2020 Arizona Wildfires

[Paysonscanner]

Between these two entities there's a lot of action today. So far for today, Sunday 5/10, there have been 6 working wildland fire incidents, 5 on the Tonto and 1 on the San Carlos Reservation. There have been 4 smoke checks where someone thought there was a fire, but noting could be found. Yesterday there were 8 wildland fires and 11 smoke checks. Lot's of good listening on all 3 nets the Tonto NF has. The Coconino has had 14 illegal campfires for today only. They have had two working fires and one false alarm too. We pickup one or two southern repeaters on the Coconino, Daddy just calls it "the Coke, and calls the Apache-Sitgreaves the "A Bar S," like it is a livestock brand. We pick up Promontory Lookout here in Payson. Daddy relates being up there a few times during lightning busts. There is almost always a couple working there as the "seen area" includes 3 national forests and the lookout has radios for each forest, the Coconino, the Tonto and the Apache-Sitgreaves. He once spent the whole afternoon in the lookout working one forest's radio, the Tonto where he was working at the time. The couple were handling the Coke and the A-S. I got real hard when a smoke was near the border of the 3 forests.

I grew up in Arizona, but never lived in Payson, having spent some years in Phoenix, Tucson and Flagstaff. After 41 years in California in a small Sierra foothill county I must say the fire awareness of people in Arizona is very poor in comparison. So many more human caused fires per visitor than in California. May and June are the peak of the human caused fire season. Right now about 95%+ of the state (one spot is below 5%) and all of New Mexico have below 10% moisture levels in the 1-3" sized fuels. This size promotes both quick spread and heat production so the wildland fire agencies watch this a couple times per day. It takes 1,000 hours for these fuels to reach the same moisture levels as the surrounding smaller fuels and humidity. So a little rainy period does affect them much. 14 illegal fires in one day (up to 4 p.m.) is ridiculous. Thanks Daddy for the fuel moisture info!

 

[clover509]

Have N600ML as 'Bravo-45' using Air-to-Ground 73 (151.1750 MHz, 136.5 PL) orbiting over the northwest corner of Cave Creek Regional Park calling 'Phoenix Dispatch' and coordinating assets near North 26th Avenue and East Desert Hills Drive.

N614HH as '4-Hotel' is inbound from the west and up on 132.1500 MHz coordinating with 'Bravo-45'.

National Flight Following just came alive as well with '4-Hotel' coordinating with 'Air Attack' on 168.6500 MHz, 110.9 PL. Mention of possibly putting a VLAT on order.

Fire traffic is on Phoenix Fire A-10 (151.3700 MHz, 173.8 PL).

'4-Hotel' calling unknown assets on 'VFIRE21' (154.2800 MHz, 156.7 PL).

 

[clover509]

And N398LA as 'Tanker-898' reporting they are "enroute from 10-Alpha-Zulu" (Farm Ag Airport, Buckeye) to the fire with Arizona Department of Forestry on 154.9650 MHz, 103.5 PL and asking dispatch to confirm the incident name. Dispatch relayed it is the 'East Desert Fire'.

 

[clover509]

Had Bravo-45 pass an 'airtanker base' frequency for the SEATs at Buckeye of 124.225 MHz.

 

[clover509]

And N147Z as 'Lead-49' passing a new 'rotor victor' frequency of 135.675 MHz.

 

[Ravenfalls]

Evacs ordered for west side of Cave Creek.

RMFD Ch2 <- Least traffic as was busier earlier until evacs were ordered.
Phx A3 Staging Cave Creek & Carefree HWY
Phx A10 <- RMFD no units so Phx taken control of most evacs in Cave Creek

 

[sanyoman]

Hearing traffic on

151.17500

136.5 PL

TAC-5

ADFFM Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management

Arizona Natural Resource Agencies

AZ

 

[clover509]

@Ravenfalls - Stay safe out there!

@sanyoman - That listing for Tac-5 is old. AZ DFFM put out a notice in 2018 that the new Tac 5 had been changed to 159.3450 MHz, PL 192.8.

Guessing the AZ page reflects the old frequency. Will submit to the DB admins for correction.

 

[sanyoman]

They were talking on it. I don't think I miss read the freq

 

[cellphone]

154.695 103.5 PL State Fire Repeater - Helo inbound to East Desert Fire requesting flight following.
169.200 Nationwide NIFC Air Tactics - Very active today. Unknown if related.

 

[cellphone]

Hearing traffic on

151.17500

136.5 PL

TAC-5

ADFFM Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management

Arizona Natural Resource Agencies

AZ

This listing is not correct. This ADFFM freq was changed a couple years back, but it looks like was never updated in the DB. I have updated now.

However, 151.175 136.5 PL is now a NIFC Air to Ground Frequency AG73.

 

[sanyoman]

Thanks,

 

[clover509]

Hearing air-to-air work on 123.125 MHz.

 

[Ravenfalls]

This listing is not correct. This ADFFM freq was changed a couple years back, but it looks like was never updated in the DB. I have updated now.

However, 151.175 136.5 PL is now a NIFC Air to Ground Frequency AG73.

This listing IS correct. State Fire uses it, & they call it TAC 5.

Many agencies re use others Freq.

 

[clover509]

Interesting. I'm staring at a notice from 2018 from the state forestry department:

"Frequency Change for ADFM Tac 5: Effective March, 1, 2018. The ADFFM has changed the frequency for ADFM Tac 5. The new frequency is: 159.3450 TX and RX and pl tone is 192.8 Tx and RX. Please make necessary changes and always confirm this new information with fire line personnel prior to engaging in firefighting operations and ensure that all responders are referencing the “new TAC 5 for 2018” to ensure safe and effective communications."

 

[clover509]

Air to air bucket work and discussing dip sites on 118.925 MHz.

Over the air as 'rotor victor'.

 

[Ravenfalls]

This listing IS correct. State Fire uses it, & they call it TAC 5.

Many agencies re use others Freq.

It did change. AG 73 now

 

[Azgunguy]

I'm just south of the 101 and Cave Creek Rd. Do you think I'd be able to pick anything up?

 

[Paysonscanner]

154.695 103.5 PL State Fire Repeater - Helo inbound to East Desert Fire requesting flight following.
169.200 Nationwide NIFC Air Tactics - Very active today. Unknown if related.

154.695 is listed on official lists as "State Flight Following," not "State Fire Repeater." I think it might be interagency, with DPS using it also as well as any state agency using aircraft. I might be wrong on that. I heard a DPS helo using it once.

169.200 is on a list of 5 frequencies that can be used for Air to Air Tactics (FM), ground tacs or air to ground. Sometimes when NIFC tries to get an air to air tactics (AM) for an extended attack the FAA doesn't come up with one very quickly, so FM frequencies from this list are available. The entire country uses AM for air to air tactics, except California (both North and South Ops). These 5 frequencies used to be the only available all around the country. I think some are assigned in the Eastern and Southern GACC's for primary air to ground and are on the national air to ground list with assignments up in the Air to Ground 70-90 area. I think they all may have national clearance, exclusive use by NIFC. NIFC usually tries to get different frequencies for air/air and air/ground, but sometimes in a pinch when something is needed quickly they will resort to these 5 frequencies. Daddy follows the IAP's he gets from various fires and has noted how these 5 freqs are used.

 

[cellphone]

154.695 is listed on official lists as "State Flight Following," not "State Fire Repeater." I think it might be interagency, with DPS using it also as well as any state agency using aircraft. I might be wrong on that. I heard a DPS helo using it once.

154.695 103.5 PL is ADFFM Repeater 5 on White Tanks. I think you are thinking of 154.935 which is State Flight Following.