IMT Tac Channels

[BlueDevil]

What Tac channels does your incident management team use?

I am specifically asking about Incident Management Teams below a Type 2 level in which NIFC will coordinate and assign frequencies to your incident.

Do you rely on the Tac channels assigned to the agencies in the immediate area? Do you use NIFOG frequencies? Does your IMT maintain licenses for all the NIFOG frequencies?

 

[madrabbitt]

The type 3 teams in western colorado use the tac channels assigned to the agency, which in western CO is tac 7 and 8 for BLM, NPS and FWS and tac 7 for USFS, at least in the early phases. Not 100% sure whos nomenclature those 7 and 8 are, but those are common state wide, and i've never seen reference to a tac 1-6

On type 3 incidents without a full team in place, (local ICT3) that also occurs.

More then once, on type 3 incidents, we (dispatch) would automatically request a NIFC tac reservation for the incident to clear the assigned national tac channels for other incidents in the IA phase.

Licensure is maintained at the agency level for use of those frequencies.

 

[BlueDevil]

We usually need 4-6 tactical channels so each Division and/or Group can have their own Tac Channel. On the Fire Service side we only have 1 statewide licensed tac channel. The State Department of Natural Resources has many more tac channels licensed to them however we would need permission from them to use those frequencies as well.

Communications at the Type 3 level seems much more difficult than at the Type 2 and above where access to NIFC equipment is much easier.

 

[madrabbitt]

To further complicate everything, we just went type 3 on a fire, and when i went to order a nifc tac, i was told by both the nifc duty officer and the region. "Oh, just use any nifc tac 1-6, just as long as there isnt any other IMT in place in that region"

:eyeroll:

 

[BlueDevil]

Oh wow. Surprised they would do that. Do you regularly use NIFC equipment on Type 3 incidents?

 

[madrabbitt]

Oh wow. Surprised they would do that. Do you regularly use NIFC equipment on Type 3 incidents?

Equipment, No.
Frequency assignments, yes. Any major incident expected to last past 24 hours will get a TFR, incident specific air to air, air to ground. We usually also request an incident specific tac as well.