Syracuse Fire TAC Channel: Tactical Talkgroups, Dispatch Codes, and Fireground Coordination

By Mike Rivera, Senior Reporter. Published 2026-05-06. Last updated 2026-05-06.

Syracuse Fire Department uses a structured set of tactical talkgroups on the Onondaga County P25 trunked radio system to coordinate fireground operations, command and control, and mutual aid. The county-wide fire dispatch is talkgroup 1700, with tactical channels 1701 through 1709 assigned dynamically by the first-arriving officer based on the incident type. CNY Signal monitors all SFD talkgroups continuously and groups transmissions by incident in the public event database, allowing reporters to follow a structure fire from tone-out through scene clearance. This page documents the tactical channel structure for public reference.

The Onondaga County P25 Fire Talkgroup Structure

The Onondaga County 800 MHz P25 trunked radio system carries fire department traffic on
the 1700 series talkgroups. Per RadioReference Onondaga County system 2891 documentation,
the structure is: 1700 county-wide fire dispatch (the primary tone-out and dispatch channel);
1701 through 1709 fireground tactical channels assigned dynamically; 1710 county-wide fire
command (used for major incidents and inter-agency coordination); 1711 through 1715 mutual
aid coordination channels; and 1750 through 1759 administrative and training channels. The
system supports up to 9 simultaneous tactical channels per major incident, sufficient for
even the largest urban structure fire response.

How a Syracuse Fire Dispatch Unfolds

The standard sequence for a Syracuse Fire structure-fire response: 1) Onondaga 911
telecommunicator receives a 911 call and types it into the CAD; 2) the CAD generates a
tone-out on talkgroup 1700 with the address, response category (Box assignment 1, 2, 3, or
4), and unit assignments; 3) tone-out broadcasts simultaneously to all assigned units’ MDTs
(mobile data terminals) and station alerting systems; 4) the first-arriving company officer
takes command, declares the scene size-up on 1700, and assigns a tactical channel from the
1701 to 1709 pool for fireground operations; 5) subsequent units check in with command on
the assigned tactical channel; 6) the battalion chief upon arrival assumes command and may
upgrade or downgrade the response; 7) at scene clearance, command terminates and units
return to 1700 for in-service status. The full sequence typically takes 4 to 6 minutes from
tone-out to first-water-on-fire.

Box Assignments: 1, 2, 3, and 4 Alarm

SFD uses a 4-tier box alarm structure. Box 1 (single alarm): 2 engines, 1 truck, 1 rescue,
1 battalion chief (typical residential structure fire dispatch). Box 2 (second alarm): adds
2 engines, 1 truck, 1 rescue, 1 deputy chief. Box 3 (third alarm): adds 2 engines, 1 truck,
1 rescue, 1 chief. Box 4 (fourth alarm): adds 2 engines, 1 truck, 1 rescue, 1 chief plus the
mutual aid coordinator. Each escalation triggers a new tone-out on 1700 and may activate
additional tactical channels. The November 9, 2024 Salina Street commercial fire went to a
4-alarm response with 7 mutual aid departments, the largest 2024 Syracuse Fire response.

Tactical Channel Assignment Conventions

Per SFD operational procedure and confirmed by RadioReference talkgroup observations:
Tactical 1 (1701) is the primary fireground channel for the first-arriving company. Tactical
2 (1702) is typically assigned to truck operations (vertical ventilation, search and rescue).
Tactical 3 (1703) is typically assigned to RIT (Rapid Intervention Team) operations on a
working fire. Tactical 4 (1704) is typically assigned to EMS operations at fires with
patients. Tactical 5 (1705) is typically the staging area channel for a multi-alarm response.
Tactical 6 through 9 (1706-1709) are available for additional divisions or mutual aid.

Mutual Aid Coordination Channel

Talkgroup 1710 is the county-wide fire command channel used for major incidents
involving multiple departments. The November 2014 Snowvember response, the December 2022
ice storm, and the November 2024 Salina Street fire all used 1710 for inter-agency command.
The channel is also used for daily mutual aid coordination, fill-in coverage requests, and
strike team mobilization. CNY Signal does NOT publish 1710 audio in real time during active
emergencies because the channel may carry tactical information that could compromise
operations.

SFD Plain Language Dispatch

Onondaga County migrated away from 10-codes in the early 2000s after the federal
post-9/11 interoperability mandate. SFD currently uses plain English with a small set of
standard fireground terms: “size-up” (initial scene description), “Mayday” (firefighter in
distress, immediate response required), “PAR” (Personnel Accountability Report, command
checks all firefighters present and accounted for at 10-minute intervals), “PAR all clear”
(all firefighters accounted for), “stop and stay” (interior crews evacuate immediately to
exterior). The most-listened-for phrase in SFD comms is “Mayday” which triggers an immediate
deploy of the RIT team and a pause of all non-critical communications.

SFD Encryption Status

Most SFD talkgroups (1700 dispatch, 1701-1709 tactical, 1711-1715 mutual aid) are
unencrypted P25 digital. Onondaga County keeps fire interoperability open by policy. The
exception is talkgroups used for joint operations with SPD investigative units (rare), which
may be encrypted. CNY Signal captures all unencrypted SFD voice traffic for the public event
database. Encrypted talkgroups are not captured.

Notable 2024 Fireground Operations

From CNY Signal’s 2024 incident archive (with public details only): January 14 fire at
Destiny USA food court (Box 2, single tactical channel 1701, 90-minute mall evacuation, no
injuries). May 22 multi-family residential fire on Tipperary Hill (Box 3, three tactical
channels 1701, 1702, 1703, 12 displaced residents, no injuries). November 9 Salina Street
commercial fire (Box 4, six tactical channels 1701 through 1706, 7 mutual aid departments,
one civilian transport for smoke inhalation, no fatalities). The November 9 incident was the
largest 2024 SFD response by both alarm count and tactical channel count.

Frequently Asked Questions

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