As incidents advance in complexity, communication management becomes a challenge. An ever increasing number of personnel with radios, a general lack of available frequencies, and multiple events requiring information sharing including: logistical needs, fire behavior and location, weather, tactical assignments, medical emergencies, travel management, coordination with dispatch, and of course the inevitable "what's your location" tie up frequencies and reduce timely communications that affect the safety of all incident personnel.

• What is radio etiquette? How can radio etiquette be used to improve incident communications? What are examples of radio etiquette?
• Have you ever been on an incident where tactical frequencies were tied up? What happened? How did you adjust your operating procedures?

Frequency use on incidents is a challenging management predicament, lots of activity and many resources equates to busy tactical frequencies. Busy tactical frequencies on incidents, however, are not necessarily communication problems, but may be linked to coordination or planning problems. One way to prevent overloaded frequencies may be to request additional radio frequencies sooner rather than later on emerging incidents and to develop a plan for the use of additional frequencies.

• How can you plan for emerging incident communications, to provide for more effective communications?
• What points should be addressed when briefing incoming resources on incident communications?
• Can you give an example of an incident communications briefing?
• How can the use of dedicated command, tactical, and crew nets assist with the implementation of effective communications? What are the appropriate uses of these frequencies?

Firefighters pride themselves on ingenuity, adapting to and overcoming challenges, and creating opportunities. For example, using available technologies (cell phones, satellite phones, and data transmission devices) to transmit and receive information reducing the amount of time radio frequencies are tied up on incidents. Use of available technologies in this way has both positive and negative aspects. Communications technology aspects that need to be planned and mitigated for include: one to one communications, coverage, powering devices, lack of contact information, and adhering to national policies for the use of alternative communications devices on incidents.

• What non-radio communications devices have you used or have seen used on an incident? What are the benefits and consequences of using those communications devices on wildland fire incidents?
• How should non-radio communications be used on wildland fire incidents? Why?
• How might you mitigate or plan for the above communications challenges?

There is no fix all solution for these challenges, but prior planning, briefing incoming resources on the implementation of an incident communications plan, and using proper radio etiquette are effective ways to mitigate unnecessary chatter on tactical frequencies and to promote essential information sharing through various communications technologies.