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DISPATCH POLICY
The Phoenix Fire Department will respond to any EMERGENCY situation that threatens LIFE, SAFETY or PROPERTY. In cases where the fire department is not the appropriate agency or not capable of delivering the needed assistance, or if the situation is not a true emergency, an attempt will be made to place the caller in contact with the appropriate provider. The fire department will dispatch the closest available unit(s) with the required capabilities to control the emergency. The judgment of both Phoenix Fire Department Regional Dispatch Center (PFDRDC) and emergency response personnel is an integral part of the decision making process, taking into consideration both the information received and the potential that exists.
Timely response and effective management of EMS, rescue and fire control situations represent the most immediate priorities of the fire department. Upon receipt of adequate or additional information (location, telephone callback and nature of the emergency), Deployment will dispatch the appropriate assignment and upgrade the response as necessary based on information received up to a Working First Alarm until command is established upon the arrival of the first unit.
JURISDICTION Emergency incidents within the Automatic Aid boundaries served by the PFDRDC will be dispatched without regard to jurisdiction. Units will also be dispatched to borderline locations when Deployment personnel cannot make accurate determination of the jurisdiction.
PFDRDC has enhanced mutual aid with Rural/Metro Fire Department (RMFD) within one (1) mile of the borders of Scottsdale and Phoenix in the Northeast portion of the Valley. Rural/Metro units and Automatic Aid Consortium units can be dispatched into these areas without prior approval when the CAD system recognizes a RMFD unit is closer in these areas.
PFDRDC has enhanced mutual aid for requests by Gila River Indian Community Fire Department for incidents that occur on I10 from Phoenix city limits to mile post 169; within two and one-half (2.5) miles from the border of the Gila River Indian Community and the cities of Chandler and Phoenix in Maricopa County; within one (1) mile of the border of the Gila River Indian Community, the City of Chandler, and the Sun Lakes Fire Districts in Pinal County.
PFDRDC has one (1) way Automatic Aid onto Luke Air Force Base (LAFB). CAD has been programmed to select LAFB units for any calls that fall within a five (5) mile radius of the base. CAD will also select the next available unit to respond.
Calls for assistance from public or quasi-public agencies outside the Automatic Aid Consortium boundaries will be dispatched as Mutual Aid incidents with the approval of the individual jurisdiction’s on-duty BC or the on- duty Phoenix Fire Department Shift Commander if Phoenix resources are needed.
Calls for assistance from citizens outside the Automatic Aid Consortium boundaries will be transferred to the appropriate agency. If that agency requests Mutual Aid assistance, PFDRDC will contact the appropriate jurisdiction for approval of the Mutual Aid request and dispatch accordingly.
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CALL ROUTING
Determination of the nature of the problem may indicate that a caller does not have an emergency that requires a fire department response. The identification, prevention and reduction of unnecessary responses are basic parts of the Deployment function. The call routing process must not delay response to valid emergency incidents but should attempt to verify the nature of questionable calls. When a positive determination of need for emergency response cannot be made THE FIRE DEPARTMENT POLICY IS TO DISPATCH.
CALLTAKER The primary responsibility of the Calltaker is to determine, without delay, the location, telephone callback and nature of the emergency and to verify entry of the incident into the CAD system.
NATURE CODES The Calltaker assigns a Nature Code based on information gathered from the caller. Once the Calltaker enters the incident for dispatch, the CAD system selects available units by capability and proximity to fulfill the response requirements of the assignment. Automatic Aid Consortium members have the ability to modify response types for each Nature Code on file. The Phoenix Fire Department attempts to streamline this process and works to maintain consistency however; the Phoenix Fire Department understands that some variations are needed to meet the specific needs of the jurisdictions.
UNIT SELECTION The CAD system recommends the closest, most appropriate unit/s/ for dispatch based on availability, current location and capabilities. The CAD system combines this information with the response type.
A response type is assigned to each Nature Code. The response type identifies the requirements needed on the assignment. Requirements can be identified by unit capability, such as engine or ladder, or by specific unit, such as BC2. Requirements are also expressed as primary or secondary. A unit can fulfill only one primary requirement. A unit can fulfill more than one secondary requirement.
When an incident is selected for dispatch, the CAD system builds an ordered unit consideration list. As a unit is considered for dispatch, its capabilities are inventoried against the outstanding response requirements. If it can satisfy any outstanding requirement it is added to the recommendation. The CAD system will continue to add units to the recommendation until all response requirements have been satisfied or all units have been exhausted. Some unit capabilities have distance limitations added to requirements. The system will not send certain types of units if they are out of the predetermined response range.
RESPONSE ASSIGNMENTS The Calltaker makes initial determination of the appropriate Nature Code based on information received from the caller. Individual jurisdictions may customize the primary and secondary response requirements on a given Nature Code. CAD will automatically dispatch the required units per Nature Code entered for each jurisdiction. The RSPREQ command may be utilized to determine the specific primary and secondary response requirements per Nature Code for an individual jurisdiction:
Format: RSPREQ Nature Code, Jurisdiction Code (3 letters) Example: RSPREQ STR1A, PHX
ALS Medical Calls The requirements for ALS response are based on Emergency Medical Dispatch protocol (EMD).
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Hazardous Materials cont’d A HAZ assignment will be dispatched on calls that involve hazardous materials of a minor nature. A HAZ2- assignment should be dispatched on most situations involving leaks or spills of hazardous materials. This includes situations that appear to be manageable and do not create a major risk to the public by virtue of location, amount or type of hazard. A HAZ1A assignment should be dispatched for incidents that indicate a major potential danger by virtue of materials involved, quantities, location, fire or explosion danger and/or number of people exposed.
Technical Rescue Incidents that may require specialized equipment and training to extricate the patient(s). These incidents include confined space rescue, trench rescue, high angle or rope rescue, water rescue, structural collapse, mountain and tree rescues.
Service Calls and Other Miscellaneous Incidents Service Calls will also be dispatched for non-emergency situations. Deployment will select the appropriate Nature Code that best describes the situation. Some service calls require the Calltaker to determine a C or C3 response.
SUPPLEMENTAL DISPATCH Depending on the resources required additional units may be dispatched to an incident in several methods. Units can be Special Called, an assignment can be Balanced or a Greater Alarm can be requested.
Special Call A Special Call is a request for the dispatch of any combination of additional unit types, unit capabilities or specific units. The requestor must specify the desired quantity of unit types or capabilities or the specific units desired.
When formulating a recommendation for a special call, no consideration is given to the units already assigned to the incident. All response requirements for the special call request are satisfied by the recommendation of additional units.
Balance of Assignment A balance of assignment is a request for the dispatch of the additional units necessary to upgrade the response type. Either the desired response type or a specific Nature Code must be specified. If a Nature Code is specified, the CAD system will determine the response type based on the specified Nature Code and the jurisdiction in which the incident is located.
When formulating a recommendation for a Balance of an assignment, the CAD system first determines which response requirements for the new response type are satisfied by the units that are already assigned to the incident. The CAD system then recommends additional units to satisfy any outstanding response requirement.
Greater Alarm A Greater Alarm is a request for the dispatch of additional units using predefined requirement sets. A Greater Alarm request requires both a Greater Alarm Type and the Response Level.
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Greater Alarm cont’d When formulating a recommendation for a Greater Alarm , no consideration is given to the units already assigned to the incident. The Response Level indicated satisfies all response requirements for the Greater Alarm. Assignments should be balanced up to and including a Working First Alarm. When an assignment is Balanced, the system takes into consideration the units currently assigned to the incident. Therefore, an incident can go from a single engine response, such as a tree fire and be Balanced to a Working First Alarm allowing the system to fulfill all requirements necessary for the Working First Alarm. This however does not occur for Greater Alarms. A 3-1 assignment that needs the resources of a Greater Alarm must first be Balanced to a Working Fire Alarm then the Greater Alarm request must be generated.
Response Levels do not have to be equivalent to Alarm Levels , however, often times they are. The response level requested for a Greater Alarm request should reflect the level of resources required, not necessarily the next alarm level.
Example: An incident may be a Third Alarm Structure and may require the components of a Hazardous Assignment. The assumption is to ask for a Fourth Alarm Hazardous. If, however, a Fourth Alarm Hazardous were requested, no Hazardous Materials capabilities would be added to the assignment. At this point, a Second Alarm Hazardous must be requested.
Specific Types of Second Alarms Second Alarms are dispatched at the request of command, when the need is indicated. Command should ask for the specific type alarm needed to continue managing the incident: If a First Alarm Brush is being used and Command wants to provide relief for crews, Command should call for a Second Alarm Rehab. The following are valid codes for Greater Alarms:
BRUSH BRUSH ASSIGNMENT HAZMAT HAZARDOUS MATERIALS ASSIGNMENT HIRISE HIRISE ASSIGNMENT MED MEDICAL ASSIGNMENT REHAB REHAB ASSIGNMENT RESCUE RESCUE ASSIGNMENT STRUCT STRUCTURAL ASSIGNMENT STRMED STRUCTURAL/MED
Greater Alarms Third Alarms and greater still require a specific type of alarm to be requested; however the capabilities recommended will be generic and are the same for each Greater Alarms up to a Ninth Alarm.
DISPATCH CHANNEL 1 The Channel 1 dispatcher is responsible for reviewing the unit/s/ suggested for dispatch by the CAD system. The dispatcher may modify the unit selection based on additional information or circumstantial factors.
The dispatcher transmits the call to the assigned units by depressing the DISPATCH button, sending the information to the Fire Station Packages and Mobile Computer Terminals (MCTs).
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MOVE-UP POLICY cont’d Moved-up companies retain their normal identity ("Engine 14 out of Station 30").
The need for move-up companies will be evaluated whenever:
- A working fire is declared.
- Three (3) or more units are committed to an incident in an outlying area.
- Greater Alarms are dispatched.
- Simultaneous working incidents occur in one area of the City.
- Coverage in an area is compromised.
- Two (2) or more adjacent first due areas will be uncovered for more than 30 minutes.
Move-ups will be C2 unless advised to respond C3 due to a critical gap in coverage.
If overall coverage in the City of Phoenix falls below 12 engine companies and three (3) ladder companies, Deployment will immediately notify the South Shift Commander who has the responsibility to authorize the recall of off duty personnel to staff reserve companies if necessary.
TACTICAL RADIO OPERATOR (TRO) The TRO handles all communications between units assigned to an incident and Deployment on the assigned Tactical Channel. All units responding to an incident shall switch to the assigned channel immediately after dispatch.
Self Dispatch Units may add themselves to an incident by an AU function on their MCT. Companies adding on to an assignment must advise the TRO on the assigned Tactical Channel if they are substituting for another unit or responding in addition to the original assignment. The TRO will cancel the original unit dispatched if the substituting unit is closer to the scene.
The TRO will advise the Command Officer of units responding in addition to the dispatched assignment. The updated dispatch message will be transmitted to all responding units via MCT.
Acknowledgement All units responding to an incident shall acknowledge dispatch by radio on the assigned tactical channel or by Mobile Computer Terminal (MCT).
If Deployment does not receive an acknowledgment within one (1) minute, the TRO will request acknowledgment by radio on all channels and via MCT.
Deployment will send a cover assignment if no reply is received within a two (2) minute timeframe. Deployment will continue to attempt to make contact with the original company while the cover unit is responding. If unable to contact the original unit, the company will be placed unavailable and the appropriate Battalion Chief notified of the circumstances.
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Responding All fire and ALS EMS responses will be C3 unless otherwise indicated by Deployment or Command. Units responding to calls on the freeways will proceed C2. BLS Nature Codes will be dispatched without a C2 or C response flag. The company officer will make the determination to respond after reviewing the dispatch information. Minor medical incidents and some service calls will be dispatched C2/Available on Incident (AOI). The AOI feature allows a company assigned to a low priority incident to be preempted for a higher priority call if they are the closest unit. This occurs automatically on pre-identified AOI type calls and when a unit is in a responding mode.
If the company officer makes the decision to respond C2 on a C3 call, he/she must advise his/her TRO or press C2 on his/her MCT and send. Similarly, if the company officer makes the decision to respond C3 on a C2 call, he/she must advise his/her TRO or press C3 on his/her MCT and send.
A unit dispatched on a C2 AOI call will automatically become AOI after acknowledging response to the initial call. After acknowledgement they will remain AOI until they arrive on the scene. If a unit is responding longer than ten (10) minutes on an AOI call, CAD will automatically place the unit in the Unavailable On Incident (UOI) status, and they will no longer be considered for preemption. Once a unit places themselves on-scene of an incident, they are no longer considered available for dispatches until they return to an available status.
- If a company officer determines they do not want to be AOI while responding, they may indicate they are traveling C3 to the incident via radio or MCT. If the company officer determines they do not want to be AOI while responding C2 to the incident, they may use the MCT command UOI. This command will show the unit responding C2 however the unit will not be available for preemption.
- Once a company arrives on-scene of an incident and have determined they could leave the call promptly to take another call, they can place themselves AOI again either via radio or MCT.
While responding, companies may communicate with one another if radio traffic permits. Effective communications during this period can set the stage for effective action and improve the overall rescue and fire attack effort. Factors such as occupancy hazards, access, traffic conditions and response routes may be communicated.
Company officers should review tactical information on their MCT, map books and any pre-fire planning information carried on the vehicle for specific tactical information. Subsequent arriving units should monitor radio traffic to be fully informed of the situation based on reports of the first arriving units.
Additional Information / Subsequent Calls The TRO will relay any additional information gained from subsequent calls as soon as possible. Additional information and updates will be transmitted to the MCTs of all responding units.
Companies needing specific additional information shall request it from the TRO.
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On-Scene Report cont’d
Examples:
For an offensive structure fire -
Engine 11 to Alarm - “Engine 11 is on the scene of a large two story school with a working fire on the second floor. Engine 11 is laying a supply line and going in with a hand-line to the second floor for search & rescue and fire attack. This is an offensive fire attack. Engine 11 will be 7th Street Command."
For a defensive fire -
Engine 11 to Alarm - "Engine 11 is on the scene of a medium size warehouse fully involved with exposures to the east. Engine 11 is laying a supply line and attacking the fire with a stang gun and a hand-line to the east exposure to check for extension. This is a defensive fire. Engine 11 will be Buckeye Command.
For an E.M.S. incident -
Ladder 11 to Alarm - "Ladder 11 is on the scene with a multi-vehicle accident. Give me the balance of a 2 and 1 medical with three ambulances. Ladder 11 will be Parkway Command."
Follow-up Report
- Any immediate safety concerns
- Accountability started (announce the initial accountability location)
- Disposition of resources (hold/add/return)
- IRIC - in place and identify
Examples:
For an offensive structure fire -
7 th^ Street Command to Alarm - “Engine 11 will be North side accountability. Give me the balance a 1st Alarm; Engine 11 has an IRIC in place."
For a defensive fire -
Buckeye Command to Alarm – “Engine 11 will be South side accountability. Give me the balance of a 1 st Alarm”.
For an E.M.S. incident – Parkway Command to Alarm –“be advised we have a total of 3 patients, 2 Immediates and 1 delayed. All patients have been extricated”.
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Command Once command has been established, all routine communication between Deployment and an incident will be directed through Command.
Progress Reports During active firefighting operations, Command will provide Deployment with regular progress reports or whenever significant tactical plans are changed or unusual situations are encountered. The first progress report should be given after initial action has been implemented and should include the correct address and an improved description of the building and fire conditions if the arrival report was incomplete. This assists Deployment in making move-up decisions. The TRO will repeat significant facts from all progress reports for the information of monitoring units and document in the incident history.
Working Fire The term Working Fire indicates a situation that will require the commitment of all responding companies. This report advises Deployment that the companies will be engaged in tactical activities and will be held at the scene for an extended period of time.
When notified of a Working 3-1, Deployment will:
- Dispatch a Working Fire assignment (WF)
- Address the need for a Fire Investigator.
- Dispatch PD for traffic and crowd control.
- Dispatch appropriate gas and electric companies.
- Change the status to a Working Fire, which starts elapsed time notifications.
- Make move-ups to affected area
- Document progress reports, sectors, assignments, emergency traffic, and elapsed time notifications and append additional information provided from Deployment members in the Incident History.
When notified of a Working First Alarm, Deployment will:
- Dispatch a Working Fire assignment (WF1A)
- Isolate tactical channel
- Dispatch a Fire Investigator
- Dispatch PD for traffic and crowd control
- Dispatch gas and electric companies
- Make move-ups to affected area
- Document progress reports, Sectors/Divisions/Groups, assignments, emergency traffic, and elapsed time notifications and append additional information provided from Deployment members in the Incident History.
- Be prepared to assign a TRO to monitor/work Staging and Safety Sectors/Divisions channels.
- Be prepared to dispatch further assistance.
- Be prepared to dispatch any special agencies or equipment when the need is indicated.
- Make notifications to pertinent personnel.
Deployment will monitor radio traffic on all incidents to anticipate the needs of Command.
Any fire at a school facility requires the State Fire Marshall to be contacted. The on-duty State Fire Marshall will use his/her discretion as to response.
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Incident Status & Milestones definitions cont’d Extended Patient Transfer (EPT): Patient transfer from Rescue personnel to hospital is greater than 30 minutes.
Extrication Complete (EC): All patients extricated.
Immediates Transported (IT): All patients triaged as an “immediate” have been transported.
Incident Transition Complete (ITC): Transferring of channel assignment from Trunked to Simplex or vise versa
Loss Stopped (LS): Salvage has been completed and there should be no more damage to the building involved.
Mayday (MAY): A Mayday has been declared on an incident.
Offensive (OFF): Units operating in the offensive strategy.
Patient Contact (PC): First unit has made contact with patient.
Patient Contact ALS (PCA): First ALS unit has made contact with patient.
Patient Contact BLS (PCB): First BLS unit has made contact with patient.
Patient Contact Rescue (PCR): Rescue has made contact with patient.
Phone Patch (PP): Phone patch established with Medical control.
Rescue Contact (RC): Rescue has made contact with patient.
Personnel Accountability Report (PAR): All personnel assigned to a particular work area or sector has been accounted for. It is used to confirm there are no missing fire personnel on the incident site.
Primary All Clear (PAC): Primary search has been completed.
Secondary All Clear (SAC): A more comprehensive search of the building has been completed.
Triage Complete (TC): All patients have been triaged.
Transfer Channel Acknowledgment (TCA): Unit acknowledgment of channel assignment change from Trunked to Simplex or vice versa
Under Control (UC): The fire has been contained, and will not extend. It does not mean the fire is out. It may also be used during Haz Mat calls, indicating a leak has been secured.
Utilities Secured (US): The power has been shut off to the occupant.
Ventilation Complete (VC) : The task of ventilation has been completed.
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RETURNING COMPANIES
Only Command can release companies assigned to an incident. Command will indicate the units to "HOLD" at the scene, report the nature of the actual situation found and release the remainder of the assignment. The TRO will repeat this report from Command and document the “HOLD” command in the incident history. Returning units will be responsible for placing their unit in an AOR status when available.
SECTORS/DIVISIONS/GROUPS NOTE: Sectors may be assigned by their geographic location (North Sector) or function (Ventilation Sector). Divisions are assigned by their geographic location (North Division). Groups are assigned by their function (Ventilation Group). For the remainder of this MP we will refer to Sectors with the understanding that either Divisions or Groups may be used where appropriate.
Sector Officers should use face-to-face communications with assigned companies as much as possible, but should keep Command informed of progress via radio on any problems encountered and significant progress.
Command may assign Sector Officer’s FITs to a designated Safety Channel when desired to enhance overall scene safety.
CAD SECTOR COMMANDS The TRO should ensure that each unit that is assigned to a Sector is documented using the Sector Commands. The TRO will enter the appropriate command to designate a Sector Officer (SECTO), a Sector Member (SECTM) or to remove a unit from a sector (SECTX). Using these commands allows both the TRO and Incident Commander to track the assignment of units during the incident. The TRO can designate a sector ID of up to six (6) alphanumeric characters.
Example: SECTO E3 INTER or SECTM E2 INTER
STAFF Staff members with fireground responsibilities will respond to Greater Alarms for assistance with various sector functions. Staff members will report in person to the Command Post and will automatically assume sector duties in their area of responsibility unless ordered otherwise.
Communications from staff personnel should be with command as much as possible; however, there will be situations that require direct communications with sector officers. Staff communications should be face to face as much as possible.
An isolated Tactical Channel will be assigned by Deployment for each incident where applicable. Command may also request a "Clear Channel" for a working incident. When requested, Deployment will direct units on other incidents to an alternate Tactical Channel.
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RADIO CODE
"Plain language" radio messages should be used in preference to numerical codes to facilitate understanding. There is no official Phoenix Fire Department radio code. This is also in compliance with NIMS.
The following code messages (from the Police radio code) may be used in sensitive situations, when a plain language message could cause a problem at the scene:
261 Rape 901-H Dead body 906 Need Police assistance IMMEDIATELY 961 Vehicle accident, no injuries 962 Vehicle accident, with injuries 963 Vehicle accident with fatality
RADIO PROCEDURE
Short-specific Before transmitting know what you are going to say. Choose precise terms to communicate the desired message as clearly and briefly as possible without wasting airtime.
Task Oriented/Company Oriented Command’s orders to operating companies should indicate a specific task assigned to the company. They should be of a magnitude reasonably performed by a single company alone or in concert with other companies.
Indicate Objective In addition to being task and company oriented, assignments should indicate an objective to the action. The company should know exactly where to go, to whom to report, what is the task and what is the objective of the task. Orders should tell what to do - not how to do it (unless Command wants something specific).
Clear Tone/Self Control Effective Rate Speak clearly at a practiced rate. Not too fast and not too slow. Control your emotions and excitement deliberately. If you do not consciously control your voice, it will become garbled under stress.
Well Timed/Spaced Prioritize your messages. Do not use valuable airtime with unimportant messages and insignificant details.
Maintain an awareness of the overall situation and your role in it.
Do not interrupt conversations unless you have Emergency Traffic. Listen before transmitting and wait until a message transaction has been completed.
Pause between consecutive messages. This will make it clear when one message has been completed and another started. It also allows other units to break in with urgent/emergent traffic if applicable.
