Chapter 3 Fire Department Communications Flashcards
Fire department communications can be divided into two groups.
Internal and External
Internal Communications
consist primarily of radio transmissions between units and individuals during emergency operations.
External Communications
request from the public for both emergency and non emergency assistance.
Two broad categories of telecommunication systems.
Emergency service specific telecommunications center, Public Safety answering point (PSAP).
Emergency Service Specific Telecommunications Center
Separate telecommunications or dispatch centers that the fire department, EMS, or police operates.
Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP)
Central location that takes all emergency calls and routes the call to the fire, EMS, or police dispatcher.
NFPA 1221
Standard for the installation, maintenance, and use of emergency services communications systems.
Information that should be gather upon receiving a emergency call.
The type of emergency, The location of he emergency, The number and location of people involved, The name and location of the caller, The callers call back number, The cross street, building name, neighborhood, area of city/county, or any nearby landmarks.
Over 96% of the U.S. has access to
Enhanced 911
Enhanced 911
combines telephones and CAD to provide dispatch with instant information such as phone #, address, and directions to the address.
What is a public alerting system?
Any system that the public can use to report an emergency.
Types of public alert systems
Telephones, two-way radios, wired telegraph circuit boxes, telephone fire alarm boxes, and radio alarm boxes.
Wired telegraph box
Very reliable. Only transmit the location and not the nature of the emergency. Notorious for false alarms.
Telephone alarm box
equipment with a telephone to allow direct voice contact with a telecommunicator. Some systems incorporate a wired telegraph and telephone alarm together.
Radio Transmitter box
Contain a independent radio transmitter and a battery or solar panel.
Most common forms of alarm notification in small towns?
Sirens, Whistles, and air horns.
Information broadcast to responders should include …
information received from the caller and information from the pre-incident plan developed for the specific address or similar facility.
Radio systems require you to have a knowledge of
Radio systems and how hey work, Limitations of radio communications, Fixed,mobile, and portable radios assigned to you.
Radio systems can be classified in three ways.
By there location and size, By the type of signal used, By the transmission signal.
Base station radios
Fixed, non mobile, radio at a central location.
Base stations have
stable, powerful transmitters and interference resistant receivers that provide better performance than mobile or portable radios.
Base station equipment includes a
receiver, transmitter, antenna, microphone, and speakers.
Mobile radios are mounted in …………..and are powered by the
apparatus, vehicles. Vehicles electrical system.
Mobile radios have better performance than portable radios but are not
as powerful as fixed location radios.
Portable radios are …………….devices
hand held
Portable radios that are used in a hazardous atmosphere must be
intrinsically safe
Intrinsically safe equipment
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.
Radio signals travel between the transmitter and receiver in either of these formats.
analog or digital
Analog and digital signals travel over either of these two formats.
Amplitude Modulation (AM) (also known as medium wave signal), or Frequency Modulation (FM).