999readyFree Demo
Free demo · Fire control

Call Handling & Radio Test

Take a 999 call to the fire service and log it. Then log the radio messages from crews at the incident, and answer questions using only your own records.

Best on a computer with a keyboard. This drill involves a lot of typing while you listen. It still works on a phone.
1
999 call
3
radio messages
3
questions

How it works

  1. 1. Call. Hear a 999 call and fill in the incident log: address, type of incident, persons reported, hazards, access and the caller's callback number.
  2. 2. Radio. Crews send messages using callsigns. Log each one: callsign, message type and the details.
  3. 3. Retrieve. Answer multiple-choice questions from your log, with 60 seconds per question. The recordings can't be replayed.
  4. Rules. Each recording plays once, like a live call. Use headphones if you can. The demo is a shorter incident.

Radio quick guide

  • Callsigns use the phonetic alphabet: “Kilo Two One” is K21. You can type either.
  • Status update: mobile, in attendance, available, returning.
  • Assistance message: more fire service resources, e.g. make pumps.
  • Informative message: what crews have found and are doing.
  • Request (other agency or service): gas, highways, housing, environment.
  • Stop message: no further resources needed.
  • “Make pumps four” asks for the total number of fire engines at the incident to be raised to four.
  • Short forms are fine in your log: BA (breathing apparatus), HRJ (hose reel jet), PR (persons reported).

Practice first (untimed)

Play a short transmission, log it, then check your entry. You can replay this one as often as you like.

Scottish Fire and Rescue Service lists an individual and a group “call handling and radio test” in its Firefighter Control selection, measuring your ability to listen, record and retrieve information. Formats differ between services and aren't published in detail, so this is original practice in that style, not any service's real test.

About the Fire Control Call Handling and Radio test

Fire and rescue control rooms take 999 calls, send crews and keep a record of every radio message from the incident. Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, for example, lists a call handling and radio test in its Firefighter Control selection, measuring how well you listen, record and retrieve information.

This free demo plays a short 999 fire call for you to log (address, incident type, persons reported, hazards, access and callback number), then radio messages from crews using callsigns such as Hotel Three One. You finish by answering questions from your own log. It is original practice in that style, not any fire service's actual test.

This is a free sample of the fire control call handling and radio assessment. Browse all the free demos or get full access for £14.99 to practice the complete question banks with no limits.