radio operator training materials?

[Darius]

can anyone point me to any training materials for new station (or group base) radio operators? (apart from that contained in BFF1)
ta.

[Mike]

There are instruction manuals for all radios and pagers. your group GRN instructors should have access to them.....

[medevac]

radio training... gee thatd be excellent... and decent call taking training!!! gee...

[oz fire]

There is a whole GRN training package - radios (base, mobile and portable) and also pager!

Try the Brigade TO if no luck the Group TO or Group GRN instructors failing that the Region should have the resources.

As for comms training - listening to the radio chatter it sounds like radio procedures and protocols are required at all levels.

Out.

[medevac]

There is a whole GRN training package - radios (base, mobile and portable) and also pager!

Try the Brigade TO if no luck the Group TO or Group GRN instructors failing that the Region should have the resources.

As for comms training - listening to the radio chatter it sounds like radio procedures and protocols are required at all levels.

Out.

hmm quite true.. not gonna disagree there.

[bajdas]

can anyone point me to any training materials for new station (or group base) radio operators? (apart from that contained in BFF1)
ta.

For comparison, if you want a copy of the SES Training manuals, let me know. I can convert them to PDF & email direct.

I understand they will be different because SES have 'private call' & 'radio paging' features, which I am not sure if CFS installed.

The SES talkgroup allocation are still under review, so that will be changing sometime in the future.

[Mike]

CFS GRN have the Private call and page facilities.... just depends what microphone you have on the radio.....

[bajdas]

CFS GRN have the Private call and page facilities.... just depends what microphone you have on the radio.....

Microphone ??....interesting.
It is a button on the vehicle/base mounted and a menu option on the handhelds. So every SES GRN radio has the ability, but strict SOP's exist in its usage.

[Darius]

There are instruction manuals for all radios and pagers. your group GRN instructors should have access to them.....

I've got them but I'm not talking about which button to press, more about procedures and general training in how to be a base/station radio operator.

[Darius]

There is a whole GRN training package - radios (base, mobile and portable) and also pager!

Try the Brigade TO if no luck the Group TO or Group GRN instructors failing that the Region should have the resources.

As for comms training - listening to the radio chatter it sounds like radio procedures and protocols are required at all levels.

Out.

you talking about the GRN course?  the one everyone is supposed to do before using a radio?

cos I've done that and while interesting is not what I'm after.  Am after training on how to be a base/station radio operator.  They can go do the GRN course for sure but that would be another adjunct to the training.

if you're talking about another course to that one, got any more details?

[Darius]

can anyone point me to any training materials for new station (or group base) radio operators? (apart from that contained in BFF1)
ta.

For comparison, if you want a copy of the SES Training manuals, let me know. I can convert them to PDF & email direct.

I understand they will be different because SES have 'private call' & 'radio paging' features, which I am not sure if CFS installed.

The SES talkgroup allocation are still under review, so that will be changing sometime in the future.

thanks for the offer (really) but I'm not sure how much use it will be, from my understanding the SES don't have such a thing as base/station radio operators, it's all from SHQ?
(what's your email address? can you post the pdf to something like a "files" section of this website somehow?)

[medevac]

thanks for the offer (really) but I'm not sure how much use it will be, from my understanding the SES don't have such a thing as base/station radio operators, it's all from SHQ?

HAH LOL... nah, of course they operate base radios... you think SHQ (which happens to be the same SHQ that runs CFS resource tracking for R1 has time to do that?

hmm...

does everyone realise that for day to day general work, SHQ at the end of the radio for SES and CFS is just CFS SOCC? that is until SES HQ unit open up and do there thing (they are an SES Unit specifically for Comms. and dispatch during massive severe weather, and they are open on certain days of severe fire weather in case CFS in unable to provide for them)
im sure most ppl already knew that, so dont blast me or anything..

[bajdas]

Also each SES Local Headquarters have their own base radio and operations support volunteers which provide local support to a crew whenever the SES Unit is active.

Sometimes for one vehicle they will use SES SHQ (currently CFS SOCC, shortly MFS Comcen) or Regional SES (esp marine operations, eg Port Pirie).

Several SES Units also have Field Command vehicles which are active for major single-location incidents that will take a long-time to resolve (eg land search). The ones I know of are State HQ, Murray Bridge, South Coast, Kapunda, Port Lincoln and Riverland. More might exist.

The Field Command vehicles are also used when the search dogs, quad bikes, mountain bikes, motor bikes and mounted horse units are active to provide specific logistics.

EMail address is bajdas@yahoo.com.au. SES run a Communications course and the Telstra GRN course. Operations control which includes resource tracking, crew welfare, unit workload, logistics, etc is really under the AIIMS standards now.

Did an overview course last weekend on Flood Response which included two presentations by Owen of CFS Training on AIIMS.

Looking forward to a more details AIIMS course next year.

[CFS_Firey]

How did you go getting the training material Darius? Wouldn't mind getting a copy for my brigade if you found some...

[SA Firey]

Every brigade should have a brigade communications officer.He/she is responsible for ensuring all members are trained to operate the equipment within their brigade which should include call taking,radio procedures and sop guidelines in relation to responses/notifications to GO,DGO etc.

A mock exercise involving a structure fire was done at training by myself using VHF portables with new recruits and cadets that had come up to being fireys.We simulated it going to a fourth alarm using all CFS prowords and Sitreps,including appliance callsigns.Everyone gets involved and builds confidence on the radio.

As the saying goes practice makes perfect the more you do it the better you get at it.

Reminds me of a saying make sure brain is engaged before putting mouth into gear,and on radio nothing could be more true.

Cheers

[Darius]

How did you go getting the training material Darius? Wouldn't mind getting a copy for my brigade if you found some...

had a complete lack of success so far.  It appears everyone just makes up their own.

[CFS_Firey]

Maybe its time someone wrote some!

Should someone set up a wiki where all these unwritten manuals can be collaborated on?

[bajdas]

First run of the new 'interim' SES GRN & Comms course was run a few weekends ago. A second course is being run in Port Lincoln shortly.

Feedback from the interim course is being used to refine the materials. The interim course is being used because of the strong need for proword useage, comms log, message forms, controlled net, GRN capabilities, alternatives, etc, etc.

A formal 'Training Resource Kit' will be created, but the interim course will be delivered until then.

Darius, maybe I missed your email address but I never got the request. If you want some material, then please private message me on this forum.

[littlejohn]

Did anything helpful come of this topic??

I'm in a similar situation - need to get members a bit more proficient on the GRN.  As I see it, there are two sides; being comofortable using the GRN, and knowing what to say when you're on it.

Getting over the first bit shouldn't be too hard - we'll get people spread around the place and get them to read through a play, changing people with every line (that's the present plan anyway!).

What situations/training do people put their members in to encourage thinking about responses on the radio??

I'm aware there are manuals & grn training courses, but reading off a piece of paper doesn't help train people to give sit-reps etc.

[littlejohn]

Stage one complete - spread the crew around town with as many GRNs as we could muster then ran off a dozen copies of the witches scene from Macbeth (striped of formatting & character sectioning, so that it was just a couple of pages of five or six words per line).

People then rotated through reading a line. No one could understand half the words, so it forced people to slow down and clearly annunciate each word.

Brigade now much more comfortable using the GRN.

I still need an exercise which gives people experience in giving sit reps - ie thinking about their situation, making observations & communicating the appropriate info.

Has anyone got any handy training exercises with this sort of thing?
If not, what (if any) GRN training do you do?

[bittenyakka]

Well I learned to do sit reps whilst practicing standpipes we started at one wnd of the street and went along sinking standpipes in every possible spot giving sitreps each time.

Just do practice exercises and put different people in charge so they see the incident from another view and learn radio usage.

[Firefrog]

I remember doing area famil with a radio operator in the station, giving each appliance a 1:50000 grid ref. The younger or newer person in the cab would do the map reading and tell the driver which way to go. Once in location they would give a sitrep back to the station and receive a new grid ref.  People would be rotated so everyone would get a turn.

Great multi disciplinary practice.

[Pipster]

I had an major over supply of people at training one night, and had six go out on an appliance, and the other 7 in the radio room, with each one scribing.  The crews on the appliance went to an incident where a car had colliding with an LPG cylinder (one left out for the gas people to collect, as is not uncommon in the area), and the car collided with a tree, with the driver fleeing.

We asked that the Incident Controller provide very regular sitreps (almost a step by step guide to what the crew was doing), so that the scribes could practice scribing....since all of the scribes were usually fire fighters, it made them appreciate what it was like being on the receiving end of sitreps etc.  We also discussed with them what other information they perhaps needed to ask for etc

Then we swapped the crews over, and did the same exercise.

While in reality, the incident controller provided far more information that what they would (or should) normally give, it gave the scribes practice in taking information, and writing it down......

But,as yet, there is no scribes course, or radio operators course, so it is (unfortunately) up to brigades to do their own thing with the training.. 

Pip

[bajdas]

Two exercises completed as a suggestion:

1/ Print off some weather forecasts & ask people to transmit acurately. Then compare what is scribed to the original.

Forces people to use phonetic aplphabet & think about symbols (eg > greater than).

2/ Setup a short walking course where people have to find specific locations. They then have to answer a question at that location via radio (eg what does the sign say, what is the telephone number on the door, etc).

Multiple radios operating & thus a net control needs to be established. Teaches everyone to be patient.

[bajdas]

If anyone wants a copy of the GRN Comms course SES are delivering, then please email me at bajdas@yahoo.com.au