RT-130, Wildland Fire Safety Training Annual Refresher (WFSTAR)
Managing the Maze of Communications
Students should consider the complexity of communication systems - radio frequencies, repeaters, cell phones, texting, portables, mobiles, and any other technology currently available to firefighters. Students will be able to develop a communications management plan, considering span of control, and using the tools available to them.
Category: Operations
Core Component(s): Incident Reviews and Lessons Learned;
Human Factors, Communication and Decision Making
Estimated Delivery Time: 30 minutes; Video Length: 12:23
Category: Operations
Core Component(s): Incident Reviews and Lessons Learned;
Human Factors, Communication and Decision Making
Estimated Delivery Time: 30 minutes; Video Length: 12:23
Intent
Recognize the complexity of communication systems that firefighters utilize. Understand the proper utilization of radio frequencies, repeaters, tones, and other technology available.
Facilitator Preparation
- Review the video and module tools.
- Consider additional activities and discussion questions pertinent to the location and agency.
- Consider having handheld radios and local communication plans available for demonstrating proper usage.
Facilitating the Discussion
- Show the video.
- Facilitate a small or large group discussion using the discussion questions.
Discussion Questions
- Explain the difference between command and tactical frequencies.
- What is line of sight for radio transmissions?
- What is the purpose of a tone on radio frequencies?
- Describe an incident when a resource had manually programmed the incorrect radio frequency. How did this affect fireline operations?
- Mobile devices are not appropriate fireline communication tools for every situation. When are they inappropriate? When are they appropriate?
Resources
- Document: Bendix-King DPHX Programming & Cloning Instructions
- Document: Bendix-King KNG Training
- WFSTAR Module: Tutorial: Cloning Bendix-King DPH
- WFSTAR Module: Tutorial: Cloning Bendix-King KNG
- WFSTAR Module: Tutorial: Programming Bendix-King DPH
- WFSTAR Module: Tutorial: Programming Bendix-King KNG
- WFSTAR Module: Tutorial: Programming Bendix-King Mobile-Radio
Additional Video Information
This video is also available as a download. (Size 39 MB)
Download the .srt file for closed captioning (you may need to right click and Save As). For information on how to add closed captioning to a video, see this how to page.
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Page Last Modified / Reviewed:
2022-02-11