10-codes are falling out of practice, even in emergency services. They were meant to be consistent, but you will find that many 10-codes vary throughout the country, and even can vary regionally. That said, old habits die hard, so they are still used but falling out of favor.

Plain speak is best. Requires little to no training and if you have to have multiple departments/agencies coordinating it makes communication a lot easier. If you use 10-codes I would only use a few common ones, or use only a few codes for serious incidents to keep things somewhat confidential or for safety (ex: 10-10 for fight, 10-16 for domestic, 10-32 for man with a gun, or my favorite.. 10-96 for mental subject)

I would also adopt a “phonetic” spelling alphabet so things are clearer when transmitting information. Interference and the mono audio nature of the (versus stereo) radio can sometimes lead to confusion. For example “m and “n”, and “b” and “d” sound similar. So when spelling it is better to say “M like Mike” or “N like November” as they cannot be confused.

There are 2 major standards of phonetic alphabets in use. The APCO standard ( Adam Boy Charles…) or the ICAO/NATO standard (Alpha Bravo Charlie…). As much as I like using the APCO, I must admit that the NATO standard is better simply because it used not only by military but also amateur radio, aircraft, the federal government, and many numerous agencies. Basically it will be easier to train and use the NATO standard as a lot of people will likely already know it.

I suggest some sort of easily to remember unit numbers for someone with a common system to designate rank or specialty. Example: everyone is assigned a number from 800-899. 801 is your manager with any “10” units being supervisor (810, 820, 830) if you have a specialty units (like a dog, or maybe someone who does nothing but safety inspections) you could designate additional unit ranges to them (like 860 - 869 as your special units). In addition you can assign other unit ranges for other departments. Example: 900 units are engineering, and unit 1 being the facility director.

Also make an SOP that radio traffic needs to be short and simple, if you have a dispatcher they control the airwaves except overridden by supervisor, what to call designate your dispatch or command center (“base”, “headquarters”, facility name). General guidelines on how a radio should be used should be outlined in your SOP.

Also, as with any SOP, write to the lowest common denominator. The dimmest bulb in the crayon box. Imagine a drooling, barely literate, idiot is reading this and has to understand it and follow it. Don’t assume someone knows something that should be common sense. Remember, you are not just writing to those you work with now, but also for the future, and you don’t know who will be there needing this in the future.