Correct Radio Call for POB / Souls on Board
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As a former HEMs Pilot, It often pays dividends just to tell the truth,
IE "3 POB and one deceased person".
Making pathetic jokes about the recent dead is in fact just that...PATHETIC.
For the uninitiated, attending a scene that involves the death of a person or persons is not for the faint hearted nor is it the time and place to start making jokes within public earshot. Gallows humour was invented to help people come to terms with the often surreal and terribly tragic, not for exploitation by dickwads on forums such as this.
What a lot of fuss for something so simple but tragic.
Also SASless, it might not matter to the SAR that you have a deceased person on board but refering to the person as "A lump of red meat" might by slightly upsetting for the relatives. The original poster was refering to a real recent incident, a bit of decorum pleeeease!!!
DB nuff said.
IE "3 POB and one deceased person".
Making pathetic jokes about the recent dead is in fact just that...PATHETIC.
For the uninitiated, attending a scene that involves the death of a person or persons is not for the faint hearted nor is it the time and place to start making jokes within public earshot. Gallows humour was invented to help people come to terms with the often surreal and terribly tragic, not for exploitation by dickwads on forums such as this.
What a lot of fuss for something so simple but tragic.
Also SASless, it might not matter to the SAR that you have a deceased person on board but refering to the person as "A lump of red meat" might by slightly upsetting for the relatives. The original poster was refering to a real recent incident, a bit of decorum pleeeease!!!
DB nuff said.
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Same as Hummingfrog - we never had the authority to declare anybody dead, merely state "no apparent signs of life".
If they have been legally certified as dead then the body is freight.
If they have been legally certified as dead then the body is freight.
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I had an instructor in flight school who consistently used the phrase "...3 SOB's on Board..." when checking-in with ATC. 
ATC never corrected him; as far as I was concerned, there was no need to ... it was always good for a few laughs at the O'Club...
ATC never corrected him; as far as I was concerned, there was no need to ... it was always good for a few laughs at the O'Club...
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Despite DB gettting on his high horse that we're all making pathetic jokes the point I was trying to make has just been highlighted. So far we have had sweet potatos say
followed by alpineflyers say
So there is massive scope for misinterpretation out there. Nobody is necessarily right or wrong but generally, and yes of course there are exceptions, but generally a rescue/EMS aircraft is in contact with other agencies apart from ATC so there will be other sources of information as to what or whom are onboard than just ATC.
As an aside for those of you out there involved in lifting troops in operational environments, do you update ATC or equivalent with new POB everytime you lift or drop troops?
I'm a controller and would say go with "Souls on Board" if you are carrying a dead person
Was told "use souls for a living person and person for a dead body", i.e. 3 souls and 1 person on board.
As an aside for those of you out there involved in lifting troops in operational environments, do you update ATC or equivalent with new POB everytime you lift or drop troops?
Why do many aviation people still refer to "SOB" (Souls on Board)
On the odd occasion that I've had a body, I've included it as a POB mainly because it's not officially deceased until the hospital/doctor says so. And when winching survivors, we'd make a revised POB call once on the way back.
TipCap, even if we wanted to say anything Mother wouldn't reply anyway
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FFS.
POB = Persons on Board
SOB = Souls on board... ie dead bodies have had their souls departed....
When I flew into Brize, the RAF pilot said 18 POB, 17 SOB.
It sort of stuck in my mind.....
(edited as life is too short)
POB = Persons on Board
SOB = Souls on board... ie dead bodies have had their souls departed....
When I flew into Brize, the RAF pilot said 18 POB, 17 SOB.
It sort of stuck in my mind.....
(edited as life is too short)
Last edited by Bomb Doctor; 14th Jan 2010 at 16:04.
Bit of a time lag on messages in the UK during the Winter I guess....if using mirrors!
Almost like talking in Canada or Alaska in the Winter....have to wait till Spring for your words to thaw melt so you can hear what was said!
Almost like talking in Canada or Alaska in the Winter....have to wait till Spring for your words to thaw melt so you can hear what was said!
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At all times we state persons on board (in a seat, stretcher or a bag)
If we as first responders were to have an incident during the rescue operation, the ‘next’ SAR crew would add our numbers to the original numbers sought and move forward with the job. Nobody I work with would dream of saying anything about the condition of a victim(s) unless it was a completely successful operation with all victims and crew safe and secure.
The atmosphere when recovering single or multiple fatalities is sombre in the extreme and typically we pass fatalities via a coded system to the RCC once only. They generally have the common sense and good grace to say ‘copy that’ and nothing else…FS or ATC get no information other than a revised POB figure.
If we as first responders were to have an incident during the rescue operation, the ‘next’ SAR crew would add our numbers to the original numbers sought and move forward with the job. Nobody I work with would dream of saying anything about the condition of a victim(s) unless it was a completely successful operation with all victims and crew safe and secure.
The atmosphere when recovering single or multiple fatalities is sombre in the extreme and typically we pass fatalities via a coded system to the RCC once only. They generally have the common sense and good grace to say ‘copy that’ and nothing else…FS or ATC get no information other than a revised POB figure.
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Intriguiging thread...
Whirls' contribution makes great sense, which suggests POB and SOB mean the same thing and, impliedly, could well be interchangeable.
Clearly, POB it should be... Why? Well, when I pull pitch, I consider myself a POB. I've never considered myself an SOB, and if I did I wouldn't fess up here!
GP
Whirls' contribution makes great sense, which suggests POB and SOB mean the same thing and, impliedly, could well be interchangeable.
Clearly, POB it should be... Why? Well, when I pull pitch, I consider myself a POB. I've never considered myself an SOB, and if I did I wouldn't fess up here!
GP
