Annual Wildland Fire Safety Refresher Training

Radio Use and Narrowbanding

Wildland Fire Communications website

An ever increasing number of reports concerning communications issues through SAFENET and SAFECOM, prompted the National Multi-Agency Coordinating Group (NMAC) to charter a Fire and Aviation Safety Team (FAST) in August of 2005. The delegation of authority to the FAST instructed them to more closely examine a variety of emerging issues regarding radio communications, and determine what corrective actions may be appropriate.

The FAST gathered information from over 70 sources including personnel on wildfire incidents, dispatch centers and the National Interagency Incident Communications Division (NIICD) at the National Interagency Fire Center. The findings validated the reports concerning radio communication problems throughout the fire service.

In order to take action on the report findings, the NMAC requested that an Area Command Team create short term recommendations and develop a long term strategic plan for radio communications. The goals established buy the Area Command team are as follows:

Goals

Increase firefighter awareness of the narrowband incompatibility, programming, maintenance and mitigation measures which improves firefighter safety by facilitating a reliable, functional radio system.

Objectives

Increase the understanding of affected parties regarding narrowband/wideband issues to know capabilities of radios being used, indicators to recognize problems and ways to temporarily mitigate the problems
Increase understanding and professional development training regarding radio issues to ensure proficiency of radio technicians in all Wildland fire agencies to improve radio communications.

Actions

Provide field training to fireline personnel prior to end of 2005 fire season
Develop a system for end user support, reporting problems and technical assistance
Develop a training outline to improve end user understanding and knowledge of narrowbanding
Develop a three tiered training program that targets dispatchers, radio users and COML/COMTs

Efforts to meet the goals and objectives established by the Area Command Team have been focused on “increasing firefighter awareness” through three venues:

Creating a Wildland fire radio communication website that functions as an end user resource for technical assistance, problem reporting, information sharing and training (http://radios.nifc.gov).
Working with the Federal Fire and Aviation Safety Team to make radios and narrowbanding a “hot topic” for 2006 refresher training.
Developing a training package that will be taken to the field and offered to all fire firefighters prior to the beginning of the 2006 fireseason.

Please take time in your refresher training schedule to get to know the “radio website”, and discuss any problems you may be having locally with your communications system. Ask yourselves if you understand narrowbanding and the problems that may be associated with the changeover from wideband. How do you recognize wideband/narrowband interoperability problems? How do you know if your radio is programmed in the narrowband mode? Do you know how to program your radio from wide to narrowband?

Having good, positive communications is one of the most basic tenets of firefighter safety. Take some time during refresher training to make sure you can keep your communications reliable on the fireline.