County Fire

Amateur radio can be used to augment existing communications capacity during heavy activity or can be used as an auxilliary communication mode when the "normal" communications channels have failed or are degraded. This can occur due to natural disasters, such as fire, flood, earthquake, or man-made situations, such as cyber or infrastructure attacks, or simple equipment failures or equipment configuration errors.

Amateur radio can provide an auxilliary communications capability that is not dependent on any other commercial or private system. Procedures specific to the needs of County Fire are currently under development. Anticipated communications paths included:

• County Fire Headquarters to County EOC
  • Auxilliary communications in case of failure or to coordinate amateur radio communications
• County Fire Stations to City EOCs
  • Fire stations can share status updates with the local jurisdictions that they serve
  • Citizens may report incidents to their local fire station; these can be relayed to the local EOC or 9-1-1 dispatch
• County Fire Station to County Fire Station
  • County Fire stations can coordinate resources and personnel
• Health and Welfare
  • Those working extended assignments can let family members know that they're OK.

• Requesting Operators
  • Facilities in need of (additional) operators can request them through their local jurisdiction's EOC.
  • The local jurisdiction's Emergency Management team will coordinate with the local amateur radio leader to determine availability and priority.
  • The local jurisdiction EOC may also request amateur radio mutual aid from the county EOC, if necessary.
• Credentialing
  • Credentialing provides a way for County Fire to know that the amateur radio operator has the necessary knowledge and ability to properly serve the needs of the facility.
  • The "County Fire Station Radio Operator" endorsement includes
    • Technical credentialing for voice and data communications
    • Additional training on fire station operations
    • Background check by County Sheriff
• Amateur Radio Licensing
  • County Fire personnel, especially COM-Ts or COM-Ls, can become licensed amateur radio operators to enable enhanced coordination with amateur radio support teams and systems.

County Fire stations are being equipped with amateur radio stations that include the following equipment:

• Dual-band (2m/70cm) voice radio
• Single-band (1.25m) packet radio and TNC
• Tri-band (2m/1.25m/70cm) antennas