Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Radio Communications PDF

TO: ALL PALM BEACH COUNTY FIRE RESCUE PERSONNEL FROM: PATRICK J. KENNEDY FIRE RESCUE ADMINISTRATOR PREPARED BY: FIRE RESCUE PPM COMMITTEE SUBJECT: RADIO COMMUNICATIONS PPM #:...

TO: ALL PALM BEACH COUNTY FIRE RESCUE PERSONNEL FROM: PATRICK J. KENNEDY FIRE RESCUE ADMINISTRATOR PREPARED BY: FIRE RESCUE PPM COMMITTEE SUBJECT: RADIO COMMUNICATIONS PPM #: FR-O-201 ISSUE DATE EFFECTIVE DATE November 18, 2022 December 16, 2022 PURPOSE: To provide a basic understanding and set procedures for the use of the Fire Rescue communication system. UPDATES: Future updates to this PPM are the responsibility of the Deputy Chief of Operations, in conjunction with the PPM Committee, under the authority of the Fire Rescue Administrator. AUTHORITY:  Fire Rescue Administrator  Florida State Statute 401  Federal Communications Commission, part 90, as may be amended. SCOPE: This policy applies to all Palm Beach County Fire Rescue personnel and reservists. POLICY: Fire Rescue shall comply with all applicable FCC Rules and Regulations. Personnel shall utilize the communications system in a professional manner and in accordance with this policy. PROCEDURE: 1. General: a. Fire Rescue utilizes the following for communications: i. an 800 MHz radio system for Primary communications. ii. a conventional VHF radio system as a primary Emergency Back-up. iii. an 800 MHz conventional repeater/simplex system as a secondary Emergency Back-up. b. The 800 MHz radio system, utilizes 160 channels. Six channels are constantly monitored: Firemain, TAC 2A, TAC 3A, TAC 4A, TAC 5A, and TAC 13A. These channels are designed for use by Fire Rescue units and personnel in the handling of emergency and non-emergency situations and in the day-to-day operations of the Fire Rescue. c. The channel TAC 6A, is used for the dispatching of incidents and move-ups. d. Emergency and non-emergency vehicles are equipped with 800 MHz radios. All 800 MHz portable radios are programmed for operation regardless of their assignment. FR-O-201/Page 1 of 9 2. Utilization of 800 MHz Radio System: Personnel shall utilize the 800 MHz Radio System as follows: a. A Zone: i. TAC 6A: 1. This channel is used for dispatching emergency response vehicles and personnel to incidents and move-ups. ii. TAC 2A: 1. Battalions 1, 2, 7, Cities of Tequesta, Palm Beach Gardens and North Palm Beach. iii. TAC 3A: 1. Battalions 3, 9, 10. iv. TAC 4A: 1. Battalions 4, 5 and Delray Beach. v. TAC 5A: 1. Cities of West Palm Beach, Riviera Beach, and Palm Beach Shores. vi. TAC 7A thru TAC 12A: 1. Are assigned by the Communications Center for incidents of Immediate Danger to Life and Health (IDLH). vii. TAC 13A: 1. This channel is used by the Department of Airports for assigning Station 81 to incidents at the airport. In the Glades, this channel is used to monitor PBSO WR1 Alpha. viii. TAC 14A and 15A: 1. These are Fire Ground Simplex channels to be utilized in areas/buildings where the “trunked” system is not operable. Simplex channels have limited range and the user shall not be able to contact the Communications Center nor activate the emergency button with the portable radio. b. B Zone: i. TAC 3B – Fire Rescue Recruits ii. TAC 4B – Fire Rescue Recruits iii. TAC 5B – Fire Rescue Training iv. TAC 6B – Fire Rescue Training v. TAC 7B – DBFR vi. TAC 8B – WPBFR vii. TAC 9B – PBGFR viii. TAC 10B-12B – Open to be assigned by the Communications Center for training, special events, talk around, etc. c. C Zone: i. These channels are assigned to hospitals and used for encodes by field personnel d. D Zone: i. These are Common Channels for Fire, Law Enforcement, and Emergency Management. e. E Zone: i. E Zone is assigned to Training, Support Services, Reservists, State Mutual Aid. These Zones are monitored during Fleet Maintenance hours (refer to Vehicle FR-O-201/Page 2 of 9  Maintenance FR-S-101) and should be used for direct communications and to reduce calls to the Communications Center. ii. TAC 1E – Fleet (monitored) iii. TAC 2E – Radio Shop (monitored) iv. TAC 3E – Supply (monitored) v. TAC 4E – Training vi. TAC 5E – Reservists vii. TAC 6E – Open viii. TAC 7E – FL ST MA ix. TAC 8E – 8CALL90 x. TAC 9E – 8TAC91 xi. TAC 10E – 8TAC91D xii. TAC 11E – 8TAC92 xiii. TAC 12E – 8TAC92D xiv. TAC 13E – 8TAC93 xv. TAC 14E – 8TAC93D xvi. TAC 15E – 8TAC94 xvii. TAC 16E – 8TAC94D f. F Zone: i. TAC 1F – 09 are repeaters ii. TAC 10F – WPBFR repeater iii. TAC 11F – F SP 1 iv. TAC 12F – F SP 2 v. TAC 13F and 14F are Med Ctrl channels vi. TAC 15F – M SP3 vii. TAC 16F – M SP4 g. G Zone: i. Channels 1 thru 15 are assigned as Hospital Expansion. h. H Zone: i. Channels 1 thru 9 are assigned as Martin county Channels (mutual aid) ii. 10-14 are assigned to TC-FR com, Treasure Coast (mutual aid) i. I Zone: i. Channels 1-16 are assigned as Broward County Fire. j. J Zone: i. TAC 1J – Main Jail Channel ii. TAC 2J – Belle Glade Jail iii. TAC 3J – Stockade iv. TAC 5J-6J – PBC Beach Patrol (Lifeguards) k. K Zone: i. 700 MHz, 7 TAC Channels for future mutual aid l. M Zone: i. Channels 1-6 are assigned as Martin county TAC channels ii. Channel 7 is assigned as Life Star iii. Channel 8 is assigned as Martin Memorial North iv. Channel 9 is assigned at Martin Memorial South. m. TAC Channels 1A, 1B, 16A and 16B are programmed as Firemain and are always monitored by the Communications Center. These can be accessed by turning your FR-O-201/Page 3 of 9  channel selection knob on your portable all the way to the left or all the way to the right. n. PBSO South Region 1 and PBSO South Region 2 i. PBSO South Region 1 and PBSO South Region 2 are the PBSO encrypted radio channels for Battalion 5. 3. Utilization of the VHF Radio System: a. VHF radios are located at each Fire Rescue Station and in the majority of emergency response vehicles. Personnel shall utilize the VHF Radio System in accordance with the Emergency Communications Plan, or as required. b. VHF RPTR 1 – East Coast Fire Stations c. VHF RPTR 2 – Batt 7 only 4. Burning Status: a. Each morning, the Communicator Supervisor obtains the Class Day and drought index from the Florida Forest Service and the weather information from the National Weather Service. The Communicator Supervisor documents this information and posts it as a Daily OPS Bulletin on the Intranet. b. If any changes occur throughout the shift to the burn status, then the Daily OPS Bulletin will be updated. 5. Dispatching of Emergency Incidents: a. The Communications Center shall operate in accordance with Fire Rescue Policies, Fire Rescue SOGs and the Communications Center Policy Manual. The Communications Center is responsible for assigning Emergency Response Vehicles to incidents in accordance with the Dispatch Protocol. Emergency incidents are dispatched to stations and “On-the-Air” units via TAC 6A, simulated Three Alert Tones shall precede emergency incident information to units “On-the-Air”, by Locution. b. Locution shall announce in the following format: i. Specific Apparatus/personnel required to meet Dispatch Protocol ii. Station response area call is in iii. Situation as reported by caller iv. Reported location of incident v. Appropriate TAC channel 6. Receipt of Emergency Incident: a. When units are On-the-Air, receipt of incident information is to be acknowledged by going responding on their appropriate channel. b. While on emergency incidents, personnel shall use the following terms to report their status: i. Responding: This status is used when units are responding to the scene of an incident. ii. Enroute: This status is used to indicate that units are proceeding to a: 1. Non-emergency call (such as a Public Assist) 2. Location other than an emergency scene such as a hospital. FR-O-201/Page 4 of 9  iii. On scene: This status is used when units have arrived on the scene of an incident, landing zone, or at a hospital. iv. Transport: This status is used to indicate that a unit is transporting a patient to a hospital. v. Transport Complete: This status is used to indicate that a unit has arrived at the transporting location. vi. Available: This status is used when a unit has completed an incident and is adequately equipped to respond to another incident. The decision whether or not a unit is adequately equipped for subsequent incidents must be made by the Lieutenant, Operational Captain or senior crew member. Units shall report their available status with the following criteria: 1. Out-of-zone 2. In-zone vii. Units that have not reported the following shall be challenged by the Communications Center on the appropriate TAC channel as to their status: 1. “On scene” within 8 minutes. 2. “Responding” within 2 minutes. 3. “Available” from the hospital within 12 minutes. 7. Status Reports: a. Tracking unit status at all times is essential to dispatching units in the most efficient manner. Any time there has been a change of unit status, the Lieutenant or Operational Captain shall call the Communicator Supervisor or Fire Operations Officer and provide the unit ID and the reason for the change in unit status (i.e., R24 Out-of- Service due to mechanical repairs). b. For non-emergency incidents, personnel shall use the following terms to report their status: i. On-the-Air: This status is used when: 1. An either/or unit is out of their station 2. A unit is on a move up 3. A unit is Enroute to training, fuel, supplies, etc… ii. Available Out-of-Zone: This status is used when units are available out of their normal response zone or going to another station. Any emergency unit not assigned to an incident that needs to leave their response zone must contact the Communications Center via Firemain (TAC 1A) for approval. The Communications Center shall approve or deny the request based on the number of available units within the geographic area. Battalion Chiefs and EMS Captains must notify the Communications Center prior to leaving their designated zone so that proper supervisory coverage can be maintained. iii. Available In-zone: This status is used to notify the Communications Center that a unit that was Available Out-of-Zone has returned to their normal response zone. iv. Available at Station # area: This status is used when units are in a station other than their own (i.e., supplies, training, meetings, move-ups, etc.). v. In-Service: This status is used to place an Out-of-Service unit back In-Service and available for emergency calls. For cross-staffed stations, this status is used FR-O-201/Page 5 of 9  to identify that a unit is In-Service and that the other unit is Out-of-Service and unavailable for emergency calls. vi. In-Quarters: This status is used to identify units that are at their assigned fire station. For cross-staffed stations, this status is used to identify that both units are now In-Service and available for emergency calls. vii. Out-of-Service: This status is used to identify when a unit is not available for emergency calls. 8. Move Ups: a. The Firemain Operator, Fire Operations Officer and/or the Communicator Supervisor shall continuously review the status and activity of units throughout the County. b. To provide adequate coverage throughout the County, the Fire Operations Officer and/or the Communicator Supervisor shall assist Firemain to direct units to Move Up to another station for coverage. 9. Out-of-Service for Training, Community Education, etc.: a. To schedule any unit Out-of-Service, the Lieutenant or Operational Captain must request the date and time to the Battalion Chief. b. The Battalion Chief shall check the Fire Rescue approved staffing program (refer to Staffing, Unit Staffing, PPM FR-O-101) Training Calendar to determine if the requested date and time are available. c. If the date and time are available, the Battalion Chief shall enter the unit into the Fire Rescue approved staffing program (refer to Staffing, Unit Staffing, PPM FR-O-101) Training Calendar, along with the approved Drill Safety Plan Number (if required) and Move Up units, (if required) for station coverage. d. The Fire Operations Officer shall check the Fire Rescue approved staffing program (refer to Staffing, Unit Staffing, PPM FR-O-101) Training Calendar to verify there are no units over the maximum allotment for Out-of-Service events. e. All units shall check with the Communications Center prior to going Out-of-Service, even if they have been previously scheduled. 10. Out-of-Service Due to Mechanical Breakdown: a. It is the employee’s responsibility to ensure that the vehicle or apparatus to which they are assigned is safe to operate. b. All mechanical breakdowns, which result in the vehicle being unable to respond to emergency calls, must be reported to the Communications Center and Support Services immediately. The Lieutenant or Operational Captain shall advise the Communications Center how long the unit is expected to be Out-of-Service. c. All mechanical problems that require the vehicle to be taken Out-of-Service during normal Fleet Maintenance hours refer to Vehicle Maintenance FR-S-101), shall be reported to: i. The Communications Center via the appropriate A Zone TAC channel or landline. ii. Support Services via TAC 1E or landline. d. After Fleet Maintenance hours (refer to Vehicle Maintenance FR-S-101), the Communications Center shall be notified and dispatch the appropriate on-call FR-O-201/Page 6 of 9  mechanic. The on-call mechanic shall respond to the appropriate location and either effect the appropriate repairs or direct the crew in obtaining a replacement vehicle. e. Mechanical problems that do not require the vehicle to be taken Out-of-Service must be reported in accordance with Vehicle Maintenance Requests (PPM FR-S-101) f. Equipment necessary to stock the replacement vehicle shall be moved from the Out- of-Service vehicle and placed on the replacement vehicle. The Lieutenant or Operational Captain shall advise the Communications Center when complete. 11. Returning Units In-Service After Repairs: a. After repairs have been completed and vehicles are ready to return to service, Fleet Maintenance or the unit personnel shall notify the Communications Center. b. Operational Captains shall assure that all necessary equipment is removed from the replacement apparatus and returned to the repaired unit. The Operational Captain shall notify the Communications Center that the vehicle is back In-Service and available for call, and log the information into the station log book. 12. Out-of-Zone: a. All emergency units shall maintain radio contact with the Communications Center while Out-of-Service or Out-of-Zone on Firemain (TAC 1A). The only exception would be: i. If in a Fire Rescue station and have notified the Communications Center. 13. Signals/Codes a. All radio transmissions shall be done with clear text and common terminology. No signals or codes shall be used except for the purposes of security or confidentiality (refer to SOG 210-01 Communications). b. 10-24-The Code 10-24 is Law Enforcement’s code for help. The code 10-24 shall be used when Fire Rescue personnel are in a life threatening situation and in need of immediate Law Enforcement assistance. c. Calls such as shootings, stabbings, suicides, possible mental disorders, and sexual assaults (rapes) are to be dispatched in clear text and common terminology. 14. PBSO Encrypted Radio Channels a. Fire Rescue Command staff OPS portable radios shall have the new radio capabilities to operate on a select few PBSO Dispatch encrypted radio channels. Communications on PBSO encrypted radio channels will often contain information that is NOT known to the general public and may be used in criminal matters. For this reason, it is imperative that all employees not confuse encrypted and non-encrypted radio channels. It is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT to NOT discuss any information or details of any incident that may be criminal in nature over non-encrypted radio channels. i. Example: “there is a knife on the floor in this bedroom”. While this is acceptable to say on an encrypted radio channel, it is NOT acceptable on a non- encrypted radio channel. The information of a knife being used as the weapon may only be known by the perpetrator and by confusing radio channels, this information would be known by the general public and could hinder the criminal investigation. b. Communications on the PBSO encrypted radio channels are NOT monitored by Fire FR-O-201/Page 7 of 9  Rescue’s Communications Center. Personnel should have two (2) radios when monitoring these radio channels. c. The purpose of these PBSO encrypted radio channels are for situational awareness and are NOT for Fire Rescue employees to communicate with PBSO. i. Fire Rescue Personnel may respond should PBSO initiate or request a response. In these instances, the Fire Rescue Communications Center shall also be informed of the non-criminal sensitive information communicated on the PBSO encrypted radio channel. 1. Example: PBSO asks Rescue as to their location and advises that they will be bringing them a downed officer. Rescue should reply to PBSO and update the Fire Rescue Communications Center. d. All communications (i.e., normal communications, requesting LE, requesting if the scene is secure, 10-24, etc…) shall be through the Fire Rescue Communications Center and NOT the PBSO encrypted radio channels. e. If the Incident Commander can establish that the scene is secure by listening to the PBSO encrypted radio channel, they may act accordingly. f. PBSO Dispatch Channels are sorted by Region and District. 800Mhz Portable S Zone i. 1S NR 1A -- North Region, District 2, 3, 10, 20 ii. 2S NR 2A iii. 3S NR 3A iv. 4S ER 1A -- East Region, District 1,14,16 v. 5S ER 2A vi. 6S ER 3A vii. 7S ER 4A viii. 8S SR 1A -- South Region, District 4,6,7,19 ix. 9S SR 2A x. 10S SR 3A xi. 11S SR 4A xii. 12S WR 1A -- West Region, District 5,8,9,11,12,13,15,17,18, xiii. 13S WR 2A xiv. 14S WR 3A 15. VHF Marine Radio Water Rescue-USCG a. Please refer to SOG 210-01 Item # 9. VHF radio procedures. b. The PBCFR VHF Radio has some of the main Marine CG VHF channels. See the chart for use. Transmission on a Marine Channel is only authorized for units responding to a Marine emergency. VHF Radio ZONE: MARINE CG i. MARINE 9 ii. MARINE 16 (CG Monitored} iii. MARINE 22A (CG Monitored) iv. MARINE 65 v. MARINE 68 FR-O-201/Page 8 of 9  vi. MARINE 71 vii. MARINE 72 viii. MARINE 78 ix. MARINE 81 ______________________________ PATRICK J. KENNEDY FIRE RESCUE ADMINISTRATOR Supersession History 1. PPM#FR VI-03, issued 11/01/1985 2. PPM#FR VI-03, issued 11/01/1995 3. PPM#FR VI-03, issued 08/14/2014 4. PPM#FR VI-03, issued 06/16/2016 5. PPM#FR VI-03, issued 09/16/2016 6. PPM#FR VI-03, issued 09/22/2017 7. PPM#FR O-201, clerical 03/01/2018 8. PPM#FR O-201, issued 04/03/2019 9. PPM#FR O-201, issued 11/18/2022 FR-O-201/Page 9 of 9