Simple, Brief, and Clear: Rethinking Radio Phrases

A radio is as important in EMS as our diagnostic tools, medications, and lifting and moving devices. Our radios get us information on call locations and natures. They get us additional information en route. They communicate scene size-up and our current situations. Our radios can get us additional resources or assistance on calls where we need it.

Are you using your radio the best way? What this means is, are you using the best principles of radio communication when you’re on the air? This article will discuss best practices as well as some phrases you might consider removing from your radio repertoire.

Avoid Extra Words

Best practices include keeping your communications concise and to the point—in other words, simple, brief, and clear. Your voice should be clear and close to the microphone. Also, consider speaking a little slower than normal, as we tend to talk fast when under stress.

Speak in a normal tone—do not shout. We also often raise our voices under stress. Keep your message simple enough for the dispatcher or the other units to understand and act accordingly. Lastly, get to the point quickly, using the fewest words possible. Think about what you want to say before you say it, then say it calmly.

Why say in many words what you can say in fewer? Example of common repetitive phrases include:

• “10-4, received”—While 10-code use should be in decline, 10-4, received, copy, and acknowledged are all synonymous. Pick one, it’s enough.
• “Arriving on scene”—Where else would you be arriving? Simply say “at scene” or “on location” and perhaps repeat the address.
• “Be advised…”—Clearly, if you are telling dispatch or another unit something, they are already being advised. You don’t need to tell them to be advised.
• “At this time…”—Again, extra words.
• The grand trifecta of extra words: “At this time be advised we are arriving on scene.”

Level of Response

With priority dispatch in most locations, responders have a better sense of what they’re rolling to than in the past. We know we always need to respond with due regard and in the safest way possible. Problems occur when units on scene have a situation they don’t know how to handle well and as a result use the radio and phrases to create a sense of urgency. This urgency may lead to a reckless response. Some phrases we should probably avoid are:

• “Step it up!”—This implies the units responding aren’t getting to your scene fast enough and you want them to go faster. This can create unsafe situations. Instead simply update these responders about what they’ll face, such as “CPR in progress” or “imminent delivery of a baby.”
• “Send me everything!”—While your initial impression might be that there are many hazards and victims, take a moment and request specific resources. “I have a fully loaded bus vs. a stopped train with bus entrapment. Start me fire-rescue for extrication, eight BLS units, and four ALS units!” is better than a nonspecific request for an undifferentiated bunch of help.

Conversely, there are phrases that reduce a response that should probably be rephrased as well. For example:

• “Respond with caution”—This assumes your later responders are not responding with caution in the first place! We always should proceed with due regard for safety. Much like the examples above, a simple scene report will suffice. If your agency has a response protocol for lights and sirens, utilize that protocol (e.g., “One-car MVA with a minor injury. Cancel the ALS and downgrade the BLS response!”).
• “Slow it down”—Pretty much the same as “respond with caution.” Use protocol terms or status reports to influence a unit’s response.

Ask any dispatcher, and I’m sure they’ll be able to share other radio phrases that make them cringe. To use the radio as the resource it’s intended to be, remember simple, brief, and clear. 10-4!

Barry A. Bachenheimer, EdD, FF/EMT, is a frequent contributor to EMS World. He is a career educator and university professor with more than 30 years in EMS and fire suppression. He is currently an EMT with the South Orange (N.J.) Rescue Squad, a firefighter with the Roseland (N.J.) Fire Department, and an instructor at the National Center for Homeland Security and Preparedness in New York. Reach him at bbachenheimer@albany.edu.