By DAVID MARTYN CONLEY
How good is your radio? In all emergency services, there is the need for excellent communications. In tense and crucial times, when lives are on the line, important orders must be communicated to various team members, coordinating multiple operations to efficiently and effectively neutralize a given threat. Should these communications break down or prove defective, orders become unclear, messages can be heard incorrectly, and lives can be lost. A good radio can be the difference between life and death. Most firefighters understand this dynamic. However, challenges in effective communications often arise before you reach the fire scene.
During downtime at the fire station, there is an opportunity to improve or erode communication lines. You must properly maintain good communication, like any other tool, when there is no threat to more effectively work in life or death situations. Firefighters at every level must practice efective communication to build strong, trusting relationships among members who must, at any moment, put their lives in each other's hands. This trust is as crucial as any piece of protective gear; it is as important as your radio.
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