Mutual aid networks in California - ???

[zerg901]

Here is a little more info about CLERS. It is mentioned that mobile licenses have been added, and a secondary use for the system is mobile and portable usage.

Wayback Machine

mountain top repeaters across California - UHF (453) and VHF highband -
microwave connected - can be used by mobiles - carrys bolos etc and
EAS / NAWAS messages

2016 document - approx 15 pages - lists all freqs and PLs

dont have too many repeater sites - just 1 for Los Angeles area - on
Santiago Peak

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come to think of it - anyone know if any of these systems have microwave links?

https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?aid=7847 - CMARS - misc 800 Mhz sites

https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?aid=1007 - Fish and Wildlife - multi sites on either 151.415R or 151.43R

https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?aid=1915 - DOJ - 154.68R statewide

https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?aid=2448 - Parks and Recreation - multi 800 Mhz sites

https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?aid=1234 - CalTrans - mention of statewide sites vs district freqs

https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?aid=3603 - Water Resources - multi sites statewide either on 151.205R or 151.235R

National Guard - maybe they have some sort of statewide LMR net?

FBI / DEA / military / Corps of Engineers / FEMA etc - ???

 

[ScannerDude244]

OES doesn't do any more radio checks with Calfire ECC's anymore?

 

[InteropCop]

Interoperability is an attitude, not a buzzword. It is not a technical solution, it is not a statewide repeater system, it is not more channels in the radio. it is an attitude adjustment. Interoperability was never about getting everyone on one channel, crossing the streams between fire, law and medical disciplines (other than CALCORD, which has become the official medivac freq now for CA because the right attitudes prevailed). A lot of it is about bridging the gap between bands, between agencies that never work together, and a little (at the command level) between disciplines (hence CALCORD as a solution for command level interop on the smallest of incidents.) There have been some very fine minds behind Interoperability in California. Many are here in the forums. They had the right attitude from the beginning and the state is better for that, despite whatever political walls they've hit (as does any agency in the nation hits when crossing political/disciplinary boundaries)

I ask just how many vast "tactical" channels does law enforcement agencies actually have on a major incident when mutual aid is required? I'll give a hint, it's basically 1 on VHF, 1 on UHF, and 2 on 800Mhz, for all of California. CALAW is all they have. The NIFOG channels can add 2 more when built out as repeaters, but that's if the calfire comms duty officer hasn't already assigned them to fires in the area. And that requires the rare fixed infrastructure, or portable infrastructure (RF, Gateway, Solar) placed in a tactical position that covers the entire incident (good luck getting that in place sooner than 72 hours.) There is no NIFC ad-hoc portable wide-area command and logistic constellation solution for law. There is no 37 tac nets and 11 command nets for law that Calfire and people in FIRESCOPE with the right attitude have setup over the years. It really is very slim pickings for law. It got messy for the 2017 fires in Sonoma/Napa. It was messy for Oroville Dam. It was fairly solid for the Camp Fire only because some fixed-infrastructure interop near the incident was available and turned up quickly, had recent "practice" or "memory" of how things sorta worked at Oroville Dam, and Butte and Sutter Counties have some amazing in-house RF knowledge and teamwork that took care of business quickly. Half skill, half luck. The Rim Fire was a dodged bullet for law evacuations, again lucky. Fire doesn't have a problem. Law is what needs the help.

A better way to think about the "statewide systems" we are discussing, is a system that supports the people that support the first responders on an incident. CalOES has little to no "first responders". Their speciality is to support the first responders with anything the Governor can get them after they outgrow their local resources. An incident command net isn't going to be run on CESRS, FireNet or CLERS etc. But the radio technicians buzzing around setting up comm infrastructure for that incident, need an already established system in place to coordinate themselves or place resource requests etc. CalOES administration need an already in-place network to start the ball rolling to build larger logistics channels between incident and Sacramento. It's the ace up the sleeve for CalOES when everything is amok. Having direct radio access to the California Warning Center, literally one door away from the State Operations Center, is quite the ace up the sleeve in Cedarville, CA.

Being “the guy” who setup L.E. Interop for the Spillway Incident and Camp Fire... it has become VERY apparent to me that we desperately need a “LAWSCOPE”. That’s all I have to say about this thread... I’m certain others in the know will fully agree.