Back in June, the local Fire Department had a hydrant testing project to complete. At the last minute I decided to enlist a few of our radio operators to help with the data recording, as a training opportunity.
We had an operator at the EOC to receive and make a written record of the data, as well as an operator working with each team of firefighters. The radio operator was the scribe for the firefighter teams in the field, and once the data from each test was available, it was relayed to the EOC over our primary net frequency.
I have two points to share with the net from this exercise for our training:
Operators in the field used tactical call signs during the exercise, as is common in all kinds of public service events supported by amateur operators. This is extremely beneficial during lengthy events when operators filling assignments may change. The tactical call sign allows you to contact a station without knowing the FCC call sign of the operator. It virtually eliminates confusion at shift changes or at stations with multiple operators.
Tactical call signs will usually provide some information about the location or its purpose. It is often helpful if the tactical call signs have a meaning that matches the way in which the partner identifies the location or function. For our exercise, the operators in the field were assigned the call signs “flow” team, and “reference” team, directly aligning with the function of the firefighters they were working with.
When using tactical call signs it is still necessary to identify with your FCC call sign every ten minutes, and at the end of your last transmission. Ending a transmission is as easy as stating the tactical call sign assigned, followed by your FCC call sign.
For our exercise, the information recorded, and relayed to net control, was hydrant test data. Each report to net control included the address of the hydrant, outlet size and type, as well as the PSI readings obtained at each location. It was very important to record accurate data as the test results would be used to determine the ISO rating for the community. To ensure the information relayed was received accurately, the net control station of our exercise would repeat the data received back to the operators in the field, allowing the sending operator to verify it had been received correctly. This is a good practice to use as you work with our partner agencies during an emergency, and during club supported public events.