Radio and communications
The radio changes behavior when the drill starts. Before the clock, it is an open intercom for sorting things out. After the clock, it is a fireground channel.
Lobby: open microphones#
Before the drill starts, every microphone is open by default. Everyone hears everyone, several people can talk at once, and the audio is your normal voice with no radio processing.
Your control is a mute toggle:
| Button | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Green mic | You are live. Tap to mute. |
| Red slashed mic | You are muted. Tap to open your mic. |
Lobby audio is not recorded. It is relayed live to whoever is in the session and then it is gone: no file, no entry in the record, no transcript. Pre-drill conversation is not training record.
If your crew is sitting in one room on speakerphones, expect echo. Mute the people who are not talking, or use headsets.
Drill: half-duplex push-to-talk#
Starting the clock closes every open microphone and switches the radio to push-to-talk. From then on, one person transmits at a time, the same discipline as a working channel.
| Action | How |
|---|---|
| Transmit | Hold the radio button, or hold the spacebar. |
| Stop | Release. |
| When someone else is on air | The button shows Channel busy with their name and will not transmit. |
The spacebar works whenever you are not typing in a field.
Audio is processed to sound like a radio rather than a phone call, which is deliberate: crews should have to listen the way they will on the fireground.
What is recorded#
Everything transmitted after the clock starts is:
- archived as an audio clip attached to the drill record,
- transcribed automatically, and
- replayable in the after-action review, in place on the timeline, with the transcript searchable.
Transmissions shorter than about a third of a second are discarded as accidental keys.
Why half duplex#
Two crews talking over each other produces garble on a real channel, and the discipline of waiting for the channel is part of what is being trained. The server enforces it: if two people key up at the same instant, one gets the channel and the other is refused with a busy indication.
If the channel says busy and nobody is talking#
It clears itself within about three seconds. The channel status is broadcast live rather than stored, so a brief connection drop can leave a stale indication on one member's screen; the software detects the silence and releases the lock automatically. If you key up during a genuine transmission, the server refuses it and the lock returns, so there is no way to accidentally step on someone.
CAN reports#
The CAN report control sends a structured report: Conditions, Actions, Needs, and a declared heat level. Reports go into the feed for everyone and are part of the permanent record.
Use CAN reports for structured condition reports, especially from inside. Use the radio for anything that needs to be heard right now. They complement each other; neither replaces the other.
Dispatcher audio#
The synthesized dispatcher speaks at three points:
- Dispatch, when the clock starts: units, address, and time-out.
- Elapsed-time notifications, on the scenario's interval.
- PAR prompts, on the PAR interval or whenever the instructor triggers one.
Unit arrivals are deliberately not announced. Noticing that a unit is on scene is command's job.
Injects can also carry dispatcher text, which is spoken in the same voice.
Retention#
Radio audio is kept for 14 days, then deleted automatically. Transcripts are kept with the drill record permanently, so an old review still shows who said what, with the audio players silent. Reviews you intend to keep as audio should be exported or debriefed inside that window.