Communication is important in any relationship, especially in the Fire Service, with the relay of information from the Incident Commander right down to the Junior Member. American Businessman Peter Drucker once said, “The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn’t said.” Knowing how to communicate in a stressful environment can greatly influence the outcome of an event. Call taker and dispatcher knowledge of the service and various incidents can greatly assist in communicating the details of events to responding members, as well as help the caller. An experienced dispatcher can begin to predict requests of the IC and make pre-emptive calls to Toronto Hydro, Gas Companies, Security, Police and Paramedic Services. Understanding the need for these individuals and agencies can help an incident move along much smoother and more efficiently. It is understandable at times, that the fireground can be a whirlwind of questions and decisions that must be made. The dispatcher needs to be the calm in that storm, especially when the incident is growing. At times, it is appropriate to suggest additional resources to the IC, however, picking the right time to do so can be tricky. The role of the Incident Management System is to remove the many “cooks in the kitchen,”
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so the dispatcher needs to be cautious about when and how these suggestions are made. There is never a good time for the dispatcher to cut off firefighter transmissions for anything other than life and safety concerns, which are usually made with the use of the alert tones, followed by a repeated message. Depending on the alarm level of the incident, the dispatcher will wait for a break in the transmissions for general event information. In the case of a growing incident, making use of the Strategic Channels provides an open line of communication. Toronto Firefighters face a wide variety of challenging emergencies and that list is constantly growing, making the use of effective incident communication and call taker/dispatcher fireground knowledge that much more important. Unlike some communications centres, our members are trained in communicating as a dispatcher and a call taker. This ensures a fair distribution of duties over the course of a tour. Hearing “what isn’t said” can be effective in assisting responding crews and a caller. In the case of a phone call with an open line, or a scared child, the call taker needs to try picking out information from the background while asking questions or contacting a translator. Hearing the crackling of fire, a woman calling for help, coughing or alarm bells
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