Communications - Radio Communications

Unlike telephones, with a radio, you cannot transmit and recieve verbal communication at the same time - are very important note to commit to memory!

Most radio systems these days, operate on a network, that is to say, there may be two or more radio's operating on the same channel.
Only one person can speak at a time but that person can be heard by everyone on the same network.
When two or more officers try to transmit at the same time, a phenomenon called 'hetradyning' takes place - the multiple signals get mixed together resulting in a scrambled, unintelligable noise.

Because of this, radio procedures must be used to avoid;
1. Messages being sent by more than one person at a time
2. Confusion as to who the message is for or from
3. Blocking the network with idle chatter or unefficient use the the radio

Many multi-man sites or security teams will be assigned their own personal 'call-sign' or, call-signs may be allocated to specific locations or job functions.
Guarding a special event for example would require many security officers and/or stewards. Several security officers may be on duty at any given time, each with their own personal call-sign and there may be additional 'location' call-signs for strategic points such as a control room, access point etc.

A typical example would be something like;
Security Officers may have a 'Sierra' prefix, thus Sierra 1, Sierra 2 etc.
Access points at gates etc may be given call-signs like 'Gate 1, Gate 2' whilst there may also be a central control room or control point who might be designated 'Control'.
Communications should be kept as short and efficient as possible, hence the reason why emergency services use '10 codes' etc to minimise the need for spoken words (but we will cover that later in the article).

One of the simplest and most commonly used procedures that is done incorrectly is the one that initiates the first transmission and the response.
The initial comunication should should be in the format of "hello < their callsign>, this is <your call-sign>".
Assuming you are 'Sierra1 and are trying to contact 'Control', in spoken words this is Control,Sierra 1, Over.

Why use their call-sign first?
Simple! - Imagine sitting in a Doctors waiting room ,everyone around you is talking and you hear your name. At which point did you start listening to the conversation - before or after you heard your name?

A typical, correct and efficient format for communication would look like this (I have placed the actual 'correct' spoken words in bold type and a typical example of an incorrect communications format in normal type);
Gate 1, this is Control.... Over
Gate 1, Control, Over

This is Control, what is your message Gate 1, I am listening
Control, Gate 1, Send

This is Gate 1 to Control, I have one male heading in your direction who just gained access to the site without paying, did you recieve all that so far?
Control, Gate 1, I have one male heading in your direction who has just gained access without paying, Roger so far? Over

Gate 1, Control, Roger
Yes Gate 1 I got all that, please continue with your message

Hello Control, this is Gate 1, description as follows – 1 white male, early 30s, wearing green parka jacket and white trainers
Control, Gate 1 - description as follows - white male, early 30's wearing a green parka jacket and white trainers, Over

Gate 1 this is Control, yes we got that description, thank you over and out
Gate 1, Control, Roger that - Out

The example exchanges above might seem quite similar but this was only a brief exchange and we managed to cut down the number of spoken words by over 40% which, in real terms, meant, in this scenarion, 'Control' was able to respond nearly 50% quicker to the incident.

Correct radio procedure is essential if messages are to be passed Accurately, Briefly, Clearly, Speedily – its as simple as your ABC's.

Radio procedures
A - Accuracy All information passed must be factual and not opinion
B - Brevity Messages should be short and concise
C - Clarity Speak normally
S - Speed Keep calm at all times!

Radio procedures – the phonetic alphabet
The phonetic alphabet is recognisable to most people and will be very familiar to anyone who has served in the armed forces or emergency services.
All security officers should know the phonetic alphabet and use it to avoid mistakes and ambiguity when spelling words or giving letter names by radio or telephone.
If you are not very experienced using the phonetic alphabet in this way it is well worth practicing so that it becomes automatic.
A - Alpha
B - Bravo
C- Charlie
D - Delta
E - Echo
F- Foxtrot
G - Golf
H- Hotel
I - India
J - Juliet
K - Kilo
L - Lima
M - Mike
N - November
O - Oscar
P - Papa
Q - Quebec
R - Romeo
S - Sierra
T - Tango
U - Uniform
V - Victor
W - Whiskey
X - X-ray
Y - Yankee
Z - Zulu

Security Officers who rely on radio communications should check their patrol routes for blind spots. If reception is bad or unreliable in specific area's (in metal structures or under ground etc) consider installing a base station with external aerial or high gain antennae's.
On a technical note: The lower the radio frequency, the greater the distance the signal will carry but at the detriment of being able to pass through objects. Conversely, the higher the frequency, the shorter the distance the signal will carry (for the same power output) but the more object penetration it will have. (Most two-way radio's will be in the VHF/ UHF spectrum).
Metal objects and water can act as 'ground planes' and reflect radio signals. Drawing an imaginary straight line from the 'object', through you, will give an approximate indication of any potential boost in signal. Where technological improvements are, for whatever reason, unable to be achieved, advise a colleague of your whereabouts before entering a poor reception/transmission area, giving a time span when you should be contactable again.
Ensure incident response procedures are in place should you fail to make communication within that time span - this is for your own safety!!

10 Codes
In many safety and security related industries, such as the MOD, Police etc they developed a series of '10' codes - these are abbreviations of commonly used phrases used over the radio and where originally used to aid transmission brevity and prevent third parties from 'understanding' what was being said.
There have been no specific '10' codes developed for the British private security industry but the Guild of Security UK Ltd has proposed the following codes as the industry standard.
As you can see, these have been deliberately arranged so that the higher the '10' number, the more important the message.

10-1 Reception poor
10-2 Arrived at ( location, scene, incident etc)
10-3 Departed (as above)
10-4 Message recieved
10-5 Relay message to..
10-6 Busy, stand-by
10-7 Out of service, moving into a known poor transmission/reception area
10-8 Make contact by telephone (or other non-radio communication)
10-9 Send Status report
10-10 Incident closed
10-11 About to deal with an incident
10-12 Incident Escalating
10-13 Require immediate (internal) assistance
10-14 require immediate emergency service back-up (state type)