NFPA Expo: Don`t Overlook Comm. Centers in Incident Planning
Susan Nicol Kyle is reporting from the annual NFPA World Safety Conference & Exposition® this week.
ORLANDO, Fla. -- The people who answer the 9-1-1 calls for help and gather pertinent information about an incident play a vital role, but are often overlooked.
"Telecommunicators receive specialized, unique training, and fewer and fewer are using the job as a stepping stone," said Bob Smith, operations manager of APCO Institute.
What many in the fire and rescue service don't understand is that NIMS begins in the communications center, and it's imperative that everyone have an intimate knowledge of that command structure, Smith told a group attending the annual NFPA conference.
A single mistake taking information from a caller may lead to a second which eventually could result in a domino effect. The job requires multi-tasking under stress, and there's no room for error.
While relaying details to the incident commander, the dispatcher also is expected to use his or her resource allocation skills while be responsive to the public. "They need to be familiar with plans before a major incident," Smith said, adding that things are doomed to fail if there's dust on the plan book.
"Incorporate this group into the overall big picture, planning the drill. Include them at the de-briefing. Make sure it works."
Smith said personnel have to be familiar with the communications equipment and how it works. In the midst of a disaster or working fire is not the time to discover that the command post cannot talk to people in neighboring jurisdictions. Interoperability means the center should be able to send a message to a police officer in the next town.
A seasoned communicator will be able to pick up on certain trends, and put the puzzle pieces together quickly. The people in the field depend on knowing what's going on before they find themselves smack in the middle of a dangerous situation.
Common, simple terminology reduces confusion, especially when a number of jurisdictions are involved.
Also, once an incident name has been established such as Main Street Command, it should remain the same regardless of the person in charge. All radio traffic also should go through one individual.
The communications center also should be informed of the location of the command post as well as triage, staging and other areas.
Smith said the toughest of incidents will run smoother if everyone is on the same page, and knows what their roles are. "It's essential that communications centers be part of everything..."
