By Fred LaFemina
FireRescue1 Columnist

The single most devastating radio transmission for an incident commander is a mayday message from a trapped or lost firefighter. The already high level of stress at an operation skyrockets the minute a mayday is transmitted. It seems that all fire personnel seem to lose their focus on the mission at hand — the fire — because of the potential for tragedy that is present during the rescue attempt of a trapped firefighter.

But before you end up in a mayday situation, all fire personnel should ask themselves the following questions: "Am I ready to transmit an emergency message for myself or for someone else if the situation starts to go bad quickly? Can I use my training to follow the sequence of steps necessary to save me or my fellow brothers? Can I transmit the message in a clear, concise manner using the proper terminology?"

Be brutally honest with yourself — stop right now and run an emergency transmission through your head. Use the procedures taught in your jurisdiction and do it, right now. I bet some of you fumbled a bit, which is OK because you caught yourself now. Imagine fire over your head with the heat pushing you down to your belly; think it will be easy to relay your message then? I assure you, it will not. Chances are you’ll be in a situation where you should’ve already realized you were in trouble. Delivering the message to the incident commander or anybody who is listening is the No. 1 priority. If no one is aware of your predicament, your chances for survival will be compromised. Once your mayday message is transmitted, you need to make sure someone acknowledges that it’s been received. 

Once the incident commander receives and acknowledges your transmission, he or she can pull the trigger on a sequence of events that will assist you to safety or possibly save your life. I have personally operated at these incidents, and the one thing that sticks out in my mind is that no two transmissions were the same. Some were transmitted according to proper procedures, and others were not. But, they were all received and addressed. Do not get me wrong, training on the proper radio transmission procedures is necessary, but there will be times when your situation requires you to use different terminology. It may not necessarily be the proper radio procedures, but conditions may warrant it and your No. 1 goal is to get the message transmitted. A lot of departments want their personnel to turn on their personal alert safety system immediately after letting the incident commander know they are in trouble. So now you have this piercing noise that will assist in locating you, but will hinder your ability to continue to clearly transmit additional information.

There are some actions you can take when you realize you’re lost or trapped. The most important thing to remember: Always be aware of your surroundings and recognize potential dangers as early as possible. If you are lost, you are lost — that is a mayday. Sure, you’ll take some ribbing from the guys at the firehouse, but you’ll be there to take it. Everyone at the scene and in the department will be able to learn from your experience. Once you recognize the danger, transmit the mayday message in a calm, matter-of-fact voice. It sounds easy, but I assure you it is not. The mayday should clear the radio of all other transmissions except for other life-saving operations occurring simultaneously. All other radio traffic should cease. Make sure your message is acknowledged; if it is not, you must assume no one heard it. State whether you are trapped or lost, or if other firefighters are trapped or lost. Transmit your location, who you are with or who else might be trapped. Describe the conditions around you that may cause injury, such as visible fire or diminishing air. Then, turn your PASS alarm (or your emergency system locator) to the on position.

For the incident commander, I cannot stress the importance of continuing to fight the fire. It is quite possible that once the fire is out, some of the problems will go away. Furthermore, other problems may fail to materialize if you put the fire out. Assign specific members or units to address the mayday. If possible, assign an officer to supervise the rescue operation. It is important for you to delegate this task, especially if you have an active fire scene.
 
Although the stress level will be elevated during these operations, try to remain calm. Use your training and your firefighting instincts to assure a successful outcome. This subject has always been a hot topic. I welcome any comments, suggestions or operational procedures you would like to discuss with me.