Fighting fires in buildings, vehicles and wildland situations is dangerous work. Operating at all types and sizes of emergencies exposes firefighters to many dangerous and life-threatening situations. Over the years, the fire service has developed procedures for its members to follow to request assistance at any of these developing situations. So how do we call for help and for what type of situations do we make the call? Let’s take a look at this important question.
The most common: mayday
The most obvious and probably well-known way for a firefighter to call for help is by using the word “mayday.” There is much written about the mayday, including when it should be called, what information to transmit, and even some specific radio procedures for the process. One important and pretty solid concept attached to the mayday is that it is used for situations where a firefighter’s life is in danger, or where a firefighter or firefighters may be killed. If a mayday is transmitted, it is deadly serious business. So we train our firefighters, from day one, that the mayday must be used for these deadly serious situations. I must at this point state once again that this is the reason every firefighter in every fire department must be radio-equipped. Calling a mayday is not an option for firefighters without radios!
What about a situation that might make it harder for a firefighter to complete their task? A firefighter’s handlight stops working and they are in total blackness. A firefighter’s young partner, who is making a search with him, is beginning to get nervous and not cooperating very well with the instructions they are given. A firefighter operating a nozzle at a working fire suddenly suffers a painful but small burn on their wrist while maneuvering the attack hoseline.
These are certainly situations that need to be handled, but do they require a mayday? There’s no “right” answer to that question because you might say they are all mayday situations. But other firefighters might not think so and may only use the mayday for life-threatening situations. So are there other ways of calling for help? Of course.
Other ways to call for help
If a situation develops where the involved firefighter needs some assistance but does not want to declare a mayday, they do have some other options. Many fire departments have portable radios with a “distress” button feature. Those are the orange buttons at the top of the radio that can be activated and perform a number of different functions. Some of these distress buttons notify the dispatcher, who, in turn, notifies the IC that a firefighter has activated it. Others produce an audible tone that every other radio-equipped firefighter hears, notifying them that a firefighter needs help. Still others produce the ID of the firefighter on the LED screen of other radios at the scene. Some departments use this orange button as a mayday signal and others simply use it as a call for help.
After contacting the firefighter, the IC decides if the situation requires a mayday. These distress buttons are also often accidentally activated, and that same process is used to clarify that and reset the distress button.
What if you are the firefighter or officer whose partner has sustained a burn on their hand or knee? It’s not a life-threatening injury but it is one that you want handled immediately. If your radio is not equipped with the orange “distress” button, what can you do? Get out your portable radio and call for help or assistance! I have heard officers transmit, “Engine 99 to command, I have an injured firefighter and we are on the way out.”
Transmitting a mayday at this point would probably cause more mayhem and confusion than just assisting the member out to the street for treatment. That officer did have the option of declaring a mayday. And the option is always there, but does not always need to be activated. Simply evaluating your situation and calling for help on the tactical channel is an acceptable way of calling for help.
In sum
The work that we do and the conditions that we often work in vary dramatically. Lots of things can go wrong and every one of them is NOT a life-threatening situation that requires a mayday. We spend lots of time training on tactics and mayday and that is good. Take it a step further and empower your people to utilize all of their resources to call for help in the most appropriate and professional manner.
