Design of portable radio station according to requirements of fire and rescue service of Czech Republic

Abstract

Radio communication plays a key role in the communication support of intervening firefighters. It facilitates the transfer of information and the organization of rescue work by the incident commander. Nowadays, firefighters at the tactical level of command and control use radio stations and terminals that are not primarily designed and predestined for the needs of firefighters. Radio stations and terminals used by firefighters are designed universally for the needs of law enforcement units. The paper introduces partial results of the analysis performed among members of the Fire and Rescue Service of the Czech Republic in the field of communication support in operational control. One of the aims of the analysis was to determine the satisfaction of firefighters with the operation of portable radios, which are currently being put into the equipment of fire brigades in the Czech Republic and available on the current market. The paper presents the fundamental shortcomings defined by the respondents in the field of ergonomics, durability, endurance, and also the absence of functionalities of currently used portable radios. Last but not least, the paper seeks to introduce for a new portable radio station, which implements the findings of the analysis and also integrates the capabilities of other devices into one comprehensive one. © 2020 ACM.