In the fight against Washington wildfires, drones are now as vital as chainsaws

Wildland firefighting has become an increasingly high-tech endeavor. Maps drawn from satellite imagery are coupled with microscale weather forecasts and sent to firefighters on the fire lines. Unmanned aircraft watch and, increasingly, fight the fires. All those efforts depend on support workers just behind the fire lines.

“Every department here comes and wants IT. Everybody wants internet, everybody from the food unit leader to if there’s a fatality,” Gascon says. “We cover all aspects of that — cameras, computers, mobile devices, GIS.”

READ the Article 

Rural Fire Service Bad Roads and Drones or UAV's

The ability for the fire chief or incident commander to rapidly access fire and emergency scenes depend on the information they have at the time. 

Responding to a fire a while back in a brush truck I could only go 5 mph because the road was all washboard. I could see smoke and the chief had additional resources coming. I only had 300 gallons of water so the chief had a tender from Meadview and mutual aid from Golden Valley who was sending a brush truck and tender.

It was five miles or so off US93 to the location of fire. At 10 mph it was going to take 30 minutes or more just to get there. The additional resources have about a 45 minute response time and then 30 minutes to the fire scene, so a hour and fifteen minutes to the scene, and back.

To a firefighter it seems like forever when a fire is so close and you're forced to go so slow.  I was wishing I had my drone.

It can fly 40 mph so in this case it could make it to the fire scene in a little over 7 minutes and provide real time video to my receiver or to the chief over Youtube or other video services right to his phone.

In this case it was a small brush fire the brush truck could handle so we canceled the additional units about half way there. If they had made it all the way to the fire scene it would have put several pieces of equipment and manpower out of service for three hours or more.

In rural areas where response times are many times governed by road condition UAV's could provide situational awareness for commanders allowing them to make better decisions sooner and leave additional equipment in service. 

Are Air Ambulances Taking Patients for a Ride?

One of my former posts was Reduce Inappropriate Helicopter Utilization in EMS. In that post we learned the appropriate reasons to use an air medical helicopter in the out-of-hospital setting

In the article from JEMS the Journal of Emergency Medical Services we learned what the appropriate uses for medical helicopters were....
Patient has a significant potential to require high-level life support available from an air medical helicopter, which isn't available by ground transport.

Patient has a significant potential to require a time-critical intervention and an air medical helicopter will deliver the patient to an appropriate facility faster than ground transport.

Patient is located in a geographically isolated area, which would make ground transport impossible or greatly delayed; or local EMS resources are exceeded."

But using HEMS simply because a local ground service is inadequately staffed or funded, or doesn't want to leave their territory "uncovered," isn't an acceptable solution. 

For example, let's say an EMS agency has a patient who's sick and needs to go to a hospital an hour away. The patient doesn't require the speed or care HEMS provides, but because the patient is too sick to stay in the community, they're forced to go by HEMS just to keep the local GEMS unit available.

Find more information on how Air Ambulances are Taking Patients for a Ride For-profit air-ambulance companies too often pick up people who don’t need air transport—and leave families with huge bills that insurance won’t pay

Many times the flight time to Dolan Springs for a medical helicopter is 30 minutes. They then need to land, get a patient update, load the patient, and then have a 30 minute flight time to Vegas...

The drive time from Dolan Springs to KRMC ER in Kingman is only 38 minutes....

If you have serious trauma and need a trauma center there is nothing better for fast transports in some cases that a medical helicopter, but if you don't it could cost you and your family $25,ooo

Communication Breakdown On 9/11 When Emergency Communications Break Down

Communication Breakdown On 9/11

We are never prepared for communications to fail, and when they do people die. 

A new report by the federal commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks found that rescuers were forced to make rapid-fire, life-and-death decisions based on poor communications, contributing to the World Trade Center death toll.

Communication Breakdown On 9/11

It's 4 AM the Earth Shakes You Hit the Light Switch and Nothing....

It's 4 AM you're almost thrown from bed and realize we just had a major earthquake. Your feet hit the floor you reach for the light switch, but nothing happens. 

You start to wake up and think it's funny your pager hasn't gone off alerting you to the problem. You try your cell phone but no bars, there's no radio traffic on your fire district frequency, or any of the other frequency you try.

It's going to be days or weeks before communications are restored. Your immediate need is to triage the few patients who can make it to the fire station and try to establish communications with other areas or agencies.

You dig out a couple backup satellite phones, but they've been there for years and the batteries are dead. You need to get help from outside agencies, but to do that you need to be able to communicate.

Mohave County Emergency Management has one mobile communications unit but with wide spread damage and I-40, US-93 US-95 and most other roads damaged they're not coming to Dolan Springs or Meadview.

At this point your ability to gather injury and damage assessments are limited, outside agencies can't assist us without knowing what we need. 


We live in a rural area with limited communications resources on the best day. We need to improve our local emergency communications because when communications fail, we have nothing?

Disasters in remote places have historically involved amateur radio operators. These “hams” have stepped in to provide assistance when other forms of communication fail. Disasters still happen regularly, and ham radio operators continue to serve the public with their skills and radio equipment.

Without the ability to communicate effectively during a major disaster I fear Dolan Springs and Meadview will suffer far more casualties.

You have no electricity, no water, landline and cell phones are down and roads are damaged and impassable.. 
How are you going to call for help?
Who are you going to call for help?

Amateur Radio Is There When All Else Fails

Imagine there’s been a natural disaster in your area. You’ve lost power, it’s impossible to get in your car and drive somewhere safe, and most importantly, the cell towers are down. How will you get in contact with friends and family to tell them you’re alright? That’s where amateur radio operators come in.

“In Puerto Rico back in Maria, amateur radio became, in a military analogy, the light infantry. We could get into a community, establish communication and at least get some information travelling out of that location,” says Joe Bassett, a ham radio operator.

READ the Article 

Ham radio kept communication alive at Kavalappara

A few hour after a landslip occurred at Kavalappara near Nilambur on August 9, all the communication lines had been cut off. Power failure combined with the breakdown of mobile servers threatened to even affect official communication in the region, if not for Home Amateur Machine (HAM) radios.

READ the Article

With a Black FirstNet SIM Card, First Responders' Calls Go Ahead of Yours

FirstNet is a network built for first responders. It's not part of the what the public uses, it's not part of the AT&T business core. FirstNet is a physically separate and dedicated network core with specialized capabilities like always-on priority and preemption built for first responders, by first responders. 

We learned many lessons after 9/11, like how quickly the cellular systems we all depend on become overloaded during a major emergency. How critically vital it is for the voice and data systems first responders depend on everyday continue to function during these times. Now with FirstNet first responders come first.


This CNET article "With a black AT&T FirstNet SIM card first responders' calls go ahead of yours First responder calls and data can now move yours out of the way thanks to lessons from 9/11" BY BRIAN COOLEY MAY 23, 2019 10:00 AM PDT

Click on the link above and read the article, it talks about some of the equipment and support services as well as the advantages for first responders who use FirstNet.

I've had my black FirstNet sim card for a couple months now and service has been great. In Dolan Springs using my Frontier DSL I get 2 Mbps, on FirstNet I get 50-55 Mbps.

I use a Sonim XP8 phone, the battery lasts for days, I don't worry if I drop it, and if it gets wet at fireground, no big deal it's good under water for 30 minutes.  The XP8 is FirstNet Ready so it works on the FirstNet Evolved Packet Core simply by installing a FirstNet SIM card.

If you go with FirstNet make sure you get a FirstNet Ready device, you can find some HERE.

Band 14 is a big deal for cellular technology and it’s even a bigger deal for your local first responders.

FirstNet.com 
FirstNet.gov 

Each year firefighters are killed responding to calls.. Thank You Golden Valley Fire for Driver Training

Several volunteers from LMR received driver training from Golden Valley Fire District over the last couple weeks. Young or old we all need to operate our fire districts vehicles in a safe manner. 

Each year firefighters are killed responding to and returning from calls. Driving safely and getting to the call safe is our number one priority. 



Yes response times are important, but arriving safely is not only important, it's our duty.

I wanted to thank Gus and the GV fire crew for assisting with our training... Great Job Guys..

What's the Difference Between FirstNet and Verizon’s Public Safety Service

It's important first responders understand the various types of systems cellular carriers offer and how they compare. Today we depend on smartphones for many types of communications so the service you choose is important.

I love Verizon they have the best coverage in many places, but other carriers are catching up. Today many first responders use Verizon so I wanted to compare Verizon’s Public Safety Service with AT&T's FirstNet built for first responders.

An article in AllThingsFirstnet.com Is Your FirstNet Expert Really an Expert? Points out some marketing people may not have the expertise and full understanding of FirstNet capabilities. 

Some articles written by "experts" are telling people there's nothing special about the FirstNet Band 14. That since Verizon has Band 13 and they're both in the 700 MHz band they're the same, they're not. 

Public Safety owns Band 14 by Congressional action assigning it for public safety use which is managed by the FirstNet Authority on behalf of public safety. Verizon owns Band 13 which is nothing more than commercial spectrum. 

FirstNet is being deployed with public safety needs in mind. In rural areas like Dolan Springs and Meadview band 14 is authorized for High Power User Equipment known as HPUE that has six times the power of other cellular equipment, band 13 isn't licensed for HPUE.

The other point this “expert” tried to make is that Verizon’s “private core” for public safety is the same as the FirstNet core. This is categorically incorrect. It may have similar functions, but they are not the same and the differences are critical to public safety.

The FirstNet core is dedicated to public safety and built for public safety.  Only primary public safety users and extended primary are allowed on this core. This FirstNet dedicated core is not shared with commercial users.

We all know cellular systems are quickly overloaded during any major emergency simply because the system is designed for average daily traffic. Now first responders have their own cellular system dedicated to their needs.

Article Is Your FirstNet Expert Really an Expert?




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I Love My Sonim XP8 Smart Phone Now It Gets P25 Trunking and gateway Mode

Sonim Technologies says SLED accessory on LTE smartphone will support direct mode, P25 trunking, ad-hoc gateway. Article from Urgent Communications 

Sonim Technologies says SLED accessory on LTE smartphone will support direct mode, P25 trunking, ad-hoc gateway

[Editor's note: Article updated to include prospective pricing for the XP8-SLED package.]

LAS VEGAS—Sonim Technologies’ P25 accessory to its XP8 rugged smartphone will support full P25 conventional trunking and ad-hoc interoperability gateway functionality, in addition to providing high-powered, direct-mode communications, a company official said yesterday during an APCO 2018 session.

Known as the Sonim LMR Enabled Detachable (SLED), the accessory was demonstrated to provide direct-mode voice communications during the IWCE 2018 event in March, according to Bob Escalle, senior director of public-safety and defense markets for Sonim Technologies. Now, a revised version of the SLED includes other features requested by public-safety officials, he said.

“We’re also supporting a full P25 conventional trunking SLED that attaches to our device, as well,” Escalle said during the APCO 2018 session. “The idea is that you can actually bring a very cost-effective, fully CAP-approved P25 handheld with a smartphone device.

“Some people talk about moving from an LMR radio and putting broadband applications on the LMR radio. We’re kind of going in the opposite direction by putting P25 accessory onto our device. If you need it, you can use it; if not, then you have a smartphone with a mission-critical PTT application on there via broadband.”

In addition, Sonim Technologies has established a gateway functionality on the device, leveraging the ability for a SLED-accessoried Sonim XP8 smartphone to communicate with both FirstNet and P25 networks, Escalle said.  

“The other nice thing is that … your smartphone now becomes a quick, ad-hoc IP gateway— narrowband in [and] broadband out, or broadband in [and] narrowband out,” he said. “So, you can imagine going into gateway mode, and this becomes your quick, ad-hoc gateway product for those who either don’t have broadband devices at a scene that may get [access to broadband users].”

During an interview with IWCE’s Urgent Communications, Escalle said the SLED gateway will have the same functional capabilities as dedicated gateways, with some expected limitations.

“The idea is not to replace those dedicated gateways,” Escalle said during the interview. “Some of those gateways have advanced features that we’ll never support. But, for just a quick-and-dirty [interoperability solution], I can go to gateway mode, and I can support people who don’t have a broadband device—or broadband guys who don’t have a narrowband device—and now I can talk between them, just by setting up this simple gateway.

“As long as it’s receiving a transmission from a P25 talk group or a conventional channel, it will take it and rebroadcast it across the LTE channel. It will only handle one talk group at a time, but that’s all a P25 handheld will handle. It will go in and out, both directions. [And] You are limited by the battery power of the unit, unlike a gateway that might be plugged into the wall or a 12-volt battery. You’re going to be limited by the [battery] capacity of your XP8.”

Of course the Sonim XP8-SLED package is still designed to provide direct-mode voice that is comparable to LMR radios, thanks to the 5-watt power level available in the VHF version of the accessory and the 4-watt power level available in the UHF and 700/800 MHz versions of the SLED, Escalle said during the APCO session.

Continue Reading

How You Can Help Map FirstNet Coverage for Our Area

If you have Firstnet service from AT&T help map where FirstNet has good coverage and where it doesn't in our area.

The app OpenSignal has a good map of coverage using your phones signal. This will help first responders know where they have coverage and where AT&T needs to improve coverage for first responders.

The map on the left is the signal level of all cellular carriers around Pierce Ferry and US93. The map on the right is the signal level for FirstNet. 

All Carriers 

FirstNet

As you can see not to many FirstNet users are using have downloaded the OpenSignal so no too much data. If you have the black FirstNet SIM card please download the OpenSignal app. 

Do a speed check once in a while and report it. I'm getting 65-68 mbps in Dolan Springs.. Thanks

HAM's and FEMA Join Forces for Disaster Communication Partnership

FEMA and ARRL Announce Disaster Communication Partnership

Release date: 

July 18, 2014

      

HQ-2014-51

Hartford, Conn. – Today, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) announced a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) that increases cooperation between FEMA and ARRL in the area of disaster communication.  FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, KK4INZ, and ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, signed the agreement during the ARRL National Centennial Convention at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford, Connecticut.

This agreement will allow FEMA and ARRL to work together to provide resources, services and personnel, as available, in order to strengthen capacity in areas of emergency communications, mass care and emergency assistance, disaster preparedness, response and recovery, while also raising public awareness about the use of Amateur Radio as a public safety resource.

“Radio is one of the most resilient communications technologies we have,” Fugate said. “When the power is out and telecommunications are down, the Amateur Radio community can serve as a vital resource in support of emergency responders and survivors during a disaster.  This MOA will strengthen FEMA’s partnership with ARRL and build upon our work to expand emergency communications capabilities and the use of Amateur Radio in emergency management.”

The agreement outlines the ways in which FEMA and ARRL will cooperate to carry out their respective responsibilities, with respect to disaster mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery operations in the event of a natural or man-made disaster. The agreement sets forth the terms by which FEMA and ARRL will provide resources, services and personnel, as available, in order to strengthen capacity in areas of emergency communications, mass care and emergency assistance, disaster preparedness, response and recovery.

“From the earliest days of experimentation with radio to the present time, amateur radio volunteers have combined their passion for exploring radio technology with their devotion to assisting the governmental and charitable agencies that respond to disaster,” Craigie said. “This combination of inventiveness and service has saved lives for a century. We look forward to working with FEMA to further develop opportunities for trained, equipped and prepared amateur radio operators to serve the public interest whenever and wherever disasters affect our country and its communities.”

Amateur Radio operators have been responding to disasters since the beginning of the Amateur Service in the early 1900s. Through the ARRL-sponsored Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) and other groups, federally licensed Amateur Radio operators have volunteered their time, equipment and expertise to their communities and country for all kinds of public service events and disaster efforts.

Following recent events, ARRL has supported local communities as they prepare for and recover from the devastation caused by disasters. As part of this agreement, FEMA and ARRL will strengthen their partnership and encourage first responders and citizens to consider joining the ranks of radio amateurs and their long and legendary history of public service to the nation.

###
 
FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from and mitigate all hazards. More information is available from www.fema.gov.

The ARRL's mission is based on five core areas, or "pillars": Public Service, Advocacy, Education, Technology, and Membership. Founded in 1914, the American Radio Relay League is the national association for amateur radio in the USA. Today, with more than 164,000 members, the ARRL is the largest organization of radio amateurs in the world. More information is available at www.arrl.org.

WHAT MOTIVATES AND DISCOURAGES VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS

This is an excerpt from Firerescue1.com article about retaining volunteer firefighters. It points out three reasons people volunteer to take all the necessary training to be on call 24/7 for when a neighbor needs help.

1. Serving their community
2. Emotional fulfillment
3. Camaraderie within the firehouse

I think the most important of the three reasons people volunteer is the camaraderie around the firehouse. Many volunteer firefighters have worked in the fire service, law enforcement, or the military where you have that camaraderie. I think when you leave the fire service or law enforcement it's that camaraderie and of being part of something bigger that you miss.

In the past when I went to Station 41 in Dolan Springs it wasn't a friendly place. Someone would crack the door and ask what you wanted like you were invading their house, when it's our house... 

With the new leadership it seems to be a friendlier place where you're greeted with a smile rather than, what do you want...  I only hope this camaraderie 
continues and the new volunteers feel a part of their fire department that comes with being a volunteer. 

3 Factors that Motivate Volunteer Firefighters to Join the Service 

Read the complete article here 

Allowing volunteer firefighters to be emotionally fulfilled by serving their communities and feel a part of firehouse camaraderie will help recruitment and retention efforts

Since recruiting and retaining volunteer firefighters has posed a considerable challenge to the fire service over the past several decades, a significant amount of trade and scholarly research has focused on this topic. Researchers and fire service leaders have worked tirelessly to better understand what’s causing the decline and to craft solutions to recruit more volunteers.

One of the major initiatives has been to identify what motivates someone to become a volunteer firefighter. It’s been found that volunteers are largely motivated by the following three factors. 

1. Serving their community: Volunteer firefighters are seeking a meaningful and practical way to serve their neighbors. Their service includes not only responding to emergency calls, but participating in community-oriented events such as chili-dinner fundraisers, public education events at schools and more. These are people who thrive on engaging with the community and putting their training to valuable use. A proven way to burn-out volunteers is with insignificant or infrequent service opportunities.
2. Emotional fulfillment: Studies are proving that volunteer firefighters are not motivated by money. The emotional feelings of value and worth are the only return that most volunteers desire. Volunteers at successful volunteer organizations report that they would continue to perform their duties without pay simply because they love what they do. Making volunteer firefighters question their community worth is an effective way to remove the love for what they do. 
3. Camaraderie within the firehouse: Firefighters have historically been gripped by the sense of community and camaraderie around the firehouse. This network of support, education and enjoyment, often referred to as the brotherhood, is rarely experienced in other professions. Fire departments with an absent, negative, or cliquey sense of community make it difficult and unenjoyable for volunteers to join. This is especially true in combination departments that occasionally foster divides between career and volunteer firefighters.

Although there may be some overlap, the motivations of volunteer firefighters differ from those of career firefighters. Figuring out how to appeal directly to volunteers has proven to be a considerable challenge for many fire service leaders. A sustainable and realistic solution has yet to be identified. Continued attention and research on volunteer firefighter retention and recruitment is therefore critical to the system’s survival.

The next article in this series will explore political obstacles, employee requirement and retention, and increasing call volumes, which tied for the third most prominent and influential challenges to combination departments.

Portable Solar Powered Repeater Finished.. Wanna Come Play With Tech Toys...

I installed my GMRS repeater at the house here on 9th in Dolan a month ago and I've had some interest from people who want to form a local emergency communications group.
462.675 PL tone 100.0


UPDATE
Aug 1st Added a duplexer so I only need one antenna....

GMRS Repeater

You will need a GMRS or amateur radio license. If you don't have your license it's pretty easy... Radios are cheap $50 or so... Look at your smartphone, now imagine it's going to be down for a couple weeks...

I finished my solar powered portable GMRS repeater in an ammo box. 462.725 PL tone 100.0 It can be deployed on a high spot for local communications or mountain top for communications in remote areas. With it's built-in battery and solar power it can provide communications over a wide area for some time.

Portable Repeater

Solar Powered Repeater in an Ammo Box

The GMRS license from the FCC is $70 for 10 years. It gives you 8 repeater frequencies and most cities have GMRS repeaters you can use in that area. GMRS Repeater List I can hit a repeater GMRS on Mt Charleston with a handheld radio and talk to anyone else who can see Mt Charleston, 150 miles or so...

There's no test you just fill out the application pay your money and in a few days you have your license, it covers you immediate family too.

The Amateur Radio License is a little harder to get. 

This one takes study, you will need to know basic radio theory, frequencies, and FCC rules. If your interested 

I'm told there are very limited government capabilities at the local level to assist with emergency communications. We need to improve not only our local capabilities but the regional HAM communities capabilities and response planning. 

Without communications nothing works, nothing! 
Law enforcement, fire service, and EMS have no way be dispatched, no way to know who needs help or where to respond, no way to know what roads are open or closed, and no way to call for help...

You will need to take the basic National Incident Management System or NIMS training from FEMA's Emergency Management Institute if you would like to be involved in emergency communications.

Anyone interested in being involved in a local communications group please contact me. 

Have We Come Full Circle in Radio Communications?

Have we come full circle when it comes to the type of two-way radio communications we use? From two-way radios, to cell phones, to push-to-talk cell phones, to push-to-talk smartphones, to something that looks like the first and works like the last....

As a deputy in Montana we used low band two-way radios on 39.82 Mhz, kind of like a CB radio. We couldn't talk to our sheriff's office 30 miles away, but we could talk to the Catoosa County Sheriff's Office down in Georgia just fine.

Our sheriff's office was a little behind in technology, but in the 70's other agencies were using VHF and UHF radios with mountain top repeaters. These provided more reliable communications than the older low band radios.

This Motorola M1225 UHF mobile uses a PTT microphone and worked on mountain top repeaters. 

Out West where we have high mountain tops repeaters can have range of 100 miles or more. 

In the 80's we saw cell phones starting to be used by law enforcement involved in sensitive operations. Even with speed dial calling other officers was a hassle. 

Then in 1996 Nextel launched iDEN service allowing push-to-talk communications much like law enforcement was used to. This was favored by many law enforcement agencies because it allowed dispatch to talk to one officer or all the officers on a squad and allow them to shared information.

Advances in technology brings us to PoC or Push-to-talk Over Cellular. PoC has advanced rapidly with Verizon, Sprint and AT&T all offering some type of PTT service.

Today we have something that looks like a conventional two-way radio with it's microphone, but has the familiar screen and operation of a smartphone.

These hybrid Smartphone PoC units have some advantages over conventional two-way radios and there are pros and cons to both.

Since PoC uses the cellular tower system there are no cost for building and maintaining mountain top repeaters. As long as cellular networks are up and running first responders get priority over other users using services like the WPS the Wireless Priority Service a Federal program that prioritize calls over wireless networks.

Unlike our familiar two-way radios that use mountain top repeaters  these hybrid Smartphone PoC units are only limited by the cellular network. With mobile CradlePoint LET Routers, GoTenna, or Beartooth the range of smartphone PoC's can be extended but that's another discussion.... 

I don't know... 

When cops and truckers used two-way radios with microphone's that had cords they could talk and didn't crash into everything they saw. 

Then you get cell phones as small as a microphone and people, even truckers go nuts and can't drive and talk at the same time.

NOW we have these hybrid Smartphone PoC units with a microphone with a cord.... So are truckers going to drive better holding that microphone again? 

Can you imagine a millennial driving a stick shift and talking on a CB radio?

I don't know... Drive Safe... Talk Safe... K

Firefighter Helmet Lights Thinking Out of the Box....

After being on a couple fires at night I decided a helmet light was a necessity. I found some nice LED flashlights with helmet mounts for firefighters for $90. Since the FAA requires lights for night flights on drones, I didn't have an extra $90 and had a set of LED lights and mounts for my Mavic Pro so I thought I would give them a try.

The lights I use are called Lume Cubes and they're not designed for drones, actually they're designed for professional photographers providing various lighting for video and flash photography.

To me the Lume Cube has several advantages over a standard helmet mounted LED flashlight. It has a Bluetooth app with flash and video modes. It's dimmable from 0 to 1500 Lumens in the app and has 10 levels of brightness from the Cube. 

For investigators and others who need to take photos at fireground the Lume Cube has lots of light for shooting video and the optical sensor triggers the Lume Cube each time your camera flash goes off to provide additional lighting options. 

It's metal exterior is tough, the charge port is easy to access and it's waterproof down to 100', so it should do well in wet conditions,

At level 3 it provides good light for working 3-5' away, at level 10 the Lume Cube is very bright, it lights the area like one of the scene lights on our fire trucks. On level 10 it gives you 25 minutes of use, at 50% you can get up to 2 hours of use, on level 3 it should last 4 hours or more.

A Bluetooth app gives you control of the brightness as well as other functions like a strobe effect from your phone. This makes it easy to control brightness and strobe effect. The strobe is very bright and could be used to direct someone toward a firefighter or find a disoriented or down firefighter.

Tech Stuff for Photographers It's 1500 Lumen Light features a 6000K color temperature, and the unit's output is dimmable from 0 to 1500 Lumens. You will understand all the lighting features it has better than I do http://gooddogdigital.com/product/lume-cube/

What Part of RED FLAG WARNING No Burning Don't people Understand?

RED FLAG WARNING 

NO BURNING ALLOWED

As one of the new volunteers for the LMRFD I think we've been responding to far too many trash fires and controlled burns in the district. Wake up people it's hot and dry out there....

What Part of RED FLAG WARNING! 

 No Burning Don't People Understand?

With the recent winds around Dolan and Meadview we've been lucky that one of these trash fires hasn't gotten away and caused the loss of someones home.

First you can not burn trash anytime, garbage, plastics, and packaging must be taken to a landfill. Even then you can only burn natural material like trees and brush. 

You need to get a burn permit from the LMRFD. That said, no burn permits will be issued until the Red Flag Warning is canceled. 

Who Ya Gonna Call.......

Do you have a Family Communication Plan? A plan can make all the difference in case of an emergency. Do you know who you would call in case of an emergency? Do you have a family meeting place?

RED FLAG WARNING 

Mohave County Fire Restrictions from 2019 Jun 21 midnight until rescinded....

STAGE I FIRE RESTRICTIONS TO TAKE EFFECT ON STATE LANDS 
***MOHAVE COUNTY - SOUTH OF THE COLORADO RIVER***
Phoenix, AZ (6/20/19) - As fire activity gains momentum and fire suppression resources remain spread thin across Arizona, the Department of Forestry and Fire Management will implement fire restrictions to some state lands on Friday. 
Starting Friday, June 21, at 8 am, Stage I fire restrictions go into effect on Arizona state-owned and managed lands in Gila, La Paz, Maricopa, and Yuma Counties. The department will also put Stage I restrictions in place in Mohave County, south of the Colorado River. 
Restrictions apply to the following state-owned and state-managed lands within the above-mentioned counties including: 
• All State Trust lands outside incorporated municipalities.
• All Game and Fish Commission Wildlife areas and department properties outside incorporated municipalities.
• All State Parks outside incorporated municipalities – State Parks will remain open with fire restrictions in place. Please refer to https://azstateparks.com/fire-safety/ – for park-specific fire restriction information. 
• All Department of Transportation highway, right-of-way property outside incorporated municipalities, not owned by federal land management agencies. 
Restrictions include: 
• Building, maintaining, attending, or using a fire, campfire, charcoal, coal, or wood stove, other than in a developed campsite or picnic area is prohibited. Exemptions include, a device solely fueled by liquid petroleum or LPG fuels that can be turned on and off. Such devices can only be used in an area that is barren or cleared of all overhead and surrounding flammable materials within three feet of the device. 
• Smoking is prohibited unless it is within an enclosed vehicle or building, a developed recreation site/improved site or while stopped in an area at least three feet in diameter that is barred or cleared of all flammable materials. 
• Fireworks or another incendiary device are prohibited – year round. 
• Welding or operating acetylene or other torch devices with an open flame is prohibited. 
Exemptions include: 
• Any federal, state or local law enforcement officer or member of an organized rescue or firefighting organization in the performance of an official duty. 
• All land within a city boundary is exempted unless otherwise stated in a city ordinance. 
All exemptions to these restrictions must be approved by the State Forester. 
If local authorities have imposed stronger restrictions then those listed above, than the local restrictions shall apply. 
These restrictions apply to all permit and lease holders and other authorized users of state-managed lands. These restrictions do not apply to private lands under ARS § 37-1303. 
Restrictions are effective at 8 am on June 21, 2019, and will continue until rescinded. 
For fire restriction information go to: http://firerestrictions.us/az/ - or download the agency’s mobile app by searching the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management in the iTunes and Google Play stores. 
For more information, contact Tiffany Davila at 602-540-1036 or by email at tdavila@dffm.az.gov 

Apps & Tools for Firefighter Communications Mapping & Location Sharing

Our Smartphones are amazing compared with the "portable" radios we had in the 60's. They required $40-$60 in batteries and lasted a day at best. Needless to say we rarely got to use these radios.

In the 60's communications at fireground was difficult at best. In the 70's things got better with a handheld radio you could really hold in your hand, but they were expensive.

Today we have smartphone that give us amazing communications capabilities, when they have service. The problem is cellular service is designed for average daily use. When there's a major event like an earthquake or something local like the Minneapolis bridge collapse cellular systems fail. Minneapolis Bridge Collapse: Why Cellular Service Goes Down During Disasters

Now First Responders have FirstNet a cellular system designed for first responders that gives them priority over other users.

When in remote locations like wildfires many times firefighters have no cell service there are ways to communicate.

Beartooth

Beartooth comes to the rescue providing talk, text, and location sharing in a small unit. Beartooth allows you to talk, text, share maps as well as your location for situational awareness.

GoTenna Pro

GoTenna is a portable mesh network device that allows you to link from unit to unit extending range. You can text, share maps and location with GoTenna but no voice communications.

Both of these units have their own individual advantages and disadvantages, so if your interested in this type of communications check these out carefully.




A PTT Walkie Talkie App is Zello is free and gives you worldwide communications.

International Association of Wildland Fire has a free app Tools for Volunteer and Wildland Firefighters