Mayday

911, what is the address of the emergency?

"Mayday" is an old radio term, and is supposedly rooted in French, "M'aider!", a shortening of, "Venez m'aider" - come to help me! It's a phrase one never wants to hear outside a drill, because it means a field unit has had things go absolutely sideways. Every agency has (or should have) Mayday procedures somewhere readily accessible, and they should be clear, concise, and simple.

If you haven't read them recently, do yourself a favor... go find your agency policy or procedure for mayday/officer down calls. Review them. Make sure you know them inside-out and can run that radio call without having to think about it. When our brothers and sisters in the field are having their worst day, it's our duty to get it right, right now.

The accolades, handshakes, and thank-yous after the fact are wonderful, but there is no greater feeling than hearing one single sentence on the air:

"Dispatch, the mayday company is clear of the structure."

Call me back right away if anything changes.