firefighterbiddle
Member
Does anyone have a good list of Mono County Fire/EMS dispatch freqs (and pl's if you have them) and tactical frequencies?
Any help would be great
Scott B
Any help would be great
Scott B
Mono County Fire
- Thread starter firefighterbiddle
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1) Sheriff Dispatch 154.800
2) County Fire Dispatch 153.860
3) Medic Dispatch 154.025
4) Inyo Forest Net 168.125
5) Toiyabe Forest Net 169.875
6) Bodie State Park 859.9375
7) Mammoth Lakes PD 155.595
8) Pickle Meadows MC 149.025
9) CHP Dispatch 42.120
10) Yosemite Rangers 172.650
11) Yosemite Fire 172.775
12) BLM Admin 166.375
13) BLM Fire 166.4875
14) Fish & Game 151.430
15) CDF Owens Valley 151.355
16) County Fire Tac 154.430
17) White Mtn Fire Tac 154.400
18) Lee Vining Fire Tac 154.130
19) Mammoth Fire Tac 153.950
20) Bridgeport Fire Tac 154.385
This is what I run when I am on the "morning side of the mountain". Also Antelope Valley Fire (Coleville) Tac is 152.360
Ex-Smokey will most likely show up and give you some good information.
2) County Fire Dispatch 153.860
3) Medic Dispatch 154.025
4) Inyo Forest Net 168.125
5) Toiyabe Forest Net 169.875
6) Bodie State Park 859.9375
7) Mammoth Lakes PD 155.595
8) Pickle Meadows MC 149.025
9) CHP Dispatch 42.120
10) Yosemite Rangers 172.650
11) Yosemite Fire 172.775
12) BLM Admin 166.375
13) BLM Fire 166.4875
14) Fish & Game 151.430
15) CDF Owens Valley 151.355
16) County Fire Tac 154.430
17) White Mtn Fire Tac 154.400
18) Lee Vining Fire Tac 154.130
19) Mammoth Fire Tac 153.950
20) Bridgeport Fire Tac 154.385
This is what I run when I am on the "morning side of the mountain". Also Antelope Valley Fire (Coleville) Tac is 152.360
Ex-Smokey will most likely show up and give you some good information.
Thank you northzone. Your list is fairly accurate. I have a few comments/additions.
#3 Medic units are not dispatched on 154.025 as this is only used for ambulance to hosptial communications. There are 4 repeaters on this frequency in Mono County. The only hospital in the county is Mammoth Hospital and its identifier is "SME" which stands for "Southern Mono Emergency". It was called that when there was an "MGH" or "Mono General Hospital" in Bridgeport. It closed and is now a small medical clinic because it ran such a big deficit. Medic units are "Medic 1" in Walker, "Medic 2" in June Lake, "Medic 3" in Mammoth Lakes, "Medic 7" in Bridgeport (all ALS paid staff 24/7), "Medic 4" in Benton provided by the White Mountain Fire Protection District, "Medic 5" in Chalfant provided by the Chalfant Valley Fire Protection District, and "Medic 6" in Bridgeport by the Bridgeport Fire Protection District (all BLS units with on-call volunteers). I haven't heard Medic 6 on air since Medic 7 was added 2-3 years ago after a voter approved increase in taxes to keep the paramedic program funded properly. Inyo Counties EMS net on 154.310 is used by Benton/Chalvant BLS units as they transport to Northern Inyo Hospital in Bishop. Any needs for ALS are handled by Simons Ambulance, which provides ALS under contract for the Owens Valley.
#4 Add 168.725 as a second net for the Inyo National Forest and is called "Admin Net". It is not being used as southern California Forests do where they have fire and law enforcement on their Forest Nets and everyone else on the Admin Net. It is usable in the field as an alternate repeater net, but not at every repeater site and cannot be linked by the dispatcher in Bishop. 168.125 is the "Forest Net" for the Inyo and 10 repeater sites provide coverage for most of the Forest. 171.500 is "Service Net" and there are repeaters at Bald, Silver, and Mazourka. Putting another Service Net repeater on Olancha Peak on the south end of the Forest to provide coverage to the Kern Plateau was planned at one time. Service Net is used for logistical type communications on extended incidents. There were also "extenders" used seasonally to fill in the larger blank spots in coverage, mainly in Rock Creek and Bishop Creek Canyons and 2-4 spots in the backcountry. These extenders are on 164.175 but I don't know if they are being deployed in the field these days.
Other frequencies being used by the Forest Service on the Inyo are: 164.150 R5 work channel which is a mostly non-fire field tactical and 168.625 Air Guard with a remote base on Silver Peak east of Bishop. A remote base for the National Flight Following Net has not been put up on Silver as of the end of 2005. I recently saw a report that criticized many Forests/BLM districts for not getting these installed and directed them to accomplish this. Given the current hemorhaging of civil agencies (except for any with terrorist responsibilites) I doubt this direction will be followed. The National Incident Radio Support Cache frequenicies known as "NIFC" frequencies are used for tactical communications on a rountine basis, espcially Tac 2 (168.200) which has been known in the past as "Crew Net". There are two repeaters on the California Interagency Travel Net (169.125) on the east side, those being Conway Summit and Cerro Gordo. They are not used much as traveling units usually use these simplex.
The completion of the Administrative and Service Nets, and placement of extenders in the field during the summer appears to have fallen into a black hole created by the current administrations outsourcing program. The contracted radio techs cost more than the agency techs did, and don't know enough about radio to complete the system, which was primarily built and maintained by a Forest Service radio tech who used dedication on a shoe string budget to accomplish it during his 32 year career. The agency has other very large black holes in every program given the current funding and political wishes of the Congress and President.
#8 149.025 is no longer in use.
#10 & 11 The proper name for the net on 172.650 is "Park Net". 172.775 is "Fire Net", and 166.300 is "Valley Net". Park net cannot be heard on the east side with two exceptions: it becomes marginally receiveable from the junction of the Saddleback Lake/State Route 120 junction, and can be heard with a good antenna on the east side of the Bridgeport Valley. This for transmissions on the Mt. Hoffmann repeater. Valley Net and Park Net should not be labeled as "Rangers" as wildlife biologists, park technicians, forestry (mainly hazard trees) crews, trail crews, foresters, botanists, archaeologists, etc. use these nets also.
#12 & 13 The Bishop Field Office of the BLM is closely tied in with the Inyo National Forest. Their office is on one side of a building and the Inyo National Forest Supervisor's Office is on the other. Both agencies share fire management positions and the Fire Management Officer for both agencies is a USFS employee with his deputry being a BLM employee. The BLM uses the Inyo's Forest Net for both fire and administrative traffic. The 166.4875 system can be used to contact the Porterville Interagency Comm Center when the links are turned on. It is a throwback to the days when the Bakersfield District had the Bishop Resource Area in its District and dispatched for them. Now this net is used as an additional net for incident command traffic or to split up dispatch in the eastern Sierra between the north and south when fire traffic demands it. There are only four repeaters on this net so its use is limited. There are no 166.375 repeaters for the BLM Bishop Field Office in the eastern Sierra. There are repeaters on Cerro Gordo, Rogers, and Dry Peak in southeastern Inyo County for the California Desert District of the BLM.
#14 I haven't heard any wardens use 151.430 for a couple of years. All my searching has come up negative in the effort to find them. In the rest of the state I've heard wardens using the 151.430 and 151.415 repeater systems but not in the eastern Sierra. Fish and Game is in real poor shape just like the Forest Service and other federal/state natural resource agencies. Nextel? I don't think so as there are many large areas in the county that Nextel doesn't cover and likely nvever will.
#16 This is known as "Old County Fire" in Mono County and is used as a tactical very rarely. This frequency is currently being used by the Bishop Fire Department with a repeater on Silver Peak east of Bishop. It is also being used by the Carson City Fire Department with a repeater on Snow Valley Peak west of Carson City. Most of Mono County is in the receiving range of both of these repeaters so it isn't being used much anymore in Mono.
#17 This frequency is actually licensed to the Chalfant Valley Fire Protection District.
Other Mono County fire district tacticals are: 154.250 Paradise Fire Protection District (southern Mono County), and 154.340 Long Valley Fire District (includes the Mammoth Airport and the Crowley Lake area), which has the second highest number of calls in the county.
northzone, I hadn't heard of 152.360 being used by the Antelope Valley Fire Protection District and didn't see it on a query of all licensed frequencies in Mono County I made about 2 weeks ago. I will check into this. It is licensed to a paving company in Mammoth and they work the entire county. Unlicensed use by a fire department? I would not be surprised.
Numbering for the fire departments in Mono County are: 3000 White Mountain, 3100 Pardise, 3200 Long Valley, 3300 Mammoth, 3400 June Lake, 3500 Lee Vining, 3600 Bridgeport, 3700 Antelope Valley, 3800 Mono City, 3900 Wheeler Crest (Swall Meadows and Pinyon Ranch area just north of Pardise), 4000 USMC Mountain Warfare Training Center FD), 5100 Chalfant Valley, and 6100 EMS supervisor.
#3 Medic units are not dispatched on 154.025 as this is only used for ambulance to hosptial communications. There are 4 repeaters on this frequency in Mono County. The only hospital in the county is Mammoth Hospital and its identifier is "SME" which stands for "Southern Mono Emergency". It was called that when there was an "MGH" or "Mono General Hospital" in Bridgeport. It closed and is now a small medical clinic because it ran such a big deficit. Medic units are "Medic 1" in Walker, "Medic 2" in June Lake, "Medic 3" in Mammoth Lakes, "Medic 7" in Bridgeport (all ALS paid staff 24/7), "Medic 4" in Benton provided by the White Mountain Fire Protection District, "Medic 5" in Chalfant provided by the Chalfant Valley Fire Protection District, and "Medic 6" in Bridgeport by the Bridgeport Fire Protection District (all BLS units with on-call volunteers). I haven't heard Medic 6 on air since Medic 7 was added 2-3 years ago after a voter approved increase in taxes to keep the paramedic program funded properly. Inyo Counties EMS net on 154.310 is used by Benton/Chalvant BLS units as they transport to Northern Inyo Hospital in Bishop. Any needs for ALS are handled by Simons Ambulance, which provides ALS under contract for the Owens Valley.
#4 Add 168.725 as a second net for the Inyo National Forest and is called "Admin Net". It is not being used as southern California Forests do where they have fire and law enforcement on their Forest Nets and everyone else on the Admin Net. It is usable in the field as an alternate repeater net, but not at every repeater site and cannot be linked by the dispatcher in Bishop. 168.125 is the "Forest Net" for the Inyo and 10 repeater sites provide coverage for most of the Forest. 171.500 is "Service Net" and there are repeaters at Bald, Silver, and Mazourka. Putting another Service Net repeater on Olancha Peak on the south end of the Forest to provide coverage to the Kern Plateau was planned at one time. Service Net is used for logistical type communications on extended incidents. There were also "extenders" used seasonally to fill in the larger blank spots in coverage, mainly in Rock Creek and Bishop Creek Canyons and 2-4 spots in the backcountry. These extenders are on 164.175 but I don't know if they are being deployed in the field these days.
Other frequencies being used by the Forest Service on the Inyo are: 164.150 R5 work channel which is a mostly non-fire field tactical and 168.625 Air Guard with a remote base on Silver Peak east of Bishop. A remote base for the National Flight Following Net has not been put up on Silver as of the end of 2005. I recently saw a report that criticized many Forests/BLM districts for not getting these installed and directed them to accomplish this. Given the current hemorhaging of civil agencies (except for any with terrorist responsibilites) I doubt this direction will be followed. The National Incident Radio Support Cache frequenicies known as "NIFC" frequencies are used for tactical communications on a rountine basis, espcially Tac 2 (168.200) which has been known in the past as "Crew Net". There are two repeaters on the California Interagency Travel Net (169.125) on the east side, those being Conway Summit and Cerro Gordo. They are not used much as traveling units usually use these simplex.
The completion of the Administrative and Service Nets, and placement of extenders in the field during the summer appears to have fallen into a black hole created by the current administrations outsourcing program. The contracted radio techs cost more than the agency techs did, and don't know enough about radio to complete the system, which was primarily built and maintained by a Forest Service radio tech who used dedication on a shoe string budget to accomplish it during his 32 year career. The agency has other very large black holes in every program given the current funding and political wishes of the Congress and President.
#8 149.025 is no longer in use.
#10 & 11 The proper name for the net on 172.650 is "Park Net". 172.775 is "Fire Net", and 166.300 is "Valley Net". Park net cannot be heard on the east side with two exceptions: it becomes marginally receiveable from the junction of the Saddleback Lake/State Route 120 junction, and can be heard with a good antenna on the east side of the Bridgeport Valley. This for transmissions on the Mt. Hoffmann repeater. Valley Net and Park Net should not be labeled as "Rangers" as wildlife biologists, park technicians, forestry (mainly hazard trees) crews, trail crews, foresters, botanists, archaeologists, etc. use these nets also.
#12 & 13 The Bishop Field Office of the BLM is closely tied in with the Inyo National Forest. Their office is on one side of a building and the Inyo National Forest Supervisor's Office is on the other. Both agencies share fire management positions and the Fire Management Officer for both agencies is a USFS employee with his deputry being a BLM employee. The BLM uses the Inyo's Forest Net for both fire and administrative traffic. The 166.4875 system can be used to contact the Porterville Interagency Comm Center when the links are turned on. It is a throwback to the days when the Bakersfield District had the Bishop Resource Area in its District and dispatched for them. Now this net is used as an additional net for incident command traffic or to split up dispatch in the eastern Sierra between the north and south when fire traffic demands it. There are only four repeaters on this net so its use is limited. There are no 166.375 repeaters for the BLM Bishop Field Office in the eastern Sierra. There are repeaters on Cerro Gordo, Rogers, and Dry Peak in southeastern Inyo County for the California Desert District of the BLM.
#14 I haven't heard any wardens use 151.430 for a couple of years. All my searching has come up negative in the effort to find them. In the rest of the state I've heard wardens using the 151.430 and 151.415 repeater systems but not in the eastern Sierra. Fish and Game is in real poor shape just like the Forest Service and other federal/state natural resource agencies. Nextel? I don't think so as there are many large areas in the county that Nextel doesn't cover and likely nvever will.
#16 This is known as "Old County Fire" in Mono County and is used as a tactical very rarely. This frequency is currently being used by the Bishop Fire Department with a repeater on Silver Peak east of Bishop. It is also being used by the Carson City Fire Department with a repeater on Snow Valley Peak west of Carson City. Most of Mono County is in the receiving range of both of these repeaters so it isn't being used much anymore in Mono.
#17 This frequency is actually licensed to the Chalfant Valley Fire Protection District.
Other Mono County fire district tacticals are: 154.250 Paradise Fire Protection District (southern Mono County), and 154.340 Long Valley Fire District (includes the Mammoth Airport and the Crowley Lake area), which has the second highest number of calls in the county.
northzone, I hadn't heard of 152.360 being used by the Antelope Valley Fire Protection District and didn't see it on a query of all licensed frequencies in Mono County I made about 2 weeks ago. I will check into this. It is licensed to a paving company in Mammoth and they work the entire county. Unlicensed use by a fire department? I would not be surprised.
Numbering for the fire departments in Mono County are: 3000 White Mountain, 3100 Pardise, 3200 Long Valley, 3300 Mammoth, 3400 June Lake, 3500 Lee Vining, 3600 Bridgeport, 3700 Antelope Valley, 3800 Mono City, 3900 Wheeler Crest (Swall Meadows and Pinyon Ranch area just north of Pardise), 4000 USMC Mountain Warfare Training Center FD), 5100 Chalfant Valley, and 6100 EMS supervisor.
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Inyo County Fire/EMS if anyone is interested.
The Inyo County Fire Net is on 153.875 and is used to dispatch all the fire districts in the Owens Valley except for Bishop with one repeater on Mazourka, northeast of Independence. Tacticals are: 154.145 Bishop, 154.370 Big Pine, 154.340 Lone Pine (licensed for a repeater on Cerro Gordo southeast of town but I've not heard it being used yet), and 154.400 Olancha-Cartago (with a repeater located at the Fire Station). All of these departments also have 154.430 licensed as a tactical. I've often wondered if 154.430 was used at one time for all fire on the east side of the Sierra, including that portion in Nevada since Carson City and nearly every fire district in Inyo and Mono Counties still has is lincensed. Numbering for Inyo County is: 2100 Bishop Volunteer Fire Department and Bishop County Rural Fire District (same people but two sets of equipment which has an "R" in the unit designator), 2200 Independence Fire Protection District, 2300 Big Pine Fire District, 2400 Lone Pine Volunteer Fire Protection District, 2500 Aspendell Fire Company, 2600 Olancha-Cartago Fire Department, 2700 Keeler Fire Company, 2800 Furnance Creek Volunteer Fire Department, and 2900 Southern Inyo Fire Protection District (Tecopa-Shoshone area in the southeast portion of the county). In Inyo County you never hear them using the "2". The "2" is supposed to distinguish Inyo, from Mono who uses "3", for interagency communications but they don't for unknown reasons.
I have no idea how the fire departments at Furnace Creek and Tecopa/Shoshone get dispatched. I think it is on 154.430 but I don't know how the call gets taken by the 911 answering point in Independence gets the call out on radio. There aren't any licensed radio links from Independence to these areas for 154.430. Tecopa/Shoshone don't even have any radio frequencies for fire licensed.
Inyo County contracts its EMS but they only have 2 ALS ambulances in Bishop. Their contractor, Symons Ambulance, responds all the way south to the Olancha area, and the response times are very extended. They rely on the Park Service to provide ALS within Death Valley National Park, and I'm not sure how ALS gets accomplished in the Death Valley Junction/Shoshone area. I would not be surprised if NPS paramedics respond on the "out of the goodness of their hearts" type of an arrangement, which happens all over the country with the NPS.
Inyo County has allowed subdivision without provision of a fire district, while Mono County does not, and has very few, if any, "no man's lands" where structural fire departments don't exist for private lands with a structure on it. Inyo has had some major structural incidents on private land in no man's areas and owners are often very surprised that when the CDF, BLM, and USFS show up it is for mutual aid wildland fire purposes. They won't come through your front door with a BA and put out the fire in your kitchen. The are prohibited from being trained and equipped to do so. They make sure the building won't ignite fires on the wildland. Many residents there have had trouble getting fire insurance at any price. Inyo seems to be in the "you don't have to pay me now, but will have to pay someone in much larger quanties later" mode. It is possible that the state no longer allows subdivision without a fire district and that these lands were subdivided before the law existed. For those of you thinking of buying rural land and/or houses you need to ask about fire protection before making an offer, especially in other states. When I worked in New Mexico in the late 70's there wasn't even a law that dedicated road access easements existed to each piece of property in the subdivision, so the property owners on the down canyon end were closing roads across their lands. I don't think there was a presriptive right of way provision in state law either. Still the wild west in some ways.
That is more than you asked for. I thought this would be as good of a place as any to post this information. I will try to get it in the database one of these days.
The Inyo County Fire Net is on 153.875 and is used to dispatch all the fire districts in the Owens Valley except for Bishop with one repeater on Mazourka, northeast of Independence. Tacticals are: 154.145 Bishop, 154.370 Big Pine, 154.340 Lone Pine (licensed for a repeater on Cerro Gordo southeast of town but I've not heard it being used yet), and 154.400 Olancha-Cartago (with a repeater located at the Fire Station). All of these departments also have 154.430 licensed as a tactical. I've often wondered if 154.430 was used at one time for all fire on the east side of the Sierra, including that portion in Nevada since Carson City and nearly every fire district in Inyo and Mono Counties still has is lincensed. Numbering for Inyo County is: 2100 Bishop Volunteer Fire Department and Bishop County Rural Fire District (same people but two sets of equipment which has an "R" in the unit designator), 2200 Independence Fire Protection District, 2300 Big Pine Fire District, 2400 Lone Pine Volunteer Fire Protection District, 2500 Aspendell Fire Company, 2600 Olancha-Cartago Fire Department, 2700 Keeler Fire Company, 2800 Furnance Creek Volunteer Fire Department, and 2900 Southern Inyo Fire Protection District (Tecopa-Shoshone area in the southeast portion of the county). In Inyo County you never hear them using the "2". The "2" is supposed to distinguish Inyo, from Mono who uses "3", for interagency communications but they don't for unknown reasons.
I have no idea how the fire departments at Furnace Creek and Tecopa/Shoshone get dispatched. I think it is on 154.430 but I don't know how the call gets taken by the 911 answering point in Independence gets the call out on radio. There aren't any licensed radio links from Independence to these areas for 154.430. Tecopa/Shoshone don't even have any radio frequencies for fire licensed.
Inyo County contracts its EMS but they only have 2 ALS ambulances in Bishop. Their contractor, Symons Ambulance, responds all the way south to the Olancha area, and the response times are very extended. They rely on the Park Service to provide ALS within Death Valley National Park, and I'm not sure how ALS gets accomplished in the Death Valley Junction/Shoshone area. I would not be surprised if NPS paramedics respond on the "out of the goodness of their hearts" type of an arrangement, which happens all over the country with the NPS.
Inyo County has allowed subdivision without provision of a fire district, while Mono County does not, and has very few, if any, "no man's lands" where structural fire departments don't exist for private lands with a structure on it. Inyo has had some major structural incidents on private land in no man's areas and owners are often very surprised that when the CDF, BLM, and USFS show up it is for mutual aid wildland fire purposes. They won't come through your front door with a BA and put out the fire in your kitchen. The are prohibited from being trained and equipped to do so. They make sure the building won't ignite fires on the wildland. Many residents there have had trouble getting fire insurance at any price. Inyo seems to be in the "you don't have to pay me now, but will have to pay someone in much larger quanties later" mode. It is possible that the state no longer allows subdivision without a fire district and that these lands were subdivided before the law existed. For those of you thinking of buying rural land and/or houses you need to ask about fire protection before making an offer, especially in other states. When I worked in New Mexico in the late 70's there wasn't even a law that dedicated road access easements existed to each piece of property in the subdivision, so the property owners on the down canyon end were closing roads across their lands. I don't think there was a presriptive right of way provision in state law either. Still the wild west in some ways.
That is more than you asked for. I thought this would be as good of a place as any to post this information. I will try to get it in the database one of these days.
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Info on Tecopa Area Fire Dispatching
The Tecopa-Shoshone VFD is dispatched on 154.725 (the Inyo SO) channel, with 154.43 used as their Tactical Channel. They use Calcord 156.075 for air to ground operations with medevac helicopters.
This information is directly from the Tecopa Fire Chief, obtained during last year's Baker to Vegas Challenge Cup Relay.
The Tecopa-Shoshone VFD is dispatched on 154.725 (the Inyo SO) channel, with 154.43 used as their Tactical Channel. They use Calcord 156.075 for air to ground operations with medevac helicopters.
This information is directly from the Tecopa Fire Chief, obtained during last year's Baker to Vegas Challenge Cup Relay.
Many thanks for that information. I've spent some time in Shoshone, but as you can imagine, there aren't a lot of fire calls in that area, so I've never heard a dispatch. Inyo County must also dispatch Furnace Creek in the same manner. I've heard a dispatch there, but it was so many years ago I had forgotten what frequency it was on.
Furnace Creek
The dispatching for the Death Valley National Park, including Furnace Creek, is on 170.1. They have a great repeater that can be heard as far away as Barstow.
The dispatching for the Death Valley National Park, including Furnace Creek, is on 170.1. They have a great repeater that can be heard as far away as Barstow.
gdjelin said:
The Furnace Creek Ranch is located on private land, not public land designated as a National Park. The Shoshone Indians have nearly 1,000 acres south and west of the Ranch. A local fire district exists for the fire suppression for the structures on those lands. The volunteers come from Xanterra (formerly Fred Harvey), Caltrans, and the NPS. NPS has structural engines stationed Stovepipe Wells (I believe this is public land and the facilities are under a concession permit)(Type III), the Wildrose Ranger Station (several employee houses located there)(Type III), and at Scotty's Castle (Type I). NPS is responsible for fire suppression in those locations because they are on public lands.
I heard a dispatch at Furnace Creek for the volunteer fire department within the last ten years, but was so busy keeping track of my Boy Scout troop, I did not see what frequency they were dispatched on. The dispatcher for Xanterra took over once the Inyo S.O. put out the dispatch and the traffic was on 154.430. The NPS sent their Type III engine from Stovepipe for mutual aid. The dispatch was definitely from Independence and not from San Bernardino.
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