Support operational and tactical commanders in the effective management of communications for pre-planned and spontaneous incidents.
A high-level understanding of the provisions made for the operational use of mandated and mutual aid talk groups, together with the Airwave service requirements around major incident and event planning.
Upon completion, learners can take on responsibility for their operational and tactical planning teams and provide advice and best practice guidance on all aspects of the operational use of Airwave.
Aims
This course enables users to:
- become qualified communications advisors, covering all aspects of emergency services’ operational communications
- support the operational and/or tactical commander in the effective management of both pre-planned events and spontaneous incidents
Key topics
This course covers:
- the role and responsibilities of an Airwave communications tactical advisor
- the communications requirements for pre-planned and emergency situations
- the importance of operational communications and their usage
- the joint operating rules and working practices within your own organisation
- national guidance and policies covering operational communications
- the importance of interoperability and the different operational communications approach in other organisations
- the operational and flexible use of Airwave
- how to provide communications advice to incident commanders
| Qualification eligibility |
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|---|---|
| Prerequisites |
It is advisable that learners:
The course vetting requirement for courses held at Ryton is a DBS or BPSS screening, due to it being a secure site. For all other sites, the course vetting requirement is BPSS or three years of continuous employment. Please be aware these spaces are on a first come, first served basis. You will need a purchase order to secure your space. |
| Practitioner group |
|
| Duration |
Three days |
| Accreditation |
No
|
| Cost |
Non-residential: £397.50 (subject to review April 2025) |
| Course contact |
Booking
|
The course is delivered by a multi-agency training team and delivered to a multi-agency audience to maximise the benefit for all learners.
This is an assessed course, meaning learners are required to complete a multiple-choice theory assessment as well as an assessed professional discussion with a trainer regarding the advice they would give in the event of a spontaneous event.
For learners who require to undertake the role of covert airwave tactical advisor, contact:deliveryadmin@college.police.uk
All courses are subject to cancellation if minimum numbers are not achieved.
2025 course timetable
- Tuesday 11 to Thursday 13 February, Lancashire Police Headquarters, Preston – places available
- Tuesday 4 to Thursday 6 March, Emergency Planning College (EPC) York – places available
- Tuesday 18 to Thursday 20 March, Ryton – places available
- Tuesday 1 to Thursday 3 April, Maidstone, Kent – places available
- Wednesday 14 to Friday 16 May, Emergency Planning College (EPC) York – places available
- Tuesday 15 to Thursday 17 July, North West Ambulance Service (NWAS), Liverpool – places available
- Tuesday 29 to Thursday 31 July, Gloucestershire – places available
- Tuesday 28 to Thursday 30 October, Lancashire Police Headquarters, Preston – places available