The National Volunteer Fire Council, the Congressional Fire Services Institute, the International Association of Fire Chiefs, and the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation have created a comprehensive guide to assist fire and emergency service agencies in taking a more active role in the selection and implementation of mission-critical radio communications systems.

The new guide, Radio Communications for the Fire Service: A Planning Guide for Obtaining the Communications System You Need for Enhanced Safety and Emergency Preparedness, is designed to help state, county, and local officials facilitate the development of an effective emergency communications system. In the interest of interoperability and cost justification, fire departments are being asked to participate in county-, state-, country- or citywide shared-communications systems. Although fire services are being asked to be a part of these multi-agency systems, they are often not part of the process of defining the specifications. This can result in a system that does not meet the unique needs of the fire service.

This guide will help to:

• Make sure the needs of the fire service are fully addressed within your community's overall communications planning.
• Determine your department's requirements for radio capabilities during routine operations, disaster preparedness and future growth.
• Understand the basic technology choices and tradeoffs when selecting a type of communications system.
• Participate in a smooth transition to the new system.
• Locate sources of funding, write effective grant proposals, issue RFPs and evaluate vendor responses.

To download a copy of the guide, visit www.nvfc.org and look in the NVFC News section on the right side of the page.