KCFD Sloppy

Just listening to KCFD, probably one of the most unprofessional and sloppy radio traffic I've heard in a while...dispatcher referring to vehicle accidents as "car wrecks".. Pumper traffic..."do you still need us there?"
Pumper traffic.."Some guys car is running real badly, we'll be out for a while to help"

"Wife beater" t-shirts and "crotch rocket" motorcycles are normal vernacular in KCMO. Welcome, to life in a big little city.

"Plain language" dispatching is used in many large cities. For example, listen to Chicago, Detroit, and the NYC burroughs. There's very little traffic using 10-codes or local variations. I kinda like it for easy listening.

tcolgan said:

"Plain language" dispatching is used in many large cities. For example, listen to Chicago, Detroit, and the NYC burroughs. There's very little traffic using 10-codes or local variations. I kinda like it for easy listening.

Click to expand...

Agreed. Chicago is as plain speech as an agency can get. I've heard dispatchers tell officers flat out to "shut up" over the air. Kind of entertaining!

Plain language is now a "best practice" for agencies to use per APCO and NIMS. This reduces the possibility of misunderstandings between two different agencies in the event of a large disaster. For example, if KCFD needs help on a highrise fire and KCKFD responds and says they are 10-23 at the 10-20 of the 10-37.......KCFD will not or may not understand. Same with Police departments. When I worked for KCKPD dispatch, I got a call one night from KHP and that dispatcher said "we are 10-32 in your city and need your assistance...." I had no idea what she was talking about because KCKPD did not use the code 10-32. Once I figured out they were in pursuit and needed our help, lots of resources were sent their way to assist.

Bottom line, plain language on the radio is the best way to dispatch. Even when talking amongst the same agency, the use of plain language is far better than using 10-codes.

I'm still a dispatcher, but no longer with KCKPD.

I agree about the codes but that wasn't really my gripe..it was just general etiquette and professionalism. I do agree it's probably a big city thing as you'll rarely hear that type traffic in the suburbs. Hell, I'm in Lees Summit and they make KCFD sound like a bunch of goons on the radio..LS is much more professional and use no codes.

Sloppy

When I went to USN Radio School a half century ago they taught us always to use plain language and keep the transmissions short and simple. It always worked.
I spent about 45 years dealing with fire service communications all in plain language. It worked better than 10 codes in the REAL WORLD. 10 codes are like yellow vs. red fire trucks. Just a gimmick that can cause a lot of confusion. In a emergency you need to get your message across quickly in plain language. Not everybody on the receiving end is gonna get it right quickly if they are trying to translate a string of 10 codes. That was the problem with CW messages. People asking for repeats for what they missed slowed everything down to a couple of words a minute.
I found in very stressful incidents a "unprofessional" remark over the radio could hold things together for people who were on the verge of losing it. "By the Book" is not always the best solution. It is more of a starting point to improvise from.
Being "Professional" is not going to get you a bigger pay raise or company donation. The people holding the purse strings have there own agenda for what they want to spend the money on, and it is not the "necessary evil" of FD., PD., or EMS.
People talking about being professional are usually just puffed up with there own importance although they usually
mean well.


DMC

Slang phrases or loosely worded terms are not "plain language." There is a phraseology in plain language that is, in itself, a code. All of the ICS courses reinforce plain language, but you can see that common phrases are used - like task force or strike team or tanker, etc., not just make up whatever and it's okay. Plain language does not mean a slang free-for-all.

In my opinion, California public safety agencies sound the most professional. Dispatchers are concise, and radio exchanges are as brief as possible, via radio systems that sound clear - mostly NFM, as opposed to P25 and its digitized "gargling" sound.
Also there's no regional accents or colloquial expressions, as found in much of the country.

I'd be reluctant to say one region is more professional than another. I'm sure a number of examples along the continuum of professionalism can be found in communities that are very close together. The whole regional thing takes me back to my recollection of the 9/11 Commission proceedings, when there was criticism over one agency's lack of embracing the incident command system. Another agency near the Beltway was brought in to show them how it was done. (My only takeaway was that it has to be easy when you have financial and political support; less so when you have to make whatever circumstances you've been given work). The fire is just as hot in High-and-tight-ville as it is in KCMO or anywhere else.

Crash isn't really slang versus "accident" or "MVA" etc., and it's actually the preferred term in law enforcement. MSHP is the statewide repository for crash reports, and universally uses the term crash. Remember the movie Hot Fuzz? Accident implies there's nobody at fault.

I prefer the more relaxed phraseology honestly. Vehicle is three syllables. Car is one. Truck is one. Van is one.

"Injury crash, I-70 and Blue Ridge westbound. One car on fire,"

versus

"Motor vehicle accident with injuries, I-70 and Blue Ridge, one vehicle currently engulfed."

It's all about saying what you mean and getting the point across in a way that everybody understands, and quickly. I don't really care how "professional" it sounds, or doesn't. It's one less thing to worry about.

Welcome to 2015.

I do get what you're saying though. I just find it hilarious rather than irritating for the most part.

Imagine a while back when KCFD started dispatching for CJC out in Eastern Jackson / Blue Springs. Those CJC boys and girls were probably used to big ole long professional and jargon-laden callouts from dispatch.

First time an old-school KCFD dispatcher toned them out with "y'all got a bad wreck up there at I-70 and Adams Dairy, two or three cars. Get some trucks en route." I'm sure that was an eye opener.

Honestly, smaller agencies, fire and PD alike, expect to get a lot more information from their dispatchers than KC and larger cities. The larger cities tend to put the least possible info out and let the PD or FD guys figure it out when they get there.

It's always great to listen to a smaller suburban agency dispatch a verbal disturbance, in which they've kept the calling party on the line for the entire time the officers are en route and are giving updates every two seconds as to what's being said or done at that very moment... then hear KC or larger city dispatch on a shooting in which all the info they got was where it happened. Figure the rest out when you get there boys and girls.

dfbarnes said:

Crash isn't really slang versus "accident" or "MVA" etc., and it's actually the preferred term in law enforcement. MSHP is the statewide repository for crash reports, and universally uses the term crash. Remember the movie Hot Fuzz? Accident implies there's nobody at fault.

I prefer the more relaxed phraseology honestly. Vehicle is three syllables. Car is one. Truck is one. Van is one.

"Injury crash, I-70 and Blue Ridge westbound. One car on fire,"

versus

"Motor vehicle accident with injuries, I-70 and Blue Ridge, one vehicle currently engulfed."

It's all about saying what you mean and getting the point across in a way that everybody understands, and quickly. I don't really care how "professional" it sounds, or doesn't. It's one less thing to worry about.

Welcome to 2015.

Click to expand...

I agree with using the word "crash" or "collision." Just about every (if not every single) "accident" I've come across over the years could have been prevented had someone not been following too close, maintained tires and brakes, not been texting or driving while cellphone, or not driving "IMSAFE" (Illness, Medication [illegal AND legal], Stress, Alcohol, Fatigue, Emotion). Those are conscious choices that are usually self-centered and affect others. No "accident" there.