Decode the terms that appear in dispatch, planning and community advice.
Vehicle statuses
The official status reference lists: 1 available by radio; 2 available at station; 3 travelling to an incident; 4 on scene; 5 requesting transport; 6 unavailable for duty; 7 transporting a person; and 9 awaiting a vehicle to tow. Read the number as well as any colour used by your current theme.
TKB usage advice: a status describes the unit’s current state, not its suitability for every mission. An available vehicle can still be the wrong type, too far away or affected by a staffing requirement. A unit at an incident is not proof that every incident requirement has been fulfilled.
Mission development
An expansion replaces the original incident with a larger one at the same location. A follow-up creates additional work while the original incident continues and may be nearby. A subsequent mission appears after the original is finished, at the same location. Official help documents settings for follow-ups and expansions.
These terms matter when diagnosing an apparently incorrect response. If the original incident expanded, its original selection may no longer suffice. If a follow-up appeared, the first incident has not necessarily failed or vanished. Read each mission record rather than treating all related jobs as one dispatch.
Planning terms
- Eligibility: satisfying the conditions for a mission to enter the possible set; it does not guarantee immediate generation.
- Generation range: the area relevant to where an incident or qualifying POI can be selected for its generating station.
- Coverage area: a dispatch-centre grouping that can limit which buildings count towards regional mission eligibility.
- Throughput: completed work over time; a planning measurement, not a displayed universal game multiplier.
- Average payout: mean reward across a chosen set of missions; it depends on what is included.
- Reserve: usable resources intentionally kept available for overlapping demand; TKB planning terminology.
- Bottleneck: the capability, travel time or handling step repeatedly preventing completion.
Interface and community terms
- ARR: Alarm and Response Regulation, a reusable vehicle-selection rule.
- POI: Point of Interest, a marker used by certain mission-generation requirements.
- DC: Dispatch Centre, used for oversight and regional organisation.
- Share: make a personal mission available to alliance participation.
- Hold: an alliance convention asking participants to delay finishing; read local rules.
- Staging: temporarily positioning units near expected work.
- Graphic pack: visual assets applied to vehicles or missions; appearance does not change their underlying capabilities.
- Credits: earned in-game currency used for development; distinguish earnings from the current unspent balance.
- Coins: premium currency with both paid and some earned acquisition routes.
Use exact names
Vehicle abbreviations can differ between communities and national game versions. When asking for help, give the exact UK vehicle or course name and the displayed missing requirement. A familiar real-world acronym is not proof that two vehicles satisfy the same game requirement. Where this guide uses an informal planning term, it should help explain a decision rather than introduce a fictional game mechanic.
Sources and further reading
Latest editorial change: Added an answer-first summary, action checklist and related planning/reference link. Detailed source dates remain independent.
Official sources establish game rules; practical build orders and planning examples are TKB recommendations. Follow the UK game’s current requirement panel where a later update differs.