CAL OES Mutual Aid 800Mhz Mutual Aid Channels "Fire" - Who's on it?

[chartscharts]

I hear mostly ambulances talking to hospitals, I think. Does anyone know where I can find a list of departments/organizations using this?

 

[ko6jw_2]

Probably very few and rarely used. Departments that use 800Mhz might have the capability. Most fire mutual aid frequencies are in the 151 to 159 Mhz range. In my area we have a CAL OES repeater on 154.160 MHz and I have not heard it used in decades. In our county EOC they have a CMARS radio. It has a repeater on Santa Ynez Peak. No one even knew what it was let alone used it.

Now we have CRIS. Another mutual aid trunked radio system. Again another better idea. Don't know if it is used. It is P25 phase 2 and I don't have a radio for that yet.

CALFIRE has many tac channels which are used far more often at major incidents.

USFS has air tactics frequencies that are also regularly used.

 

[Markb]

Which frequency are you hearing this on?

 

[chartscharts]

Which frequency are you hearing this on?

851.9125

 

[Markb]

8CAFIRE2 isn't available for use in San Diego County (or Imperial, LA, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, SLO, Santa Barbara, Ventura, or Kern Counties). The frequency happens to also be licensed to the County of San Diego and is used in the South simulcast cell on the RCS. That would possibly explain why you are hearing ambulance/hospital traffic.

Additionally, as KO6JW said, the 700/800 interoperability channels are rarely used and if they are, it's on a limited basis. The only user I know of that uses 8CAFIRE1 on a regular basis is LAFD at the airport when they have an incident and I'm not 100% sure if they still use it. 8CALAW1 is used a little bit when pursuits cross counties or into other jurisdictions with different trunked systems.

 

[chartscharts]

Ah, thank you!

 

[NorCalrescue]

Don't know if it is used.

It is being used by a few agencies such as Felton Fire, CHP (for testing only), and Franchise Tax Board. It is still being rolled out and has a lot of development to go.