1. Westmoreland County 800 MHz Radio Standard Operating Guidelines
COMMUNICATIONS 201
Common Sense Operations on the County 800 MHz Digital System.
The Meat and Potatoes of Use.

2. Westmoreland County 800 MHz Radio Standard Operating Guidelines

3. Westmoreland County 800 MHz Radio Standard Operating Guidelines
Addressing the Communications Center
800 MHz Dispatch Channel/Talkgroup
Position 1 on Radio (Talkgroup 1)
Only for Fire Dispatch
One-Way Communications
Field Unit Communications is NOT Permitted
Use Your Command Channel for Contact

4. Westmoreland County 800 MHz Radio Standard Operating Guidelines
Addressing the Communications Center
Field units attempting to contact the Dispatch Console should initially identify the talkgroup they are calling on.
Fire Dispatch from Chief 39 on Zone 1 Fire Command, or…
9-1-1 from Chief 69 on TAC 3
Once initial contact is made with the center, it is no longer necessary to identify the talkgroup you are calling on, unless you change to a different talkgroup.

5. Westmoreland County 800 MHz Radio Standard Operating Guidelines
Addressing the Communications Center
Please note…
When the dispatcher is setting off the tones for your siren and minitors, he is unable to answer you on the radio if you call him.
The console is busy.
Please be patient. He will answer you as soon as the dispatch is complete.
If there is someone at the backup console, he can answer you.

6. Westmoreland County 800 MHz Radio Standard Operating Guidelines
Unit Identifiers
Fire Service Officers
33 Chief or Chief 33
Assistant or 102 Assistant 1
Non Officers or 1st Responders
Portable 58 – 2 or 58 Portable 2
Fire Service Vehicles
Engine 113 – 2 or 113 Engine 2
104 Rescue or Rescue 104
Know who you are or what radio you are using

7. Westmoreland County 800 MHz Radio Standard Operating Guidelines
Officers Reporting in Service
Chief Officers and Assistants
Officer Who May Act as Command (OIC)
In-Service or Enroute Switching to TAC 3
Will Be Acknowledged by the Dispatcher
Other Officers and Personnel
Make General Announcement on Command Channel
Will Not Be Acknowledged by the Dispatcher

8. Westmoreland County 800 MHz Radio Standard Operating Guidelines
Fire Dispatch Acknowledgements
Acknowledge on Zone Fire Command TAC (2)
Acknowledge Alarm
Station 90 Acknowledges the call
Acknowledge Enroute
Dispatch from Engine 90, enroute with 3 + 2
Dispatcher Will Assign TAC for Operations
Switch to Assigned TAC
Acknowledge Approaching and/or On-Scene
Engine 90 approaching scene requesting orders
Dispatcher Will Maintain Timestamps
Do Not Acknowledge if You Can’t Respond

9. Westmoreland County 800 MHz Radio Standard Operating Guidelines
Assignment of Fire “TAC” Channels
TAC’s Assigned by Dispatcher
Fire TAC 3 through TAC 9
Assigned Primarily for EMERGENCY Use
TAC 10 & TAC 11
May Be Assigned for Non-Emergency Use
Trees and/or wires down, flooding, etc.
May Be Used for Department Training
Requests must be made in advance by telephone or fax
May Be Re-Assigned for Emergency Use During Times of High Call Volumes

10. Westmoreland County 800 MHz Radio Standard Operating Guidelines
Assignment of Fire “TAC” Channels
Simplicity of Operation
Talkgroup Selector Corresponds to “TAC” Channel
Position 1 is Dispatch Talkgroup / Channel
Position 2 is Specific Zone Command Talkgroup
Position 3 through 15 are “TAC” Talkgroups
Remembering 12 through 15 are CW TAC’s
Position 16 is Talkaround or T/A
TAC Channels Assigned by Priority
Higher Priority Calls Assigned Lower TAC
Lesser Priority Calls Assigned Higher TAC

11. Westmoreland County 800 MHz Radio Standard Operating Guidelines
Assignment of Fire “TAC” Channels
Dispatcher will assign an operations channel (TAC) during dispatch of incident
Request for Additional TAC Channel
Incident OIC May Request Additional TAC Channel
Dispatcher Will Assign Second or Third TAC, if Available
Stand-bys Will Remain on Zone Command
Do Not Assign Your Own TAC

12. Westmoreland County 800 MHz Radio Standard Operating Guidelines
Assignment of Fire “TAC” Channels
Dispatching outside companies into areas with municipal radio systems for alarms
Assigned to Municipal System’s Frequency
ie. Switch to Hempfield Fire
Dispatcher Assisted Announcements Will be on the Municipal System and 33.70
Dispatching outside companies for stand-by into areas with municipal radio systems
Remain on Zone Command
Announcements Made on Zone Command and 33.70

13. Westmoreland County 800 MHz Radio Standard Operating Guidelines
Assignment of Fire “TAC” Channels
Dispatching of companies with municipality owned radio systems out of their area for alarms or stand-by
Switch to Assigned a Fire TAC Channel
Dispatcher announcements will be made on both the municipality system and Fire TAC channel
Size-Ups
Response level changes
Cancellations

14. Westmoreland County 800 MHz Radio Standard Operating Guidelines
Zone Fire Command Channels
5 Specific Zone Fire Command Channels
Zone 1, 2, 3, 4 and MV
Correspond to Original Fire Zones
Position 2 on Radio (Talkgroup 2)
Used by OIC to Request Additional Resources
Second alarms
Stand-by companies
Any other resource needed for specific incident

15. Westmoreland County 800 MHz Radio Standard Operating Guidelines
Zone Fire Command Channels
Additional Call(s) in Service Area
Dispatcher Will Instruct OIC to Switch to Their Command Talkgroup / Channel
OIC Will Instruct Center on How to Handle the Call
Request second alarm
Send units not committed at original scene

16. Westmoreland County 800 MHz Radio Standard Operating Guidelines
Size-Ups and Additional Information
Arrival of 1st Unit or Officer
Initial Size-up (Assigned TAC Channel)
Incident Command System
First On-Scene Assumes Command
Tactical Call Sign
(Location) Command
ie. Main St. Command (Establish Fire Ground)
Orders For 1st Arriving Unit
Notify Center of Change in Command
Chief 87 Assuming Command
Tactical Call Sign Remains the Same

17. Westmoreland County 800 MHz Radio Standard Operating Guidelines
Size-Ups and Additional Information
Addressing the Communications Center
Dispatcher Will Rebroadcast Message
Assigned Fire TAC and 33.70
Direct Communications to Incoming Units
Dispatcher Not Involved
Transmission Will Not be Rebroadcast
The 800 MHz Radio System is a Wide-Area, Simulcast System and it is Not Necessary to Involve the Dispatcher on Every Transmission

18. Westmoreland County 800 MHz Radio Standard Operating Guidelines
Dispatcher Assisted Information
Response Level Changes
Command Contacts Communications Center
Dispatcher Rebroadcasts Information
Assigned Fire TAC and 33.70
Cancellations
Individual Units Released from an Incident Should Call “In Service” on the Command Channel
Cancelled Units Will be Placed Back In-Service
Units Will be Considered Available for Calls

19. Westmoreland County 800 MHz Radio Standard Operating Guidelines
Additional Information
Termination of Command
Once Incident Command has been Terminated, it is NOT Necessary for the Individual Units to Acknowledge “In Service – Returning”
The Dispatcher Will Clear All Units from the Incident and Show them Available
Clear the TAC Channel

20. Westmoreland County 800 MHz Radio Standard Operating Guidelines
Interoperability
Mobile
Change to EMS TAC or Police ADMIN or T/A
Contact Directly
XTS 2500 Portable
XTS 1500 Portable
Request CW TAC from Dispatcher
TAC 12 through TAC 15
Dispatcher Switches All Units Involved to CW TAC

21. Westmoreland County 800 MHz Radio Standard Operating Guidelines
Interoperability
TAC 12 through TAC 15
County-Wide (CW) TAC Channels
Common to all Radios on the System
Police, Fire, EMS, EMA, Hazmat, Public Works
May be Used for Large Scale Emergencies & Events
May be Used for Multi-Agency Responses
Request for Availability and Assignment Must be Made Through the Dispatcher
Dispatcher Will Notify and Switch All Agencies to CW TAC Assignment

22. Westmoreland County 800 MHz Radio Standard Operating Guidelines
Interoperability
TAC 16
Talkaround or T/A
Specific T/A for Each Service
Designed for Close Range Communications
Not Recommended for Emergency, Hazardous or Potentially Hazardous Areas of Activity
Not on 800MHz Digital System
Dispatcher Can’t Hear You
Emergency Button Activation Does Not Work

23. Westmoreland County 800 MHz Radio Standard Operating Guidelines
Storm Mode
Trees and wires down
Use T/A or TAC 16
OIC Monitor Command Channel
Limit Radio Usage
Emergency or Priority Traffic
Keep Transmissions Short

24. Westmoreland County 800 MHz Radio Standard Operating Guidelines
Interoperability
Out of County Assists
Helicopters and Landing Zones
Use Low Band ZONE Operations Frequency
Dispatcher May Assign a TAC Channel and Patch the TAC Channel to the Low Band ZONE Operations Channel
Channel Patching is the process of interconnecting the digital TAC channel to the conventional system via a voice-activated interface

25. Westmoreland County 800 MHz Radio Standard Operating Guidelines
Fire “ADMIN” Channels
Z1, Z2, Z3, Z4, MV and CW “ADMIN”
All Fire, EMS & Police mobiles and XTS 2500 portable radios within a Fire Zone have the Zone ADMIN channel for that zone
Non-Emergency Communications
Administration Business
Routine Communications Between Department Personnel

26. Westmoreland County 800 MHz Radio Typical Template for XTS-1500
Selector
Talk Group Name
Talk Group Intended Use 1
Fire Disp
Dispatching of Calls by Communications Center 2
Z(x) Fire Cmd
Command Channel, Resource Requests, In-Service Reports 3
Fire Tac 3
Fire Ground Operations 4
Fire Tac 4 5
Fire Tac 5 6
Fire Tac 6 7
Fire Tac 7 8
Fire Tac 8 9
Fire Tac 9 10
Fire Tac 10
Fire Ground Operations Lower Priority 11
Fire Tac 11 12
CW Tac 12
County-Wide Interoperability TAC 13
CW Tac 13 14
CW Tac 14 15
CW Tac 15 16
Fire Talkrnd
Fire Talkaround, Short Range Direct Communications

27. Talk Group Intended Use
Westmoreland County 800 MHz Radio XTS2500 and XTL5000 “A” Zone
Selector
Talk Group Name
Talk Group Intended Use 1
Fire Disp
Dispatching of Calls by Communications Center 2
Z(x) Fire Cmd
Command Channel, Resource Requests, In-Service Reports 3
Fire Tac 3
Fire Ground Operations 4
Fire Tac 4 5
Fire Tac 5 6
Fire Tac 6 7
Fire Tac 7 8
Fire Tac 8 9
Fire Tac 9 10
Fire Tac 10
Fire Ground Operations Lower Priority 11
Fire Tac 11 12
CW Tac 12
County-Wide Interoperability TAC 13
CW Tac 13 14
CW Tac 14 15
CW Tac 15 16
Fire Talkrnd
Fire Talkaround, Short Range Direct Communications

28. Talk Group Intended Use
Westmoreland County 800 MHz Radio XTS2500 and XTL5000 “B” Zone
Selector
Talk Group Name
Talk Group Intended Use 1
Z(x) Fire Adm
Specific Fire Administration Talkgroup for Each Zone 2
CW Fire Adm
County-Wide Fire Administration Talkgroup 3
D(x) PD Adm
Specific Police District Administration Talkgroup 4
Police Talkrnd
Police Talkaround, Short Range Direct Communications 5
EMS Disp
EMS Dispatch 6
EMS Tac 2
EMS Operations 7
EMS Tac 3 8
EMS Tac 4 9
EMS Adm
EMS Administration Talkgroup 10
EMS Talkrnd
EMS Talkaround, Short Range Direct Communications 11
Future 12 13 14 15 16

29. Talk Group Intended Use
Westmoreland County 800 MHz Radio XTS2500 and XTL5000 “C” Zone
Selector
Talk Group Name
Talk Group Intended Use 1
EMA Cty Wide
County-Wide EMA Talkgroup 2
EMA North
EMA North Operations 3
EMS South
EMA South Operations 4
EMA East
EMA East Operations 5
EMA Central
EMA Central Operations 6
EMA S Cent
EMA South-Central Operations 7
EMA N Cent
EMA North-Central Operations 8
EOC Planning 9
EOC Logistic
EOC Logistics 10
EOC Admin
EOC Administration 11
EOC Ops
EOC Operations 12
EOC T/A
EOC Talkaround, Short Range, Direct Communications 13
Future 14 15 16

30. Westmoreland County 800 MHz Radio Standard Operating Guidelines
Monitoring Calls From Other Agencies
Do Not Switch to TAC Channels You Are Not Assigned To
Changing TAC’s Uses Resources and May Create Busy Signals
Accidental Mic Keys or EBA Will Interfere with Fireground Operation

31. Westmoreland County 800 MHz Radio Standard Operating Guidelines
Monitoring Calls From Other Agencies
If You Must Monitor Someone Else’s Call
Place the TAC Channel You Wish to Monitor into Your Scan Group
This Will Allow You to Listen to the TAC Channel Without Taking Up Valuable Resources on the System
Talking or Listening Across Zones Will Tie-up a Frequency in Each Zone
9 Frequencies in the West (11%)
6 Frequencies in the East (17%)

32. Westmoreland County 800 MHz Radio Standard Operating Guidelines
Emergency Button Activations (EBA)
Each Radio is Equipped with an Emergency Button
Orange Button on Top of Portable
Red Button on Front of Mobile and Control Station
Used For Immediate Life-Threatening Situations Which Require an Immediate Response

33. Westmoreland County 800 MHz Radio Standard Operating Guidelines
Emergency Button Activations
EBA Activation is Received by Center
Communications Center Will Attempt Voice Contact with Unit Transmitting EBA
If Contact is Unsuccessful
Alert Tone Transmitted
Announcement Made on Dispatch, Command Channel, Appropriate TAC Channel and TAC Channel EBA was Received, if Different than Assigned TAC
If Possible the Unit Transmitting the EBA Should Contact the Center
Identify Themselves, Location and Nature

34. Westmoreland County 800 MHz Radio Standard Operating Guidelines
Emergency Button Activation
If EBA Radio is on a Specific Incident
Incident Commander Will Be Notified
If IC Determines EBA to be Possibly Valid
Additional Alert Tone Will be Given
Announcement made on Dispatch, Command Channel, Appropriate TAC channel and TAC channel EBA was Received on, if Different Than Assigned TAC
Announcement Made to Clear the Channel EBA was on
New TAC channel Will be Assigned for Incident
IC Advised of Which TAC the EBA was Activated on
RIT Activated
Attempts Made to Communicate with EBA Radio

35. Westmoreland County 800 MHz Radio Standard Operating Guidelines
Emergency Button Activation
Clearing an Emergency Button Activation
If Determined to be False Activation
If Threat is Removed and/or Under Control
Dispatcher will notify radio operator to clear the Emergency Button
Press and hold emergency button for 2 to 5 seconds until a steady tone is heard, then release the button
Accidental (Trip) Activation
Dispatcher Will Call Your Radio
Tell the Dispatcher it was an Accidental Activation
Dispatcher Will Notify You to Reset
If You Activate the EBA, Do Not Switch TAC’s

36. Westmoreland County 800 MHz Radio Standard Operating Guidelines
Dispatching of Drills
Request Made in Writing
At Least 24 hrs. in Advance
List All Agencies Involved With Request
Signed by Appropriate Officer
Fax to
Activate and Announce Only Once
Should Use Talkaround if Possible
Request TAC if Available
Prior Permission Needed to Use 800 System

37. Westmoreland County 800 MHz Radio Standard Operating Guidelines
Announcements
Communications Center announcements will take place on the Fire Zone Command Talkgroup and 33.70
Weather related announcements will take place on the Zone Command Talkgroup and 33.70

38. Westmoreland County 800 MHz Radio Standard Operating Guidelines
General Communications
Make sure the transmit button is completely depressed and the three “permit tones” are heard before talking
Hold the microphone or portable approximately 1½ to 2 inches away from your mouth and at an approximately degree angle
Talk across the mic instead of directly into it
Talk in a normal volume and tone
Do not shout into the microphone

39. Westmoreland County 800 MHz Radio Standard Operating Guidelines
General Communications
Make call in “To” and “From” format
Beware of open mics
Do not lay the mic on the seat or in your lap
Keep messages short
Avoid unnecessary words
Avoid long-winded descriptions
Do not repeat yourself
Think about what you’ll say before transmitting
45 second time-out-timer

40. Westmoreland County 800 MHz Radio Standard Operating Guidelines
Non-Emergency Status Reports
Out of Service
Unit is NOT available for dispatch
In Service
Unit is available for dispatch
Non-Emergency Status Reports may be made via radio on the respective Zone Fire Command Channel
If a unit is going to be out of service for more than a few hours, report should be made via telephone to the center

41. Westmoreland County 800 MHz Radio Standard Operating Guidelines
QUESTIONS?