Caldor Fire - 345 homes destroyed so far

[zerg901]

https://ftp.wildfire.gov/public/inc...30_Caldor/IAP/20210823/IAP Caldor 8_23_21.pdf - 8/23 / 8/24 Incident Action Plan - reportedly 4 night certified helos from Coulson Aviation will be working the fire tonight

 

[mmckenna]

I've spent a lot of time riding ATV's in that area. It's pretty nasty terrain, and not a lot of water nearby. Narrow twisty roads, heavy brush.
I'd hate to be trying to fight a fire out there.

 

[zerg901]

https://content.govdelivery.com/att...914214/FEMA Daily Ops Briefing 08-24-2021.pdf - FEMA Daily Ops Brief shows 447 dwellings destroyed as of today

 

[AM909]

Note that the four command repeaters (Chs. 1–4) shown in the ICS-205 on p. 33 (PDF p. 35) are not in the RRDB.

 

[ecps92]

And would not be, till someone actually OTA [Over the Air] confirmed them in use.
That said, many Command channels are assigned, One and Done, some get reused.

Hence, so many in the Wiki from many years of folks reporting actual usage vs being on paper

National Incident Radio Support Cache - The RadioReference Wiki

wiki.radioreference.com

Note that the four command repeaters (Chs. 1–4) shown in the ICS-205 on p. 33 (PDF p. 35) are not in the RRDB.

 

[AM909]

And would not be, till someone actually OTA [Over the Air] confirmed them in use.
That said, many Command channels are assigned, One and Done, some get reused.

Hence, so many in the Wiki from many years of folks reporting actual usage vs being on paper

National Incident Radio Support Cache - The RadioReference Wiki

wiki.radioreference.com

I'm not talking about the simplex tac channels, but instead what I'm guessing might be permanent repeaters at wide-coverage sites, which we may want, no?

As far as the tac channels go, I understand the argument against hard-to-maintain and slow-to-scan clutter, but I think there have always been some channels we include because they are declared MA channels and known to be programmed in some radios out there, especially now with greater channel capacity radios being common.

 

[ke6gcv]

Note that the four command repeaters (Chs. 1–4) shown in the ICS-205 on p. 33 (PDF p. 35) are not in the RRDB.

Could those frequencies be FOIA exempt? Yes, I know they're in the IAP, but I'm talking overall availability. If I recall, I know there was an updated CAL FIRE load shows (or showed) several redacted frequencies that are not available to the public. Click here: Hotsheet News (nifc.gov) .

Scroll down about half way and you'll see where it says "... DOI and USDA have designated specific frequencies nationwide for assignment and use by NIFC to support their all-risk management missions. The radio frequency assignments are Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) release-exempt... "

Would make sense to me.

 

[norcalscan]

Note that the four command repeaters (Chs. 1–4) shown in the ICS-205 on p. 33 (PDF p. 35) are not in the RRDB.

Channel 4 on the 205 is NIFC Cmd1, and is in the database. Any NIFC Command beyond 12 (really 20), is an itinerant pair put together for the single incident only. They should not be submitted to RRDB.

 

[ecps92]

IF the Command channel was part of that Forest, Yes, but many of them [as the fire increases in size and we progress from local to additional TYPED resources/command] are NIFC [NTIA] assignments for the event and are not a permenant feature at that Forest.

I'm not talking about the simplex tac channels, but instead what I'm guessing might be permanent repeaters at wide-coverage sites, which we may want, no?

As far as the tac channels go, I understand the argument against hard-to-maintain and slow-to-scan clutter, but I think there have always been some channels we include because they are declared MA channels and known to be programmed in some radios out there, especially now with greater channel capacity radios being common.

 

[AM909]

IF the Command channel was part of that Forest, Yes, but many of them [as the fire increases in size and we progress from local to additional TYPED resources/command] are NIFC [NTIA] assignments for the event and are not a permenant feature at that Forest.

So do they haul the portable repeaters up to those high-level sites, or do they have frequency-agile repeaters already installed and standing by at the major sites?

 

[mmckenna]

So do they haul the portable repeaters up to those high-level sites, or do they have frequency-agile repeaters already installed and standing by at the major sites?

CalOES, USFS and others have portable repeaters that can be flown in and placed on a mountain top.

Frequency agile repeaters don't work so well since the duplexers need to be tuned.

CalFire have command repeaters installed at some high sites that can be used.

 

[ecps92]

Yes the bring in the needed equipment as needed - by multiple means - Hike, Drive and/or if available FLY

So do they haul the portable repeaters up to those high-level sites, or do they have frequency-agile repeaters already installed and standing by at the major sites?

 

[ke6gcv]

Anyone just streaming ops? Though I do like listening to Air Attack, they talk so often it overtakes everything else. Gets annoying real fast.

 

[norcalscan]

Anyone just streaming ops? Though I do like listening to Air Attack, they talk so often it overtakes everything else. Gets annoying real fast.

Not aware of just an Ops stream.

Incidentally, the proper setup for a major fire like this is having A/G Command (not tactical) as priority 1, Air Briefing as priority 2 (unless it's shared with rotor or other operational traffic), then regular Command Net as priority 3. This gives the best heirarchy for big picture items, with A/G Command giving direct eyes-in-the-sky reports to Ops on the ground, and Air Briefing comes alive when ATGS are transitioning over the fire and they have to transfer the entire plan of one fuel cycle to the next, over the air. And because they're separated, they have to "paint the picture" visually while flying overhead. Gives a great update on where things are happening. Finally the fire command net 3rd.

Air tactics on large fires like this just becomes repetitive noise with no intel-worthy radio traffic. Tanker downwind, on base, on final, clear to drop, nice drop, drifted one wingspan to the left, load and return.

 

[zerg901]

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=361447922299026

- 937 pm edt - live helo video of fire as it approaches South Lake Tahoe

 

[zerg901]

she is saying that 8 am to 11 am today that fifty mile hour gusts will be on the fire and drive it thru the South Lake Tahoe area

 

[norcalscan]

she is saying that 8 am to 11 am today that fifty mile hour gusts will be on the fire and drive it thru the South Lake Tahoe area

And surprise surprise, she was wrong. She does all of us a disservice with all the misinformation and uneducated opinion.
The power company's weather station at the current head of the piece of fire that made it into the basin, never made it past 9mph gust during that time. 10 minute resolution.

South Lake Tahoe Airport RAWS station, just about in the thick of it, saw a gust at 21mph in the 9am hour.

 

[zerg901]

I dont speak for all of us.

6 pm edt - usfs setting fires right next to homes near Meyers as fire moves thru area - no aircraft in the area - no homes lost yet in Meyers area overnight and today

 

[zerg901]

Wayback Machine - FEMA Daily Ops Brief - Friday Sept 3 2021

added 54 more homes destroyed on Caldor Fire - added 11 more other blds destroyed - totals of destroyed buildings for the Caldor Fire are now 649 homes destroyed and 196 other buildings destroyed

South Lake Tahoe remains evacuated

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ArcGIS Web Application

interactive map of buildings destroyed / damaged from Caldor Fire

 

[zerg901]

Wayback Machine - FEMA Daily Ops Brief - Sept 4 2021

Caldor Fire now has - 683 homes destroyed plus 203 other buildings destroyed

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Dixie Fire also has approx 700 homes destroyed