1. Emergency Services Communications Firefighter II

2. Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2012. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Copyright and Terms of Service Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2011. These materials are copyrighted © and trademarked ™ as the property of the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and may not be reproduced without the express written permission of TEA, except under the following conditions: 1) Texas public school districts, charter schools, and Education Service Centers may reproduce and use copies of the Materials and Related Materials for the districts’ and schools’ educational use without obtaining permission from TEA. 2) Residents of the state of Texas may reproduce and use copies of the Materials and Related Materials for individual personal use only, without obtaining written permission of TEA. 3) Any portion reproduced must be reproduced in its entirety and remain unedited, unaltered and unchanged in any way. 4) No monetary charge can be made for the reproduced materials or any document containing them; however, a reasonable charge to cover only the cost of reproduction and distribution may be charged. Private entities or persons located in Texas that are not Texas public school districts, Texas Education Service Centers, or Texas charter schools or any entity, whether public or private, educational or non- educational, located outside the state of Texas MUST obtain written approval from TEA and will be required to enter into a license agreement that may involve the payment of a licensing fee or a royalty. Contact TEA Copyrights with any questions you may have.TEA Copyrights 2

3. Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2012. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Communications Equipment Radios – All components of the fire service are able to communicate with each other in emergency and non-emergency situations – Radios are able to receive and transmit information between the units out in the field, the IC, and the communications center – Be aware that all transmissions can be monitored by outside sources such as the news media 3

4. Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2012. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Communications Equipment (continued) Telephones – Phone systems communicate voice messages, computer information, and documents through fax systems TDD/TTY text phones allow hearing and/or speech impaired individuals to communicate over the telephone system – Cell phones can also send text information and pictures as well as computer information – Phone systems are sometimes the only method of reliable, fast communication in rural areas – Fax machines take images and text, convert them into a digital format, and transmit them over phone lines 4

5. Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2012. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Communications Equipment (continued) Public Alert Systems – These systems can be used by anyone to report an emergency and include Telephones Two-way radios/circuit boxes Fire alarm boxes Call boxes Reports from walk-ins 5

6. Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2012. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Communications Equipment (continued) Public Alert Systems (continued) – When receiving calls from public alert systems, the call taker must be able to acquire all of the necessary information to dispatch personnel quickly and effectively: Name Callback number Location of the incident 6

7. Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2012. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Communications Equipment (continued) Computer Aided Dispatch Systems (CAD) – Aid telecommunicators, call takers, and dispatchers by Selecting which units to dispatch using computer programs, GPS, etc. Using Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) to determine the closest response vehicle 7

8. Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2012. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Communications Equipment Protocols Radios – Radio equipment operators must effectively Process information under stressful conditions Pass on task-related information as well as direct orders Use proper terminology and be as concise and brief as possible without losing the message Know what they are going to say before keying the microphone 8

9. Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2012. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Communications Equipment Protocols (continued) Radios (continued) – Radio equipment operators must effectively (continued) Use proper radio discipline – Radio operators must hold the “push to talk” button for a minimum of 2 seconds before speaking – Keep the button depressed for at least 2 seconds at the end of the transmission – This allows the entire message to be heard without “clipping” the beginnings or ends of messages Refrain from using fire service slang or jargon Keep from using individual’s names in radio messages (systems are monitored) Enunciate while speaking clearly and concisely 9

10. Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2012. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Communications Equipment Protocols (continued) Telephones – Telecommunicators must effectively Answer 95% of all calls within 30 seconds, and respond to all alarms within 60 seconds Obtain the nature of the emergency Collect the address or location of the emergency, as well as a callback number Maintain composure Enunciate while speaking clearly and concisely Follow up on incomplete calls 10

11. Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2012. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Communications Equipment Protocols (continued) Telephones (continued) – Telecommunicators must effectively Be able to receive alarms from different source types – TDD/TTV text phones – Direct lines – Commercial phone systems – Cell phones – Alarm boxes – Emergency telephone systems – Call boxes 11

12. Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2012. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Fire Management Systems Computer aided dispatch (CAD) is an automated system that assists in assessing dispatch information and aligning the initial response of personnel and equipment Automated vehicle location (AVL) uses global positioning satellite (GPS) technology to alert the closest available units to the emergency Personal computer systems to collect and report information for NFIRS and TXFIRS – Used to justify department and community needs related to the fire service 12

13. Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2012. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Fire Management Systems (continued) National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) is a collection of statistics and data about fires in the United States – The data is collected and sent by local fire departments to the Texas Fire Incident Reporting System (TXFIRS) – All information is forwarded to the United States Fire Administration (USFA) – All fifty states participate in NFIRS – Collected information helps establish and justify budgetary needs, including manpower and equipment 13

14. Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2012. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Fire Management Systems (continued) Computers are used for records keeping, including – Spreadsheets for inventory – Map information – Hazardous materials storage facilities and/or permitting – Prefire planning (preplans) – Departmental policies and procedures – Mutual aid agreements 14

15. Copyright © Texas Education Agency 2012. All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. Resources 0135151112, Essentials of Firefighting (5 th Edition), International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA), 2008 1428339825, Firefighter's Handbook: Firefighter I and Firefighter II (1 st Edition), Delmar Cengage Learning, 2008 15