COVID-19 – crisis communications
certain situations where the communication equipment used by people on the ground needs to be intrinsically safe. For example, when at the scene of a chemical spillage where there may be flammable substances, it is imperative that all communication devices are explosion proof and cannot create a spark. Communication requirements and solutions
vary depending on the different areas of the FRS and the tasks it undertakes.
Mission critical
A majority of FRSs work on a nationwide service called TETRA (terrestrial trunked radio), which is the communication system used throughout the emergency services. It is important that when more than one type of service is needed on the scene, all of the emergency services use the same system. For example, in the event of a fire that has
resulted from a road traffic collision, the police will probably also need to be on the scene. Having these separate departments working on the same service makes cross department communication simpler, while fire appliances themselves will also run on the same TETRA service. Things can develop quickly and drastically within emergency situations, so having situational awareness whilst en route to the call is mission critical. Having this communication is essential
for both the members of the team within the appliance and those at the relevant station, in case further services or teams are needed at the scene.
On the ground
Once the firefighters reach the site of the emergency, the fireground team will usually consist of those officers using hoses, those in the appliances and those entering or already inside the building – all of whom will need to have mission critical communication with each other. To achieve this, the fireground team works locally with simplex analogue or digital mobile radios (DMRs), or sometimes via a repeater if they need to extend the communications coverage. They are in a high pressure situation, so the communication system needs to be simple and easy to use – which is why most opt for the standard radio device. Quite often, they will need to be wearing
protective suits, so accessories might be needed to facilitate the use of the radio, which will often be situated under the suit or in an inaccessible place. If they are using breathing apparatus or an enclosed helmet whilst at the scene, they would not be able to use the standard means of communication to resolve this issue; therefore they might use a bone conduction transducer within their helmet.
FOCUS
www.frmjournal.com JULY/AUGUST 2020
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