Resource Road Radio Use Pilot Project

March 2008

BACKGROUND

• IMPROPER/INCORRECT USE OF 2-WAY RADIOS A KEY FACTOR IN SERIOUS INJURIES AND POSSIBLE FOREST ROAD DEATHS

• PROVINCIAL WORKING GROUP FORMED IN 2006 TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM

• crashes and close calls due to lack of communication or miscommunication

• inconsistencies in calling procedures, signage, area frequencies

• too many channel changes, especially in multiple user situations (other industries, more than one mill or contractor, etc)

• mobility of trucks – moving around the province, working in different areas because of weather and seasonal changes, truck shortages, new BCTS reallocation areas, longer hauls, 2 way hauls, mountain pine beetle, dimension logs, specialized mills....

SPECIFIC ISSUES

• Overlaps of radio traffic from other operations or adjacent drainages

• More than one radio frequency in use on a road.

• Too many channel changes, especially in multiple user situations (other industries, more than one mill or contractor, etc)

• One time or infrequent users have no access to radio frequencies or radio protocol

• Holder of radio frequency, reluctant to provide access to channel to secondary users

SPECIFIC ISSUES cont

• crashes and close calls because of lack of communication or miscommunication

• inconsistencies in calling procedures, signage, area frequencies

• Call procedures are unclear or change along a road or road system

• mobility of trucks – moving around the province, working in different areas because of weather and seasonal changes, truck shortages, new BCTS reallocation areas, longer hauls, 2 way hauls, mountain pine beetle, dimension logs, specialized mills....

• VHF Radio Pilot Projects – Working Group

Working Group formed in 2006 to improve resource road safety with representatives from:

MoFR Resource Tenures and Engineering Branch

B.C. Timber Sales

BCMOFR Radio Operations

B.C. Forest Safety Council, Trucksafe

Industry Canada, Spectrum Management

Working group developed a new communications protocol

Plus consultation with other stakeholders, including:

•Road Use Permit Holders

•Contract log haulers

•Service industry (fuel, repairs, low beds etc)

•Radio suppliers/installers

WORKING GROUP PROPOSALS:

• ESTABLISH A STAND-ALONE PROVINCE-WIDE SET OF RESOURCE ROAD CHANNELS

• MOFR TO ALLOCATE ONE OF THESE CHANNELS TO EACH FOREST SERVICE ROAD SYSTEM

• ESTABLISH A COMMON SET OF CHANNELS FOR LOADING AND UNLOADING SITES

• STANDARDIZED ROAD CHANNEL SIGNAGE AT THE START OF A FOREST SERVICE ROAD

• STANDARD FOR KILOMETRE MARKERS TO INCLUDE ROAD NAME, KM STATION AND DIRECTION OF TRAVEL AS USED ON THAT ROAD

• TWO PILOT AREAS (CENTRAL/SOUTH VANCOUVER ISLAND/SUNSHINE COAST & OJAY AREA NEAR TUMBLER RIDGE)

• IMPLEMENT PROVINCIALLY

Regulations

–

Forest and Range Practices Act

 F

OREST

SERVICE

ROAD

USE

REGULATION

B.C. Reg. 70/2004 Last Amendment: B.C. Reg. 354/2004

• – Forest and Range Practices Act

• FOREST SERVICE ROAD USE REGULATIONB.C. Reg. 70/2004

Regulations

Use of 2-way radio (S. 5)• 1) A driver on a forest service road who uses a 2-way

radio to communicate with other drivers on the road must announce, in accordance with any road markers posted at intervals along the road, – (a) his or her position, and • (b) the branch of the road being travelled, if the radio's

signal can be received on more than one adjacent branch of the road.  

• (2) Subsection (1) applies to a driver only if • (a) the driver uses a radio frequency provided by the

holder of a private commercial radio station licence, or other licence under the Radiocommunication Act (Canada) and the regulations under that Act, to communicate with the other drivers, and 

• (b) the forest service road is posted with a sign that indicates the radio frequency that is to be used.

Traffic control devices (S.6)• (1) A district manager or an official may cause a traffic control

device to be erected on a forest service road if, in the district manager's opinion, restrictions on the use of the road or the traffic on the road are required to achieve the purposes of section 4 (b) and (c) of the Ministry of Forests Act.

• (2) Without limiting the generality of subsection (1), a traffic control device may be used in any of the following ways: – (a) to close the road to all traffic or to specified categories or sizes

of motor vehicles including those not engaged in commercial activities; 

– (b) to close the road totally, or for a specified period of time; – (c) to regulate the movement of traffic; – (d) to require the use of 2-way radio systems during certain hours

in order to coordinate the movement of traffic, including specifying the radio frequency to be used on portions of forest service roads; 

– (e) to restrict the use of vehicles having characteristics that could damage the forest service road or create a safety risk; 

– (f) to warn drivers of hazardous or unusual conditions existing on forest service roads.

Regulation SummaryUse of 2-way radio 

In general, a driver on a forest service road who uses a licensed 2-way radio to communicate with other drivers on the road must announce his or her position, in accordance with:

• any road markers posted at intervals along the road, and

• the forest service road sign that indicates the radio frequency that is to be used

MoF Position on Radio Use for Staff

• Ministry policy has been that handheld radios for communicating with other vehicles on resource roads is not permitted - mobile (truck mounted) radio units are required.

• In cases where temporary Ministry staff or Ministry Contractors (such as fire wardens) require access the Ministry can provide a higher power seatback unit (Mobile “breadboard” with magnetic mount antenna) to improve safety and communications with other road traffic.

• For Protection staff, fire wardens or other contract users they can obtain a seatback radio by requesting through Regional Radio shops. Several have been ordered for districts.

• There is a need to develop a standard for operating and communicating on Resource Roads to meet the needs of single and multiple users in order that they may operate and communicate safely.

• To this end the MOF/BCTS has obtained radio frequencies which are available to provide effective coverage to all users while operating on Forest Service Roads (FSR's.)

• No requirement for “letter of authority”—channels are available to all road users

COAST PILOT

INITIAL IMPLICATIONS FOR PILOT AREAS

• Rationalize road systems and if necessary establish new PoC and road names.

• Map road systems and spatially assign radio channels

• Install frequencies in Ministry radios• Install new Radio Channel and kilometre

marker signs• Advise road users• Advise public and others

• Dear Permittee:• Please be advised that effective _____________ the Ministry of Forests and

Range will be implementing part of the Resource Radio Frequency pilot project. All road users will be required to have the proper channels installed for operation on the ______________ Service Road (FSR). Radio frequencies will be posted at the start of the FSR.

• It is recommended that permittee's have the full bank of new Resource Road frequencies installed. Industry Canada has sent all radio shops the necessary information to upgrade your radios. The initial frequency for the _______________ FSR is:

• ____________, Frequency ____________, Tone __________• As this is a pilot project, the initial frequency may change if problems with

transmissions or reception are encountered.• For more information please view the Ministry of Forests and Range website at• http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/dsi/ or the BC Timber Sales website at• http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/bcts/areas/TSG.htm or contact _______________,

Engineering Specialist, BC Timber Sales, Strait of Georgia Business Area, at _______________.

• Yours truly,

• Trish Balcaen• District Manager• South Island Forest District

Notification Letter Template

Establishing Radio Channels

Resource Road Channels

• A series of Resource Channels have been dedicated for use on FSR’s. These channels have been previously assigned and are unique to each road system.

• Radio users are to only use the identified channel for that road system, which will be posted at the start of the FSR (use of alternate RR channels may interfere with other nearby road systems)

VHF Radio Pilot Projects – Working Channels

14 frequencies with 3 tone codes each for a total of 42 dedicated narrow band channels

33 road and 9 loading channels

low (5W) and high (30W) power channels

standardized signage

standardized radio call procedures

33- RR Channels

9- Loading Channels

42- Channels Total

VHF Radio Pilot Projects – Preliminary Testing ResultsResults to date: 5W channels provide adequate coverage in most cases,

often getting good audible reception at 7 – 18 km

Subtle ridges can create dead spots but hard to predict by visual inspection, reduces reception to 4 km

Adequate coverage depends on topography and road geometry

Tsitika signage has been very well received

FSR Radio Mapping Procedures• The Road Manager will identify the “Main”

road and establish Branch names and numbers.

• The Road Manager will select the Point of Commencement (PoC) of each road.

• The PoC will normally be the log dump, highway connection or junction with another FS road.

• The kilometre numbering for each branch road off of the main will recommence at Km 0 and be spatially established.

• VHF Radio Pilot Testing –Outstanding Issues

What’s an acceptable communication distance?

If 5W channels are implemented will a detailed risk assessment be required on each road to find dead spots and position “must call” signs?

Finalize call procedures

Determine Provincial roll out date

Public awareness

Public/Other Commercial Users Awareness

• Standardized signage

• Standardized channels

• Public Service Announcements (PSA’s)

• Low watt FM broadcasts is key areas (Sproat Lake 88.1 MHz)

Resource Road Call Procedures

Radio Call Procedure GoalsThis procedure is intended to address four

distinct parts;• 1) provision of dedicated “Resource Road

Safety Channels”;• 2) Provision of operational “Loading

Channels”• 3) Establishment of standardized road

signage• 4) Development of standardized radio call

procedures

VHF Radio Pilot Projects – Call procedures

Default Call Procedure identified for province-wide use:

Call frequency: every km traveling in either direction

Call order: Road Name – Kilometer – Direction – Vehicle type

Rules for convoy calling

“Must call” at junctions and other key points

Radio Call Procedures

When using a radio to announce locations, the operator will;

• Call when entering onto the FSR or onto any named spur roads

• at each kilometre mark subsequently, or “Must Call” sign

• announce vehicle type and then information as indicated on the sign (ie “Fuel Truck,--Eve River—12 km—Up”)

• Every vehicle will call each kilometre

Road Signage

• At the PoC of the “main FSR” an identification sign, and the Resource Road (RR) channel (and frequency and tone) sign will be posted

Branch Roads

• Each driveable branch road will have an identification sign posted at the PoC

Kilometre Signage

• Kilometre signs will be installed at every kilometre—visible from both directions

• Signs will indicate road name, road mark and direction of travel.

• Kilometre signs will be installed both ways on the road, to cover travel in either direction

VHF Radio Pilot Projects - Signage

New signage

LOADING CHANNEL ASSIGNMENTS FOR PILOTS

Loading Channels• The loading channels are intended to be utilized

for communications for operational requirements (e.g. between truck drivers and loader operators, during loading and unloading situations). They are not to be used while travelling on roads

• Upon entering a cut block, landing or sort yard the radio channel to be used will be posted along with the worksite operator’s company name.

• The worksite operator may select any of the available Loading Channels providing it does not conflict with other users in the immediate area.

• The worksite operator will be responsible for supplying and installing the LD sign.

Loading Channels cont

• The loading channels are intended to be utilized between truck drivers and loader operators, during loading and unloading situations. They are not to be used while traveling on roads

• Upon entering cut block, landing or sort yard the radio channel to be used will be posted along with the worksite operators company name.

Loading Channels

Channel Frequency Tone

LD-1A 150.590 114.8

LD-1B 150.590 123.0

LD-1C 150.590 131.8

LD-2A 150.680 114.8

LD-2B 150.680 123.0

LD-2C 150.680 131.8

LD-3A 151.670 114.8

LD-3B 151.670 123.0

LD-3C 151.670 131.8

Loading Channels Signage

Trucksafe

SAFETY IMPLICATIONS

How will this make the roads safer?• every radio-equipped vehicle will have the same resource road safety channels programmed in across the province

• dedicated resource road safety channels will be clearly identified by specific signage, which will ensure clear communication

• road channels will not be used for loading channels

Forestry TruckSafe’s Commitment• education of road users around new radio channels and usage

• communication with road users through Forest Safety Council website, Rumblings newsletter, presentations, media, public meetings

• exploring options on finding funding assistance for re-programming with new channels in pilot areas

• communications with Industry Canada and BC Timber Sales re: radio-use related incidents on roads

• development of regional “radio calling procedures” with stakeholders

Forestry TruckSafe’s Commitment cont’d

• to support BCTS contractors by providing information packages

• to educate non-forestry resource road users – oil & gas, mining, guiding, tourism, service industry

• to provide web-based on-going support that will allow road users to identify what channels are used where; who is using them, what the “rules of the road are” and what the radio calling protocols are

• provide “hotline” support to deal with issues as they arise

Trucksafe

SAFETY SURVEY FOR STANDARDIZED OFF-HIGHWAY RADIO CALLING PROCEDURES

SAFETY SURVEY FOR STANDARDIZED OFF-HIGHWAY RADIO CALLING PROCEDURES

VHF Radio Pilot Projects – Call procedures Truckers/Users Perspective

Positive feedback from recent Trucksafe survey: Province wide standard

supported

Majority favor “Up / Down” for call direction

Opportunity to fine-tune procedures for local conditions

Changes should be developed and endorsed by a road user committee

1. In your opinion, which of the following issues around radio use are the top three contributors to crashes or unsafe road use around the

province?

Chatter 519 58%

Wrong channels and/or frequencies 305 34%

Different radio calling procedures 182 20%

Signage 200 22%

Power/wattage 15 2%

Vehicles without radios 323 36%

Radio-equipped vehicles not calling 394 44%

“convoy calling” – calling for more than one vehicle 25 3%

“walking over” – too many users on one channel 271 30%

Changing channels too many times on one cycle 98 11%

Not being allowed to program your own radio 116 13%

Permission to use channels 19 2%

“scanning” while driving 136 15%

Other, please specify 172 19%

2. Is a province wide standardized radio calling procedure a good idea?

Yes- same procedure for everyone throughout the province 449 51%

There should be an allowance for regional variations 133 15%

There should be an allowance for both regional and local variations 303 34%

Total 885 100%

Calling direction: “Up” and “Down”

• The proposed new rules would require vehicles to call “up” as they move away from the highway and “down” as they move towards the highway.

3. Do you agree with the logic behind the working group’s recommendation to use “up” and “down” to indicate

direction?

No way 141 16%

Partly 195 22%

Ok 184 21%

Guess so 59 7%

Absolutely 318 35%

Total 897 100%

4. How often should vehicles moving towards the highway call their position on the radio?

Every kilometre 225 26%

Every two kilometres (on the even kilometre) 636 74%

Total 861 100%

Calling order:

• The proposed new rules would require drivers to call “Road – kilometer- direction – ‘type’ of vehicle”

• Since knowing what’s coming may change how a driver chooses to operate (i.e.: pickup vs. log truck),

• and since order of calling is important because often operators will start speaking before they key the mike, this calling order was chosen to try and make sure the most important information has the highest chance of getting broadcast. Signage will match the calling order.

5. Do you agree with the logic behind the working group’s recommendation about calling order

No way 101 11%

Partly 184 21%

Ok 201 23%

Guess so 72 8%

Absolutely 335 38%

Total 893 100%

6. Should vehicles identify what type they are? (e.g.: pickup, lowbed, tanker, etc)

Never 16 2%

Always 664 75%

Only wide loads 210 24%

Total 890 100%

7. When is the best / most sensible time to implement new radio calling rules?

After break-up in the interior and at the start of the new season on the coast. 568 65%

As soon as possible and all at once around the province. 301 35%

Total 869 100%

8. What is the best way to inform road users about the radio calling standard? (Indicate as many as you like)

Fax 135 15%

Email 265 30%

Newsletters 226 25%

Commercial radio 151 17%

Through the mills/Ministry of Forests 312 35%

Presentations to explain it all 142 16%

Road user groups 196 22%

Posted at the scales 256 29%

All of the above 542 61%

Incident Reports Involving Radio Communications

Lapses

as reported to the B.C. Forest Safety Council (Trucksafe)

Why is a standard radio use protocol necessary?

• to reduce incidences of crashes in the bush because somebody was on the wrong channel

• to ensure that wherever you are in the province, you have the right channel in your radio

Both these incidents were loaded trucks rear-ending other loaded trucks in adverse weather conditions –both weren’t on the right channel as they were short term hauls, and didn’t get channels programmed into their radios.

• “reports of log trucks and pickups traveling to and from the workplace and not using proper radio protocol”

• “Immediately after the notice of an accident is broadcast, all traffic stops at the closest available pullout and stays stopped until given the all clear”

• “Log truck/silviculture crew suburban narrowly missed contact due to missed radio calls when approaching a frequency switch board”

• Warn all drivers to use radios and clear loaded traffic.

• Pick up truck towing trailer did not have a radio.

• Log truck slowed to pass but pickup tried to back up causing trailer to jackknife in front of log truck

• Verbal agreement between two loaded trucks that the second truck would remain silent.

• Second truck driver later missed a “both ways” call.