any one know the frequency for the ct state forestry fire.

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n1chu

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The low band frequencies such as 44.68 MHz were where you found Ct. Forestry suppression efforts. But that was years ago. Today it depends upon how much support the state is providing. If it’s forestry hose, they have caches located around the state (or at least they used to) and you won’t hear any state comms if it simply a delivery drop-off of hose, etc. If the state is actively working the fire with state personnel then they may still be using the VHF low band gear for on scene comms and the CLRM or cell phones when they need to call back to their regional HQ. But the state has grown over the last 60 years and with it so have the volunteer fire companies in the rural areas. The state will compensate towns for their fire apparatus and manpower, leaving the suppression up to the VFD’s. I was a District Fire Warden back in the day in Farmington. Each town was a fire district. A Fire Warden was appointed, gathered together a group of people to create a crew and these crew members would be identified as a district crew. My crew was the Farmington Crew. While there was practically no call for a forestry crew to fight fires in Farmington (because Farmington had 3 VFD’s that managed on their own) but Wolcott kept us busy. And we hardly ever carried radios. Instead, we would hike out to the state vehicle and use the low band simplex radio. That system worked well for us... we were usually working a fire on some mountain so “hilltopping” was easy for us... Line-of-sight once atop the mountain worked. We either hit Glastonbury John Tom Mtn or the Fire lookout tower in Canan.

I could be very out of date but I doubt the state has increased spending on suppression efforts. instead, they rely upon the town FD’s. They used to belong to something called the Northeast Fire Compact. It still exists in some form because we still have trained state crews ready and willing to go where needed in the US. They’ve been to Ca. This year and in years past. They go and have gone pretty much anywhere in the country.


Department of Energy and Environmental Protection

Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
NextLevel.gif

DEEP Officers can be heard on the CSP system as required
Frequency Input
License Type Tone Alpha Tag Description Mode Tag
44.68000 BM114.8 PLEnCon 1 Parks, Forestry, Haz-Mat, Canine, Eastern District EnCon Police FM Public Works
44.76000 BM114.8 PLEnCon 2 Haz-Mat Alternate (EnCon Police as necessary) FM Emergency Ops
44.78000 BM114.8 PLEnCon 3 Shoreline Parks (EnCon Police as necessary) FM Public Works
44.92000 BM114.8 PLEnCon 4 Western and Marine District EnCon Police and Lake Authorities FM Law Dispatch
151.35500 BMCSQEnCon Police On scene channel, Shoreline Parks, Marine District EnCon Police FMN Law Tac
171.57500 BMCSQEnCon Repetr EnCon Repeater - Various PL's/locations FMN Law Dispatch
172.27500 MCSQEnCon Extend Mobile Repeater (Conservation Officers/Hazmat, 114.8 PL activates repeater) FM Law Talk
151.33500 BM047 DPLHammonasset1 Hammonasset State Park 1 FMN Public Works
171.57500 BM754 DPLHammonasset2 Hammonassett Park State Park 2 FMN Public Works
151.33500 BM053 DPLRocky Neck Rocky Neck State Park FMN Public Works
171.57500 BM053 DPLRocky Neck 2 Rocky Neck State Park 2 FMN Public Works
151.35500 BMCSQSherwood 1 Sherwood Island State Park 1 FMN Public Works
171.57500 BM311 DPLSherwood 2 Sherwood Island State Park 2 FMN Public Works
 

cg

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I have heard them on CLMRN a couple times but it is rare. I also heard a conversation telling the other person to switch to the Compact radio so they would be on the frequency mentioned in the above post. I haven't seen any of the equipment is a while but I believe the lowband is removed from most of the fleet.

chris
 

oldtimeradio

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What National Forest is in CT??

If anything they have 159.2850 the Northeast Fire Compact channel
Natchaug State Forest (Northeast CT)
2 scanners with Proscan logging.
I didn't record any activity on CLMRN.. A search on G brought up.
A DEEP News Release.
DEEP Assisting North Windham Fire Dept with Wildfire in Natchaug State Forest. (9/17/2020)
OTR
 

ecps92

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My reply was to the person who said "National Forest", with his/her silence, altho having logged in......
Natchaug State Forest (Northeast CT)
2 scanners with Proscan logging.
I didn't record any activity on CLMRN.. A search on G brought up.
A DEEP News Release.
DEEP Assisting North Windham Fire Dept with Wildfire in Natchaug State Forest. (9/17/2020)
OTR
 

n1chu

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I don’t believe there is a national forest in Ct. Regardless, the frequency listed as a federal forestry frequency is there and available for use should the need arise. It’s my understanding the feds had assigned frequencies to various states/regions as a matter of course. My guess would be if there ever were a serious wild fire in Ct., where federal assistance were needed, they would bring their own equipment which would include radios. I have no idea who would coordinate its usage but I can say that while I was involved with the old DEP, working as a radio dispatcher, out of what is called “CO” (Central Offices”), located in the state office building in Hartford, we did not have that frequency available to us. And we supported all units within DEP, including forestry, parks and recreation, water and related resources, etc., on the VHF low band system and the conservation officers (game wardens) on their own repeaterized system. There have been instances such as when a second frequency was needed to complete a pair needed to run a repeater system for VFD’s in Ct. and those frequencIt’s were acquired from the portion of the VHF high band set aside for forestry. The FCC allowed for this due to a total inactivity by the federal government’s forestry units in Ct.
 

ecps92

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So what is the Frequency then..... that folks keeping hinting to as a "Federal Forestry Frequency"


I don’t believe there is a national forest in Ct. Regardless, the frequency listed as a federal forestry frequency is there and available for use should the need arise. It’s my understanding the feds had assigned frequencies to various states/regions as a matter of course. My guess would be if there ever were a serious wild fire in Ct., where federal assistance were needed, they would bring their own equipment which would include radios. I have no idea who would coordinate its usage but I can say that while I was involved with the old DEP, working as a radio dispatcher, out of what is called “CO” (Central Offices”), located in the state office building in Hartford, we did not have that frequency available to us. And we supported all units within DEP, including forestry, parks and recreation, water and related resources, etc., on the VHF low band system and the conservation officers (game wardens) on their own repeaterized system. There have been instances such as when a second frequency was needed to complete a pair needed to run a repeater system for VFD’s in Ct. and those frequencIt’s were acquired from the portion of the VHF high band set aside for forestry. The FCC allowed for this due to a total inactivity by the federal government’s forestry units in Ct.
 

cg

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They have the NE Compact radios, I'm sure that is what the earlier post meant.

There are Federal agencies that have responsibilities for certain properties in CT. However, I would be confident that they aren't worried about them burning up.
US Fish & Wildlife, Fire Management - Stewart McKinney National Wildlife Refuge
US Department of Interior, National Park Service, Fire & Aviation Management - Weir Farm NHS (under control of Acadia NP)

chris
 

n1chu

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So what is the Frequency then..... that folks keeping hinting to as a "Federal Forestry Frequency"

159.285 MHz Northeast Fire Compact. I don’t believe anyone locally has that frequency programmed into any radio but as Chris has mentioned, it could be in radios assigned to the NE Fire Compact fire crews... the crew(s) that routinely assist in suppression nationwide. Again, I have to place a caveat on what I state here... it’s been decades since I was dispatching for the old DEP (now DEEP). And things change. That frequency may just be one of many included in a nationwide frequency pool set aside for wildfire suppression. I’ve never heard any comms on it.

On a sad note, the news broadcasts are informing of a Firefighter line-of-duty death associated with the wildfires out west. Prayers and a moment of silence for this lost soul and wishes for all to come home safely.
 

ecps92

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Yes, Sad another loss of life and so many fires caused by carelessness during the celebration of a future life :(

The NEFC has been around for year and is a Cooperation of the New England States and Canada, not a Federal Freq/Channel.
FCC / Part 90 licenses needed. Coordination is done thru the Campton NH Office

159.285 MHz Northeast Fire Compact. I don’t believe anyone locally has that frequency programmed into any radio but as Chris has mentioned, it could be in radios assigned to the NE Fire Compact fire crews... the crew(s) that routinely assist in suppression nationwide. Again, I have to place a caveat on what I state here... it’s been decades since I was dispatching for the old DEP (now DEEP). And things change. That frequency may just be one of many included in a nationwide frequency pool set aside for wildfire suppression. I’ve never heard any comms on it.

On a sad note, the news broadcasts are informing of a Firefighter line-of-duty death associated with the wildfires out west. Prayers and a moment of silence for this lost soul and wishes for all to come home safely.
 

oldtimeradio

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There are two (2) National forests in New England:
The Green Mountain National Forest in Vermont,
and the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire and western Maine.
Google's answer...

OTR
 

ecps92

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No kidding, but we are talking about Connecticut :) in the Connecticut Forum

There are two (2) National forests in New England:
The Green Mountain National Forest in Vermont,
and the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire and western Maine.
Google's answer...

OTR
 
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