Emergency service response codes

They generally vary but often have three basic tiers: Some agencies may use the terms "upgrade" and "downgrade" to denote an increase or decrease in priority.

Multiple analyses link “Code 3” operations with crashes involving responders.

The National Incident Management System (NIMS) states "it is required that plain language be used for multi-agency, multi-jurisdiction and multi-discipline events, such as major disasters and exercises", and federal grants became contingent on this beginning fiscal year 2006.

[1] NIMS also strongly encourages the use of plain language for internal use within a single agency.

Plain language avoids confusion resulting from varying meanings assigned to different codes.

Historically “10-codes” and “signal codes” were used when radios were less reliable and frequent repetition was required.

Even though the grading is done by the control room, officers can request an incident be upgraded if they feel in their judgement they are needed immediately.

They can also request to downgrade an incident if they feel they cannot justify using emergency equipment like blue lights and sirens.

In the UK, only blue lights are used to denote emergency vehicles (although other colours may be used as sidelights, stop indicators, etc.).

These include cases such as a person with ongoing back pain but no recent injury.

Code 1: A time critical event with response requiring lights and siren.

Code 2: Unused within the Country Fire Authority Code 3: Non-urgent event, such as a previously extinguished fire or community service cases (such as animal rescue or changing of smoke alarm batteries for the elderly).

Marine Rescue NSW Code 1 Urgent Response - Use warning devices Code 2 Semi Urgent Response - Use of Warning devices at skippers discretion Code 3 Non Urgent Response - Warning Devices not needed Code 4 Training - No Warning devices to be used unless specifically needed for training The New South Wales Rural Fire Service and the New South Wales State Emergency Service use two levels of response, depending on what the call-out is and what has been directed of the crew attending the incident by orders of the duty officer: The New South Wales Police Force uses two distinct classifications for responding to incidents.

This operations centre is staffed by volunteers routing calls for assistance to the closest unit who will dispatch the events to individual teams.