When Communicating with “Control” Details Matter

This fall I was driving the ambulance for standby duty for a NCAA playoff sporting event associated with the college at which I work. Let’s call the school “ABC”. Let’s call my ambulance “999”. When ending a standby around here the typical communication with control would go like this:

999: “Control, 999”

Control: “Control is on for 999”

999: “999 back in service from the ABC game”

Control: “Affirmative 999, I have you back in service at ”


Well, at the particular game I was at our team won unexpectedly. We were very pleased. Instead of the third line above, I decided to say:

999: “999 back in service from the ABC victory”

I figured it was the name number of words and I wasn’t wasting any bandwidth, and I figured anyone with a scanner on would want to know the outcome of the game since everyone assumed we would lose.

Fast forward to last night. We are at home listening to the scanner as I am about to be on call, and my wife (I was reading a book to my son who was going to bed) hears our second rig call back in service from a playoff event for a different sport:

998: “Control, 998”

Control: “Control is on for 998”

998: “998 back in service from the ABC game”

Control: “Affirmative 998, I have you back in service at ”

998: “Received”

Control: “Control to 998”

998: “998”

Control: “WELL, DID YOU WIN?”

998: “AFFIRMATIVE!”

Lesson learned: When communicating with 911 control you need to convey all of the important information.