Saratoga County Firematic Officer's, Inc

5.0 Mobile/Portable Unit Operations

5.1 Upon initial activation Fire Com will assign an operational TAC which will be
used by the Incident Commander, field units, vehicles, local control stations and
by Fire Com to reach field units operating at an incident

5.2 If field units or the incident commanders need to relay information, request
additional resources to Fire Com they must switch back to Fire 1 and make the
request. The requesting field unit then returns to the assigned operational TAC.

5.3 Fire Com will contact the Incident Commander or field units on the assigned
operations TAC to relay information.

5.4 Field units may use the ground frequencies as needed and without permission
from Fire Com.

5.5 No field units will use TAC channels without being assigned by Fire Com. The
only exception will be TAC 9. The Incident Commander may request additional
TACs as the incident warrants.

5.6 When responding to an emergency not dispatched by Fire Com, give the
following information: Location of the emergency, type of emergency and all
units responding.

5.7 The county Fire Com center SHALL not be notified when units are in mobile
service for driver training, parades, drills, work details.

5.8 Fire Com will be notified when:
5.8.1 Responding to an alarm
5.8.2 A unit is out of service
5.8.3 A unit is back in service

5.9 Blind Transmissions to and from Fire Com are prohibited – No unit will transmit
a message until that unit has been acknowledged by Fire Com indicating that
the Desk Officer is ready to receive the message. The Desk Officer should also
acknowledge the transmission as in the example below;

5.9.1 Example:

“Fire Com Burnt Hills ETA 16-2”
“Fire Com is on for Burnt Hills 16-2”
“Burnt Hills ETA16-2 is responding to…”

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5.10 Only the 1st arriving Chief and apparatus arriving should call on the scene.
It is not necessary for additional chiefs or apparatus to call arriving on the scene.

5.11 Transmissions are to be brief, carefully worded and clearly stated. Words will
be clearly enunciated. All messages will be in plain English, no codes, slang or
CB jargon will be used. The only codes allowed are outlined in 5.12 below.

5.12 The following codes are the only permissible and recognized codes:

5.12.1 Priority One – Respond in emergency mode
5.12.2 Priority Two – respond in a non-emergency mode
5.12.3 EMS determinants : Echo, Delta, Charlie, Bravo, Alpha

5.13 Identifiers, prefixes and numbers shall be assigned by the radio committee of
the Fire Advisory Board.

5.14 Fire Police shall conduct their standard operations on one of the three ground
frequencies of the county 800MHz. radio system. Operation on one of the
ground frequencies does not require permission from Fire Com. Only in
extraordinary circumstances shall fire police be permitted to conduct their
standard operations on a TAC channel. In the case of radio traffic congestion
Fire Com may require the fire police to cease radio activity on a TAC Channel.

5.15 Department announcements shall be submitted to Fire Com in writing and must
be approved by a chief officer and is a permissible announcement as specified in
this procedure.

5.16 If a radio is lost or stolen the Office of Emergency Service should be notified as
soon as possible. If a radio regardless if county owned or district owned, is lost
or stolen the Saratoga County Sheriff’s office should be notified immediately.
County owned equipment requires a police report for any missing equipment.
Non county owned equipment will be reported following fire company/district
policies.

5.17 When department units are clear from an incident, one unit should call all units
clear and in service.