Notes for using a handheld two-way, walkie talkie type radio:

Remember to pause a moment after pushing the talk button to allow for the connection to complete, and pause for a moment when finished before letting up on it. Otherwise, your message may be cut off. 

1. "Hey you, it's me" - Sender should say the name of the receiver first, and always identify yourself, i.e. "Triage, this is Incident Command"

2.  Receiver response - keep it short, i.e. "Triage" 

3. Sender transmit message - think in bullet points. Clear, brief, to the point.

4. Receiver restates message to confirm understanding.

5. Sender to correct any misunderstanding. 

6. When providing a status update / progress report, include Conditions, Actions, Needs (CAN)

• Where are you? 

• What is happening?

• Are there any obstacles? Do you need anything? 

7. Complete your assignment before reporting, unless you have a "Priority Traffic"

• "Priority Traffic notifies of a potentially dangerous situation to everyone 

• It takes precedence over all other communication. Everyone needs to stop talking! 

8. When assignment is completed, report you are ready for a new one, or a "status change"

Important things to remember: 

• Monitor the radio traffic! 

• Do not interrupt "conversations", even if there is a pause in the communication. Allow communication loops to close before talking. 

• Radio traffic may be busy. There may be five or six teams on radios and one IC, so be patient. 

• "Stand-by" means please wait. You don't know what is happening on the other end. 

• Know what you are going to say before pressing the button to talk. Be brief, succinct, and to the point.

• There is no Good News reporting, unless requested by IC in status update / progress report. Assume everything is going well unless told otherwise.