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"When Seconds Count"
Dispatching 101

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Basic Radio Dispatching

Well, now that you have received a telephone call and have gathered all of the information you need, it is now time to dispatch the call to a field unit. The basic purpose of radio dispatching is to assign calls to the closest available unit and to keep track of the location and needs of these units. While that may sound simple enough, we all know there is much more to it than just talking over the radio.

Your responsibilities as a radio dispatcher are critical. At times they are more critical than the responsibilities of a call taker. Not only will you have to hear and comprehend all transmissions, in many instances you will also have to make a unit status change or update the information on a call. In many instances, field units may not be able to repeat their transmission, and it is your responsibility to ensure you comprehend their transmission the first time if at all possible.

Basic radio communications demeanor

All radio communications should be in "clear speech." The basic principle of "clear speech" radio transmissions is to be professional and businesslike.

• Citizens band radio terms are not acceptable.
• Slang words and phrases are not to be used.
• Humor or amusement is improper on the radio.
• The communications system is strictly for official business and messages should be brief and impersonal. You should not use first names or nicknames, nor transmit personal messages.
• Courtesy, sarcasm or venting of animosities, even in voice inflections or modulation should not be allowed. Courtesy is better expressed on the air by the tone of voice and manner of message presentation than by words, so avoid "thank you," "you are welcome," or "please," to conserve airtime.
• Dispatchers should monitor their radio frequency before transmitting to avoid interfering with or interrupting another unit's transmission.

It is extremely important to remember that numerous citizens, news media and others monitor radio frequencies. Therefore, it should be the duty and responsibility of all personnel to conduct radio traffic in a professional manner. Furthermore, any misuse of radio equipment or procedures that creates an unprofessional and immature image is prohibited.

These are but a few of the generally accepted rules regarding radio demeanor that are used in many agencies today. Can you think of any other rules that would be applicable?

Besides the obvious hearing and comprehending and multitasking, what are some of the actual duties, tasks and skills that a radio dispatcher must be aware of and/or competent in? We have taken time to list some of them below.

Dispatching the call – Once you receive a call that needs to be assigned, there are several things that you must ascertain prior to ever keying up the radio.

• What type of response is needed? Police, fire, EMS, or a multi-agency response?
• What is the nature and priority of the call? According to your agency's guidelines, how quickly does it need to be dispatched?
• How many units will you need to send in order to provide a safe and effective response?
• Which unit(s) are the closest?
• What information are you going to transmit over the air?

Once you have answered these questions, it is time to dispatch your call. However, prior to keying up the radio, take a moment to review the call to decide exactly what words you are going to say. At this point you are ready to dispatch the call in a clear and concise manner utilizing the following guidelines:

• Call the unit you are going to assign the call to and wait for a response.
• State the nature of the call.
• State the location of the call, including business name or apartment name.
• State any additional pertinent information regarding the call.
• Advise the unit(s) to stand by for further information if all of the information is not yet available.
• Un-key and wait for the unit(s) to acknowledge the call.

It is important that you follow the above steps each and every time you dispatch a call for service. The type(s) and number of unit(s) that you are going to dispatch are important in ensuring the safe response of the units and the safety of the individuals waiting for the units.

Does your agency have an established policy determining the speed of the response according to the nature and priority of the call? Does it have a guideline determining the number of units that you need to send, again based on the nature and priority of the call?

Where are your closest units? Does another city, agency, sector or division have any closer available units if an urgent response is required? If you are a fire or EMS dispatcher and the police are also being dispatched on this call, does your agency require you to set up a staging area so your units can remain close by until the police units arrive and determine the scene to be safe?

Will your unit(s) be traveling through another jurisdiction and if so, do you need to advise them that your unit(s) will be running code 3 through their jurisdiction?

If these simple steps are followed each and every time you dispatch a call for service, you will ensure a smooth delivery each and every time, thus saving precious moments and airtime.

Maintain updated status at all times – It is of utmost importance for a dispatcher to know the status and location of all assigned units at all times. There are several reasons why this is important. First of all, if you are not aware of your units' locations and status and they call for assistance, you will not be able to send help. Second, keeping the location and status of your units is essential in order to quickly and efficiently assign incoming calls for service to a field unit. If you do not know what units are available or where they are, you cannot effectively dispatch the closest available field unit to calls that are holding.

In order to be able to do this effectively, dispatchers must be able to listen to units responding to calls and update their status (status and location of field units) as it is happening. It is also advisable for dispatchers to monitor general air traffic between units on their frequency, as this will also prove to be helpful in determining the location and status of their field units.

Anticipate the needs of your field units – Another reason it is important for dispatchers to listen to traffic between units and to general air traffic is because it will allow you to have a better idea of what is occurring on each call. This information can be very beneficial in allowing dispatchers to anticipate the needs of their field units. Two examples follow.

In the case of an automobile accident, especially if it is a serious accident, at some point your field unit is going to request a wrecker to tow one or more of the involved vehicles. A good dispatcher will be aware of this and know which wrecker service to call prior to the request. In the case of a fire, dispatchers should be thinking ahead as to what units they would send in the event that assistance is requested. While these may seem trite, having thought through who you will contact, prior to a request, will allow you to be better prepared to respond when the request is made.

Be prepared for call-outs – Preparing for call-outs in advance, as well as putting support units and agencies on notice, is another sign of a good dispatcher. For example, in the case of a hostage situation, contact the tactical team supervisor and notify him or her of the situation and a possible call-out.

Consider another example. Your fire department is working a major scene and the need for mutual aid might arise to assist in that scene or to cover your jurisdiction while your resources are unavailable. In a situation such as this it would be advisable to call the department that will be providing that aid. This puts them on notice and allows them to better anticipate their needs if and when their assistance is needed.

In this month's in-service we have covered a lot of ground. We have tried to cover all the basics of call taking, calming techniques and radio dispatching. Hopefully we have jogged your memory as to some of the techniques that you have used in the past and maybe you will revisit some of them and begin utilizing them again. Remember, the basics work, and it can never hurt to go back and practice the techniques that we first started with.

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