Effective communication in emergency situations

The importance of clear emergency communication can’t be overstated. Every delay could cost lives. The emergency may quickly escalate, and any time spent clarifying emergency messages is time wasted. However, communicating in an emergency is something that can be learned, and it all begins with thoughtful planning. 

Effective communication in emergency situations begins with planning

Risk assessments are a requirement for almost any business or organisation. It’s a time to think about all the things that might go wrong and what you can do to eliminate or mitigate risks. There are contexts in which risk can’t be eliminated. When there’s a chance, however small, of the worst happening, emergency planning should be part of your risk mitigation strategy.

As part of this, communication channels for workers who may encounter or respond to emergency situations must be available, reliable, and effective. Professional emergency workers are trained to communicate in emergency situations because it’s part of their daily work. In most businesses and industries, however, emergencies are the exception rather than the rule. Preparation and training will be key.

Aside from providing the means and channels for emergency communication, running practice in which workers learn how to communicate in an emergency will help. Use emergency drills as an opportunity to evaluate and improve emergency communications. Brevity and clarity will be important considerations. While frequent drills can be disruptive, they will help workers respond instinctively in crisis situations that leave little to no time for rational thought. 

Remember to think beyond the immediate emergency to include communication with people in the vicinity who may be at risk. Prepare additional communications to keep them safe. For example, if you need to evacuate an area, the communication must be calm, clear, and to-the-point. Often, these messages are pre-recorded and played on public address systems or via fire alarm systems. This leaves controllers free to deal with evolving emergencies. 

The best methods for communicating in emergencies

For people in high-risk situations, rapid access to emergency help will be crucial. Push to talk (PTT) devices save the time they’d otherwise need to dial numbers. Emergency buttons to sound alarms, and dedicated emergency channels to avoid interference and instantly reach affected persons are equally important. 

Two-way radios are inarguably the best devices for emergency messaging. And, if there is any risk of explosive atmospheres, intrinsically safe radios that can’t act as a source of ignition will be needed. In lower-risk industries, cellular phones, ideally with PTT functionality, are the next-best solution.

Benefits of two-way radios in emergency communication

There are very practical reasons why two-way radios are the preferred communication tools in mission-critical operations like emergency services and high-risk industries such as construction, security and oil and gas:

• They can still work when cell phone signals and telephone lines are down. 
• One-to-many communication means that emergency messages are instantly received by all affected parties.
• Using portable repeaters, it’s possible to set up wide area networks that allow for collaboration and reduce the chance of physical materials blocking signals.
• One-touch or hands-free communication using headsets allows those on the scene to implement emergency response actions while still communicating effectively.
• Emergency buttons, GPS, and man down features ensure that emergency communications are prioritised, workers can be tracked, and those in need of aid can be identified and located. 
• Longer battery life means there’s less chance of communication failure.
• Noise cancelling features allow for good audio quality in noisy environments.
• Durable construction protects devices in harsh conditions or if they are subjected to impacts.