Natl Incident Radio Support Cache / Natl Interagency Fire Ctr

[jbsarandolphmonitor]

Should I program these frequencies into my radio? I don't know if they would ever be used. I live near San Antonio.
Natl Incident Radio Support Cache / Natl Interagency Fire Ctr Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference

Thanks
Don

 

[nd5y]

I can't hurt but you will probably never hear anything on them unless there is a wildfire large enough that they have to bring in federal resources and a federal inicdent management team takes over. Like the fires in Bastrop and Palo Pinto counties a few years ago. See also Texas A and M Forest Service (TX) - The RadioReference Wiki

 

[jbsarandolphmonitor]

I didn't think I needed them. I will wait for a wildfire to break out in my area before I program these frequencies in.

Thanks
Don

 

[shanny19]

Texas is a bit different from the western states. For initial and extended attack, most of the air to ground traffic will be on Texas Fire 1 (as opposed to any of the national numbered air to ground freqs), and most of the flight following activity will be on TFS repeaters (as opposed to National FF).

 

[KB7MIB]

Wirelessly posted (Opera/9.80 (BREW; Opera Mini/6.0.3/27.2338; U; en) Presto/2.8.119 320X240 LG VN530)

IIRC, a National Incident Management Team and the NIRSC/NIFC channels can be utilized for more than just wildfires. Things like hurricanes, tornado outbreaks, flooding, earthquakes, civil emergencies, etc could result in local emergency management asking for federal management help.
In some video of the flooding in Colorado, I believe I saw the back of a guy in a wildland firefighting uniform (hardhat, yellow shirt, green pants and what may have been a radio chest pack) guiding the unloading of a National Guard Chinook helicopter. He may have been a state employee, but he may also have been a federal one.
And don't forget the federal/local interoperability channels, such as the RTAC's.

 

[jbsarandolphmonitor]

I was asking because of hurricane season. I saw that they might use these frequencies after a hurricane. I guess I will program them in with the tfs frequencies also. I do have the fed interop frequencies programmed in. Just getting ready if a hurricane would come my way.

thanks
Don

 

[KB7MIB]

Wirelessly posted (Opera/9.80 (BREW; Opera Mini/6.0.3/27.2338; U; en) Presto/2.8.119 320X240 LG VN530)

I don't see "RTAC" listed in the DB anymore. It may be an old designation that's been replaced by something else. Anyway, IIRC, the frequencies were above 162 MHz.
Edit: They're part of Arizona's Interop plan. 161.8500 - RTAC-1; 161.8250 - RTAC-2; 161.875 - RTAC-3.
In the nationwide listings, look at the Interoperability, Federal Disaster, and NIRSC/NIFC listings.

 

[jbsarandolphmonitor]

Thanks KB7MIB. I have programmed in Interoperability, Federal Disaster, and I am working on the NIRSC/NIFC frequencies.

Don

 

[drdispatch]

Also if there is any 800Mhz use in your area, you should have the NPSPAC channels; 8CALL90 & 8TAC91-94.

 

[jbsarandolphmonitor]

Thanks I have those frequencies already. My area is mostly 800 MHz and some 700 MHz.

Don

 

[SCPD]

I was asking because of hurricane season. I saw that they might use these frequencies after a hurricane. I guess I will program them in with the tfs frequencies also. I do have the fed interop frequencies programmed in. Just getting ready if a hurricane would come my way.

thanks
Don

If you do program the NIFC system into your radio click on the Wiki tab on the link you provided in your first post. I need to make a submission to- get the database page to reflect what I wrote in the wiki. I've confirmed that that commands 8-12 are a nationwide allocation for the NIFC system. These are also the 5 federal government's VHF "IR" or incident response calling/tactical channel set, but are labeled commands 8-12 in the NIFC system.

Normally the system goes where NIFC incident management teams (IMT) go. NIFC incident management teams don't just handle wildland fires. One of the more unusual incidents they have handled is the recovery of the space shuttle debris in eastern Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas. Hotshot crews were staffed up early and sent as were engine crews. What large ground force with navigational skills and that can be self supporting exists in the country. Although IMT's are assigned to hurricanes routinely they often manage receiving and distribution centers and/or other logistical operations. A couple of IMT's were at the World Trade center in 2011 and handled the logistics and planning functions while NYFD had operations.

There is very little federal public land in Texas so NIFC system use on wildland fires is infrequent. Type I and Type II IMT's were used on the large fires of late winter/early spring a few years ago so the NIFC system accompanied them. Those fires became large enough to overwhelm the state.

When IMT's manage receiving and distribution centers I think they use the logistical portion of the NIFC system and not the VHF part. Logistical radio traffic at a R&D center is most likely uninteresting.

 

[SCPD]

Wirelessly posted (Opera/9.80 (BREW; Opera Mini/6.0.3/27.2338; U; en) Presto/2.8.119 320X240 LG VN530)

I don't see "RTAC" listed in the DB anymore. It may be an old designation that's been replaced by something else. Anyway, IIRC, the frequencies were above 162 MHz.
Edit: They're part of Arizona's Interop plan. 161.8500 - RTAC-1; 161.8250 - RTAC-2; 161.875 - RTAC-3.
In the nationwide listings, look at the Interoperability, Federal Disaster, and NIRSC/NIFC listings.

"RTAC" frequencies are not listed in the National Interoperability Field Operations Guide. I'm not sure if they are in use anymore.

 

[jbsarandolphmonitor]

San Antonio is the evacuation city for the coast of Texas. San Antonio is trying to become the evacuation city for the USA. I want to have any frequency that would be used in an emergency.

Thanks
Don

 

[KB7MIB]

Wirelessly posted (Opera/9.80 (BREW; Opera Mini/6.0.3/27.2338; U; en) Presto/2.8.119 320X240 LG VN530)

The RTAC's are listed as part of Arizona's interoperability plan, and may be Arizona-specific, instead of nationwide. Which is what I added to my post with the edit.

 

[jbsarandolphmonitor]

I wont program the Arizona frequencies. I will try the nationwide ones.

Thanks
Don

 

[SCPD]

Wirelessly posted (Opera/9.80 (BREW; Opera Mini/6.0.3/27.2338; U; en) Presto/2.8.119 320X240 LG VN530)

The RTAC's are listed as part of Arizona's interoperability plan, and may be Arizona-specific, instead of nationwide. Which is what I added to my post with the edit.

I can't find any reference to the RTAC frequencies anywhere other than the RR database and a 14 year old FCC rulemaking document. The term RTAC is not shown in the current NTIA Redbook at all. One of the frequency pairs is listed, however it is in conjunction with the maritime service. The term doesn't not show up on any searches of Arizona communication plans. If the FCC and NTIA don't show them as set aside for mutual aid then their existence on the RR database may not be correct.

 

[SCPD]

San Antonio is the evacuation city for the coast of Texas. San Antonio is trying to become the evacuation city for the USA. I want to have any frequency that would be used in an emergency.

Thanks
Don

I don't understand what you mean about San Antonio being the "evacuation city" for the coast of Texas and trying to become the evacuation city for the United States.

 

[ki4wbn]

Well, I don't know what he means about San Antonio being used as the evac point for the USA, however they are the evacuation point for the Texas coast-especially for hurricane stuff. It is the central hub used for south Texas, for places like Brownsville (though a good portion of their population also goes to Laredo), Corpus Christi, Victoria, and Houston. It is not the sole point where everybody goes, however, it is used as a hub point. When the resources in San Antonio fill up, the people are then routed to other cities such as Laredo, Austin and so on.

I wouldn't expect to hear a whole lot of radio traffic though regarding evacuations because most are face to face. (They are told where to go, and upon arriving to a hub they are further instructed). The only radio traffic you'll hear is on the local jurisdiction radio systems (mostly) wherever things related to the evacuations happen (whether it be an accident, or coordination, and so on).

 

[jbsarandolphmonitor]

San Antonio is asking DHS if they can become the National evacuation point. If they would need to evacuate a major city. They would fly them here to San Antonio.

Don

 

[rfburns]

San Antonio is asking DHS if they can become the National evacuation point.

Does San Antonio have enough hotel rooms? San Antonio hotels are already used for relief workers who can't get a room in Austin when the hotels there fill up.

San Antonio couldn't host a hospital ship or cruise ships which are used for housing of evacuees. What is their selling point?