How to buy EMS communications equipment

By Greg Friese

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The after action report for every major incident or training exercise invariably includes “Improve Communications” as one of the top three lessons learned. I am confident we could review decades of after action reports and find recommendations to improve communications by purchasing new radios, better radios, more radios, fancier radios, programmable radios, digital radios, stronger radios, encrypted radios, and lots of other assorted radio infrastructure.

Despite purchasing billions of dollars of radio equipment, clear communication continues to be a problem and a lesson learned at major incidents and training exercises for all emergency responders. It has become apparent to me that the solution – buying radios – is not fixing the problem.

As you review your department’s needs to improve internal and external communication, make sure you correctly understand the problem and then pick the appropriate solution. Communications hardware is just part of the problem and likely a much smaller part than we realize. When improving communications, make sure you also address the teamwork, trust, and knowledge issues that are at the core of solving communication problems.

Here are four things to consider when making a communications purchase:

1. Clearly understand the problem you are solving. New radios will not resolve distrust among mutual aid partners.

2. Stay true to an accountability system on every incident. New radios will not prevent freelancing.

3. Improve and monitor listening skills. Radio batteries last a lot longer in the receive mode than they do in the transmit mode.

4. Focus on completing the task you are assigned. Radios that scan multiple frequencies don’t improve our ability to multi-task.

In the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, author Steven Covey teaches, "Seek first to understand, then to be understood." Focus communications training, purchases, and solutions on first listening to solve the underlying communications problem and to appropriately distribute scarce purchasing resources to the areas of greatest need.

How would you improve communications without purchasing communications equipment? Any other suggestions? Anything we missed in the list above? Leave a comment below or email products@ems1.com with your feedback.