Addendum to FDNY 10-codes

Status
Not open for further replies.

nycpress

Member
Joined
Jan 12, 2011
Messages
29
Location
Brooklyn, NY
FYI, there has been a tweak to the New York City Fire Department 10-31 code, plus some new additions, as follows:

10-31 Assist Civilian All calls for assistance other than medical assignments, including a unit assigned to protect EMS by diverting or blocking traffic at a highway incident, good intention calls, calls handled by other agencies, any type of investigation, searches and complaints, and lock-outs. Chapter 4 Section 1.3 of the New York Fire Incident Reporting System (NYFIRS) lists incidents and situations codes. NOTE: The 10-31 signal shall not be utilized for any incident/emergency involving evaluation of structural stability, any operation involving a rescue or mitigation effort, or any type of hazardous condition.

10-42 Any Downed Tree Incident or Emergency Provide description to dispatcher and if Parks Department or electric utility is required.

10-43 Any non-fire related rescue; any person(s) rescued/removed from a dangerous situation NOTE: 10-43 is a disposition code, not a request for resources and shall not be transmitted in lieu of 10-60, 10-75 or other signals.

10-46 Maritime Fire or Emergency
Code 1: Any fire in maritime environment (example: vessel, dock, pier)
Code 2: Emergency in maritime environment Examples: Vessel in distress, person(s) in the water removed by Marine personnel, hazard to navigation, hazardous materials incident in maritime environment.
 

ten13

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Aug 13, 2009
Messages
646
Location
ten13
While most of the country is moving away from "10-codes," the FDNY, still living in the early part of the 20th century, is coming up with new and more elaborate ones to make things even more confusing.

I realize that they are doing it for statistical purposes, but holding the field force responsible for assigning specific "codes" to complicated and overlapping situations only makes those statistics questionable in the end, resulting to what we used to do when it was really busy: make it up.
 

Matted33

Member
Joined
Jun 16, 2010
Messages
39
Aside from 10-46, these seem to be final disposition codes, not something that makes communication more difficult or confusing.
 

edisonfire

Member
Joined
Dec 19, 2002
Messages
150
Truthfully I prefer the 10 codes that FDNY uses. Have you really listened to many 'plain language' areas? It's like listening to the Audible version of the book, "War and Peace". Brevity and consistency in a busy department makes sense. Plus, most of the laborious 10 code radio traffic is now entered via in cab buttons versus being stated over the radio.

In many plain language areas I hear radio traffic like, "Engine 2 to Command, arriving....What's your pleasure?" Why would anyone ask the commanding officer what his pleasure is? Just state "Engine 2 arrived." Or "Engine 2 on a hydrant at Main & Smith." And SOP's should dictate where a later arriving unit should stage rather than entering the block. The chief or OIC will let you know what he needs, that's his or her job.

Another pet peeve I've experienced is designators away from accepted terminology. Many areas/states have designated the sides of buildings (or exposures) as A, B, C and D versus FDNY Exposure 1,2,3,4. If I'm searching the 2nd or 3rd floor of a burning building and I hear over the radio a ground ladder is placed at side B, if I have to bail out a window, with all the noise on a fireground (hoseline streams, K12/chain saws, engines in the street, breaking glass, incoming sirens, radio traffic, my and fellow firefighter's SCBA) did I hear B? C? D? over a radio microphone partially blocked by turnout coat.

The fact the three sides rhyme could lead to confusion, and that confusion could lead to injury or death. If FDNY forever had been using sides 1,2,3,4 why would anyone try to reinvent the mousetrap?
 

Whiskey3JMC

DXpeditioner
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Jul 16, 2006
Messages
6,718
Location
40.0417240450727, -75.23614582932653
The fact the three sides rhyme could lead to confusion, and that confusion could lead to injury or death.
I'm not disagreeing with the use of 1,2,3 & 4 (except maybe confusing them for floors rather than sides or exposures) but wouldn't using the phonetics alpha, bravo, charlie and delta also be viable?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top