I. Purpose
The purpose of the Fireground Emergency Distress Signal is to provide a universally recognized warning signal to all personnel operating at an emergency scene, and workers at the dispatch center, that there is a significant event or change that requires everyone to be alerted. The main objective is the safety of all emergency scene personnel.
II. Policy
A. The Fireground Emergency Distress signal shall be utilized at any incident when a situation occurs that is hazardous to incident personnel, or an emergency occurs that injures or threatens incident personnel.
B. The standard procedure is that the The Incident Commander shall intiate the Fireground Emergency Distress Signal.
C. If the Incident Commander cannot be reached, or if time is critical, any worker on the incident can declare an emergency and activate the Fireground Emergency Distress Signal.
III. Procedure
A. The Emergency Distress Signal shall consist of activation of an electronic siren, utilizing ONLY the Yelp or Hi/Lo mode and a radio. A Personal Alarm Device may be substituted for the siren when a siren is not available. The duration of the tone shall be fifteen (15) seconds.
B. The siren tone shall be immediately followed by a voice transmission over the radio. The voice transmission shall be "evacuate the building" or some other appropriate short alert message. The voice message shall be repeated three (3) times.
C. The Emergency Distress Signal shall be transmitted over the incident tactical frequency first. It shall then be transmitted over the dispatch frequency.
D. After transmission of the Emergency Distress Signal, the Incident Commander shall then conduct a checkback on the tactical frequency to confirm a Personnel Accountability Report (PAR).
E. The Incident Commander shall then report the situation status to the Emergency Command Center.