I recently received some information about the frequencies used by smokejumper crews. The national smokejumper air to ground frequency of 168.550 is well known. What isn't well known is the assignment of a tactical frequency for these crews. It is on 168.350, a widely used federal common frequency. To avoid having to hear other traffic they use a tone of 123.0 on both transmit and receive. Those in the east won't need this information as well as people not within listening distance of large area remote, unroaded federal public lands: National Parks, National Forests, National Wildlife Refuges and public land administered by the Bureau of Land Management. The air to ground frequency is used in handhelds, but sometimes topography and the altitude of the aircraft allows one to receive their airborne traffic from far away.
Smokejumper crews are located at West Yellowstone and Missoula, Montana; Boise, Grangeville and McCall, Idaho; Redmond, Oregon; Winthrop, Washington; Redding, California; and Fairbanks, Alaska. Their use is primarily in large unroaded areas as they can get more people to fires much faster and safer than using other means. I recently read that there are far fewer fatalities (only seven since smokejumper crews were formed) delivering smokejumpers to fires than by other means, including by helicopter.
Smokejumper crews are located at West Yellowstone and Missoula, Montana; Boise, Grangeville and McCall, Idaho; Redmond, Oregon; Winthrop, Washington; Redding, California; and Fairbanks, Alaska. Their use is primarily in large unroaded areas as they can get more people to fires much faster and safer than using other means. I recently read that there are far fewer fatalities (only seven since smokejumper crews were formed) delivering smokejumpers to fires than by other means, including by helicopter.
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