1. Main Rules of the Radio
• Be Brief & Concise
• Enunciate Clearly
• Use Appropriate Terminology
• Communicate Necessary Information
• If your agency provides “formats” or scripts, it’s important to follow them
every call to help ensure all the parts of effective radio communication
are being used.
2. Brevity is an FCC rule to regulate radio traffic.
Rule
FCC
Regulations
What it says…
Keep It Short FCC 90.403C “…Each licensee must restrict all transmissions to the minimum practical transmission
time and must employ an efficient operating procedure designed to maximize the
utilization of the spectrum.”
Life Safety Has First
Priority
FCC 90.403D “Communications involving the imminent safety-of-life or property are to be afforded
priority by all licensees.”
Don’t Interfere FCC 90.403E “Licensees shall take reasonable precautions to avoid causing harmful interference.
This includes monitoring the transmitting frequency for communications in progress
and such other measures as may be necessary to minimize the potential for causing
interference.”
Transmit Only What is
Necessary
FCC 90.405 “…May transmit only the following types of communication: (1) Any communication
related directly to the imminent safety-of-life or property; (2) Communications directly
related and necessary to those activities which make the licensee eligible of the station
license held under this part. 3) Communications for testing purposes required for
proper station and system maintenance. However, each licensee shall keep such tests a
minimum and shall employ every measure to avoid harmful interference.
3. Paraphrasing
• Paraphrasing-this allows dispatchers to summarize information & get
it out in the most succinct & accurate way
• Information must be organized quickly
• Intent is to minimize airtime, but still provide a clear picture of the call.
Purpose of paraphrasing is to be concise, BUT still provide the basic information
units need to respond safely & effectively to a call.
4. Summarization of the call often includes:
• Location
• Type of Call
• Response Information (Advising if units need to expedite/lights &
sirens)
• Suspect/Suspect Vehicle information if pertinent
• Reporting
Example: “Unit 123: 456 Main Street, burglary in progress. Suspect is
white male wearing a black sweatshirt & blue jeans. Last seen entering
the main floor window. Unknown weapons. Homeowner at neighbors.”
5. Verbal Skills & Clarity
• Proper tone, rate of speech, & voice modulation are all skills a dispatcher must have on the radio
• A dispatcher should maintain a calm, clear, & crisp voice without displaying any evidence of
excitability, confusion, or annoyance.
• When you project confidence on the radio, responders’ are more likely to have confidence in your
skills.
• It is easy to fall into habit of speaking rapidly on the radio, take the time to review your radio traffic &
ensure you are not speaking too clearly especially if units needs to write down information.
Always avoid:
• Inappropriate terms
• Sarcasm
• Annoyance
• Boredom
• Excitement
• Joking
• Argumentative tone
• Uncooperative tone
• A sing-song style
• Fading
• Loud or booming voice
• Soft, whispery, breathy
6. Listen
before you
transmit
• Make sure the radio channel you are speaking on is clear of other traffic.
• Ensure that the unit on the side has finished speaking so you don’t cut them off.
Think
• Think about what you’re going to say before you transmit.
• Review the call before transmitting it, especially if it was taken by someone else.
• Consolidate information & ensure to transmit in a logical order.
Delivery
• Keep your delivery at a rate that can be understood by your units.
• It’s important to talk at an understandable rate when units need to write information down.
Verify
• Always ask if you’re not sure, confirm the information a unit gives you.
• Do not acknowledge or state you understood a transmission if you didn’t.
Always ask for a repeat if you don’t understand: Every call, every time.
On the radio:
