LET’S TALK TRAINING Page 2 

Confusion in the World of Wildland Fire Radio Communication 

On what was my first day on the job in an Idaho BLM fire dispatch center in 1984, I was tasked with monitoring 

radio traffic while my supervisors attended a meeting. Shortly after my supervisors departed, a resource advisor 

radioed dispatch. His vehicle had started a fire, or was that “afire”? I wasn’t sure if his vehicle was on fire and I 

should notify the rural fire department or if the desert was on fire and I needed to send wildland fire engines. 

With additional information exchange, I determined that the vehicle’s catalytic convertor had started a grass fire 

and wildland fire engines were needed as the fire had grown beyond the resource advisor’s capabilities. 

My communication problems didn’t stop there. The Bureau was in the 

midst of transitioning to a new communication model called “clear Although wildland firefighters are text,” but local engine operators were still using 10-code taught about proper radio communications with one operator giving a very clear “10-8” as he communication in wildland fire responded to the incident. The next operator radioed that he was courses, report after report lists “en route,” and a 10-code reference card on the radio console “poor communications” as a causal confirmed 10-8’s meaning for me. Confusing verbiage, numerical or factor in accidents and fatalities. crew-specific code talk, or even today’s newest communication tool 

called texting can produce unintended communication problems. 

There are those in our midst that say the 10-code system was a more concise method of communicating and 

freed the airwaves for more important information transfer. There are others that contend the 10 code was a 

safety concern, lacking across-the-board-standardization and more importantly that you had to know the code in 

order to communicate. Whatever your opinion, the Incident Command System (ICS) requires the use of “clear 

text” or common terminology across all jurisdictions. 

Although wildland fire personnel are taught about proper radio communication in wildland fire courses, report 

after report lists “poor communications” as a causal factor in accidents and fatalities. Poor communications can 

be anything from frequency overlap, long-winded or unnecessary transmissions, to misinterpretation of radio 

messages. 

Effective, efficient communication skills is something that each wildland firefighter has the ability and 

responsibility to develop. In the coming months, BLM Fire Training will embark on a project to identify and 

create tools that wildland firefighters can utilize to improve their radio discipline. BLM fire personnel are asked to 

provide input into the project through the Building Our Future Through Innovation program (see page 4 for more 

information). 

The first phase of the project is research and awareness. BLM Fire Training staff are in the process of 

benchmarking organizations outside the wildland fire service. To date they have gained valuable insight that may 

prove beneficial to how BLM wildland firefighters can improve their radio discipline. 

Training officers are encouraged to use the information found within this newsletter as a radio 

communications refresher/tailgate topic tool until more formal products are developed. During these 

sessions BLM leaders should focus on practice, assessment and personal example--exhibit effective and efficient 

radio discipline, conduct crew radio communications assessments, foster proper radio discipline at the lowest 

levels of the organization, and hold radio discipline practice sessions and assessments. 

Whether a leader of one or a leader of organizations, creating a culture of respectful, effective communication is a 

duty of all BLM wildland firefighters. 

Contributed by Pam McDonald, Writer/Editor, BLM Fire Training Unit