Chapter 3: FD Communications

Question 1

Alarm Assignement

Answer 1

Predetermined number and type of fire units assigned to respond to an emergency.

Question 2

Automatic Location Identification (ALI)

Answer 2

Enhanced 911 feature that displays the address of the party calling 911 on a screen for use by the public safety telecommunicator. This feature is also used to reroute calls to the appropriate public safety answering point (PSAP) and can even store information in its database regarding the appropriate emergency services (police, fire, and medical) that respond to that address.

Question 3

Base Station Radios

Answer 3

Fixed, nonmobile radio at a central location.

Question 4

Clear Text

Answer 4

Use of plain language, including certain standard words and phrases, in radio communications transmissions.

Question 5

Global Positioning System (GPS)

Answer 5

System for determining position on the earth’s surface by calculating the difference in time for the signal from a number of satellites to reach a receiver on the ground.

Question 6

Intrinsically Safe Equipment

Answer 6

Equipment designed and approved for use in flammable atmospheres that is incapable of releasing sufficient electrical energy to cause the ignition of a flammable atmospheric mixture.

Question 7

National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS)

Answer 7

One of the main sources of information (data, statistics) about fires in the US; under NFIRS, local fire departments collect fire incident data and send these to a state coordinator; the state coordinator develops statewide fire incident data and also forwards information to the USFA; begun by FEMA.

Question 8

Personnel Accountability Report (PAR)

Answer 8

Roll call of all units (crews, teams, groups, companies, sectors) assigned to an incident. The supervisor of each unit reports that status of the personnel within the unit at that time, usually by radio. A PAR may be required by SOPs at specific intervals (at least every 20 min. CSFD) during an incident, or may be requested at any time by the IC or the ISO.

Question 9

Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP)

Answer 9

Any location or facility at which 911 calls are answered either by direct calling, rerouting, or diversion.