JohnBurke

Recently I overheard a radio exchange in Anchorage between an airplane on the UPS ramp, and tower and ground. An aircraft contacted the tower, and in the background a fire bell could clearly be heard. Visibility was low due to freezing fog, but operations continued as normal.

"Tower, xxx has a lower cargo fire indication, on the UPS ramp." The call was matter-of-fact.

"XXX, tower, contact ground on point nine, if you need anything."

"Roger."

The calling aircraft then contacted ground, with the same call. "Ground, xxx has a lower cargo fire indication, on the UPS ramp."

"XXX, ground copy."

A moment later, the fire aircraft called again, with the same statement, ""Ground, xxx has a lower cargo fire indication, on the UPS ramp."

"XXX, ground, can we help you with anything?"

"XXX has a cargo fire indication." The fire bell continued in the background, each time the airplane on the UPS ramp keyed the mic. The person making the radio call was very calm, professional, conversational.

"Would you like us to send you a truck? Ah, tell you what, we're going to send a truck." Shortly after that, ground advised that the truck was a minute out, and the fire aircraft requested a frequency to talk to the fire personnel. Ground advised they didn't have one, but could "probably" get the truck on ground frequency."

We didn't see the result or the followup, but it did spark a short conversation in the cockpit among the few of us. One comment regarded the calmness and professionalism with which the report was made regarding the fire warning. The most striking observation, however was with complete lack of response by ATC after being told repeatedly that the aircraft was experiencing a fire indication. In the peanut gallery, we weren't even observers, but just listeners, neither privy to the fire cockpit, or the tower cab, so could only listen.

Our observation was that a more aggressive statement might have yielded a better response from ATC: a statement of emergency, or even a clear request for the trucks. Our other response was that with a crew reporting that they might be on fire, with the fire bell active on every radio transmission, ATC should have been more responsive.

The moment was a reminder to us, as we listened, that while a calm, reasoned approach to an abnormal situation is certainly appropriate, any communication with ATC should be clear on what assistance we might require. It's why there's a minimum fuel call now. I've certainly been as guilty as any of understating a situation, and twice had ATC declare an emergency on my behalf and request trucks, when I didn't make the call or the request. In the first case, I shut an engine down on the climb-out and notified ATC I was returning, and why, and ATC notified crash rescue and made an emergency declaration. In the other case I had an explosive depressurization that blew a cockpit front window panel out, taking a headset, the checklist (and ironically the AFM) with it, as well as the top of the instrument panel and glareshield. It was quite loud, and communication difficult, and ATC made the call. When I hear something like the exchange in Anchorage, my interest is what I can take from the exchange. In this case, it's a reminder to self to be clear not only in stating my situation, but any assistance I require. I can't control ATC's response, but I can commit to be more precise in my own communication. We all listen and observe and part of our own experience base that affects our decision making and subsequent actions, comes not from what we've done, but what we've observed.

My takeaway is that in future, I won't rely on ATC (or another crewmember) to interpret what I've said, or guess; I'll endeavor to be more clear in how I communicate my need, want or circumstance. I will also try to be more responsive in listening, whether to another crewmember, ATC, or friend or family. I've had the unpleasant task of attending a funeral of a friend following a suicide that in hindsight, I should have seen coming, but didn't; perhaps more attentiveness would have altered that outcome. Perhaps not. A resolution to work on not only being clearer, but hearing clearer too, is in order.