U.S. Fire Administration Voice Radio Communications Guide for the Fire Service June 2016 U.S. Fire Administration Mission Statement We provide National leadership to foster a solid foundation for our fi re and emergency services stakeholders in prevention, preparedness, and response. This page intentionally left blank. Voice Radio Communications Guide for the Fire Service i Acknowledgment The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) is committed to using all means possible for reducing the incidence of injuries and deaths to firefighters. One of these means is to partner with organizations that share this same admirable goal. One such organization is the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF). As a labor union, the IAFF has been deeply committed to improving the safety of its members and all firefighters as a whole. This is why the USFA was pleased to work with the IAFF through a partnership supported by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Science and Technology Directorate, First Responders Group, Office for Interoperability and Compatibility to develop this second edition of the “Voice Radio Communications Guide for the Fire Service.” The USFA gratefully acknowledges the following leaders of the IAFF for their willingness to partner on this project: General President Harold Schaitberger General Secretary-Treasurer Thomas Miller Assistant to the General President Occupational Health, Safety and Medicine Patrick Morrison International Association of Fire Fighters, AFL-CIO, CLC Division of Occupational Health, Safety and Medicine 1750 New York Ave., NW Washington, DC 20006 202-737-8484 www.iaff.org The IAFF also would like to thank Robert Athanas, Firefighter, Fire Department City of New York; Todd Bianchi, Captain, District of Columbia Fire Department; Jim Brinkley, IAFF Director of Occupational Health and Safety; Joseph Brooks, Radio Supervisor, Boston Fire Department; Thomas Chirhart, DHS; Billy Freeman, Lieutenant, Memphis Fire Department; Missy Hannan, Graphic Artist, International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA)/Fire Protection Publications, Oklahoma State University; Ron Jeffers, Union City, New Jersey; Christopher Lombard, Captain, Seattle Fire Department; Andy MacFarlane, Phoenix, Arizona; Kevin Roche, FACETS Consulting; Wes Rogers, Lieutenant, Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department; William Troup, USFA; Mike Wieder, Associate Director, IFSTA/Fire Protection Publications, Oklahoma State University; Cody Worrell, Firefighter, Phoenix Fire Department; and Mike Worrell, Battalion Chief, Phoenix Fire Department, for their efforts in developing this report. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) does not endorse, approve, certify or recommend any contractors, individuals, firms or products. Contractors, individuals or firms shall not claim they or their products are “FEMA approved” or “FEMA certified.” Voice Radio Communications Guide ii for the Fire Service This page intentionally left blank. Voice Radio Communications Guide for the Fire Service iii Table of Contents Acknowledgment ..................................................................................................................................... i Table of Contents ..................................................................................................................................... iii Section 1 — Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 1 Purpose ............................................................................................................................................... 1 Why the Fire Service is Different ........................................................................................................ 1 Summary — Fire Service Environment ............................................................................................... 2 Section 2 — Basic Radio Communication Technology .......................................................................... 5 Radio Spectrum ................................................................................................................................... 5 Wavelength ......................................................................................................................................... 6 Channel Bandwidth ............................................................................................................................ 7 Radio Wave Propagation...................................................................................................................... 8 Interference ......................................................................................................................................... 9 What Affects System Coverage? ........................................................................................................... 10 Fixed-Site Antennas ............................................................................................................................. 11 Downtilt .............................................................................................................................................. 13 Portable Radio Position ....................................................................................................................... 13 Mobile and Portable Antennas ............................................................................................................. 14 Summary — Basic Radio Communication Technology ....................................................................... 15 Section 3 — Digital and Analog Radio ................................................................................................... 17 Analog Radios ..................................................................................................................................... 17 Digital Radios ...................................................................................................................................... 18 Digital Audio Processing ..................................................................................................................... 19 Analog and Digital Comparisons ........................................................................................................ 19 Program 25 History ............................................................................................................................ 21 Program 25 Interoperability ................................................................................................................ 21 Program 25 Characteristics in High-Noise Environments.................................................................... 21 Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus Mask Effect on Communications ................................................ 22 Program 25 Digital for Firefighting ..................................................................................................... 22 Summary — Digital and Analog Radio ............................................................................................... 23 Section 4 — Conventional Radio Systems .............................................................................................. 25 Direct and Repeated Radio Systems ..................................................................................................... 25 Direct/Simplex Communications on the Fireground ........................................................................... 25 Receiver Voters — Improve Field Unit to Dispatcher Communications ............................................... 26 Repeaters — Improve Field Unit to Dispatch and Off-Scene Units ...................................................... 28 Simulcast Transmitter Systems ............................................................................................................ 30 Alerting ............................................................................................................................................... 31 Summary — Conventional Radio Systems .......................................................................................... 31 Section 5 — Trunked Radio Systems ...................................................................................................... 33 Basic Trunked Radio Operations ......................................................................................................... 34 Talkgroup Call ..................................................................................................................................... 34 Call Disconnection .............................................................................................................................. 35 Designing a Trunked Radio System ..................................................................................................... 35 Capacity Design ................................................................................................................................... 36 Coverage Design .................................................................................................................................. 36 Coverage Enhancement Devices .......................................................................................................... 37 Voice Radio Communications Guide iv for the Fire Service Vehicular Repeaters ............................................................................................................................