Basic Emergency Communication Practices

Basic Emergency Communication Practices
The following basic guidelines are a starting point towards being a good emergency communicator: 
• Listen before transmitting. 
• Use standard ITU phonetics. 
• Use 24-hour time format. 
• Accuracy is the first priority, rather than speed. 
• Be clear and concise by not using unnecessary words. 
• Talk across the FACE of the microphone. 
• Transmit messages exactly. 
• Always transmit FACTS rather than hearsay. 
• Stay alert -- take breaks when needed. 
• Always know your location. 
• Avoid using Q-signals or 10-codes in voice transmissions. 
• Speak slowly and clearly, with little emotion in your voice. 
• Use tactical call signs whenever possible. 
• No wisecracks or jokes on an emergency net. 
• Never transmit the names of deceased individuals over a voice channel. 
• Read every message before transmitting it. If you have questions about what is being communicated, get clarification from the originating party. A good message will never require the recipient to ask for additional information.

Pro word Dictionary for Emergency Communication
To facilitate efficient communications, the following procedural words, or "pro-words", were developed for use in emergencies, and by other communicators, such as air traffic controllers. 
• AFFIRMATIVE means "Yes" or "I agree" or "Permission granted." 
• BREAK means you have emergency traffic that must be passed immediately. 
• CHECK BREAK means you are pausing to verify that the receiving station has copied your      message. An appropriate response from the receiving station would be "COPY." 
• CLEAR or OUT means your transmission is completed and no answer is required or expected. 
• CLOSE means you are shutting down your station and can no longer be contacted. 
• COPY THAT or ROGER means you have received the transmission satisfactorily. 
• CORRECT means you acknowledge what was transmitted as correct. 
• CORRECTION means an error has been made and the transmission will continue with the last   word correctly transmitted. 
• DECIMAL indicates a decimal point. 
• DISREGARD means an error has been made in the transmission that is in progress and you are   to completely ignore this transmission. 
• FIGURES means that the following words are to be copied as numbers. 
• I SPELL means you will spell the following word(s) phonetically. 
• NEGATIVE means "No" or "I disagree" or "Permission denied." 
• OUT or CLEAR means your transmission is completed and no answer is required or expected. 
• OVER means you are finished with your transmission and the other station is expected to reply. 
• ROGER or COPY THAT means you have received the transmission satisfactorily. 
• SAY AGAIN means you want the last message to be repeated. You may include a modifier to have part of a message repeated, as in the following examples: 
    o "Say again ALL AFTER __________" 
    o "Say again ALL BEFORE _________" 
    o "Say again WORD AFTER _________" 
    o "Say again WORD BEFORE ________" 
• STANDBY or WAIT means you are not yet ready to copy. You may include a time modifier, such as "Standby one." 
• THIS IS means the transmission is from the station whose call sign follows. 
• WAIT or STANDBY means you are not yet ready to copy. You may include a time modifier, such as "Standby one."