhythm

,

while providing the message in

phrases, not one word at a time.

d.

Before

speaking, depress the microphone switch and wait for the talk

permit tone. Hold the radio (or microphone) close to the mouth and

speak directly into it, not

across it.

e.

Whenever possible, avoid transmitting when

apparatus

horns and sirens are

operating

,

as r

adio messages often become unreadable.

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

10

Communications Manual

-

2006

f.

R

emain calm when transmitting messages. Avoid using uncivil, angry,

abusive, derogatory, or sarcastic lang

uage

, and a

void retaliating

even if

other individuals

violate

these principles of

good

communication.

g.

Whenever possible, identify yours

elf and transmit a message in a single

transmission.

Example

:

Ambulance 339:

Ambulance 339 to MONTGOMERY, m

oving back to

quarters.

MONTGOMERY:

Okay Ambulance 339. (time stamp)

h.

Avoid the routine use of radio checks,

and do not request strength and

readability

reports from

ECC. In the rare instance that these tests are

conducted, a concise

stat

ement of the test results must be

issued

to ECC

.

Example

: loud and clear, weak but readable, and unreadable, are

acceptable test result descript

ion

s.

i. D

o not

advise the 7/9 Alpha

talk group

dispatcher

s

when

s

witching back from

another

talk

gr

oup

,

and

always

ensure

that the

unit s personnel are operating

on the appropriate talk group(s)

j.

MONTGOMERY

:

simply announcing the time (time stamp) is

never

an

appropriate acknowledgement of a unit s message. At

a

minimum, an

acknowledgement must inc

lude the transmitting unit s number.

Example

: Okay, Engine 161, 2142 or In service, Truck 10, 1513.

k.

MONTGOMERY will always begin a service

-wide message with Attention

all stations or Attention all stations and units operating on the air

..

.

l.

Under

no

circumstances

will

ECC or field personnel inquire or transmit, on

any

talk group, that injured or deceased victims are fire/rescue personnel

.

Under

no

circumstances

will

the name(s) of injured or deceased fire/rescue

personnel be transmitted

over the air. Communications of this nature must

be transmitted

only

by telephone

to ECC

.

m.

Transmissions

that

are redundant

, or

that

repeat information that will be

provided by another unit

, are

discouraged.

Example:

Battalion Chief 5 to Montgomer

y, A38 will be contacting EMRC

shortly to initiate a patient consultation.

Standardized Words and Phrases for Radio Communications.

MCFRS uses

c

ertain words or phrases to reduce the length of radio transmissions

,

and to

ensure

that the intent

of the

mes

sage is clearly understood. The

statements below

represent some of these words or phrases. Please note

that

, whenever available,

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

11

Communications Manual

-

2006

field personnel should

use

their MDCs to status a unit

to reduce the overall demand

on air time.

Word/Phrase

Meaning

Ack

nowledge

Let me know that you have

received and understood the

message.

Address Check

A responding unit

is requesting

that

an event

address be repeated

.

Address Confirmation

The

calling party

should

be contacted

by

ECC

again

to confirm the dispatch

location.

Advise

Give this message to

__

.

Be Advised

Reflects the desire of a field unit to

make another unit (or the ECC)

aware of specific

information.

Condition Red

Denotes a sp

ecial condition under

which the fire/rescue service and

the ECC are operating.

(

See

Condition

Red

under the

STANDARD OPERATING

PROCEDURES

Section.

)

Correction

An error was made in the previous

radio

transmission

.

The correc

t

ed

or

amended

version is

__ .

Direct

Used when one unit transmits directly to

another unit

,

and re

-

broadcast

ing

information

from the ECC is unnecessary

,

or a third party acknowledges that

message without the need for EC

C to re

-

broadcast.

Emergency

Used to indicate that a message being

transmitted is

one

where the life safety or

welfare

of fire/rescue personnel are at risk

,

or a critical situation exists that requires

immediate

assistance.

En

route

Denotes that a field unit is responding

(routine or emergency) to an event.

Event

A fire,

rescue

or EMS related

incident

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

12

Communications Manual

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2006

In Service

An identified field unit is available for

dispatch.

Manual Operation Denotes that MOSCAD sta

tion alerting

and/or Mobile Data Computers (MDC) are

out-

of

-

service. If MDCs are out

-

of

-

service,

field units

must vocalize the unit s

changes in status.

Mayday

A

n emergency distress signal

indicating

that one or mo

re fire/rescue

pers

onnel need

emergency assistance to

escape an Immediate Danger to Life or

Health (IDLH) atmosphere

, or

any other life

threatening situation.

Move Back

An

identified

field unit is returning to its

assi

gned fire/rescue station.

Moving Up

An

identified

field unit is relocating to a

fire/rescue station other than that to which

i

t is normally assigned, or relocating to

a specific place. Whenever possible, field

units should p

rovide a brief explanation for

the move.

Example

: Engine 61 is moving up to

Station 20 for supplies. Engine 31 is

moving up to Shady Grove Adventist

Hospital to pick up personnel.

Okay

Your message is received

, understood,

and will be complied with.

On the Air

An identified

unit is operating

on

its

portable or mobile radio

, away

from its assigned fire/rescue station,

and is available for dispatch.

On the Scene

An identified

unit is on the scene of an

event

.

Out of Service

An identified

unit is unavailable for

dispatch

to an event

.

Repeat

Repeat your message;

I did not

understand it the first time.

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

13

Communications Manual

-

2006

Responding

An identified unit

is

proceeding

to an

emergency event with

lights

and siren.

Response Check

Verbal inquiry initiated by MONTGOMERY

to check if a unit is

,

in fact

,

responding (or

is

en

route) to a dispatched

event

.

Routine Response

An

identified unit

is responding wit

hout

lights and siren to an

event

.

Signal 3

Denotes

that

a field unit

needs

an

immediate

law enforcement

r

esponse to

mitigate a situation where fire/rescue

personnel are faced with an

i

mminent or

occurring danger

to li

fe or personnel

welfare.

Stand By

Listen, but do not transmit until directed to

do so

by

another

unit or ECC.

Test Count

This

language

is

used

to

test a specific

radio or the

radio system

infrastructure.

For a

test, a five count wil

l be conducted

twice: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ..5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

That is Correct

What has just been transmitted is

accurate.

Verify

Verify the accuracy of the entire message

that was just transmitted and correct it if

necessary.

I

nternational Phonetic Alphabet

.

To avoid confusion, alphabetical designations

are sometimes used to clearly communicate

locations

(streets, apartment

, or unit

designations, etc.)

with

unusual spell

ing

or pron

unciations,

or specific hazard

information. Th

ese designations are substituted via the use of phonetic equivalents

in

the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)

indicated below

:

A

Alpha

B Bravo C

Charlie

D-

Delta

E

Echo

F Foxtrot

G

Golf

H

Hotel

I

India

J

Juliette

K

Kilo

L

- Lima

M

Mike

N-

November

O Oscar

P

Papa

Q-

Quebec

R-

Romeo

S Sierra

T

Tango

U-

Uniform

V

Victor

W

Whiskey

X

X-

Ray

Y

Yankee

Z

-

Zulu

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

14

Communications Manual

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2006

Talk Group Terminology

.

The

MCFRS

800 MHz radio fleet map is organized into

a system of Z

ones

,

which

appl

y

to a specific mutual aid jurisdiction or agency

,

and

Talk Groups

, which are

individual radio sub

-

sets within a Zone. In the

MCFRS

radio template, Zones

have

a numeric designation

from

1-

18

,

and Talk Groups

have

alphabetical designations

from

A-P.

To ensure

both

clarity and conciseness

in

radio communications, MCFRS

requir

es

the use of a combination of both

numeric Zone and alphabetic Talk Group

designations to

locate

where in our radio system a fire/rescue unit(s) is conducting

operation

s. To further

clarify

, phonetic equivalents

are substituted for

alphabetic

designations

by us

ing

the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)

designations

as

shown below.

A

Alpha

B Bravo C-

Charlie

D-

Delta

E

Echo

F Foxtrot

G

Golf

H

Hotel

I

India

J-

Juliette

K

Kilo

L

- Lima

M

Mike

N

-

November

O

Oscar

P

Papa

Examples:

Medic 10, switch over to 7 Delta;

Engine 181, switch over to 7 Golf and go direct with Shorefield Road Command.

Fire/Rescue Apparatus Acronyms and

Terminology.

Throughout this

M

anual, in

other

MCFRS policies and procedures, and in MDC and CAD technologies,

fire/rescue apparatus are identified by the use of various acronyms, abbreviations,

and terminology

provided below

.

Aerial Tower (AT)

ladder

trucks

with

a work platform (bucket)

.

Air (AR)

apparatus capable of providing cascade and SCBA support.

Air Boat (AB)

air

-

powered rescue boats sometimes used for positi

ve

-

pressure

ventilation (PPV) for

large structures

or other events

.

All Terrain V

ehicle (ATV) vehicle designed specifically for off

-

road rescue

operations, including patient or victim retrieval

and transport

.

Ambulance (A)

Basic Life Support unit.

Battalion Chief (BC)

- f

irst

-

level

certified

chief officer

operating within MCFRS

I

ncident Command System.

Boat (BT)

a

boat

designed and

outfitted for rescue and transport

purposes

.

Boat Support (BS)

a

vehicle designed

to

tow and support

boat operations

.

Brush (B)

apparatus

used specifically

to

combat brush fires

.

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

15

Communications Manual

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2006

Car

(K)

- g

eneric designation for staff car.

Chief (C)

a senior

-

ranking

fire/rescue

department or division head

on the IECS

list.

Collapse Support Unit (CSU)

vehicle designed to support col

lapse rescue

operations

units

.

Command Post 1 (CP1)

specially design

e

d and configured vehicle

used

for

command operations

that

responds on large

-

scale events which warrant a

lengthy

and/or extensive level of command presence

.

Command Support 1 (CS1)

vehicle configured for command operations

that

responds on all full assignments

to support incident command

.

Decontamination Unit (DECON)

vehicle

carrying

a large and wide

-

ranging

assortment of decontamination/triage supplies and medical supplies/equipment

.

Engine (E) apparatus

carry

ing more than 500 gallons of water

, w

ith

the ability to

pump

water.

Engine Tanker (ET)

-

apparatus

usu

ally

carrying

more than 1,500 gallons of water

,

with

the ability to pump

water

and deploy suppression attack

fire

hose lines

.

Hazardous Materials (HM)

hazardous materials response unit.

Hazardous Materials Support Unit (HSU)

vehicle designed to support

hazardous materials response units.

HE

United States Park Police med-

evac

helicopter

- Eagle

HT

Maryland State Police med

-

evac

helicopter

- Trooper

HMS

Washington Hospital C

enter med

-

evac

helicopter

-

Medstar

Medic (M)

Advanced Life Support

u

nit

Mobile (MO)

vehicle configured for command operations

,

but which responds

without an

In

tegrated Emergency Command Structure

(IECS

) co

mmand

-

certified

officer on the unit

.

P

OD (POD) acronym for

Platform on Demand

large

,

rugged

portable

containers used to transport an array of specialized rescue equipment or special

caches of supplies

.

Quint (Q

) - a

pparatus capable of functioning either as an engine company

, or

ladder

truck.

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

16

Communications Manual

-

2006

Rescue Car (RK)

-

vehicle used

as an administrative vehicle, or as

an ALS chase

vehicle

, when designated by ECC.

Rescue Engine (RE)

an approved

engine company apparatus carrying a

limited

assortment of vehicle extrication equipment

.

Rescu

e Squad (RS)

apparatus designed

for

specialized heavy rescue services

Rescue Truck (RT)

an

approved truck

company apparatus

carrying a

limited

assortment of vehicle extrication equipment

.

Tanker (W)

apparatus

carrying

more than 3,000 gallons of

water

that

may or

may

not have

the ability

to pump

large volumes of water

.

Transport (XPT) vehicles designed to transport roll

-

off support units (e.g.,

Platform

o

n Demand POD

-

see above

).

Truck (T)

ladder trucks that do not

have

a work platform

.

Utility (UT)

apparatus

that

functions in a support mode

,

or ancillary work

capacity

.

RADIO PROCEDURES AND FUNCTIONS

Changing a Radio s Unit Assignment.

Most MCFRS fire/rescue apparatus is

equipped with a complement of portable radios, including one m

obile radio. Radios

are issued to one

specific

vehicle

,

and are cross

-referenced to a specific unit s

stock number. The

aliases

(unit identifiers) for these radios are

also

entered into

the CAD.

G

eneral

ly

, portable radios remain with their assigned

apparatus

,

enabl

ing

MONTGOMERY to identify with specificity a radio s assigned fire/rescue unit,

including

its

riding position. This information is critical to both MONTGOMERY and

the I

ncident

C

ommander

if a user

should

experience an emergency.

I

f a

pie

ce of fire/rescue apparatus is placed out of service

,

usually

because

of

mechanical problems, an equivalent piece of apparatus may be

temporar

ily

transferred

to replace it

. Reserve apparatus

moved

to anothe

r fire/rescue station to

temporarily replace ano

ther unit should be

transferred

without

its assigned

complement of portable radios. When the reserve unit arrives at its destination,

station personnel should place the portable radios assigned to the out

-

of

-

service

unit on the replacement unit.

Exampl

e:

Engine 132 is sent to Fire Station 29 to temporarily replace Engine 291.

Engine 132 s portable radios should be secured at Fire Station 13. Engine 291 s

portable radios should be placed on Engine 132

,

running

as Engine 291

.

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

17

Communications Manual

-

2006

The station officer shou

ld contact MONTGOMERY

via the direct line to request that

the reserve unit s

mobile

radio identifier

be properly changed in CAD and the radio

system. The caller should be prepared to provide

the reserve apparatus mobile

radio identification number and th

e appropriate radio designation to which the radio

should be aliased.

M

obile radios

must

not be

altered or

removed from fire/rescue

apparatus

; it

is the

responsibilit

y

of

the County s

Department of Technology

Services

to perform that

service

.

Help Desk P

rocedures (Radio System)

.

MCFRS

provides

a

dedicated

IT

assistance

network to

help

users of the CAD, MDC, and radio technologies resolve

their

system problems

.

MCFRS

personnel should

first

consult with other colleagues

at the work site

, and then if neces

sary

,

u

se

the web

site

www.mcfrs.org/

TechTraining

to

locate the fire/rescue Voice/Radio instructor

by

:

click

ing

on the Course Instructors tab,

then

click

ing

on the Trainer Matrix tab

; o

r

contact the County

Help Desk at

(

240

)

777

-2

287

.

MCFRS

IT personnel staff

the Help Desk during regular business hours

.

L

eave a

voice mail message

providing

:

y

our name, work site, and phone number; and

describe

the specific nature of the problem or concern

.

If an

emergenc

y

occurs

and you are unable to perform your duties as a result of

inoperable technology

with

no viable alternatives

, follow the directions on the voice

mail announcement

to

pag

e

an on

-

call

IT

technician.

Your

call

will be returned

a

s

soon as possible

. If

your

inquiry

is not an emergency,

e-

mail

your question to

fire.

helpdesk

@montgomerycountymd.gov

.

If

a

portable radio

is

inoperable

or defective, contact

the

MCFRS

Battalion Chief

o

ffice

in your Ba

ttalion

to request a replacement.

See

Re

pair Procedures

-

P

ortable

R

adios

.

If

a

mobile radio is

inoperable

or defective, complete the appropriate repair order

documentation.

See

Repair Procedures-

M

obile

R

adios

.

Patient Transport Information

Ini

tiating Transport

.

When

a

patient

transport

is

initiat

ed,

a crew member of the transporting unit

must

provid

e the appropriate

transport information to the receiving hospital

by

radio,

and

enter a brief narrative

description of transport information into

the MDC.

The crew member

should also

s

witch the mobile or portable radio over to

the appropriate hospital talk group

(

e.g.,

Z

one 10 Delta

=

Shady Grove

Adventist Hospital)

.

If the hospital fails to answer

despite repeated attempts, consider

paging the ho

spital

by

mobile or portable

radio.

*

* Additional information regarding the Page and other portable or mobile radio

functionality can be viewed in the radio end-user guides or the Quick-

Reference

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

18

Communications Manual

-

2006

Cards

available

at each fire/rescue station.

More information

is also available

at the

MCFRS Information Technology (IT) Training and Support website at

www.mcfrs.org/

TechTraining

.

When

the receiving hospital answers,

the crew

member

should

provide a brief

des

cription

of

the transport information

.

Example

: Shady Grove, M89 is transporting a 50-

year old female to your facility,

chief complaint is leg pain.

DO NOT USE THE HOSPITAL ZONE (Zone 10) TO ENGAGE IN MEDICAL

CONSULTATIONS!**

**

Medical Consultati

ons must be established through EMRC and should not occur

without first consulting with EMRC.

If

a hospital initiate

s

a medical consultation

directly with a unit, the personnel involved should tactfully advise the hospital that

they must first consult

EMR

C (state medical radio, phone patch facilitated by

EMRC, or 9 Charlie, 9 Delta, or 9 Echo on our radio system).

One

may consider

whether

he/she is engaging in a bona

-

fide medical consultation at the time specific

medical direction (e.g., physician order)

is provided by the hospital.

NOTE

:

See the patient transport recording procedures under the

Mobile Data

Computers (MDC)

section of this document.

If

the transporting unit is equipped

with a functioning MDC, enter

a brief description of transport infor

mation into the

MDC.

Repair Procedures (

M

obile

R

adios

).

If

a problem

occurs

with the function of a

MCFRS 800 MHz

mobile radio

, immediately notify the on

-

duty station officer

, who

will

com

plete a radio repair order request.

Because of

the enhanced cove

rage

offered by

the

800 MHz radio system infrastructure, and the number

of

portable

radios on EMS and suppression apparatus, units

may

operate for a

brief

period

with

out a mobile

radio.

Once a replacement radio has been installed, the station officer

mu

st immediately

contact MONTGOMERY

by

direct line to request that the replacement radio s

identifier be changed in both the CAD and the radio system.

Repair Procedures (

P

ortable

Radios).

If a problem

occurs

with the function of a

MCFRS 800 MHz

portable

radio

, immediately notify the station

o

fficer

, who will

co

mplete a radio repair order request.

The station officer

should

then

contact the

appropriate

MCFRS

Battalion Chief s Office to secure a replacement radio

through

the

Battalion Chief

s office.

**

* T

he station officer

must

then

immediately

contact

MONTGOMERY

by

direct line to request that the replacement radio s identifier be

changed in the CAD and the radio system.

*

**

The

MCFRS

Battalion Chief

s

Offices maintain

a limited inventory of spare

porta

ble radio supplies

, including

batteries, antennas, etc. Requests for

replacement parts, as a result of their having being stolen or lost, must be

accompanied by the appropriate documentation.

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

19

Communications Manual

-

2006

Talk Group Assignments (Zones 7, 8, and 9)

.

W

hen operating in

MCFRS Talk

Group Zones

- Zones 7, 8, 9 -

personnel must follow

MONTGOMERY

s

direction

regarding

which

talk group to switch

to

for radio consultation

.

When operating on 7

/9

Alpha or 7

/

9 Bravo

:

communications

must be

made

Unit

to MONTGOMERY

,

and MONTGOM

ERY to Unit.

When operating in any incident Talk G

roup block

:

communications may be

made

Unit to MONTGOMERY, MONTGOMERY to Unit, Unit to Unit, Unit to IC,

or

IC to Unit

.

If

MONTGOMERY assigns

an incident t

alk

g

roup block

--

Inc10, Inc20, Inc30, etc.

--

,

the Incident Commander takes ownership of the associated talk groups within this

block.

The IC s ownership of these talk groups

lasts

for the duration of the event

,

and a

ny talk group assignments within this block are

made

at the

IC s

discretion.

An e

xception to these rules might

occur if personnel

must u

s

e

Fire Department

Talk Around

(

FDTA

) to communicate a message. Once this message has been

delivered,

the user

must

switch back to the talk group to which

he/she was

previously assigned

either

by MONT

GOMERY or the IC

.

NOTE

:

A user who has switched

his/her

radio to

FDTA

will lose certain

functionality normally available to other talk groups.

Because the

FDTA

is a non

-

repeated frequency, the channel has limited capabilities.

Most importantly, when

transmitting on

FD

TA

, only radios within direct range will receive the signal.

Because of this limitation

, in most situations

,

ECC will

be un

able to hear that

FDTA

transmission.

Also, the Emergency Button

(

EB

)

will transmit the

IDAT

alert

only

to

radios

within range

,

and no

un

it

i

dentification

s

will be transmitted to ECC CAD

w

ork

s

tations.

Finally, activation of the

EB

when operating on the

FDTA

will not cause

any

R

uthless

Pre-

emption

,

and

the user will

not have priority o

ver

any other radio

operating wi

thin that

t

alk group series.

The criteria

below appl

y

regarding

talk group assignments in Zones, 7, 8, and 9:

MONTGOMERY will dispatch fire/rescue apparatus on 7

/

9 Alpha

, the

d

ispatch talk group.

*

At the time of dispatch

,

on the initial vocal, units will

usually

be asked to

switch over to 7

/

9 Bravo

, the

Operations talk group.

I

f

an initial response requires the dispatch of multiple

resources

(

e.g.,

a

personal injury collision with numerous injuries,

a

box alarm assignment,

etc.

)

a command officer is dis

patched,

or

on

a

response for

a known working

event

,

MONTGOMERY may

direct responding units to

switch to an incident

talk group block (e.g., Incident 10

7 Charlie, Incident 20

7

/

9 Golf, Incident

30

7

/

9 Kilo, etc.).

The IC may

request

an incident tal

k group block

or

block

s

at any

time. Once

MONTGOMERY

has assigned

a block

,

the IC

owns each of the talk groups in the block for the duration of the event.

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

20

Communications Manual

-

2006

**

W

hen possible

, MONTGOMERY will monitor the first talk group in each

incident block being used

.

However

, the IC or

designee m

ay

request

additional resources directly through th

is

talk group operator. If an operator

is unavailable, the IC must request additional resources directly through the

7/9

Alpha dispatcher

.

Zone 8 is available if additiona

l talk group blocks are needed.

MONTGOMERY may assign events to Zone 8 when necessary.

* Whenever

possible, MONTGOMERY will broadcast a second vocal on 7

/

9 Bravo

,

or the talk group to which responding units have been assigned.

** MONTGOMERY

cannot

al

ways provide an operator for every event. To ensure

quality

and

provide

assurances that all requests for assistance

will

occur when

possible

,

MONTGOMERY will

monitor

each of the first talk groups in each

used

incident block. I

f

MONTGOMERY is unable to m

onitor these talk groups,

it will

advise

the IC

.

E

xcept

for mat

ters relating to safety and welfare

,

e.g.,

EB

activation, issuances of

IDRs

, and requests to activate the

IDAT,

MONTGOMERY will

not

routinely

interven

e

or engag

e

in radio communications in th

e incident talk group blocks.

Talk Group Assignments (Mutual Aid)

.

When dispatched on

M

utual

A

id events,

MCFRS fire/rescue apparatus should follow

MONTGOMERY s direction regarding

switching to

M

utual

A

id zones/talk groups.

When

another

Mutual Aid

jurisd

iction

requests

MCFRS

assistance, MONTGOMERY will

attempt to

identify the

appropriate talk group

or channel on which MCFRS units should respond.

Regarding

talk group assignments in

M

utual

A

id zones:

MONTGOMERY will dispatch fire/rescue apparatus on the t

alk group

assigned by the requesting jurisdiction.

If

a

MCFRS

responding unit experience

s

difficulties raising the requesting

jurisdiction on the assigned

M

utual

A

id talk group, the unit should switch

back to 7

/9

Alpha for further direction from MONTGOME

RY.

Unit

s

Being Polled

Before

Dispatch

.

W

ith the use of

Automatic Vehicle Locator

(

AVL

), Automatic Vehicle Route Recommendation (

AVRR

), and Mobile Data

Computers (

MDC

), MONTGOMERY

can

more effectively evaluate available

fire/rescue resources, process evo

lving 911 calls, and

then

dispatch

appropriate

apparatus and other resources to mitigate events. For these reasons, personnel

are discouraged from bidding on events unless

they perceive

an obvious dispatcher

error.

Available fire/rescue resources

--

pers

onnel and apparatus

--

will be dispatched

according to the location of the event and the proximity of

appropriate

available of

fire/rescue apparatus. Assuming a unit is equipped with functioning MDC and AVL

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

21

Communications Manual

-

2006

capabilities, MONTGOMERY will rarely have to poll units

to determine

their location

before

dispatching an event.

Scenario:

Engine 231 is available and on the air (

AOR

) at East Jefferson and

Montrose Road. Medic 239 is available in quarters (

AIQ

). MONTGOMERY

receives a 911 call for trouble breathing at the Ring House

1801 East Jefferson

Street.

Sample Dispatch:

MONTGOMERY:

(no polling, sends dispatch message to Medic 239 and Engine

231): The Ring House, 1801 East Jefferson Street, Apartment #208, trouble

breathing, Medic 239 and Engine 231

respond on 7 Bravo. Engine 231

okay

?

Engine 231:

Engine 231 is okay, and pushes the en route (

ENR

) button and

acquires dispatch information via

MDC

.

Medic 239:

Hears

the

MOSCAD

alarm in the station, retrieves

the

station print out,

enters

the

unit

,

a

nd upon responding, pushes the en

route (

ENR

) button .all

dispatch information is also in the MDC.

If

a unit

firmly

believes

that

it is

closer to an event, it

may request MONTGOMERY

s

permission

to respond

on the

event

.

Sample Bid:

Engine 11 to MONTGOMERY, we are at Fenton Street and Georgia Avenue and

request permission to respond on the box.

Using Zone 5

- Prince George s County Fire/Rescue

. P

ublic safety agencies in

Prince George

s

County do not have

system

-

wide access to 800 MHz radio system

cap

abilities. Until Prince George

s

County migrates to a

n

800 MHz system, MCFRS

units

assigned to border companies (Stations 1, 2, 12, 15, 16, 19, and 24) should

continue to u

s

e their P

rince

George s County

portable radios.

To ensure that all MCFRS units

can

communicate

with

Prince George s County

Fire

and

Rescue

,

MONTGOMERY may create a r

adio patch

between

Prince George s

County

F

ire/

Rescue frequencies and MCFRS

800 MHz radi

o system. These

arrangements are facilitated using the Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie

talk groups in

Zone 5.

T

o

act in response to this capability, MCFRS personnel should

:

listen for the talk group that MONTGOMERY assigns on the initial dispatch

vocal;

immediately upon responding, switch the

unit s mobile radio over to

the assigned tal

k group; and

announce the unit s resp

onse status to the P

rince George s

County

F

ire

and

R

escue

dispatcher on the talk group

directed

by

MONTGOMERY

.

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

22

Communications Manual

-

2006

If the responding MCFRS unit is

un

able to raise the Prince George

s County

dispatcher on the

talk group previously directed by MONTGOMERY, the user

should

switch his/her mobile radio back to

MONTGOMERY s

7

/9

Alpha talk group

and advise

MONTGOMERY

of his/her inability to speak with Prince George

s

County.

Using Zone 12 (Coordination)

Alpha, Bravo, Char

lie, and Delta

.

A 911 talk

group (12 Alpha) is programmed into all MCFRS and local government (i.e.,

Montgomery County) radios. The 911 talk group is located in Zone 12 of the

MCFRS radio template

,

and is

occasionally

monitored by the

Montgomery

C

ounty

Police Dispatcher Supervisor. The guidelines

below

apply to the use of this talk

group:

MCFRS personnel

must not

use this talk group unless MONTGOMERY directs

them to do so

!

If MONTGOMERY directs personnel to switch to 12 Alpha, they should ensure

that

at least one

of the other radios assigned to their unit remains tuned to the

talk group

assigned by MONTGOMERY.

U

si

ng Zone 18

-

Police Department Monitoring

.

M

CFRS provid

es its

personnel/radios with the

unique ability

to

monitor

(

but not tr

ansmit

)

radio

communications among certain law enforcement entities operating in Montgomery

County. Personnel who

monitor

Zone 18 must

be aware that

:

When an attempt is made to transmit on Zone 18

, the radio will be locked out

of the talk group on which the

transmission was attempted. To re

-enable

th

at radio s

transmission and receiving capabilities

of the radio

,

the user

must switch out of the talk group,

and

then switch back

to a talk group to

which radio monitoring is desired.

If the user decides to

monitor law enforcement activity on Zone 18

,

he/she must ensure that at least one of the other radios assigned to the

fire/rescue unit

remains

tuned to the talk group

previously

assigned by

MONTGOMERY

.

Unless otherwise directed in a face

-

to

-

face discussio

n with an

authorized law enforcement officer, all MCFRS personnel should follow

MONTGOMERY s explicit direction before proceeding into a potentially

hostile environment

.

If

a

n

MCFRS crew receive

s

face

-

to

-

face clearance to

enter an environment that has bee

n deemed safe, the crew should advise

MONTGOMERY that entry is now being made.

EMERGENCY RADIO PROCEDURES

Emergency Radio Communications

Signal 3

.

Emergency

radio

messages

take precedence over all other types of transmissions.

Issuing

an emergency ra

dio

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

23

Communications Manual

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2006

communication is restricted to situations where life safety is at risk

, or

when

immediate attention or assistance is critical.

During an emergency

,

field personnel may contact

ECC

by transmitting:

Example

: Engine 301 to MONTGOMERY, EMERGENCY.

If

fire/rescue personnel are

faced with

an

imminent

threat of,

or occurring bodily

i

njury, they

may

transmit a

Signal 3

radio transmission.

Example

: Ambulance 29 to MONTGOMERY,

Signal 3

.

O

n the receipt of a

Signal 3

transmission, MONTGOMERY will acknow

ledge the

message and immediately request the appropriate law enforcement agency to

provide a

Signal

3

response to the last known location of the fire/rescue unit.

The use of this radio transmission is intended to ensure the rapid dispatch of

l

aw enforcem

ent units to an incident

where fire/rescue personnel are unable

to provide a detailed description of the threat they face.

It is

NOT

intended for

any other purpose

!

If

immediate law enforcement is required on the scene

, but

the welfare of

fire/rescue per

sonnel

is not adversely impacted, requesting personnel

must provide MONTGOMERY with

the

specific reason for requesting law

enforcement

, e.g.,

the

patient

is becoming combative with bystanders .

Emergency Button Activation (Accompanied by a Verbal Explana

tion).

All

MCFRS radios are equipped with

an

Emergency Button

(EB)

function. When

personnel

activate

this button

, an audible alarm and a flashing visual icon appears

on the fire/rescue communications dispatcher consoles. Whenever possible, field

personn

el

must accompany the

activation of the

EB

with a verbal explanation of the

unit s emergency. MONTGOMERY will

then

dispatch the appropriate resources to

mitigate the emergency

,

e.g., manpower

,

law enforcement, etc.

Sometimes

,

however, this may not be pos

sible. (See

Emergency Button Activation

Silent

Signal 3

. )

NOTES

: More in

formation

regarding activat

ion of

the radio s

Emergency Button

(portable and mobile)

is available

in the End

-

User Guides at each fire/rescue station

and is outlined in Fire and

Rescue

Service Policy 24

-

07

,

SOP f

or

Safe Structural

Firefighting Operation

s.

T

raining aids are also available

on the MCFRS Information

Technology (IT) Training and Support website at www.mcfrs.org/

TechTraining

.

Emergency Button Activation

-

Silent Signal 3

.

As discussed above, activating

the

MCFRS radio

Emergency Button

will cause a

n audible alarm and a flashing

visual icon

to

appear on the fire/rescue communications dispatcher consoles.

Since

personnel

may

activate

the

Emergency Button

when they are unable to

broadcast a verbal distress message

, the procedure

below will

occur:

If

unit personnel do

no

t

provide a

verbal explanation

regarding

the nature of

the emergency, MONTGOMERY will transmit: (U

nit design

ation), what is

your

EB

status?

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

24

Communications Manual

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2006

When the unit receives

MONTGOMERY

s message

, if

the

activation was

unintentional, unit personnel

will

advise MONTGOMERY of the error and

reset its

radio. MONTGOMERY will

also

reset the dispatch console.

If

the dispatch

er receives

no response

to his/her

query, MONTGOMERY will

contact the appropriate law e

nforcement agency and request

a

Signal

3

(emergency lights and sirens)

response

to the location of the unit

.

This procedure p

rovides

the

affected unit an opportunity

to clarify its

disposition

,

avoid

s

repetitive questioning

, protects the

safety of the affected

personnel, and

prevents

an

unnecessary law enforcement response

.

NOTE

: More in

formation

regarding activat

ion of

the radio s

Emergency Button

(portable and mobi

le)

is available

in the End

-User Guides at each fire/rescue

station.

T

raining aids

are also available

on the MCFRS (IT) Training and Support

website at

www.mcfrs.org/

TechTraining

.

Failsoft Operations

.

Radio

traffic across

MCFRS

talk groups is managed by a

system controller.

The MCFRS trunked system operates with one full

-

time

controller

--

a hard-

wired back

-

up that immediately engages upon a failure of the

primary

--

and a tertiary backup that is

available i

f

a failure of the primary and

secondary controllers

occurs

.

For the tertiary controller to become

functional, a

switch

mu

st be activated to connect the radio system to the controller. If the

radio

infrastructure

were to

experience a system controller fa

ilure,

and cannot connect

with any of the three available controllers,

it will operate in a mode referred to as

Failsoft

.

Personnel

will re

alize

that the radio system is in

Failsoft

because each radio

(portable and mobile) will emit a distinct chirp at te

n second intervals, and will also

display the message

Failsoft

, alternating with the talk group (alpha

-

numeric

designation and name) to which the radio is tuned.

When the radio system enters

Failsoft

, the radio

system is no longer trunking

,

and

radios

wil

l

operat

e

in a conventional (non

-

800MHz) mode.

Each radio channel is

assigned to a specific function. Under this condition, certain zones will be assigned

automatically

t

o a specific channel on which to broadcast and receive. The

assignments

below

will

occur:

7 Alpha, 8 Alpha, and 9 Alpha DISP talk groups

one channel

7 Bravo and Papa, 8 Bravo and Papa, 9 Bravo and Papa

one channel

7 Charlie through

7 November

,

and 9 Golf through 9 November

one

channel

8 Charlie through 8 November

,

and th

e entire Zone 11

one channel

When operating in

Failsoft

, radio traffic for these talk groups will occur over the

above

-

referenced channels. Personnel operating on talk groups sharing the same

channel will hear all radio transmissions occurring on that

channel. For example, in

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

25

Communications Manual

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2006

Failsoft

, all users whose radios are tuned to 7 Charlie, 7 Delta, and 7 Echo will

hear each other. For this reason, during

Failsoft

,

radio transmissions should be

limited to communications critical to

providing

service delivery.

Immediate Danger Alert Tone

-

IDAT

.

If

an Incident Commander or

designee

determines

that a structure or other hazardous area must be evacuat

ed

immediate

ly, t

he ECC will be directed to sound the alternating high

-

low radio

evacuation tone known as the

IDAT

I

mmediate

D

anger

A

lert

T

one.

When personne

l operating at or near the incident

site hear this audible warning

tone, they must immediately evacuate the affected area

because

an imminent

danger to operating personnel has been identified. Apparatus drive

rs

must

assist

with this evacuation by simultaneously sounding their apparatus air horns with a

single, long (approximately one minute), continuous blast.

ECC must determine the affected area from the Incident Commander and repeat

this information across

the talk group:

SAMPLE: MONTGOMERY

to all personnel operating at 101 Main Street,

Command has identified the house and a 100 foot perimeter to be the area of

imminent danger.

Incident Duration Reminders -

(IDR

s)

To ensure the safety and welfare of

personnel o

perating on the scene of an incident

, the ECC will issue Incident

Duration Reminders

, or

IDRs

,

consistent with th

e

requirements

established

by the

Fire

Chief

. These notifications are issued twenty minutes after the arrival of

the first

primary uni

t

on events

where three or more primary units have been dispatched

.

A

fter the first unit has arrived, ECC

will issue these reminders at fifteen minute

intervals.

MOBILE DATA COMPUTER

(MDC)

PROCEDURES AND FUNCTIONS

MDC

s

are modular computers that are con

figured for mobile use. These devices

consist of a touch

-

sensitive screen display, a keyboard,

a

central processing unit

(

CPU

), and

a

power supply.

MDCs provide fire/rescue personnel the ability to

status their unit without verbalizing

this

information.

MDCs

also provide access to

CAD

dispatch information, route mapping with

Automated Vehicle Locator (

AVL

)

capability, future pre

-

plan access

,

messaging, hazard information, and

future

personnel accountability.

F

or a

n

MDC to receive CAD

-

driven data, it mus

t be continuously powered on and

logged into the system. When units are in quarters, shoreline power must be

connected to maintain power to the MDC

,

and to assure an adequate charge to the

vehicle s batteries.

When a fire/rescu

e unit is dispatched on an incident, a CAD

dispatch message will

appear on the monitor display

,

accompanied by an audible alert.

P

ersonnel

may:

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

26

Communications Manual

-

2006

status a unit by touching the appropriate button on the monitor screen

,

or

us

e

the touch pad to move the

cursor

;

view a computer

-

generated route recommendation on the map display

, and

view/follow

the

unit s

progress on this map

; and

run various

queries to access additional information (e.g., location hazard

information).

In the future, personnel

,

regardless of station assignment or affiliation

,

will also be

able to access pre

-

plan data while en

route to an event

anywhere in the County. In

addi

tion, unit officers will able to electronically update their unit rosters by scanning

personnel accountability tags with a bar code reader.

Changing Unit Capabilities (e.g., existence of on

-

board medic equipment).

Packet

Cluster Rescue (

PCR

) provides a R

oster Update (

1RST

) button, which

enables the end

-

user to change roster information associated with a given

fire/rescue unit. This function enable

s the user to update personnel riding

assignments, radio information, and various unit (e.g., advanced life s

upport first

responder equipment, etc.) and personnel (e.g.,

Spanish

-

speaking) capabilities.

As of the effective date of this

M

anual, field personnel may update only the

fire/rescue unit s response area. All other changes to a unit s capabilities must be

initiated through MONTGOMERY. These requests should be made by direct line

phone as early as possible, and changes should be

avoided

after

a unit s dispatch

and subsequent response. When the 1RST becomes fully functional, a Fire Chief s

Order will be

issued explaining its

use.

Example to

AVOID

: Engine 231 has been dispatched as an Advanced Life

Support First Responder Apparatus (

AFRA

) on a chest pains event. En

route to

the event, Engine 231 transmits the following radio message: Engine 231 to

MO

NTGOMERY

, change us to a regular engine.

Changing Unit Designation

Reserve Unit Placed in Service

.

If

a fire/rescue

apparatus is placed out of service because of a mechanical problem, a temporary

apparatus transfer may be

made

by the

o

fficer

-

in

-c

harge

.

If this transfer is to last

longer than twenty

-

four hours, or if a reserve unit is to be placed in service,

operations personnel must take several actions to change the designations of the

affected units.

Example

: Engine 291 is placed out of servi

ce

for

mechanical reasons

for an

extended

period of

time (longer than twenty

-

four hours). Engine 132 is sent to Fire

Station 29 and will run in the interim as Engine 291.

The station officer at Fire

Station 29 should:

call

MONTGOMERY

on its direct line

and request that Engine 291 be logged

off CAD; and

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

27

Communications Manual

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2006

log Engine 132 s MDC onto PCR by clicking the

Login

button. Enter the

real Engine 291 s logon information (e.g., User ID, Unit ID, Password, and

District

D1, D2, D3, D4, D5, or CW) into the required

fields, and

enter

Engine 132 s

Vehicle ID

into the required field.

These actions will

exchange

the replacement unit s designation with that of the unit

that it is replacing, and the

replacement unit s assets

(e.g., Hurst tool, thermal

imaging camera, atm

ospheric monitor, etc.) will be

automatically transferred in

CAD

.*

* To change a unit s assets in CAD, the station officer should call

MONTGOMERY

directly by landline.

NOTE

:

In addi

tion to other transferables

--

maps, Knox box keys, etc.

--

portable

radi

os from the unit that has been replaced should be transferred to the

replacement unit. In the above

-cited example, the real Engine 291 s portable

radios must be placed on Engine 132 (operating as Engine 291).

Changing Unit Location

-

Moving Up

.

If a

unit is moving to another fire/rescue

station s first-

due, and this move is not

the r

esult of MONTGOMERY s request

to

transfer to another fire/rescue station, the station officer should use the MDC to

reflect the first

-

due area to which the unit is moving

. This change is necessary

whenever a unit is moving to a different

area

of the County

for supplies

,

administrative functions, training, etc.

NOTE

S

: Whenever possible, the

unit officer should

enter an explanation into the

MDC regarding the nature of t

he move (e.g., fuel, medical supplies, maintenance,

etc.).

Updating a unit s response area in CAD is

critical

whenever the unit goes off the

air (

AIQ

) at the new location. If the response area is not

updated,

the station

alerting at the new location

will

not

activate

when th

e unit is dispatched on an

incident

. Instead, station alerting will sound at the

last

station where the unit was

shown in CAD.

Changing Unit Location

In

-

County Transfer Initiated by MONTGOMERY

.

If

a unit is transferring to anothe

r fire/rescue station as the direct result of

having

been

dispatched by MONTGOMERY:

M

ONTGOMERY

will initiate the affected unit s movement in CAD;

the

unit officer

should status

the MDC

AOR

(available on radio)

; and

on arrival at the fire/rescue station

to which the unit was transferred, the unit

officer

should status the MDC

AIQ

(available in quarters)

.

NOTE

:

W

hen

AVRR

comes on line, the system will continually track the movement

of all fire/rescue apparatus.

Under normal circumstances, before gener

ating a

recommended response assignment,

CAD and

AVRR will co

mpare the

unit s actual

location

with

other units on the air

, and the actual dispatch location. Thus, a unit

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

28

Communications Manual

-

2006

engaged in a transfer

that

has not yet reached its transfer destination will still be

recommended for dispatch if it is considered to be closer

.

Changing Unit Location

Out

-

of

-

County Transfer Initiated by MONTGOMERY

.

If

a unit is transferring to an out

-

of

-

County

fire/rescue station as the direct result of

being dispatched by MONTGOMERY:

MONTGOMERY will initiate the affected unit s movement in CAD;

the

unit officer should status

the MDC

ENR

(En Route)

; and

on the unit s

arrival at the fire/rescue station to which it

was transferred, the

unit officer should status

the

MDC ON

(On Scene)

as the appropriate status

for

the

duration of the transfer, regardless

of whether it was dispatched while

engaged in the

transfer.

When released from the transfer, the unit should status

AOR

(Available on

Radio).

Changing

Unit

Location

While on an E

vent

-

Dispatch Location is Different

from Actual Even

t

Location

.

CAD is the master database of event locations and

must be kept accurate. If

a unit arrives on the scene of an event whose location

differs from that of the original dispatched location, the

actual event location

must

be updated in CAD. It is

also

imperative that other responding apparatus know

the

corrected address.

Occasionally,

a unit officer may need to change the location of the unit from that of

the original dispatched location. Th

is change does not

institute a change in CAD

regarding the original dispatched event location; it simply enacts a CAD and PCR

record reflecting the affected unit s

change in location

.

To engage this function,

the unit must already be assigned to an event.

Example:

Ambulance 88 is dispatched for a personal injury collision at Montgomery

Village

Avenue

and Stedwick Road. Ambulance 88 arrives on the scene and finds

a collision

. H

owever, the patient is inside the building located at 19100

Montgomery Villa

ge Avenue. The

unit officer

of Ambulance 88 should elect in PCR

to:

press or click on the

Change Loc

button, or press Ctrl

-F3;

enter the new location

-

19100 Montgomery Village Avenue;

enter any

applicable text comments (optional); and

enter the time

(optional).

NOTE:

Using the Change Location function outlined

above

will not

change

the event location in CAD!

To change an

event

s location in CAD,

the unit officer

must contact MONTGOMERY

by

radio. While a

Dispatcher

message

may also be

used to

tra

nsmit this information,

the unit officer must

consider the priority of the

event location change.

If a change in an event s location will

affect

initial fire

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

29

Communications Manual

-

2006

suppression efforts or water supply operations,

it is

critical

that this c

hange

be

made

verbal

ly

on the radio

.

N

OTE

:

More

information

regarding the

Change Location function

is available

in the

MDC End

-

User Guide at each fire/rescue station.

Event Response

- Federal Agencies on-b

ase

- NO

MCFRS

R

esponse

.

When

the

federal Mutual Aid stations respond on

-

base for events that

do

not

require MCFRS assistance, these units are usually

unavailable for

further

dispatch

es,

either on

-

base, or for

M

utual

Aid to MCFRS, until the original event is

mitigated

and cleared

.

To

ensure that affected units are reflecte

d as unavailable in

CAD, federal agencies that respond to on

-

base events should:

press or click on the

OUT

button, or press Ctrl

-

T;

enter the

Type

of work environment;

enter the

Location

(optional, but recommended); and

complete other applicable field

s (including optional comments).

NOTE

: The ECC will generate events in the

CAD

when

federal agencies request

the response of MCFRS units

to assist with mitigating an event

. These requests

should come

at the time of the response

, preferably

by direct lin

e

, and

before

apparatus response.

Respective

records management report

s

(currently

Firehouse)

will be generated

.

Event Response

-

Federal Agencies on

-

base

, WITH

MCFRS response)

.

When

the

federal

Mutual Aid stations

respond on

-

base for events that

do

requ

ire

MCFRS assistance

, MONTGOMERY prefers the agency

to

request

help

by direct

line. Based on pertinent call

-

taker information, MONTGOMERY will

dispatch

the

appropriate MCFRS fire/rescue apparatus. Once responding, MCFRS

unit officers

should u

s

e the

MDC f

unction

to status their unit accordingly.

NOTE

: The

same comment as immediately above for event response for federal

agencies with NO

MCFRS response applies, i.e.,

ECC will generate events in the

CAD

when federal agencies

do

request the response of MCFRS

units to assist with

mitigating an event. These requests should come

at the time of the response

,

preferably

by direct line

, and

before

apparatus response. Respective records

management reports (currently Firehouse) will be generated.

Help Desk Procedu

res

for

M

DCs

.

MCFRS provide

s a dedicated IT assistance

network to help users of the CAD, MDC, or radio technologies

resolve

system

problems. Personnel should first consult with other colleagues at the work site

,

and

then

if necessary,

use the web

site

(

www.mcfrs.org/

TechTraining

to locate

fire/rescue

MDC

assistance by

click

ing

on the

Course Instructors

tab;

and

click

ing

on the

Trainer Matrix

tab.

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

30

Communications Manual

-

2006

If necessary,

contact the County Help Desk at 240

-

777

-22

87

. MCFRS IT

personnel

staff t

he Help Desk during regular business hours.

L

eave a voice mail message

by

providing

:

your name, work site, and phone number;

information regarding w

hich

MDC has a potential problem (e.g., the MDC on

Medic 309)

; and

t

he spec

ific nature of the problem or concern

.

If an emergency

occurs

and you

are unable to perform your duties as a result of

inoperable technology with no viable alternatives, please follow the directions on

the voice mail announcement to page an on-

call

IT

technician.

Your call will be

returned

as soon as possible

.

If your inquiry is not an emergency, email your

question to

[email protected]

Logging Off CAD

.

Unless specifically

directed by MONTGOMERY, do not

log the

MDC off CAD

, because this will remove the

unit from consideration when events

are dispatched.

If a

piece of apparatus will be unavailable for service for an extended time (e.g.,

out

-

of

-

service mechanical),

notify

MONTGOMERY

, which will then

log the affected

unit off CAD

, and the unit will no longer be recommended for dispatch.

Patient Transport Information

Initiating Transport

.

When

a

patient is

transport

ed

, enter a brief narrative description of transport in

formation into the MDC

and

provid

e

applicable transport information to the receiving hospital

by

radio.

T

o

create

a transport record in the MDC

:

s

elect the

XPTB

(Transport Begin) button in PCR

;

s

elect

Emergency

or

Routine

to reflect the mode of transpo

rt

;

m

anually type the

Starting Location

if it was not previously auto

-

filled

(

Scene

is

adequate)

;

s

elect a Destination

from the provided pick

-

list

;

m

anually enter the

Starting Mileage

(optional)

;

and

m

anually type a brief text description of the appli

cable transport information

(e.g., 50 y/o male chest pain ).

N

OTES

:

More

information

regarding the above

-

referenced entry of transport

information into the

MDC is available in the MDC

End

-

User Guide

in

each

fire/rescue station.

If

a unit transport

s

a

patient to a hospital which is not

reflected in the Destination

pick

-

list, provide MONTGOMERY

with

applicable transport information on 7

/

9

Bravo. MONTGOMERY will enter this information directly into

CAD

.

If

a transport unit is

not equipped with a funct

ioning MDC, provide this information

to MONTGOMERY on 7/

9 Bravo

;

MONTGOMERY will enter this information directly

into

CAD.

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

31

Communications Manual

-

2006

S

ee the

R

adio

T

ransport

notification procedures

provid

ed under the

Radio

Procedures and Function section of this document.

Personne

l

are responsible for

providing radio notifications to receiving hospitals.

Using

Announce

Function

.

MCFRS

MDCs can simultaneously send an

electronic message to a select group of field personnel. Through the use of

customized distribution groups, mess

ages may be sent to a pre

-defined list of

MDCs that have a common association o

r p

urpose (e.g.,

T

raining,

Battalion, service

type, etc.). Be aware that

:

p

ersonnel

must

comply with all applicable

regulations

and procedures

(Montgomery County, Fire and Res

cue Commission, Montgomery County

Fire and Rescue Service,

federal, State and any

other applicable policies

)

regarding

the transmission and exchange of electronic messages and the

use of computer technologies

;

a

ll e

-mail messages are recorded on the County server and can be reviewed

by authorized system administrators

; and

Announce messages are for

MCFRS

business use only

, and a

ll

personnel

must

limit messag

es

to

business use

only

.

These messages

impact on the business processes of many different use

rs

,

and may impact

the performance of the Mobile Data Gateway (MD

G).

NOTE

:

More

information

regarding Announce function

is available

in the

MDC

End

-

User Guide at each fire/rescue station.

Using

Mail

Function

.

MCFRS

MDC technology

enable

s personnel t

o engage in

non

-

world

-

wide

-

web (www) e

-

mail function

s

. MCFRS MDCs can generate e

-

mails

to other MDCs that are logged onto PCR

.

Personnel

must comply with all

applicable

regulations and policies

(Montgomery County, Fire and Rescue Commission, Montgomery

County

Fi

re and Rescue Service, federal, State and

any other applicable policies

)

regarding the transmission and exchange of electronic messages and the

use of computer technologies

;

a

ll e

-mail messages are recorded on the County server and can be reviewed

by authorized system administrators

;

a

ll

e-

mail messages

automatically

default to private when sent

,

i.e. the

e

-

mail message will be seen and read

only

by the initiator and the receiver(s)

;

i

f the initiator clicks on the

Public

box, the e

-

mail will be sent automatically to

all users

within the County s

MDC

infrastructure

,

including law

enforcement

personnel

;

and

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

32

Communications Manual

-

2006

a

Public

e

-

mail will activate the

Info (Information) button on all

MDCs within

the County s MDC infrastructure. If over-

used, this c

ould be dis

tracting to

other public safety users operating in the field.

NOTE

:

More

information

regarding

Mail

function

is available

in the MDC End

-

User

Guide at each fire/rescue station.

Using Packet

Cluster Rescue (PCR) Function to Status a Unit

. F

ie

ld personnel

must use the

MDC

s on fi

re/rescue unit

s equipped with these devices

to reflect th

at

unit s appropriate status.

Only if a unit does not have a functioning M

DC

should the

crew routinely transmit the unit status verbally.

The MDC button

abbrevia

tion

s

below indicate the

unit s status.

ENR

indicate

s

a fire/rescue unit is

en

route to an event

ON

indicates

a fire/rescue unit

is

on the scene of an event

XPTB

indicate

s that patient transport has begun

XPTA

indicates

the transport unit has arri

ved at the receiving medical facility

AOR

indicate

s a fire/rescue unit

is

available on the air for dispatch

AIQ

indicat

es

a fire/rescue unit

is

available

,

in quarters

,

for dispatch. If the

unit is not placed AIQ, the station alerting tones will not

sound in the station.

*

1RST

ONLY

enables the end

-

user to update the response area in which the

unit has moved (e.g., Medic 10 moves up to Station 23 s first-due area for

supplies)

**OV

-4

i

ndica

tes that one or members of the crew ha

s

stepped out of the

vehicle (e.g., in a grocery store) This cues

the ECC the crew

is operating on

a

portabl

e radio

IV-5

i

ndicate

s that the crew has re

-

entered the vehicle. The field end

-

user will

receive the following CAD message: Mobile Unit XX is unlocked.

OUT

i

ndicat

e

s the unit is out

-

of

-

service on an

e

vent (e.g., inspection, public

education demonstration, radio repair, etc.)

* This button eventually will enable

personnel

to update the unit s roster with

personnel names and capabilities

,

e.g., special equipmen

t

, or personnel skills

.

**

When a crew is on the scene of an event, they

need not status OV

-4

. It is

usually

implied that once a unit s status is changed to ON

, its

crew has exited the

vehicle and is mitigating an event. When this button is pressed, th

e

crew

will

receive the

CAD

message Mobile Unit XX is Locked.

NOTE

:

More in

formation

regarding

electronic

Urgent

m

essag

ing

is available

in the

MDC End

-U

ser Guide at each fire/rescue station.

EMERGENCY MOBILE DATA COMPUTER PROCEDURES

F-

11 Emergency Key

Activation

.

The MDC is equipped with an

emergency key

function. When the

F-

11

key is pressed two or more times within three seconds, an

emergency mess

age is sent to

MONTGOMERY.

Whenever possible, the user

must accompany the

activation of the

F-

11 key

with a verbal explanation of the

unit s emergency. MONTGOMERY will

then

dispatch the appropriate resources to

mitigate the emergency

,

e.g.,

a

manpower

u

nit,

law enforcement, etc.

Occasionally

, verbalizing

the

emergency may not be possible due to fear of harm to

personnel, i.e.,

an assault.

Because

activating the

F-

11 Emergency Key

requires

taking specific, purposeful action

, MONTGOMERY will assume tha

t the

activation is

deliberate

unless

otherwise acknowledged.

F-11 Emergency Key Activation -

Silent Signal 3

.

The

MDC

s F-

11 emergency

key

function

can also be used

when

unit personnel cannot

simultaneously

verbalize

a

distress message

. When this occ

urs, the

procedure

below is implemented.

If

personnel activate the

F-

11 Emergency Key

and do not

provide a

verbal

explanation

regarding t

he nature of the emergency, MONTGOMERY will

transmit th

is

message: (Unit designation), what is your

EB

status?

If

the

activation was

unintentional

, the unit s personnel should advise

MONTGOMERY of the error. MONTGOMERY will then initiate a reset at the

dispatch console.

If the unit s personnel do not

respond

to

the

ECC

dispatcher s query,

MONTGOMERY will contact th

e appropriate law enforcement agency and request a

Priority

r

esponse

(emergency lights and sirens)

.

This procedure p

rovides

the

affected unit an opportunity to clarify its

disposition

,

avoid

s

repetitive questioning

, prevents

an

unnecessary law enforcem

ent response

,

and protects the safety of the affected

personnel

.

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

36

Communications Manual

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STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES

Transmission of Messages

.

All

fire/rescue personnel must

manag

e radio and

telephone exchanges in a manner that conserves air time

,

and facilitates the

acc

urate, brief, and rapid transmission of mission

-

critical communications.

Using

non

-

standard procedures, needless or duplicative communications, or a lack of

circuit discipline

,

cause

s

delays, confusion, and/or unnecessary transmissions.

Circuit Discipline

.

MONTGOMERY is responsible for:

maint

aining radio circuit

discipline

;

rapid

ly

and efficient

ly

managing

radio, telephone, and MDC

communications traffic;

determining the order of priority in whi

ch radio

transmissions are made;

and directing and control

ling the use of all radio talk

groups.

Talk Group Usage

.

Using

primary talk groups

--

7/

9 Alpha and 7

/

9 Bravo

--

is

limited to communications essential to conduct official fire, rescue, and

EMS

operations. ECC

personnel are

responsib

le

for control

ling

al

l talk groups applicable

to

the MCFRS radio

fleet maps.

All r

adio transmissions must be restricted to the shortest practical transmission

time.

E

xcept

for

7

/

8/

9 Oscar,

MONTGOMERY assigns all

talk groups

to

conduct

fire/rescue service

s business.

FCC Op

erating Rules for Public Safety Agencies

.

Under the operating rules of

the Federal Communications Commission, it is unlawful to:

transmit false calls or false or fraudulent distress signals;

transmit unnecessary or unidentified communications;

transmit messages of a personal nature by radio;

use profane, indecent, or obscene language;

intercept,

use, or publish the content

of any radio message without the

expressed permission of the proper authority;

cause unlawful or malicious interference to any other radio communications;

transmit without first ensuring that the intended transmission will not cause

harmful

interfer

ence;

transmit unassigned call signals;

willfully damage or permit radio equipment to be damaged; or

deny access to any radio equipment if a properly identified representative of

the FCC asks to inspect it.

MCFRS

must make

its

radio equipment

availabl

e for inspection by an authorized

FCC representative at any reasonable hour

of the day

.

Violations of FCC rules and

regulations may subject

violators

to fine

s

up to $10,000

,

or a prison term of up to

two year

s

, or both.

Assignment of Alternate Talk Group

(s)

.

When a high volume of radio traffic or

other conditions impede the dispatch process, MONTGOMERY may request units

,

e.g., Box Alarm

s,

to switch to an alternate talk group(s). Similarly, when an

alternate talk group

, e.g., 7

/

9 Charlie

,

or an incident

talk group block

(

e.g., Inc20

:

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

37

Communications Manual

-

2006

7/

9 Golf

7

/

9 Juliette

)

,

is required for command, control, and coordination of event

operations, the I

C ma

y request the use of

those

resources. MONTGOMERY will

monitor an alternate talk group when staffing permits

. H

owev

er

,

MONTGOMERY

maintains ultimate control of the

use

of alternate talk groups

.

No unit or

individual

should

switch to an alternate talk group unless

MONTGOMERY

direct

s

or approves it

to do so.

W

hen switching back to 7/9 Alpha

or Bravo, it is not necessar

y to advise the

ECC

dispatcher.

Assignment of Alternate Talk Group(s)

Full Assignments

.

On any full

assignment

incident

, an alternate talk group

(

e.g., Inc20

7

/

9 Golf

)

will be

assigned. It is implied that an incident talk group block

(

e.g., Inc20

7

/

9 Golf

7

/

9

Juliette

)

has been assigned

,

as opposed to a single talk group. The talk group

assignment will be announced on both the pre

-

alert

and

the initial vocal

announcement. The IC takes ownership of the associated talk groups within this

block

, and o

wn

s

these talk groups for

the

d

uration of the event. Any talk group

assignments within this block will occur at the

IC s

discretion

.

On full assignments, all command officers and primary

units

that are

not equipped

with a functioning MDC must v

ocalize their response on the assigned talk group.

When MDCs are out of service, all units must vocalize their response on the

assigned talk group. When units return to service,

units without

a functioning MDC

must vocalize their

ready

status before

sw

itching back to 7

/

9 Alpha. When

switching back to 7

/9 Alpha, it is

not

necessary to advise the 7/

9 Alpha dispatcher.

Control of

Communications for Task Force or Greater Alarm.

ECC will assign

all apparatus dispatched on Task Force or greater alarms to

a talk group separate

from the incident s primary tactical talk group. Units responding on T

ask

F

orce or

greater alarms should status MDC appropriately,

and switch to this talk group until

assigned to the incident by the Incident Commander. If a unit ha

s a message for

ECC, this message should be transmitted on Bravo.

ECC Radio

Operators will not

usually be assigned to these additional talk groups. The Staging Manager should

monitor both the primary tactical talk group and the staging talk group so reso

urces

can be managed appropriately

. Only

the Staging Manager should use the tactical

talk group for communications with the Incident Commander.

Heavy Radio Traffic Conditions

.

Radio, MDC, and telephone traffic frequently

becomes so heavy that a

n

ECC

dis

patcher cannot immediately respond

to a

requesting

unit. When this oc

cur

s

, MONTGOMERY may broadcast the direction,

All units stand

by

.

,

or it may

trans

mit a prolonged single alert tone. These actions

all indicat

e the same situation:

T

he ECC is busy an

d is

unable to answer

; p

lease

stand

by until polled.

MONTGOMERY may occasionally

request units operating on a given talk group to

maintain radio silence until otherwise directed. For example, MONTGOMERY may

broadcast the following direction: Attentio

n all stations and units on the air

.

Maintain radio silence until further notice

unless you have an emergency.

When

operational conditions return to normal, MONTGOMERY will broadcast a message

lifting th

is

direction

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

38

Communications Manual

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Condition Red

.

Condition

Red

is

an operational condition declared by the ECC

,

usually when available fire/rescue resources (e.g., fire/rescue apparatus) are

inadequate to respond to the number of events that are occurring. It may also

occur when the number of incoming

911 calls

begin

s

t

o overtax the capabilities of

available ECC staffing. Situations that may precipitate a

Condition Red

include

severe weather conditions, simultaneously occurring events of a complex nature, or

natural or man

-

made disasters.

When

ECC declare

s

Condition Re

d, field personnel will realize reduced response

assignments and must curtail the use of routine radio transmissions

,

e.g., patient

transport information. Direct line

and

telephone use

to the ECC should be curtailed

unless an emergency

occurs

.

Field requ

ests to transmit routine messages will be

declined

, and station personnel should refrain from contacting the ECC

to

conduct

routine business.

Occasionally

, at the ECC on

-

duty supervisor

s discretion,

and

with the approval of the on

-

duty Shift Chief, fire/

rescue apparatus not already

engaged on dispatched events (or pre

-

approved details) may be directed to return

to quarters.

Condition Red

will remain in effect until the ECC transmits an announcement lifting

the modified condition.

Bidding on an Event

.

MONTGOMERY continuously evaluat

es

events which have

yet to be dispatched, prioritizing them based on level of severity or need, and

assessing the availability of appropriate fire/rescue resources.

Often

more than one

event

will

occur in the same geogr

aphical area.

Occasionally

, after

an event is d

ispatch

ed

, a unit may perceive that it is closer to

the

dispatched location

,

even though it was not dispatched. If a unit officer

wants

to

respond on the event, he/she should declare his/her unit s location

on 7/9 Alpha

and bid on the event. The bidding unit may proceed in routine mode in the direction

of the event until the

ECC

dispatcher has determined whether it

should respond

,

but

the unit

should not move beyond the station response area where that unit is

currently located

.*

The 7/9 Alpha Dispatcher is responsible for tracking all available fire/rescue

apparatus

, while simultaneously monitoring and handling all

other

events pending

dispatch.

A

lthough the bidding

unit

was n

ot dispatched on an active eve

nt, it may

be in the process of being considered for another higher priority event

,

pending

dispatch.

STATION ALERTING AND VEHICLE STATUS

MOSCAD Station Alerting System

.

All

MCFRS

stations are equipped with

the

Motorola System Control Alerting Device

(

MOSCAD

) function.

This system

activates standardized alert tones to notify station personnel that one or more of

that station s

units have been dispatched on an event.

The

MOSCAD station

alerting is integrated into the CAD system and is fully

-

automated

.

The MOSCAD

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

39

Communications Manual

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2006

system can also monitor critical infrastructure systems in each fire/rescue station,

including the status of commercial power, generators, fire detection systems, and

sprinkler systems. The status of these systems can

also

be monitored by te

rminals

located in both the ECC and the AECC.

If

a

CAD failure occurs, the system sounds a distinct alert in each fire/rescue station

to notify station

personnel.

ECC will direct all stations to maintain a station watch

for the duration of the

system

fa

ilure.

During

th

is time

, d

ispatch messages will not

be sent to the MDCs, printouts will not occur at the station level, and station

personnel must be attentive to MONTGOMERY s verbal messages to determine

which

of the station s

units are due

to respond

,

a

nd the nature and location of

the

dispatch

.

If t

ime and staffing permit, the ECC will activate station alerting for each

event

to which a

station s apparatus is due

,

and

station alert

ing may be manually

activated at

the ECC.

Tracking Unit Statuses

.

M

ost

MCFRS

apparatus is equipped with

MDCs. Among

other functions, this device enables personnel to status their vehicle without

verbalizing this fact over the air

.

W

henever possible, personnel should use their

MDC to status their vehicle appropriately

.

Address Validation

.

Montgomery C

ounty is divided into

specific

geographical

areas or reporting districts

, also known as box

areas

, determined by the distance

between each fire/rescue station to specific areas of the County. The closest

fire/rescue statio

n to a given location determines the reporting district. The ECC is

responsible for tracking and establishing these reporting districts.

The CAD system validates the reported location of an event as keyed by the call

taker against

the geographical data

base

(

geo

-

base

)

files

.

The geo

-

base files

automatically add the reporting district (box area) code to the event entry. Once

this occurs, the event is then forwarded to the pending queue for dispatch.

The section below refers to AVRR procedures.

At the

time

this Manual is

implement

ed

,

the

use of this system

wa

s still

being debated

.

If AVRR

becomes operational,

a Directive

will be issued

from the Division of

Operations

to MCFRS

personnel

.

Automatic Vehicle Location and Automatic Vehicle Route Recommend

ation

.

Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL

) is a software

-

based program that identifies the

location of a vehicle based on Global Positioning System (

GPS

) data transmitted

from orbiting satellites. The

location

data

is then fed into the

CAD

system.

Automa

tic Vehicle Route Recommendation

(AVRR)

is a software application which

use

s this

location

data

and

formulate

s dispatch recommendations based on the

dispatch location, reported facts associated with the County s road infrastructure

(e.g., a

closed bridge,

speed limits, on/off exit ramps, etc.), and the relative

proximity of fire/rescue apparatus most appropriate for mitigating the event.

Once a unit is assigned to an event, the mapping software generate

s

a

recommended route of travel to the scene. This in

formation appear

s on the unit s

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

40

Communications Manual

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2006

MDC screen

. A unit

s personnel

can then track

the unit s

progress toward the

scene by

view

ing its

image

on the mapped route.

Alt

hough the ECC can track all

responding units,

the units

assigned

to an event

can track only

th

eir own individual

progress on these maps.

NOTE

:

These systems do not require a unit

s

MDC to be

logged into CAD

to

function.

However, turning off the

MDC

does

disable the system from identifying a

unit s location or speed.

Controlled

vs. Uncontrolled

Unit Status

.

MCFRS CAD system can reflect a

unit s status

either

as

controlled or

uncontrolled

.

Controlled

means a unit is

actively staffed and/or cross-

manned,

and

is available in the CAD for dispatch.

When the ECC controls a unit in the CAD, it enab

les field personnel and their

respective unit(s) to be quickly assigned to an event without waiting for their MDC

to complete a normal log

-

on process. This

eliminates

potential delays in a unit s

receiving a dispatch message.

If desired, a

unit officer o

r station officer may contact the ECC

to

plac

e

a previously

uncontrolled unit into a controlled status

in the CAD.

Whenever possible, t

hese

changes should be

made

as soon as staffing is available

,

rather than waiting until

an event is

dispatch

ed

.

If

the

officer of

a unit in

uncontrolled

status

wants

to add the unit

to an event,

he/she

must first place the

unit

(or

request ECC to

place

it

) in

AIQ

or

AOR

status, then

request ECC

to

add

the unit

to the event. ECC will then

add

the unit

to

the event

,

and a d

ispatch message will be sent to the unit s

MDC, if so equipped and

functioning.

At the conclusion of the event, or

when

the unit s services are no longer

need

ed on

the event, the

unit or station officer must request ECC to return the unit to

uncontrolle

d status in the CAD.

PRE

-

ALERTS, INITIAL, AND SECOND VOCAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

ACTIVE EVENT

Pre

-

Alert

.

Before ECC dispatches all full

-

structure fire assignments

,

MONTGOMERY

will

issue a pre

-alert to limit

dispatch

delay

s

associated with a

prolonged tone pager string. A pre

-

alert consists of:

a.

notice to all units that are on the air and due on the assignment to copy the

call;

i.e.

, Attention E161,

E191

, AT19 Units to respond on 7

b.

activation of the pre

-

alert tone (multiple, sequential beeps);

c.

announce

ment of the talk group to which responding units are to switch ;

d.

the box area to which fire/rescue apparatus will be responding

;

e.

announcement of the address of the event

f.

a description of the nature of the event

;

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

41

Communications Manual

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g.

announcement of the

fire/rescue

apparatu

s due on the event,

including

the

applicable

MCFRS

Battalion Chiefs

,

activation of station alerting

,

and tone

pager alerting

; and ends with a

h.

time stamp.

Example:

(Activation of pre

-alert tone):

Attention

(announce

units

in AOR status

and due on the

e

ve

nt)

.

Units to respond on

(select appropriate Talk

Group

,

i.e. 7

K

ilo

)

Box 23

-1 ( Box Twenty-

Three

-One )

The

address

: 121 Rollins Avenue

reported fire on the roof

Engine

Companies 23, 3, 21,

26

, and 5

, Tower 23, Truck 3

,

Rescue Squad 3,

Ambulance 238,

B

attalion Chief

s from Battalions

3

and

5

Units

respond on 7

K

ilo

(or selected Talk Group)

(activation of station

alerting and tone pager alerting) 1746

NOTE

:

After the pre

-

alert, there will be a period of silence on 7/9 Alpha while the

pager tones are so

unded on VHF Channel 2. The dispatcher must wait for the

pager tone sequence to finish before making the initial vocal announcement.

Please refrain from attempting to contact the dispatcher during this period of silence

as the dispatcher cannot respond u

ntil the paging sequence is complete.

Initial Vocal Announcement

Single/Multiple Unit Responses (Non-

Full

Assignments).

On all dispatches,

MONTGOMERY

will issue

an initial vocal

announcement

consisting of

:

a.

a

ctivation of an alert tone (single beep);

b.

announcement of the address of the event;

c.

a description of the nature of the event;

d.

announcement of the fire/rescue apparatus due on the event;

e.

announcement of the talk group to which responding units are to switch

;

and

f.

(

on Alpha

)

time st

amp.

NOTE

:

ECC usually

provides a box area for units responding outside their first due

area.

Example:

(Single Beep) .. T

he Executive Office Building

101 Monroe

Street

the Lobby

of the 12

th

Floor

, an unconscious person. Medic

39

,

Engine 31 respond

uni

ts respond on

7 Bravo

..

.1321.

Initial Vocal Announcement Full Assignments

.

At the

end

of the station and

tone pager alerting processes, MONTGOMERY issue

s

an initial vocal

announcement similar to that rendered with other non-

full assignments

,

except

fo

r

a

few subtle differences. An initial vocal announcement for these types of events

consist

s

of:

a.

activation of an alert tone (single beep);

b.

announcement of the address of the event;

c.

a description of the nature of the event;

d.

the box area to

which fire/rescue apparatus will be responding;

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

42

Communications Manual

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2006

e.

announcement of the apparatus due on the event,

including

the two

applicable

LFRD duty officers

, and the appropriate career duty officers;

f. an announcement of the talk group to which responding units

are to switch

;

and

g.

time stamp

Example:

(Single Beep

.. 121 Rollins Avenue, reported fire on the roof

o

n

Box

23

-1,

Engine Companies 23, 3, 21

,

and 26, Tower 23, Truck 3,

Rescue Squad 3, Ambulance 238, the Rockville and Kensington duty

officers, Batt

alion Chief 3 and Battalion Chief 5 as the Incident Scene

Safety Officer respond. Units respond on 7 Golf. 1722

.

Initial Vocal Announcement

Service Call

.

Occasionally, the ECC will dispatch

events that require a fire/rescue response

,

but do not requ

ire fire suppression or

emergency medical services. These events are referred to as

service calls

, and

whether they require an emergency or routine response is determined by the ECC.

All s

ervice calls are routine responses unless otherwise advised by ECC

.

E

mergency service

calls

may include fuel spills, a child locked i

n an automobile,

or an occupied

stuck elevator

with complications

.

Service

c

alls are dispatched in

the following manner:

a.

(

No alert tone

) -

Address of the event;

b.

n

ature of the eve

nt;

c.

f

ire/rescue a

pparatus due on the event;

d.

t

alk group to which

e

n

r

oute

/

responding units are to switch

; and

e.

t

ime

s

tamp

Example:

The Doubletree Hotel, 1750 Rockville Pike, 2

nd

Floor, an emergency

service call for a

n occupied

stuck elevator. T

ower 23 respond on 7

Bravo. 0915

.

Second Vocal Announcement

All Dispatched Events

.

Whenever possible

,

and within the con

straint

s of time and staffing, MONTGOMERY will issue a second

vocal announcement for all dispatched events.

The verbal content o

f

these

announcements parallel

s

th

ose

provided in the initial vocal announcement

. On

multiple unit responses

, second vocals are issued

when the first unit from each

dispatched station responds.

T

hey are issued

only

on the talk group on which units

are re

sponding. Unlike that of the initial vocal, no

alert tone (single beep) precedes

the second vocal.

Example:

Engine Companies 23, 3, 21,

and 26, Tower 23, Truck 3, Rescue

Squad 3, Ambulance 238, Chief 3, Chief 5

-

1, Battalion Chief 3, and

Battalion Chi

ef 5 as the Incident Scene Safety Officer are

responding

1

21 Rollins

Avenue,

for

reported fire on the roof on Box

23

-

1.

1725

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

43

Communications Manual

-

2006

Example:

Medic 39, Engine 31 responding, an unconscious person The

Executive Office Building: 101 Monroe Street, in the 12

th

Fl

oor Lobby.

1323

U

nits

en

route to an event should not

request a second vocal

a

nnouncement.

H

owever

, t

hey may request an address check.

ON-

SCENE REPORTING AND COMMUNICATIONS

Reporting on the Scene

.

As fire/rescue units arrive on the scene of an e

vent, they

should u

s

e the

MDC

button

(ON

)

to

status. Whe

n

possible, MONTGOMERY will

acknowledge the arrival of the first unit on the scene. Except for command officers,

no other arriving units are acknowledged when arriving on the scene.

When operatin

g in the manual mode because

CAD is down

,

or MDCs

are non

-

functional, the first arriving unit and all command officers must vocally advise

MONTGOMERY of their arrival on the scene. No other unit is permitted to vocally

advise its arrival on the scene unle

ss it is operating

,

or

is

preparing to engage in a

tactical position other than

the one originally assigned at dispatch.

Initial Incident Status Reports

(IISRs)

.

On all multiple

-

unit

full assignment

events,

the officer in charge of the first

-

arriving uni

t must provide an Initial Incident Status

Report (

IISR

) immediately on

arriv

al

on the scene. This report must

comply

with

the

MCFRS

Incident Command System (ICS)

.

In addition, Command must be

identified in accordance with the

requirements of

MCFRS

Stand

ard Operating

Procedures for

Safe Structural Firefighting

Operations

.

When available, an

alternate talk group operator will

repeat

the IISR

on all full assignment events.

Responsibility of the Incident Commander

.

The IC is responsible for the

initial

an

d continuing control of the radio communications process once he/she a

rrives on

the scene. Periodic updates should be provided to the ECC when appropriate, or

at

fifteen minute

interval

s,

until the event is declared under control.

COMMUNICATIONS ON MAJ

OR EVENTS

Alternate Talk Group Assignments

.

On all full assignments and other major

events

,

ECC will direct

fire/rescue units assigned to the event to

switch to an

alternate talk group for operations. This direction may come on the Pre

-

Alert

,

Initial

Vo

cal Announcement

,

or later, if the event escalates

(e.g., if additional resources

are requested, prolonged

radio communications are anticipated, etc.).

A f

ire/rescue unit must not

switch to an alternate talk group while mitigating

an event unless MONTGO

MERY

directs

it

to do so

.

An

exception would be if

an

IC assign

s

specific units to a talk group within an incident talk group block

, i.e.,

7

Golf

7 Juliette.

The IC is ultimately responsible for monitoring and managing

personnel whom he/she has directe

d to operate on other talk groups.

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

44

Communications Manual

-

2006

On full assignments, an alternate talk group block will be assigned automatically on

the Pre

-Alert and the Initial Vocal Announcement. The use of a single, long alert

tone (beep

) will

not

be u

s

ed. For all other events,

before

directing units to switch

to an alternate talk group, MONTGOMERY

will

sound one long alert tone (beep).

This direction will be announced twice.

Example:

(long be

eeee

ep) . Attention all units responding to or operating

on the scene of the person

al injury collision at Warfield Road and

Goshen Road, switch to 7 Kilo for operations.

A

ll units responding to

or operating on the scene of the personal injury collision at Warfield

Road and Goshen Road, switch to 7 Kilo for operations. 0013 hours

.

Whe

n an alternate talk group

(or incident talk group block)

is assigned

for

command

and

control of operations, the IC maintains overall responsibility for managing radio

communications on the talk group(s). MONTGOMERY will

not

always be able

to

monitor opera

tions on an alternate talk group. If it

can

, it will monitor

only

the first

talk group in each incident talk group block

--

7 Golf, 7 Kilo, etc.

If MONTGOMERY

cannot

monitor

the talk groups, it will advise

the IC

, who,

in turn, must request

additional re

sources or assistance

through

the 7

/9

Alpha Dispatcher.

Use of Telephones.

Occasionally,

if a direct line telephone

to ECC

is

unavailable,

personnel m

ay find it

more practical to contact the ECC

by

telephone

to

request

or

provid

e

information

. Callers mu

st dial 911 and identify themselves by name and

rank. The ECC will process any

provid

ed information and

if appropriate,

disseminate it over the air to

field

units.

Confidential information

pertaining to an event

should be related only by telephone.

MCFR

S personnel must

be aware

t

hat

their

cell

phone

call

s may be scanned

and

overheard by others. For this reason, whenever possible, c

onfidential or sensitive

information should be related

only

by

landline

telephone to the ECC

.

COMMUNICATIONS RELATING TO E

MERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES

SPECIAL POLICIES OR PROCEDURES

Hospital Status

.

The ECC

usually

receives hospital status information from the

Maryland State

E

mergency

M

edical

R

esource

C

enter

(EMRC).

This information is

then

updated in the CAD

,

and

trans

fers

t

o the MDC via an interface

. However

,

ti

me constraints often prevent the ECC from initiating these updates immediately.

Occasionally

,

CAD and/or the MDC infrastructure are

down

,

preventing

this

information

from being disseminated

effectively to field per

sonnel.

To limit confusion

, the ECC will not issue announcements

regarding

a hospital

s

status

over the air.

Rarely, a

t the ECC supervisor

s discretion

, mission

-

critical

information

about

a hospital s status may be issued

,

e.g.,

w

hen a

local hospital

adv

ises

that

its CAT scan unit

will be down indefinitely

.

ECC may

then

issue an

over the air announcement

,

and/or send a CAD printer message

notifying

all

fire/rescue stations.

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

45

Communications Manual

-

2006

I

nquiring field personnel will be

directed

to contact the EMRC

by

State radio,

M

CFRS

800 MHz system (9 Charlie), or landline telephone

to obtain

the most

current

information

about

a hospital

s

status.

Emergency Inter

-

Hospital Transports

.

An emergency transport is the transfer of

an acutely ill or injured person from one medical facility to another. These

transports may be

made

either by a

BLS or an ALS

unit

,

depending on the nature of

the patient s medical condition and required levels of care (provider certifications).

The ECC must be notified of these transports

to maintain

acc

ountability

for C

ounty

-

wide resources

,

and to

make

necessary

apparatus transfers.

In accordance with guidelines

established

in the

MCFRS

EMS Operations Manual

and

the

Inter

-

Facility Transport Guidelines

,

FRC

Policy

No. 21

-

03,

the appropriate

authorities m

ust approve all emergency transports, and t

he ECC m

ust

contact th

em

to

request

their

coordinat

ion

.

Routine Transports

.

A routine transport is the transfer of a patient, in routine

mode, from one medical facility to another. As i

n

the case with emerge

ncy inter

-

hospital transports, appropriate medical authorities must approve the

transfer

in

advance. The ECC must be notified of these transports

to

maintain accountability

for C

ounty

-

wide resources

,

and to

make

apparatus transfers as necessary. For

more information,

refer to

the

MCFRS

EMS Operations Manual

and the

FRC s

Inter

-

facility Transport Guidelines

po

licy

.

Emergency Medical Dispatch

. COMAR

Title 30

of the Code of Maryland

Regulations requires that P

ublic

S

afety

A

nswering

P

oints

(PSAP

) that rec

eive and

process requests for medical service implement an

E

mergency

M

edical

D

ispatch

(EMD)

program. This legislation also mandates requirements for recertification,

continuing education, and quality assurance. The

MCFRS

medical director

provides medical

oversight for this program.

To maintain compliance with the State s mandate,

MCFRS uses

a software

program that enables ECC personnel to process and dispatch emergency medical

calls. All MCFRS

personnel

who

answer 911 calls at the ECC have

successfull

y

complet

ed formal training in

using

EMD

, its

software

,

and

its

associated back

-up

card system

if a

system failure

occurs

.

MCFRS

personnel are

also

certified as

EMD dispatchers by the National Academy of Emergency Medical Dispatch

(NAEMD)

,

and are license

d by the State of Maryland as Emergency Medical

Dispatchers.

MEDICAL EVACUATION (MED

-EVAC) PROCEDURES

Response Criteria

.

Decisions to use h

elicopters to transport patients to a trauma

center or specialized medical facilities are

govern

ed by State

of

Maryland

medical

protocols

and SYSCOM

.

The use of helicopters

--

for any reason

,

and from any

resource

--

public or private

--

must be coordinated through SYSCOM

.

Transport

time between the scene and the receiving facility is also a considered variable.

ECC may

request

a

helicopter response

:

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

46

Communications Manual

-

2006

when

ECC personnel

believe

traumatic injuries occurred,

based on

information provided by the reporting party;

when

ECC personnel are informed the injury is an amputation and/or

crushing injury to the extremitie

s;

if requested by the IC or any on-

scene unit; or

if requested by a monitoring physician after consultation with on-

scene

personnel.

Checking the Availability of a Med

-

Evac Helicopter

.

During the initial dispatch

phases, or

when adequate informa

tion leads EMS or ECC personnel to believe

that

a

helicopter

transport

may be necessary, ECC will check with SYSCOM regarding

the availability and

ETA of med

-

evac helicopters.

Most often

, if

one is

available, a

med

-

evac is dispatched either from the Maryl

and State Police

,

or the United States

Park Police. The IC, or requesting field medical provider, will be updated

about

the

status of the helicopter request and

it s

ETA

,

if SYSCOM

provide

s one

.

Current Medical Evacuation Helicopter Resources

Maryland S

tate Police

.

Three Maryland State Police helicopters provide

med

-

evac support to

Montgomery C

ounty. The responding helicopter

dispatched is

determined by its availability and its geographic proximity to the event. A

l

though

their primary functio

n is law enforcement support

, a

ll Maryland State Police

helicopters are staffed with at least one paramedic.

Trooper 8

,

stationed at the Maryland

-

National Capital Park and Planning Police

facility in Norwood

, is the

primary response helicopter for Montg

omery County.

Trooper 3

,

stationed at the Frederick County Municipal Airport in Frederick County,

Maryland

,

is

Montgomery County s

secondary

State Police med

-

evac

responder.

Trooper 2

,

stationed at Andrews Air Force Base in Prince George

s County

,

is

Montgomery County s

tertiary State

Police

med

-

evac responder

.

United States Park Police

.

T

wo helicopters

assist t

he United States Park Police

in

achieving its

missions.

Its

primary helicopter

,

designated

Eagle 1

,

staffed by at

least one paramedic

,

usua

lly

assist

s

MCFRS when the Maryland State Police

helicopter is unavailable. B

ecause it has

federal

jurisdictional authority and

specialized evacuation capabilities, it is the primary helicopter responder to events

occurring on the Potomac River.

Dispatch

of this resource for river

-

related rescue

assistance

is

coordinated directly through the U

.S. Park Police Aviation Division,

reached by phone at

(202) 690

-

0808.

Other Resources

.

The

Washington Hospital Center

uses

several helicopters

to

provide in

ter

-

fa

cility transports

,

and

to

evacuat

e

patients from

the scene of events.

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

47

Communications Manual

-

2006

M

CFRS

use

s them only

when the Maryland State Police or United States Park

Police

helicopters

are

un

available. Their radio designations are

Medstar 1

,

Medstar 2

, etc.

Fairfax County P

olice

operate

s

a helicopter in the same manner as the Maryland

State Police

, and i

t is u

s

ed as a back

-

up resource

only when

all other med

-

evac

resources previously referenced are unavailable.

Fairfax Hospital

operates a fleet of helicopters

to

provide

int

er

-

facility transports

,

and a

s is

the case with

Medstar

, they

also

evacuat

e

patients

from

the scene of

events. Known as

AirCare 1

, this service is rarely called upon

,

but may be

used

when

l

ocal

med

-

evac resources are taxed.

Helicopter Standbys

.

Each ti

me a helicopter is called upon

to provide

a medical

evacuation, a landing site must be established

to provide

scene safety

,

and t

o

protect bystanders

, as required in

SOP for Helicopter Landings,

FRC

Policy

#

24

-08.

If a helipad is not available, the IC mus

t ensure that

a unit with adequate staffing is

on the scene to handle this function. If not,

the IC

must

request ECC to dispatch a

unit to

safeguard

the landing site.

The ECC will dispatch a fire/rescue unit staffed with at least three personnel to

han

dle functions associated with a helicopter standby. If the landing site is an

established helipad

,

and the patient is being transported between medical facilities

(e.g., Holy Cross Hospital to Washington Hospital Center), the ECC may dispatch

an

EMS

unit

to assist with transporting the patient from the discharging medical

facility to the helipad.

OTHER POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

Energized (Hot) Wires

.

On all reports of

hot wires down

, transformers on fire,

poles on fire, and trees with energized wires t

hat are on fire, the ECC dispatches a

fire suppression unit and advises the County Police

, and

the appropriate power

company.

Usu

ally, power companies do not provide ETAs

for repair crews

because they are so busy during storms

.

E

xcept in the direst of si

tuations, field

personnel should refrain from asking ECC the

ETA of

the

power company.

The purpose for a fire/rescue response is to determine if a hazardous condition

exists and, if so,

to

secure the area from the public.

If

wires are not reported down,

tree limbs are not on wires, or wires are not arcing, t

he appropriate power company

is notified

, but

fire/rescue apparatus is

not

dispatched.

During periods of

extraordinary

heavy

ev

ent

activity

,

e.g., thunderstorms, higher

priority calls will always be d

ispatched first

, potentially

result

ing

in considerable

delays in the processing of wires events.

If

local fire/resources are committed on

other events, various types of other fire/rescue apparatus (e.g., ladder trucks,

rescue squads, etc.) may be dispatch

ed to mitigate lower priority

wire

s

events.

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

48

Communications Manual

-

2006

Once a unit is on the scene of a wires event and the unit officer determines that

there is no immediate danger to life or property, he/she should place the unit in

service as soon as possible.

Before

leaving

the scene, the unit officer should

assess the need for a law enforcement response and advise the ECC accordingly.

Trees Down

.

Calls to

ECC reporting trees down on roadways are referred to a law

enforcement

telecommunicator

.

However, i

f power lines are

also

reported down,

fire/rescue apparatus is dispatched

, consistent with the hot wires guidelines

immediately above

.

Bomb Threats or Reported Devices

.

When

the

ECC

receives a call reporting a

bomb threat,

the call

is

immediately

forwar

d

ed

to

a

law enf

orcement

telecommunicator

.

When

the ECC is informed of a reported bomb threat, the

station officer(s) from the first

-

due fire/rescue station

(s)

is notified, but a

fire/rescue

response is not warranted until requested by law enforcement, or

the

Fire and

Explosive Investigations Division.

When ECC receives

a

credible threat

or a

report of the

existence

of a

n

explosive

device

, the Fire and Explosive Investigations Division handle

s

first

-

responder

responsibilities.

This Division

is also responsible for inves

tigating, and if necessary

,

rendering safe, any identified devices.

The Division

s personnel

also

investigate

any explosions that occur within the County, and recover any known illegal

explosives

,

including military ordnance.

E

xcept

for

explosion

s invo

lving transformers, the ECC will immediately dispatch an

on

-

duty

fire

i

nvestigator and the fire investigations duty officer

to all reported

explosions

.

When

personnel from

the Fire and Explosive Investigations Section

arrive

on the

scene and establishe L

evel II Command, the ECC begin

s

notifying the appropriate

command officers

the

first

-

due LFRD duty officer, the Shift Chief, the first

-

due

career Battalion Chief

--

a

s well as

local law enforcement, and the MCFRS Public

Information Officer (

PIO

). Fire/

r

escue apparatus will not be dispatched unless an

explosion has actually occurred

, or

if

requested by the

IC

.

Personnel Paging

.

Nearly all

fire/rescue service personnel have alpha

-

numeric

pagers. With the

prevalence

of paging software, CAD paging, and ce

ll phones, the

need for the ECC

to

page personnel has dramatically decreased

, and

personnel

should

us

e all

other

available means

for

the purpose of

paging before

requesting

the

assistance of the

ECC.

Only station officers

may

request the ECC to page per

sonnel

regarding

fire/rescue

matters. Paging personnel over the air

is considered a low priority task and will be

done only

at the discretion of an ECC supervisor. ECC

will rarely

page an

individual when it is operating under

Condition Red

.

Field person

nel

using

alpha

-

numeric paging must

recognize

that pages may take

longer than

fifteen minutes to reach the intended recipient. To en

courage

a timely

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

49

Communications Manual

-

2006

response,

they

should indicate a level of priority (e.g., Urgent, As Soon As Possible

ASAP, Emergency, e

tc.)

when paging

.

Response Areas and Box Area Changes

.

The LFRD Chief having jurisdiction, or

the MC

FRS Shift Chief, may request

the Fire Chief

to

make

temporary

changes in

response assignments

,

except for the standard responses previously established

b

y the Fire and Rescue Commission

. Chief

o

fficers who have a question or

concern about a given response assignment, or

the

assignment of

a box area, must

submit their inquiry to the

MCFRS

Communications Chief for formal review and

action. Standardized re

sponses established by the FRC are not subject to review

by the

Communications Chief. T

hese matters must be addressed to

the

Fire Chief

for consideration

and recommendation to the Fire and Rescue Commission

for

approval.

The

LFRD Chief having jurisdictio

n,

or the DFRS Shift Chief

, may verbally

request

the

amend

ment of

certain response assignment

s.

T

he

se requests

, which

may

occur

as the result of severe weather conditions, adverse road conditions,

widespread or localized impacts on available fire/rescue a

pparatus

,

e.g.,

vehicles

out

-

of

-

service, or other special circumstances

,

should be addressed

to an ECC

supervisor by

telephone

.

Special Radio Announcements.

Severe Weather Warnings

.

MCFRS

participates in the National Weather

Service s (NWS)

Sky Warn

p

rogram.

T

he ECC receives advance notifications

about

forecasted severe thunderstorms, lightning

strikes,

tornadoes, hurricanes,

high winds and hail, and snow

or ice

storms. When

ECC receives this information

,

and time permitting, MONTGOMERY issue

s an ove

r the air announcement to the

MCFRS

community. When the watch/warning is lifted, MONTGOMERY issue

s

an

announcement reflecting this

change

.

A

weather

watch

indicates that conditions are favorable for the development of

severe weather conditions

; a

weather

warning

indicates that a specific weather

phenomenon has occurred and/or is in progress.

A

Red Flag Warning

indicates that fuel and moisture conditions are at a hazardous

level and could lead to dramatic increases in wildfire activity.

Snow Emergencies

.

When

the

S

tate or local authorities

notify

ECC that a snow

emergency is in effect, ECC provides

this information to

the MCFRS

community

in

an over the air

announcement.

When the emergency is lifted, MONTGOMERY

announce

s

this

change

.

Administrative Anno

uncements

.

Announcements

regarding

MCFRS

administrative procedures

,

daily safety

t

ips

,

or

changes

in

terrorist threat levels

are

broadcast over the air. These m

essages must have the prior approval of either the

Communications Chief

,

or the ECC Operations

Supervisor.

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

50

Communications Manual

-

2006

Operational Announcements

.

Announcements directly

affect

ing fire/rescue

operations (e.g., major street closures, widespread impacts on local water supply

infrastructure

/

broken water mains, heat indices, fire detection systems in

or out

of

se

rvice

, etc.) are

made over the air

,

or

by

CAD

messages sent t

o affected

fire/rescue stations

, at the discre

tion of the ECC

Supervisor.

Other Announcements

.

Announcements originating outside the MCFRS must

have the prior approval of the Communications Chi

ef or the ECC Operations

Supervisor.

Audio Recordings

.

ECC maintains c

ontinuous

digital audio recordings

of

all radio

and telephone communications originating or terminating within the ECC.

Currently, t

hese recordings are maintained on the audio record

ing server for

approximately one year.

If a recording must be held for a longer period, a written

request

,

including an explanation with

the anticipated length the recording is to be

held

,

must be submitted to the ECC Operations Supervisor.

Chief

Officer

s

of the

MCFRS (

i.e.,

the

Division of Fire and Rescue Operations

and

the

LFRD

s

)

may

request

a

copy of a

recording

by submitting a written request to the

ECC

Operations Supervisor

on

an

Audio Recording Request Form

(Appendix

C)

.

O

nly

one copy

of this

mediu

m

will be released.

Audio r

ecordings

may also be played for

MCFRS

chief officers

by appointment.

These sessions are coordinated by the ECC Operations Supervisor.

Exceptions to the

polic

ies

above may be granted only by the Communications Chief

or th

e ECC Operations Supervisor.

Complaints, Questions, or Concerns Relating to the ECC

.

Whenever possible,

complaints, questions, or concerns

about

the manner in which the ECC handled a

specific

event should be addressed immediately

to an on

-

duty ECC supe

rvisor. I

f

this is not possible

,

or

if the issue has not been resolved

, written concerns may be

directed

to

the ECC Operations Supervisor.

Visitors to the ECC

.

During normal operations, ECC staff welcomes visitors to

observe the various technologies u

sed

in

the Center

. On-

duty personnel may

contact the on

-

duty ECC supervisor to arrange a visit.

However,

occasionally

it

may be necessary for t

hese visits

to be

curtail

ed

or cancelled at the discretion of

the on

-duty ECC supervisor to preserve operational

integrit

y. Tours of the ECC are

also

available,

and

must be

coordinated

with

the ECC Operations Supervisor

at

least two weeks in advance

.

All visitors

to ECC

must comply with the terms

identified in the PSCC Building Policy and Procedure Manual (2006

).

Visitors and staff must follow the approved building policy

.

All visitors to the ECC

must

provide

a County

-issued identification card or driver s license to the PSCC

security staff. If

the County is operating under a Terrorist Threat Level of Orange

or

higher, only ECC

and PSCC staff

may ent

er

the building.

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

51

Communications Manual

-

2006

NOTIFICATIONS

The ECC notifi

es

certain chiefs, command officers, numerous

MCFRS

internal

d

ivisions

, bureaus, or sections

(e.g., Code Enforcement, Fire and Explosives

Investigations Section, et

c.),

and

various entities within and outside

MCFRS

regarding certain types of events

.

Individuals may be notified

by

tone or alpha

-

numeric pager

s

, over the air, or

by

telephone.

Fire Chief

.

The Fire

Chief

is notified of any

special or

unusual situation

s

affecting

MCFRS

,

includ

ing,

but not limited to collisions involving MCFRS vehicles, injuries or

deaths affecting

MCFRS

personnel, etc. The Fire

Chief

is also notified of all

emergencies

that

might

require

the implementation of the County s Disaster Plan

and/or the activation of the Emergency Management

Group

and Emergency

Operations Center, as necessary

.

Senior Career and LFRD Chiefs

.

MCFRS senior staff is notified of any unusual

situation

affecting their respective Divisions or personnel. As with the Fire

Chief

,

senior staff is notified of all major or unusual events

, including those that may

re

quire

the implementation of the County s Disaster Plan and/or

the

activation of the

Emergency Management

Group

and Emergency Operations Center, as necessary.

C

hief, Division of Operations

.

The Chief

of the Division

of Operations

is notified

of any unusual events that impact the safety and welfare of

MCFRS

personnel.

Th

e Division

Chief

of Operations

is

also

notified of large

-

scale events that occur in

the Count

y

, including

mass casualty incidents, second or greater alarms,

and other

events

.

Duty Operations Chief

(s)

.

The

Duty Operations Chief is notified of any unusual

events that impact the safety and welfare of

MCFRS

personnel, including, but not

limited to large or multiple casualty and hazardous materials events, box alarms,

safety dispatches

,

fire task forces

,

and second or greater alarms.

Fire and Explosives Investigations Section.

T

he on

-

duty fire investigator is

notifi

ed

when

a

fire involv

es

loss of li

fe

,

or whether

civilians or firefighters

have

incurred

a serious injury.

The

on

-

duty investigator is

also

notified of:

any fire of an incendiary or suspicious nature requiring an immediate

investigation;

any event involving explosive devices;

any

event involving a fire or explosion resulting from illegal or improper use

of hazardous materials;

all multiple alarm fires; and

at the IC

s

request.

Code Enforcement Section

.

The Code Enforcement Section is notified of

violations of the Life Safet

y Code and local and

S

tate fire safety codes, any

building

code or structural issues and

changes occurring in the status of local

building/residential fire protection systems, and all activations of residential

and

commercial sprinkler systems and all work

ing fires.

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

52

Communications Manual

-

2006

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Section

.

The

EMS duty officer

(s)

(radio

designation

EMS

-1/EMS-2

) are alerted

for

/notified of

:

major aircraft and transportation collisions;

METRO events;

hazardous materials events;

multiple fire alarms;

vehicle and rescue events with reports of a person(s) trapped;

collapse rescue events;

water rescue events;

prolonged events invol

ving multiple casualties;

events that pose life safety hazards to civilians or firefighter

/

rescuers;

any event involving injuries to fire and rescue personnel;

any unusual event deemed appropriate by the ECC supervisor for

dispatch

; and

one

+

one

u

nits.

Public Information Officer (PIO)

.

The MCFRS PIO is notified of any event that

may generate

the

interest

of

the local or national media organizations.

LFRD Duty Officer and Respective Career Battalion Chief

.

If a

C

ounty or

LFRD

-

owned vehicle is in

volved in a collision, the appropriate LFRD

D

uty

O

fficer and

career

B

attalion

C

hief are notified. These notifications

are made

when any MCFRS

personnel are

injured

or killed

in the line of duty, and when

the Critical Incident

Stress Management (CISM) Team

is activated for their

station(s).

Fire/Rescue Stations

.

Fire/

r

escue stations are notified

for

:

local road closures

;

water main ruptures;

burn

ing

permit issuances

;

bomb threats

;

severe weather

conditions

,

i.e.

,

high humit

u

re levels

;

severe

wind chill fa

ctors

;

the status of

fire

protection systems

, etc.

Law Enforcement

.

Alt

hough several law enforcement agencies operate within

Montgomery

County,

most

law enforcement responsibilities are handled primarily

by the County Police. Other law enforcement agenc

ies operat

ing

in the County

include the Maryland State Police (MSP), United States Park Police, Maryland

-

National Capital Park Police, METRO Transit Police, City of Rockville Police

Department, City of Takoma Park Police Department, City of Gaithersburg Po

lice

Department, and Chevy Chase Village Police Department.

Law enforcement agencies respond in one of two modes:

Routine

Non

-

Emergency Response,

or

Priority

Emergency

Response

,

using all warning

devices. As with

the fire/rescue communications cente

r

, law enforcement

communications

center personnel

prioritize each call for assistance.

Usually

, calls

are assigned to th

e officers responsible for the beat in which the event occurs

.

However, i

n higher priority situations, officers from bordering beat

s may also

respond. At

other

times

, calls are held in queue until an officer is assigned to the

event. For these reasons, field personnel should

avoid

requesting the ETA of the

police. If police

assistance is urgently needed

*

, please make this clear to

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

53

Communications Manual

-

2006

MONTGOMERY so that law enforcement communications can be

appropriately

advised

.

ECC will ensure that in the

circumstances below,

the appropriate law

enforcement agency is notified of:

Infant/Pediatric Codes

Advanced Life Support events involving yo

ung children (non

-

medical)

Structure Fires

Vehicle Fires

Wires Down

Arson in Progress

Personal Injury Collisions

Attempted Suicides

All Dead on Arrivals (DOA)

Crimes of Violence

Violent Patients

Calls of a Suspicious Nature

All reques

ts

initiat

ed by the charge medical provider or IC

*

For a

Priority

response, t

he requesting

MCFRS

personnel

must provide a nature

for requesting law enforcement assistance.

TELEPHONE INFRASTRUCTURE

Emergency Services

-

Access to Public Safety Resources

.

I

n Montgomery

County, 911 is the published telephone number for reporting

event

s

that

require an

emergency

response from

law enforcement or the fire/rescue service.

R

eferred to

as an Enhanced 911 System, Montgomery County s

ECC

can

simultaneously

pr

ocess numerous 911 calls.

Controlled by

an Automatic Call Distributor (

ACD

),

911 calls are routed to

the

next available call taker for processing.

When

a 911 call is received, the call taker

can

identify the telephone number of the

calling party

by

an

Automatic Number Identification (

ANI

) screen.

T

he specific

location of the calling party

is usually identifiable through an

Automatic Location

Indicator (

ALI

) screen, and this and other event

-

pertinent information

is

then u

sed

to generate an appropriate p

ublic safety dispatch in the CAD system.

Emergency Telephone Equipment and Facilities

.

Montgomery County maintain

s

all telephone facilities and associated equipment relati

ng

to the delivery of

emergency communications services. For

911

services

, the

County maintain

s

a

telephone communications infrastructure to meet

service demands

.

MCFRS

is

responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate staffing levels to ensure that

critical service deliverables are consistently carried out.

While the staffi

ng complement of the ECC is established by

MCFRS,

the expansion

and/or relocation of our communications facilities occur with the approval of

the

D

epartment of Technology Services

(DTS)

.

T

he County provid

es

facilities

and

fund

s

telephone services used by

MCFRS

for administrative purposes, intra

-

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

54

Communications Manual

-

2006

departmental personnel alerting systems, inter

-

station telephone lines,

and

station

alerting systems

only

as they have been approved and procured by D

TS

.

Telephone Maintenance and Repair

.

Each L

FRD

must make

the

necessary

arrangements for maint

aining

and repair

ing

those elements of their telephone

service infrastructure that are

either leased or billed to their respective corporation.

Each

LFRD is also responsible for arranging for the maintenance and repair of E

CC

direct lines that have been incorporated into a station s business telephone system.

The

MCFRS

Communications Chief is responsible for arranging for the

maintenance and repair of all equipment and facilities associated with the 911

system, and the direct lines between the ECC and any other location.

Station Direct Lines

.

One direct line is provided between the ECC and each

County fire/rescue station. These dedicated lines are u

se

d for official

communications relati

ng

to fire, rescue, and emergency

medical services

operations. As requested by the LFRD, the County will provide one telephone in

each

station s watch office,

and one in its

bunkroom.

Direct lines to

ECC must reside on a separate, dedicated telephone set. As long as

a stand

-

alone ECC di

rect line is present, other extensions of this same line may be

placed on the station s business telephone system if the additional extensions do

not interfere with the single direct line network.

The acquisition or relocation of telephone equipment, or t

he addition of any

attachments such as sirens, bells, speakers, amplifiers

,

or any other changes

associated with the direct line,

must have

the advance approval of the telephone

company.

R

equests

for these changes

must be submitted in writing,

through

the

MCFRS

Communications Chief, who will coordinate these arrangements/changes.

The telephone company

may

disconnect any equipment or arrangement that does

not meet

its

engineering

standards

or that is not installed in accordance with these

procedures

, and t

he County may seek reimbursement for any billing

resulting from

non

-

compliance.

Any disruption or malfunction of direct lines must be reported to the ECC

S

hift

S

upervisor

, who will prepare a trouble report

and

contact the telephone company

for service.

This information, any subsequent action(s), and the time service is first

required, must be entered into the ECC Logbook.

Direct lines may also be provided between the ECC and the emergency rooms of

hospitals located in the County,

to

various agencies of

the federal government, or

other entities

for

which

sufficient operational necessity exists. Written applications

must be submitted to the

MCFRS

Communications Chief

, who will forward them

to

the Fire

Chief

for consideration.

Station Direct Lines

Etiq

uette and Use

.

The use of

fire

station direct lines

is

limited to exchanges of information relating

to official fire/rescue business.

Personal c

alls to the ECC should be made

on

its

administrative business line (240

-

683

-

6520).

T

he ECC

has no capability

for

conferencing or interconnecting two or

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

55

Communications Manual

-

2006

more fire/rescue stations. Th

is

type of communications must

also be limited to the

station s business line(s).

Answering Telephone Lines

.

Field personnel must answer station direct lines

with the station s assi

gned numeric designation

,

and the rank and last name of the

answering party (e.g., Rescue Company 2, Lieutenant Smith ). Personnel at the

ECC must answer all station and hospital direct lines with the employee s rank and

last name,

and

state that

the lin

e is recorded. Outside telephone lines (exception-

the

911

line

) must be answered similar

ly

, al

though an operator

s

number in

stead

of

a last name is acceptable.

To ensure that all functions of the ECC are handled effectively and by priority, ECC

personne

l are trained to handle the most critical functions first. Higher priority

functions (e.g., answering 911 calls, dispatching events, etc.) take

pr

iority

over

answering station direct lines. ECC personnel will attempt to answer direct lines

as

quickly

as

possible

,

since the potential always exist

s

that a citizen may be

calling

for assistance.

Re

porting

a Re

quest for Service

Receiv

ed

through

other than a 911 Call

.

When a fire/rescue station receives a request for service that arrives

by other than

a 91

1

call

, station personnel must obtain

accurate

information regard

i

ng

the

emergency

, including:

the address of the emergency

,

or

the

need for service

;

the

call back number of the calling party

;

the nature of the emergency or

the

need for

service, and the na

me of the calling party.

If the fire/rescue station that tendered the call is also due to

the reported location,

the station or unit officer

must notify the ECC

by

its

direct line before any units leave

the station. If

ECC s

direct line is not answered

within a reasonable period of time,

the

station

or unit officer

may

call

911 to report the

emergency. As a last resort,

a

unit

officer

may notify the 7

/9 Alpha Dispatcher of their response.

Request for

Police Assistance Calls

.

To request

NON

-

EMERGENCY

police

assistance

,

calls should be placed through the fire/rescue station s business

telephone line(s)

.

The

NON

-

EMERGENCY

telephone number for Montgomery

County Police is (

301

)

279

-

8000

.

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

56

Communications Manual

-

2006

Appendix A

- A

bbreviations and A

cronyms

ACD

Automatic Call

Distributor

AECC

Alternate Emergency Communications Center

AFRA

Advanced Life Support Fire Responder Apparatus

ALI

Automatic Location Indicator

ALS

-

Advanced Life Support

ANI

Automatic Number Indicator

AVRR

-

Automatic Vehicle Route Recommendatio

n

CAD

Computer Aided Dispatch

COMAR

Code of Maryland Regulations

CPU

Central Processing Unit

DOA

Dead on Arrival

D

TS

Department of

Technology

Services

ECC

Emergency Communications Center

EMG

Emergency Management

Group

(

co

-

located

in

the

PS

CC)

EMRC

Emergency Medical Resources Center

ETA

Estimated Time of Arrival

FCC

Federal Communications Commission

FDTA

Fire Department Talk Around

IC

Incident Commander

ICS

Incident Command System

ID

Identification

IDAT

Immediate Danger Alert

Tone

IDLH

Immediate Danger to Life or Health

IDR

Incident Duration Reminder

IECS

Integrated Emergency Command System

IISR

-

Initial Incident Status Report

IPA

International Phonetic Alphabet

ISP

Internet Service Provider

IT

Information Techno

logy

LFRD

Local Fire and Rescue Department

MCI

Mass Casualty Incident

MCFRS

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

MDC

Mobile Data Computer

MDG

-

Mobile Data Gateway

MHz

Megahertz

MOSCAD

Motorola System Control Alerting Device

MSP

Maryland

State Police

NWS National Weather Service

OMB

Office of Management and Budget

PCR

Packet Cluster

Rescue

PIO

Public Information Officer

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

57

Communications Manual

-

2006

PPV

Positive Pressure Ventilation

PSAP

Public Safety Answering Point

PSCC

Public Safety Communications Center (The facility comprised of ECC,

Police 911, TMC, EMG, DHS and EOC)

PSTA

Public Safety Training Academy

PS2000

Public Safety 2000

SCBA

Self

-

Contained Breathing Apparatus

SMT

Smart System Terminal

SYSCOM

A

cronym for Maryland

s

coordinator

of medical evacuation helicopters

WWW

World

-

Wide Web

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

58

Communications Manual

-

2006

Response Plan

AA

AB

AC

AD

AE

AT

FC

FJ

FM

FTF

HA

HB

HE

MA

MB

MC

ME

MF

MG

MH

MI

MJ

MM

MO

MZ

RW

RQ

Event Type

BLS

BLS PIC

ALS

PIC

FIRE BLS

BOX

BOX ALS

TASK FORCE

HAZMAT PIC

HAZMAT 1

HAZMAT BOX

ALS

ALS PIC

ALS

MASSCAS

COLLAPSE

Unit Type

A

+ E

A

+ MP

A + EX + MP

2 BLS + EX + MP

A +M + E + T + RS + EX

E + A

5E + 2T + 1RS + 1A

+ 2

BC + 2D

5E + 2T + 1RS + 1M + 2

BC + 2D

2E + T + BC + D + CT + FM + RC

A + EX + E + E71 + HM7 + HSU7 +

2HM + 1D +

HIRT

2E + SS + M + E71 + HM7+ HSU7 +

HM + BC + D + HIRT

5E + 2T + RS + 1M + E71 + HM7 +

HSU7 + 2HM + 2BC + 1FD + 1D +

1HIRT

M

M + MP

M +

AFRA + MP

M + AFRA + MP + RD

M + AFRA + EX + E

M + EX + E + RD

M + AFRA+ EX or RS + E+ RD

M + A + AFRA+ EX or RS + E+ RD

M + AFRA + MP

M + AFRA + E + SS + RD

M + MP

M + A + E + SS + RD

3M + 5A + 4E + 2T + 2RS + E71 +

HM7 + HSU7 + 2HM + EMSPOD +

BC + 2D +

HIRT

M + RS + E + T + XPT31 +

CAVPOD + RECON1 + RD + USRT

+ USRT29 + BC

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

59

Communications Manual

-

2006

Appendix B

Response Assignment Matrix

Response Plans are predetermined response assignments programmed into CAD.

Each Response Plan is assigned a code (AA through ZZ) and is attached to an

event type. Although some response plans are similar, special circumstances,

geographical differences or occupancy types may require that certain assignments

be given special response plans. As such, the list of response plans in

this

appendix is dynamic and represents the assignments as defined by the Fire Chief

at the time of this writing. Response plans are always under review and can be

altered with the approval of the Fire Chief at any time.

Examples of the Event Types that are associated to each response plan follows.

These Event Types represent samples but are not intended to be an all inclusive

listing, as Event Types are also dynamic and are updated and changed as needs

determine.

In addition to response plans listed in this appendix, other response

plans used for administrative purposes or having no event type associated have

been intentionally deleted from this table, but do exist in CAD.

AA Response Plan

10

-A-

1,

11

-A-

1,

2-A-1,

12

-A-

1E,

12

-B-

0,

12

-B-

0E

,

12

-B-

1,

12

-B-1

E,

13

-A-

1,

16

-A-

1,

16

-A-

2,

16

-A-

3,

16

-B-

0,

16

-

B-1,

17

-A-

1,

17

-A-

1J,

17

-A-

2,

17

-A-

2J,

17

-B-

0,

17

-B-

0J

,

17

-B-

1,

17

-B-

1J,

17

-B-

2,

17

-B-

2J,

17

-B-

3,

17

-B-

3J,

17

-

O-

0,

17

-O-

0J,

17

-O-

1,

17

-O-

1J,

18

-A-

1,

18

-B-

0,

18

-B-

1,

18

-C-

3,

18

-C-4

,

18

-C-

5,

18

-C-6

,

18

-C-7

,

19

-A-1

,

19

-A-

2

,

19

-A-

3,

19

-B-1

,

1-A-1

,

1-C-3

,

1-C-4

,

20

-A-

1C

,

20

-A-

1H

,

20

-B-

0C

,

20

-B-

0H

,

20

-B-

1C

,

20

-B-

1H

,

21

-A-1

,

21

-A-

2

,

21

-B-0

,

21

-B-1

, ,

21

-B-2

, 2

1-B-3

,

21

-C-1

AB Response Plan

32

-B-

2, 7

-B-

0, 7

-B-1

AC Response Plan

13

-A-1C, 14-A-1, 14-B-0, 14-B-1, 14-B-

2, 20

-B-2C, 20-B-2H, 22-A-1B, 22-A-1M, 22-B-1, 22-B-1A, 22-B-, B, 22-

B-1M, 23-C-1A, 23-C-1I, 23-C-1P, 23-C-8A, 23-C-8I, 23-C-9A, 25-A-1B, 25-A-1V, 25-A-1W, 25-A-2, 25-A-

2B,

25

-A-2V, 25-A-2W, 25-B-0, 25-B-0B, 25-B-0V, 25-B-0W, 25-B-1, 25-B-1B, 25-B-1V, 25-B-1W, 25-B-2, 25-B-

2B,

25

-B-2V, 25-B-2W, 25-B-3, 25-B-3B, 25-B-3V, 25-B-3W, 25-B-4, 25-B-4B, 25-B-4V, 25-

,

-4W, 25-B-5, 25-B-

5B,

25

-B-5V, 25-B-5W, 25-B-6, 25-B-6B, 25-B-6V, 25-B-6W, 27-B-2G, 27-B-2P, 27-B-, S, 27-B-3G, 27-B-3P, 27-B-

3S, 27-B-4G, 27-B-4P, 27-B-4S, 27-B-5, 27-B-5G, 27-B-5P, 27-B-5S, 28-B-0G, 28-B-0L, 28-B-0U, 28-B-1, 28-

B-1G, 28-B-1L, 28-B-1U, 30-B-0, 30-B-1, 30-B-2, 3-B-3, 4-A-1A, 4-A-1S, 4-

,

-2A, 4-A-2S, 4-B-0, 4-B-0A, 4-B-

0S, 4

-B-

1A, 4

-B-

1S, 4

-B-

2A, 4

-B-

2S, 4

-B-

3A, 4

-B-

3S, 8

-A-

1, 8

-B-

0, 8

-B-1,

SUICIDE

AD Response Plan

29

-A-

1, 29

-B-

0, 29

-B-

1, 29

-B-

2, 29

-B-

4, 29

-B-

5, 29

-B-6

AE Response Plan

29

-B-3

AT Response Plan

9-B-1, 9-O-0, 9-O-0A, 9-O-0B, 9-O-0C, 9-O-0D, 9-O-0E, 9-O-0F, 9-O-0G, 9-O-0H, 9-O-0I, 9-O-0X, 9-O-0Y, 9-

O-0Z, 9-O-1, 9-O-1A, 9-O-

1B

, 9-O-1C, 9-O-1D, 9-O-1E, 9-O-1F, 9-O-1G, 9-O-1H, 9-O-1I, 9-O-1X, 9-O-Y, 9-O-

1Z

FA Response Plan

AHFA, BBQ, BOGS, BRUSH, DUMPSTER, EQUIP, FIRE/OTH, FIREOUT, FUEL/LK, FUEL/SPL, ILLEGAL,

INVEST, METRO-WS, OIL/SPL, POLE, PROPANE, SEWER, SMOKE, TRASH, TXFORMER, UN/FIRE,

WIRES

FB Response Plan

ACT/CO

FC Response Plan

AUTO, PICK

-

UP, STANDBY, VEH/OTH

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

60

Communications Manual

-

2006

Appendix B

FD Response Plan

ACT/SD

,

AFA, BELLS, LO/FOOD, W/F

FE

Response Plan

ADAPTIVE, FO/SMOKE, FOOD, FURNACE, GAS/LEAK, ODOR, OVEN, SHORT

FF

Response Plan

ELEVATOR

,

LOCK/IN

,

LOCK/OUT

,

RESET

,

SC/FIRE

,

SC/TREE

FG

Response Plan

BUS

,

RV

,

TRUCK

FG

Response Plan

GARAGE, SHED

FI Response Plan

HOUSE TRAILOR

FJ Response Plan

BARN, BOX, HOUSE, 2

ND

, 3

RD

, 4

TH

, 5

TH

FM Response Plan

7-C-1

FP Response Plan

SYSTEM

F

TF

Response Plan

TASKFORCE

HA Response Plan

29

-D-3

HB Response Plan

8-D-3

CHEM/HM

VEH/HM

HC

Response Plan

RADIO HAZMAT

HD

Response Plan

FUEL, GAS, OTHER HAZMAT, PET

HE Response Plan

7-D-4

,

BARN/HM

,

BOX/HM

,

FREIGHT

,

HOUSE/HM

,

STOR/HM

,

TANKER

HH Respon

se Plan

PIPE

HI Response Plan

BIOHAZARD

HP Response Plan

POWDER

MA Response Plan

10

-D-0, 10-D-1, 10-D-2, 10-D-3, 11-D-0, 11-D-1, 11-D-2, 12-D-0, 12-D-0E, 12-D-1, 12-D-1E, 12-D-2, 12-D-

2E, 12-D-3, 12-D-3E, 12-D-4, 12-D-4E, 13-C-0, 13-C-1, 13-C-2, 13-C-

2C

, 13-C-3, 16-D-0, 16-D-1, 19-D-0,

19

-D-1, 19-D-2, 19-D-3, 1-D-0, 1-D-1, 20-D-0C, 20-D-0H, 20-D-1C, 20-D-1H, 21-C-0, 21-D-0, 21-D-1, 21-

D-2, 21-D-3, 23-C-2, 23-C-2A, 23-C-2I, 23-C-2P, 23-D-2A, 23-D-2I, 23-D-2P, 24-D-0, 24-D-1, 24-D-4, 24-

D-

5, 26

-D-

0, 26

-D-1

, 28

-C-

0, 28

-C-

0G, 28

-C-

0L, 28

-C-

0U, 28

-C-

1, 28

-C-

1G, 28

-C-

1L, 28

-C-

1U, 2

-D-

0, 2

-D-

1, 2

-

,

-

2, 2

-D-

3, 2

-D-5, 31-D-0, 31-D-1

31

-D-2

, 31

-D-3

, 31

-E-0

, 31

-E-1

, 32

-D-0

, 32

-D-1

, 33

-C-

1P

, 33

-C-

1T

,

5-

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

61

Communications Manual

-

2006

Appendix B

D-0

,

5-D-1

,

6-D-0

,

6-D-

0A

,

6-D-1

,

6-D-

1A

,

6-D-2

,

6-D-

2A

,

6-D-3

,

6-D-

3A

,

9-B-

1Y

,

9-D-

0X

,

9-D-

0Y

,

9-D-

0Z

,

9-D-

0X

,

9-E-

0Y

,

9-E-

0Z

,

9-E-

1X

,

9-E-

1Y

,

9-E-

1Z

,

9-E-

2X

,

9-E-

2Y

,

9-E-

2Z

,

9-E-

3X

,

9-E-

3Y

,

9-E-

3Z

,

9-

E-

4X

,

9-E-

4Y

,

9-E-

4Z

,

9-E-

5X

,

9-E-

5Y

,

9-E-

5Z

,

9-E-

6X

,

9-E-

6Y

, M

9-E-

6Z

,

FRS

-

ALS

,

POL

-

ALS

,

MB Response Plan

7-C-

0, 7

-C-

2, 7

-C-

3, 7

-D-

2, 7

-D-3

MC Response Plan

11

-E-0, 11-E-1, 13-C-0C, 13-C-1C, 13-C-3C, 13-D-0, 13-D-0C, 13-D-1, 13-D-1C, 20-D-2C, 20-D-2H, 23-C-

1P, 23-D-0, 23-D-1A, 23-D-1I, 23-D-1P, 25-D-0, 25-D-0B, 25-D-0V, 25-D-0W, 25-D-1, 25-D-1B, 25-D-

1V,

25

-D-

1W, 25

-D-

2, 25

-D-2B, 25-D-

2V, 25

-D-

2W, 29

-D-2C, 2-D-

4, 2

-E-

0, 2

-E-1, 33-D-

0P, 33

-D-

0T, 33

-D-

1P,

33

-D-1T, 3-D-0, 3-D-1, 3-D-2, 3-D-3, 3-D-4, 3-D-5, 3-D-6, 4-D-0, 4-D-0A, 4-D-0S, 4-D-1A, 4-D-1S, 6-E-

0,

6-E-0A, 6-E-1, 6-E-1A, 7-D-0, 7-D-1, 8-D-0, 8-D-1, 9-D-0, 9-D-0A, 9-D-0B, 9-D-0C, 9-D-0D, 9-D-0E, 9-D-

0F, 9-D-0G, 9-D-0H, 9-D-0I, 9-D-1, 9-D-1A, 9-D-1B, 9-D-1C, 9-D-1D, 9-D-1E, 9-D-1F, 9-D-1G, 9-D-1H, 9-

D-1

I, 9

-D-

1X, 9

-D-

1Y, 9

-D-

1Z, 9

-E-

0, 9

-E-

0A, 9

-E-

0B, 9

-E-

0C, 9

-E-

0D

,

9-E-

0E

,

9-E-

0F

,

9-E-

0G

,

9-E-

0H

,

9-

E-

0I

,

9-E-1

,

9-E-

1A

,

9-E-

1B

,

9-E-

1C

,

9-E-

1D

,

9-E-

1E

,

9-E-

1F

,

9-E-

1G

,

9-E-

1H

,

9-E-

1I

,

9-E-2

,

9-E-

2A

,

9-E-

2B

,

9-E-

2C

,

9-E-

2D

,

9-E-

2E

,

9-E-

2F

,

9-E-

2G

,

9-E-

2H

,

9-E-

2I

,

9-E-3

,

9-E-

3A

,

9-E-

3B

,

9-E-

3C

,

9-E-

3D

,

9-E-

3E

,

9-E-

3F

,

9-E-

3G

,

9-E-

3H

,

9-E-

3I

,

9-E-4

,

9-E-

4A

,

9-E-

4B

,

9-E-

4C

,

9-E-

4D

,

9-E-

4E

,

9-E-

4F

,

9-E-

4G

,

9-E-

4H

,

9-E-

4I

,

9-E-5

,

9-E-

5A

,

9-E-

5B

,

9-E-

5C

,

9-E-

5D

,

9-E-

5E

,

9-E-

5F

,

9-E-

5G

,

9-E-

5H

,

9-E-

5I

ME Response Plan

14

-C-0, 14-C-1, 14-D-0, 14-D-1, 14-D-2, 14-D-3, 14-D-4, 15-C-1E, 15-C-1L, 15-D-1E, 15-D-1L, 15-D-

2E,

15

-D-2L, 15-D-3E, 15-D-3L, 15-D-4E, 15-D-4L, 15-D-5E, 15-D-5L, 15-D-6E, 15-D-6L, 15-D-7E, 15-D-

7L,

15

-E-1E, 15-E-1L, 17-D-0, 17-D-0J, 17-D-1, 17-D-1J, 17-D-2, 17-D-2J, 17-D-3, 17-D-3J, 17-D-4, 17-D-

4J,

22

-D-

0, 22

-D-

0A, 22

-D-

0B, 22

-D-

0M, 22

-D-

1, 22

-D-

1A

, 22

-D-

1B, 22

-D-

1M, 27

-D-

0, 27

-D-

1G, 27

-D-

1P, 27

-

D-1S, 27-D-2G, 27-D-2P, 27-D-2S, 27-D-3G, 27-D-3P, 27-D-3S, 27-D-4G, 27-D-4P, 27-D-4S, 27-D-5G, 27-

D-5P, 27-D-5S, 30-D-0, 30-D-1, 30-D-2, 30-D-3, 4-D-2A, 4-D-2S, 4-D-3A, 4-D-3S, 4-D-4A, 4-D-4S, 4-D-

5A, 4

-D-5

S, 8

-D-

2, 9

-E-

6, 9

-E-

6A, 9

-E-

6B, 9

-E-

6C, 9

-E-

6D, 9

-E-

6E, 9

-E-

6F, 9

-E-

6G, 9

-E-

6H

MF Response Plan

29

-D-

2A, 29

-D-

2B

MG Response Plan

29

-D-0, 29-D-

2D, 29

-D-

2E, 29

-D-

2F, 29

-D-

2G, 29

-D-5

MH Response Plan

22

-D-2, 22-D-

2A, 22

-D-

2B, 22

-D-

2M, 29

-D-4

MI Response

Plan

22

-D-3, 22-D-

3A, 22

-D-

3B, 22

-D-

3M, 22

-D-

5B, 22

-D-5M, 9-E-

6I

MJ Response Plan

22

-D-5, 22-D-

5A

MM Response Plan

7-A-2

M0 Response Plan

10

-C-0, 10-C-1, 10-C-2, 10-C-3, 10-C-4, 12-C-0, 12-C-0E, 12-C-1, 12-C-1E, 12-C-2, 12-C-2E, 12-C-3, 12-C-

3E, 18-C-0, 18-C-1, 18-C-2, 19-C-0, 19-C-1, 19-C-2, 19-C-3, 19-C-4, 19-C-5, 19-C-6, 1-C-0, 1-C-1, 1-C-

2,

20

-C-0C, 20-C-0H, 20-C-1C, 20-C-1H, 23-C-3A, 23-C-3I, 23-C-3P, 23-C-4A, 23-C-4I, 23-C-4P, 23-C-

5A,

23

-C-

5I, 23

-C-

5P, 23

-C-

6A, 23

-C-

6I, 23

-C-

6P, 23

-C-

7A, 23

-C-

7I,

23

-C-

7P, 28

-C-

2, 28

-C-

2G, 28

-C-

2L, 28

-C-

2U, 2-C-0, 2-C-1, 2-C-2, 31-C-

0, 31

-C-

1, 31

-C-2, 31-C-3, 31-C-4, 31-C-5, 33-C-

0P, 33

-C-

0T, 33

-C-2P, 33-C-

2T, 33-C-3P, 33-C-3T, 33-C-4P, 33-C-4T, 33-C-5P, 33-C-5T, 33-C-6P, 33-C-6T, 5-C-0, 5-C-1, 6-C-1, 6-C-

1A, 6

-C-2

, 6

-C-

2A, 8

-C-

0, 8

-C-1

MZ

Response Plan

7-D-5

,

8-D-4

,

8-D-5

,

8-D-6

,

OTHPLANE

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

62

Communications Manual

-

2006

Appendix B

RQ Response Plan

22

-D-6

, 22

-D-

6A

, 22

-D-

6B

, 22

-D-

6M

,

CAVEIN2

,

CAVEIN3

,

TRENCH2

,

TRENCH3

RW

Response Plan

MET/ALS

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

63

Communications Manual

-

2006

Appendix C Audio Recording Request Form

Division of Fire & Rescue Services

Emergency Communications Center (ECC)

1300 Quince Or

chard Boulevard

Gaithersburg, Maryland 20878

240.773.7131

AUDIO

RECORDING REQUEST FORM

To

:

Communications

Officer

Date of Request:

_____________________

Via:

____________________________________________________________________________

From:

____________________________________________________________________________

Phone: _____________________________

Fax:

________________________________________

REQUIRED INFORMATION

Incident Number

:_____________________________

Incident Type

:_______________________________

Date of Incident

: __/__/____

Time of Incident

:__________

Location of incident

:_________________________

Reason for request

:________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________

_______________________________________

Time range to be copied:____________________________________________

Media to be Copied: (Check all that apply) 911 Conversation___ Radio Traffic

___

Radio Channels

_____________

NOTICE:

CD must be picked up within

14 days of notification by the PSCC that the copy is ready.

ECC USE ONLY

Date Recording Made:

__/__/____

Recorded By: __________________

Date Requesting Party Notified:

__/__/____

Notified By: _____________________

This is a certified copy of actual voice print recordings taken directly from the audio media server on

_________________

by

___________________________

. This recording is being issued as part of an

official request and can be used only for the intended purpose indicated. This

recording

remains the property

of MCFRS and may not be sold, copied, distributed or otherwise altered.

INSURANCE CLAIM

LEGAL MATTER

INTERNAL INVESTIGATION

OTHER

_______________

Received

by

:

________________________

R

EMINDER: These audio CDs will only work using Media Player, QuickTime or comparable

PC Software

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

64

Communications Manual

-

2006

Appendix

D

Failsoft Template

Appendix E

MCFRS Radio Template

Appendices available on the County Web Page using the follo

wing links:

FAILSOFT TEMPLATE

:

http://www.ps2k.com/Resource/vr_failsoft_fleetmap.pdf

FAILSOFT

REVIEW PPT:

http://www.ps2k.com/resource/radio_failsoft_presentation.pdf

MCFRS RADIO TEMPLATE (REVISED 06/05):

http://www.ps2k.com/Resource/vr_radio_templates.pdf

PORTABLE RADIO BASICS:

http://www.ps2k.com/resource/radio_portable_pps.ppt

MOBILE RADIO BASICS:

http://www.ps2k.com/resource/radio_mobile_pps.ppt

`

fin

al clean 5

-

15

-

06