Romero Fire - North of Tucson

[FLANO]

Wildfire started yesterday afternoon in the Catalina State Park. The fire name is the "Romero Fire" as it started in Romero Canyon. The size of the fire has grown to about 150-200 acres, and the strong winds are going to make it bigger.

Help is on the way with Tanker-20 and Tanker-55. Romero Canyon was knocked down by the helicopters.

Tanker-430 returned to Libby. Heli-Tanker-790 is refueling at Tucson International Airport.

Players:

Air-Attack-0TC
Lead-49
Tanker-20 enroute at this time, over Las Cruces
Tanker-55 enroute at this time
Tanker-430
Heli-Tanker-790
Helicopter-318
Engine-361 - just arrived
310 - just arrived

Frequencies:

123.975mhz - Libby Tanker Base
135.625mhz - Initial Air-to-Air
151.415mhz - State Fire
159.33mhz - TAC 1 - State Parks
168.15mhz - SEZ Fire Net
168.65mhz - Flight Following
169.60mhz - SEZ Forest Net
170.025mhz - Crew
171.425mhz - Initial Air-to-Ground

 

[FLANO]

Bad news, Tanker-20 and Tanker-55 are no-go's over the fire due to turbulence. Aircraft are being set-up in an orbit, for a possible return to the New Mexico fires. Apparently, Tanker-21 was about to come here, but .....

Catalina State Park was informed that a Large Incident Command Team will be taking over the park...

 

[AZScanner]

Anyone streaming the scanner audio for this?
-AZ

 

[qgarcin]

Are these Am or FM....Having a problem picking some of them up. and the fire is not 2 miles from me.

 

[FLANO]

Got out to the area of the Romero Fire today. Great front row seats! I was teased several times about heavy tankers coming, first the wind caused problems, then the aircraft itself :< Tanker-55 was at Tucson International Airport, but had some "oiling" issues and when they could finally get it flying, it needed to go to Libby AAF for the retardent, which meant it would arrive after dark :< Tanker-55 should be at Libby AAF and ready for tomorrow morning.

I did get some pics of the SEATs dropping their retardents on the southwestern edge of the fire. They were loading and returning from Marana. Frequency in use for the ramp at Tucson Internationl Airport, is State Fire channel 6. Anyone have this frequency??

Heli-tanker-790 left just as I arrived on scene. Helicopter-318 continued to do bucket work on the northern edge of the fire.

Air Attack and Lead-49 did a fine job of orchestrating this menagerie, which at times had 5 to 7 aircraft in the area at the same time.

Players:
Lead-49
Tanker-413
Tanker-414
Tanker-430
Helicopter-318
Heli-tanker-390

Freqs - AM (Amplitude Modulation):
122.225mhz - New Air-to-Air
123.975mhz - Libby Tanker Base
135.625mhz - Initial Air-to-Air

Freqs - FM (Frequency Modulation):
151.415mhz - State Fire
159.33mhz - TAC 1 - State Parks
165.6625mhz - Possibly ground related
168.075mhz - Should be a Command Net
168.15mhz - SEZ Fire Net
168.35mhz - Ground comms for arriving units
168.65mhz - Flight Following
169.60mhz - SEZ Forest Net
170.025mhz - Crew
171.425mhz - Initial Air-to-Ground
172.425mhz - Possibly ground related

John
SE of Tucson

p.s I guess my posts are read as I met two scannerists informing me about my e-mails
p.p.s. Some day I'll get a zoom lense and this digital camera will really perform, enjoy the pics.....

 

[FLANO]

Additional Frequencies:

154.280mhz - Fire Mutual Aid
163.100mhz - LE
166.675mhz - Divisiona Zulu
166.6875mhz - New - Air-to-Ground
168.075mhz - F6/Command
168.200mhz - F2/Division Alpha
168.600mhz - Division Bravo

Players:
H-318 - Working out of Catalina State Park
HT-790 - Working out of La Cholla Air Park
Lead-49 - At Tucson International Airport
T-55 - At Libby AAF
T-413 - At Marana
T-414 - At Avra Valley
T-430 - At Libby AAF
Air Attack - 0EB
Air Attack - Kingair-1EGV

 

[K7TKR]

Hey John, great pictures! This is the fire that started last weekend right?

 

[radio10-8]

Fire started again on Friday Night

Thanks again to Flano for the freqs, the fire has started again.

 

[FLANO]

Hey John, great pictures! This is the fire that started last weekend right?

Hi Mark,

Yep, that's the one.

Great to meet you and your brother at the last SEARM meeting.

Keep it safe,

 

[FLANO]

Thanks again to Flano for the freqs, the fire has started again.

Ooops, look like I rolled off the frequencies to early then

How much of a start again? When I observed the fire, it really didn't look like it warranted a Type-1 team to me, the untrained amateur

I guess I'll have to replug 'em in.....

Thanks,

 

[K7TKR]

John, since you know a little bit of the USFS fire-fighting stuff, what is 171.550? There was(is) a fire that started a little south-east of flagstaff yesterday as I passing through. The dispatcher was moving units as they came on scene to 171.550. Seemed like a fire-ground common. There had been at least 10 units committed and they were talking about air-tankers but I didn't catch who or when.

Just in passing, I noticed the DPS was thinking about closing parts of I-40 due to smoke I belive from this same fire.

 

[fire_master_21]

171.550 is a S.O.A. (scene of action) channel for BLM units as well as mutual aid units

 

[FLANO]

Hi Mark,

I can only add what I found in SWFD, that it is Channel 1 for Coconino National Forest "Operations - South Direct". The news down here reported the same thing, there may be a possibility of shutting down I-40.

 

[K7TKR]

171.550 is a S.O.A. (scene of action) channel for BLM units as well as mutual aid units

So that would be essentially a "fireground" frequency then. Generally, in a fire like this, who takes on-scene command? The first unit on scene?

 

[STiMULi]

Has anyone been hearing anything from the 103?

Too far away?

 

[fire_master_21]

So that would be essentially a "fireground" frequency then. Generally, in a fire like this, who takes on-scene command? The first unit on scene?

Yes it is a fire ground channel. Who takes command would depend on who's land the fire is on. BLM will help out any local FD and if the fire happens to fall within local juristiction that local fd will take command unless they turn it over. The SOA channels are still used mostly between BLM to BLM units but are open to local fd to talk to these units as well on the off chance the BLM crews don't have the local freq's.