10 codes

I have to ask because I am mad! I work for a F/T EMS service and I am a retired FF/Medic who has a question. How many Fire/EMS services still use 10 codes. I hate hearing 10-5 when you clear at a call. I think and thought that things were suppose to change follwing 9/11. Am I wrong? I guess what concerns me the most is that I was a carear FF/Medic in S.C and then moved back up north and started to run F/T EMS and the codes are diffrent. Is anyone also running into this problem?

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Permalink Reply by Eric on February 16, 2009 at 10:03am
I think that alot of agencies in many different areas of emergency response have moved away from 10 codes. I understand law enforcement using them as there are some things that you may not want people around you hearing. I think that the fire/ems realm is better off without. I think that the main problem that people run into is that with different jurisdictions come different 10 codes. Even then, many places have there own special codes for certain little things. I like plain english a whole lot better. As always, just my opinion.
Permalink Reply by Chuck Wright on February 16, 2009 at 10:38am
we left 10 codes behind long ago in Michigan
Permalink Reply by Bob Lloyd on February 16, 2009 at 11:04am
Dave,
You will find that those of us in the Northeast are a little slow on the uptake. But we can fight fire. Most places around the Rhode Island and Mass area no longer us the 10 codes or any form there of. The police departments on the other hand are a very different story. I guess they think they can keep things more low key that way. The funny thing is about ten minutes after they make up a new code those that listen in on the scanners already have the codes. There is one organization in this area that still uses the 10 codes around here. It is the Providence Citywide network. They are a fire buff network that does a great job and provides canteen service and support at greater alarm fires. they also notify those on the network about large scale incidents. They still use some 10 codes, but for the life of me I can never remember them. I like to try and remember the KISS principle.
Permalink Reply by Dennis Brown on February 16, 2009 at 2:05pm
I thought the 10 codes are for the police department here in jersey we dont use them in my town
Permalink Reply by Norman E. Flanders on February 16, 2009 at 3:45pm
Hi Dave,

We don't use the 10-codes for communications.

Things were to change. Under NIMS everything is to be common terminology, easy to understand and user friendly.

I guess everyone isn't using NIMS. Do you have a county mutual aid association/organization or other
similar organization that your dept. belongs to?
If so, why not approach them and ask to have it changed?

If you watch COPS you'll see the 10-codes do mean different things all across the USA.

Common terminology does make it so much simpler.

Good luck in trying to change this one.

Stay safe, train often and share knowledge.
Permalink Reply by Lucas Sikes on February 16, 2009 at 4:03pm
It really depends on the person. We used them for so long that some members just can't kick the habit, not to mention the volunteers that are also in law enforcement, who have to use them because nosey people use scanners.
Permalink Reply by Rob on February 16, 2009 at 4:18pm
Well, if the agency is going to be NIMS compliant they are to use plain english. Codes should be gone by now in all places, but we all know there will be hold outs (the county just west of me still uses them). One of the HSPD's that started the whole NIMS thing said plain english, no codes.
Permalink Reply by Rob on February 16, 2009 at 4:20pm
And nosey people with scanners have not figured your codes out? Folks around here would only need about 24 hours from the start of a new code and they all knew what it was.
Permalink Reply by Howard on February 16, 2009 at 4:38pm
They are just starting to push using it here in Quebec Canada
Permalink Reply by Eric on February 16, 2009 at 5:07pm
I like that, a little more like military terminology. I know it's off topic, but it gets me that different areas use different phonetic alphabets. I guess when it comes down to it, it isn't hard to figure out, a whole lot easier to figure out than other companies' 10 codes.
Permalink Reply by Eric on February 16, 2009 at 5:09pm
Don't get me wrong, I'm not sticking up for 10 codes, but 10-4 is practically universal.
Permalink Reply by CHRIS PUYLARA on February 17, 2009 at 11:26am
I have commented before on this subject,and at first,I was not for plain text......But now we are changing to all plain text---we just need to work on the dispatchers a little....LOL. We started using it in the last couple of weeks,and its kinda funny tring to put words where there used to be numbers.......LAFFIN.....CHRIS

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