List of Cities and Counties from www.census.gov - October 2000 - [added FDs - 20 Oct 00]
-----------------------------------------------
From [email protected] on 31 August 1999
From what I can figure out, the Alaska State Forestry Service uses repeaters at 159Mhz, 151Mhz, and 453Mhz. 8 channels are used at 453Mhz - 3 channels have mountain top repeaters with 3 or 6 repeaters per channel. The other 453Mhz channels seem to be temporary/transportable repeaters. It looks like 14 channels on 151Mhz and 159Mhz have repeaters with some inputs on 154.755, 154.815, and 154.83 (which are usually police channels). Between 3 and 8 repeaters are on each channel. The State Fish and Game Wardens have 25 base stations on 45.04. The State Police have multiple base stations on 155.25 and 155.55 for police mutual aid operations statewide. 3 repeaterized dispatch channels are used - 155.79 has 10 mountain top repeaters - 155.73 has 15 mountain top repeaters - and 155.415 has 12 mountain top repeaters. I believe that they have approximately 80 posts/police stations around the state. (The Alaska State Troopers did have a website that listed all of their posts.)
[I must have some of the State Trooper radio info hiding in my notebook somewhere - I must have State Forestry also - I thought I already put it on the net - it is not in the sonofrcma archives - let me check the fireradio archives - nope nothing there - see notebook circa 31Aug99]
-----------------------------------------------
from sonofrcma - 27March00 - the only user of 153.83 in Alaska is the Homer VFD with a 153.83/154.415R repeater on Diamond Hill
-----------------------------------------------
see notes - early Oct 00 - Public Safety Officers seek more money for policing in Eskimo villages
-----------------------------------------------
from [email protected]Date: Wed�Mar�24,�1999�7:16pm Subject: Alaska Fire Service The Alaska Fire Service is a federal wildfirefighting operation run by the BLM to protect all federal and native trust lands in the northern half of the state of Alaska. Approximately 20 mountaintop radio sites are linked by UHF radio freqs. The firefighting units use radio channels in the 163Mhz range. For 1999 - the basic lineup will be (at the peak of fire season) - 3 hand crews (20 firefighters each) - 68 smoke jumpers - 4 jump ships - 3 medium helos - 4 light helos - 2 airtankers - 2 lead planes (air bosses) - 5 multiuse small planes. Resources will be on duty for various time periods during the summer. Most of the staff is based in Fairbanks. Two small field offices are at Galena and Fort Yukon. (In the last couple of years ?5 other field stations have been closed).
---------------
A little late on response to your questions - 1. We have 60 hotshots (3 crews), 68 smokejumpers, 4 jump ships, 3 medium helicopters, 4 light helicopters, 2 air tankers, 2 lead planes, 5 multiple use/logistical ac. 2. Centralized dispatch in Fairbanks has control over statewide resources. We still have field stations in Galena and Fort Yukon. However, the basic operating principle is centralized operation based in Fairbanks and move forces forward when/if conditions warrant. (1999)
-----------------------------------------------
From [email protected] on 13Sept1999
Here is a URL for the Radio Operating Guidelines of the Alaskan Railroad. http://www.akrr.com/gencode/radio.html#2.0 If you follow the links you can see the entire Operating Procedure for all aspects of the Railroad's operations. (There are more details concerning radio operations in various parts of the document.)
The Alaskan RR operates a 661 mile system between Fairbanks and Alaska. It was owned by the Federal Govt until 1984 - at that time it became a State/private operation. One dispatch center in Anchorage covers all train movements. All VHF-high band gear is used (375 portables, 165 mobiles, 75 base stations, and 21 repeater and dispatch points). There are 550 employees. Safety comms have their own channel. All bases and repeaters are linked via landlines. Equipment shelters along the tracks all have phones and direct 911 access to the Anchorage City 911E PSAP. (All info from the September 1999 issue of Mobile Radio Technology).
-----------------------------------------------
from [email protected] on 4June2000
Date: Sun�Jun�4,�2000�7:33pm Subject: 911AM in Alaska 00-218 - Glacier Bay NP&P (AK) - Cruise Ship FireA fire started in crew quarters on the Holland America cruise ship S.S. Nieuw Amsterdam as it traveled through Tarr Inlet in the upper reaches of Glacier Bay at 9:11 a.m. on the morning of May 23rd. The 704-foot ship was carrying approximately 1200 passengers and 566 crew members.
A 'mayday' distress call was broadcast and all passengers were evacuated to lifeboat stations as the crew fought the fire. Other large vessels in Glacier Bay, including a tour boat and another cruise ship, responded to the 'mayday', but no additional assistance was required. Park staff organized under ICS and dispatched the park's aircraft and ranger/pilot to the scene. Park rangers onboard the Nieuw Amsterdam provided a radio communications link and assisted passengers during the onboard evacuation. The fire was contained and declared out by 11:15 a.m.
Reports indicate severe damage to three crew cabins and moderate damage to 17 more crew cabins and passageways on the D deck, the first deck below the water line. One passenger suffered from chest pains, and was medivaced by helicopter to Juneau. No other injuries were reported. All of the ship's operational systems outside of the burned area remained functional and the vessel was permitted to travel approximately 50 miles to lower Glacier Bay and anchor. A team of USCG and state of Alaska fire investigators and a park ranger boarded the vessel to make a determination as to whether the vessel could depart Glacier Bay for Seward. The vessel was released to continue on to Seward under its own power at 10 p.m. [Jim Capra, IC, GLBA, 5/23]
{I believe that "park's aircraft" is singular - they probably have 1 small fixed wing plane and a few patrol boats - helos probably come from the Coast Guard or the Alaska State Troopers}
-----------------------------------------------
There is a website with info from all of the Local Emergency Planning Councils/Committees in Alaska. Perhaps it is accessible from the EPA website in Wash DC. I think I read something about First and 2nd class cities.
-----------------------------------------------
File created - 9 Oct 2000 - Updated - 29 Oct 00 - FD freqs by Boro - 09Mar01 - LEPC item