interoperable 800 ksics with California fires

[NR0W]

I see fire departments from the western US are helping fight the fires in California. Do 800 mhz KSICS radio work there, mutual aid freqs in Kansas radios. The ones from Nevada, Utah and other states. KHP can interconnect departments VHF, UHF and 800 would California be able to do that also?

 

[mmckenna]

I see fire departments from the western US are helping fight the fires in California. Do 800 mhz KSICS radio work there, mutual aid freqs in Kansas radios. The ones from Nevada, Utah and other states. KHP can interconnect departments VHF, UHF and 800 would California be able to do that also?

There are a lot of nationwide established interop frequencies. There are some assigned specifically to fire use. Any good agency will have those NIFOG channels programmed into their radios specifically for this sort of interoperability.

Also, on large events such as this, there's usually a team of specially trained communications technicians that will help load the correct frequencies into radios for agencies responding from outside the area. Hopefully, also, someone from the agency itself would have programming software/cables to handle updating their own radios.

 

[KAA951]

Every radio on the Kansas radio system (KSICS) are required to be programmed with a standardized interoperability template. The template includes common mutual aid talkgroups that can be used only within range of a KSICS radio tower and other, national standard channels, that should allow a responder inn Kansas to communicate anywhere in the US to other 700mhz and 800mhz radios.

Most of the national interop channels are short range, tactical channels that scanner users need to be within a few miles to hear.

 

[mmckenna]

KHP can interconnect departments VHF, UHF and 800 would California be able to do that also?

It's possible to set up a bridge using multiple radios, but those create a lot of issues and are generally frowned upon for large incidents.


National Interagency Fire Cache, as well as large agencies, will usually have cache radios available that can be brought in for a large incident like this. So, radios are available for them to utilize on site that would be the correct band and correct frequency load to work on site.