Radio use

Normal radio traffic

Assuming your event is large enough to justify the use of a radio system, there will be a lot of normal traffic passing over the radio network during the event. The normal rules for radio use apply, so you may have a radio procedure that defines radio issue testing and use, including:

• Check the radio with a test call before you get too far from the radio issue point.
• Make sure you know what radio channel you should be using.
• When making a call, wait for a break in radio traffic, then start by saying who you are calling and who you are.
• Wait for a reply.
• Make your radio calls brief- never chatter on the radio – somebody may be waiting to make an urgent call.
• Don’t try to make a call more than three times if there is no reply. If there has been no reply from the person you are calling, after three attempts try to contact any base station operator or other member of staff to relay a message.
• The base station to be monitored at all times.
• The base station operator will relay messages if there is no answer.
• The base station operator should caution users if they break the accepted rules of use.
• All staff should be trained and able to make, recognise and receive emergency calls and know what to do when an emergency call is being broadcast.

Urgent messages

When you have to make an urgent call, you must make sure that everyone knows that the call is indeed urgent and therefore takes priority over other traffic. Starting any emergency message with the words ‘Urgent, urgent, urgent’ should alert everyone to stop talking and to listen.

If an urgent message is broadcast, the event manager, or (assuming the event manager is allowed to go home for lunch or at night) whoever is manning the radio base station, should immediately take command of the incident until relieved by the services. All radio users should stop broadcasting until or unless the incident is closed. Nobody should attempt to use their radio unless they are or become involved in the emergency (or a new emergency), or the event manager or whoever is operating the radio base station calls them to participate in resolving the incident.

The base station operator has a log handy to record any urgent transmission. Full details will not be required, but it would be useful to note the basic details of the call.

For example an urgent transmission log may contain:

Sunday 24th August 2006

10:23 Car Park 1 Called medical emergency

10:24 Car Park 1 Tom Jones called in casualty details

Male approx. age 65 name Bobby Smith

Collapsed suspected heart attack

Wife says he had previous heart attack in 2002

10:25 First aid called to attend

10:26 County ambulance called to attend

10:30 All staff warned – County ambulance to attend Car Park 1 main gate

10:34 Tom Jones of Car Park I reported casualty and wife removed in county ambulance to All Saints Hospital

10:35 Car park supervisor reports car of casualty to be Red VW Beetle Registration ABC 123 D will be secured on site until collected by victim’s son approx. 7pm tonight

Depending on the incident, at the earliest possible moment you should inform the emergency services that the incident is taking place.

Keep the records of emergency radio traffic because they will be a useful analysis tool when the day is over, and they may be required if there was any enquiry into the outcome or handling of an emergency.

Work out a code so that an emergency call is given priority and does not have to wait for a long rambling call. The call ‘Urgent, urgent, urgent. Pay Gate 2 to control. Sixty-year-old male collapsed. Possible heart attack. Resuscitation started. Ambulance required’ gets immediate attention and conveys everything that the controller needs.

Know the site

Remember that if staff do not know their way around the site and do not know which gate is which, they cannot report the location of an incident, or attend to assist at an incident that has been declared. You and your staff should not only know your way around, but make sure that all staff are familiar with agreed landmarks, car park or numbers, gate names or numbers, road names, and key site features such as the arena etc.

If a member of the public collapses with a suspected heart attack on a vast ‘steam fair’ site, a radio call such as ‘some bloke has fallen over near the gate’ is of no use to anyone. Drill your staff, so that radio calls are precise and convey the required detail.

Reporting details

If there is an incident, whoever reports it must identify the nature of the incident with any obvious hazards, the exact location of it and the number of casualties involved, if any, and their apparent injuries. That will allow the event manager to decide what action to take, for example where to evacuate to (see ‘Evacuation’ below) and by what route, and allow them to pass details of casualties on to the ambulance service and local hospital, so that they know what to expect and what they have to deal with.

Anyone reporting an incident should remain available on the radio to provide any further details required by control staff and to remain available to update them on progress of countermeasures, evacuation etc. Staff at the incident must of course avoid getting injured by any hazards themselves and with the assistance of other staff, ensure that the scene is protected to prevent injury to others.