Ky. Officials Talk Standardizing Radio with `Plain language` or 10-codes

Feb. 04--Emergency-response agencies in Barren County are working on a way to balance their everyday radio communication needs with those of disaster situations.

The Glasgow Management Control Board, which oversees the operations of the Barren-Metcalfe County Emergency Communications Center -- the dispatcher for all local emergency services -- had its first regular meeting of the year Tuesday. The board consists of representatives from the dispatch center, the Glasgow police and fire departments, and Barren-Metcalfe County Emergency Medical Services.

Beverly Harbison, director of the dispatch center, said she met with GPD Interim Chief James Duff shortly after he was named to that position.

"We agreed we wanted to get everyone involved that touches our 911 center," she said, so other agencies were invited to the meeting.

Also attending Tuesday's meeting were Barren County Sheriff Kent Keen and Deputy Kevin Wilson, Cave City Police Department Chief Jeff Wright and Tony Richey, chief of the Temple Hill Volunteer Fire Department. Richey is also the chief of chiefs of the Barren County Fire Chiefs Association. Glasgow Mayor Dick Doty also attended.

The primary item on the agenda, Duff said, was radio language.

A push to use what is called "plain language," rather than 10-codes, was sparked by difficulties following the terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, when some first responders had trouble communicating across agencies.

"Plain language, for us, it's just not working on a day-to-day basis," Duff said.

He said he understands the need for plain language when multiple agencies are involved in a major disaster response, but within the department and with dispatchers, it's faster and easier to use 10-codes.

"For me, plain language isn't plain," Glasgow Fire Department Chief Tony Atwood said.

What he would refer to when he says tanker, for example, is a truck, but technically, it would mean an aerial unit.

His main concern is that everyone should be on the same page -- either all using 10-codes or all using plain language -- and all agencies should ensure they are referring to the same thing when they use a 10-code. He named one code as an example that means something different to police and fire personnel. He also had lists of the 10-codes his department uses and EMS uses, demonstrating they were different.

Atwood read from a December 2006 alert from the National Incident Management System Integration Center, which is a part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The letter, a copy of which he provided to the Daily Times, says that while plain language is not required for internal operations, the NIMS Integration Center "strongly encourages it," because it's important to practice the everyday terminology for when an emergency incident or disaster occurs.

"It is required that plain language be used for multi-agency, multi-jurisdiction and multi-discipline events, such as major disasters," the alert says.

Starting in 2006, federal preparedness grant funding is contingent on the use of plain language in incidents requiring assistance from other agencies, it says, going on to clarify, though, that the use of 10-codes in daily operations will not result in the loss of those funds.

Richey, who served as director of Glasgow-Barren County Emergency Management for several years, said it's common for multiple agencies to respond to even smaller events. Two to three agencies typically respond to any motor vehicle accident with injuries.

"You have to be used to using plain language," he said. "When you have a big event, that's when you need to be prepared."

Harbison said Kentucky State Police and Bowling Green police use 10-codes, and Duff said the CCPD and BCSO do as well. He and Harbison pointed out that even if emergency responders are using plain language on the radio, the dispatchers translate that into 10-codes for what they are typing into the computer-aided dispatch records.

Keen said a lot of his employees are seasoned officers who are accustomed to the 10-codes, so they are very efficient for them.

"I'm in favor of the 10-codes ...," the sheriff said. "It's not as time consuming for us, and I've told my people to use them."

Wright said Keen "took the words right out of my mouth," and he echoed what the others advocating for 10-codes had said.

Mike Swift, director of BMCEMS, suggested having a 10-code-plain language equivalency list.

Harbison suggested a committee could look at the various lists everyone was using and consolidate them into one common list, and the board voted unanimously to take that approach.

The committee -- Atwood, Morgan, Swift and Keen -- will try to meet before the fire chiefs association meets next week so Richey can present it to them for discussion as well.

Copyright 2015 - Glasgow Daily Times, Ky.