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Saturday, June 22, 2002
Four firefighters killed in van crash [Source: CNN] PARACHUTE, Colorado (CNN) -- Four passengers in a van carrying firefighters to the raging 137,000-acre Hayman blaze southwest of Denver were killed Friday night when the vehicle crashed on an interstate highway in western Colorado. State police said the van, headed from La Grande, Oregon, was one of a convoy of eight vehicles carrying firefighters who specialize in battling wildfires. There were 11 people in the van. State police identified one of the fatalities as Retha Shirley, 19, of Baker, Oregon. The others in the van received injuries and were taken to hospitals in Rifle, Glenwood Springs and Grand Junction. Two people are in critical condition, police said. The accident took place three miles east of Parachute on Interstate 70 about 5:15 p.m. MDT. State Trooper Cpl. Ron Madsen said the accident occurred when there was a lapse in the driver's concentration. According to a news release from state police, "the van was traveling east when the driver lost control and went off the left side of the road momentarily into the median. "The van then came back across the two eastbound lanes and rolled three times on the roadway and one time off the right side of the road. Four of the occupants were ejected." State police said charges are pending against the driver. Some of the passengers were wearing seat belts but others weren't strapped in, Madsen said. The weather conditions at the time of the accident were clear and dry. The 15-passenger van stopped in Parachute just before the accident took place. Friday, June 21, 2002
Officials Fear Arizona Faces Wildfire Inferno [Source: David Schwartz of Reuters]  PHOENIX (Reuters) - Two fast-moving wildfires in Arizona threaten to merge into one giant wind-whipped inferno, officials warned on Friday, while in Colorado a brief break in the weather helped firefighters hold the line against another huge blaze. Officials in Arizona said there was little they could do to prevent a 120,000-acre "Rodeo" fire from combining with another 5,000-acre blaze now burning just eight miles apart. "It's probably just a matter of time before they meet," said Dorman McGann, a spokesman for the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest. McGann said that within three days the two fires could merge into one, conditions which could well create one colossal 300,000-acre blaze. The fast-moving Arizona fires are raging through ponderosa and pinion pine trees, fueled by sustained winds of 30 to 35 miles per hour, with gusts of about 45 mph, officials said. High temperatures and low humidity continue to make matters worse. The blaze, about 150 miles north of Phoenix, began on Tuesday as a 300-acre brushfire on a local Indian reservation. Firefighters have been busy working on the fire's eastern flank, trying to head off any movement toward more heavily populated places in the area. About 8,000 people have already been forced to abandon their homes. "They are gaining ground because the fire is going in a different direction, thank God," McGann said. A change in direction would put another 20,000 people in jeopardy. Crews were clearing debris around homes in the fire's path and spraying residences with fire-retardant foam and water. The fire has grown even faster than the 13-day-old Hayman blaze in Colorado, where crews sought to exploit a brief spell of lower temperatures and increased humidity. Conditions, however, were expected to worsen soon. Arizona Gov. Jane Hull began the steps needed to ask President Bush to declare the fires a federal disaster -- a move that would free up federal money to help cover damage costs. Bush issued such a declaration for areas in Colorado on June 19. RUSH TO HOLD LINE "They just have to get as much done before it gets really bad," fire information officer Larry Helmerick said of the Hayman blaze, 55 miles southwest of Denver. That fire, allegedly started by a U.S. Forest Service worker, has consumed 137,000 acres and is now 45 percent contained, authorities said. Already, warmer weather and drier air have exacerbated the dangerous fire season. The National Interagency Coordination Center said 157 new fires were reported nationwide and 18 large fires were burning in eight U.S. states. A magistrate on Thursday said Terry Lynn Barton, accused of maliciously setting the Hayman fire, could be freed if she posts a $600,000 bond, meaning $60,000 in cash or collateral like her home. Barton entered a not guilty plea to four counts. She faces up to 65 years in prison, if convicted. A federal judge on Friday set an Aug 26 trial date for Barton. A CHANNEL TO DISASTER Friends and co-workers testified that Hayman, who worked as a fire prevention officer, was a responsible and caring mother of two. Yet prosecutors contend she rearranged rocks in a campfire ring to create a channel that led the fire to tinder-dry growth in the Pike National Forest, creating the largest fire in state history. Family members in California said Barton has been distraught over a bad marriage and could not have possibly meant to create so much suffering and devastation. The immediate outlook for more fires looks grim, officials say. Conditions are very high to extreme in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Kansas, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Washington and Wyoming, the coordination center in Boise, Idaho, said. There are nearly 2 million acres (800,000 hectares) burning, almost double the 10-year average. In New Mexico, overnight rains helped firefighters get a handle on blazes that scorched more than 100,000 acres (40,000 hectares) in the northern part of the state. Fire officials said that the worst of the blazes, a lightning-caused fire that burned near Cimarron was 100 percent contained. The rain helped firefighters get closer to the Trampas Fire in the Santa Fe National Forest northwest of Las Vegas, New Mexico, which was threatening to explode into a larger blaze before the storms. Fire officials said they would reinforce lines and move to contain the blaze. Thursday, June 20, 2002
Ventura County Maritime Radio Frequencies [Source: Freq Of Nature; Mathew Grant]  UPDATE Thanks to Mathew Grant for compiling this extensive list of Maritime Radio Frequencies in Ventura County. To contribute information or frequency lists, or to point out errors here at Freq Of Nature please visit the Radio Check page or e-mail us at comments@freqofnature.com.
White House Greets Amateur Radio Operators [Source: ARRL]  NEWINGTON, CT, Jun 19, 2002--President George Bush has sent his greetings to all Amateur Radio operators, acknowledging their role in emergency communications and in generating international good will. The White House letter comes as hams in the US mark Amateur Radio Week June 17-23 and prepare to participate this weekend in ARRL Field Day--an emergency preparedness exercise. "I salute amateur radio operators for your work on behalf of public safety officials," the President said in a letter dated June 18. "I also commend your interest in communicating with persons in other parts of the world and learning about other cultures and countries. Your involvement builds understanding and goodwill around the globe." For the first time, Field Day will be open to participation by amateurs throughout the Americas and the Caribbean. The President's letter acknowledged ham radio's "important role in emergency communications, assisting law enforcement personnel and other emergency services as they carry out their responsibilities." ARRL President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, expressed his delight at the presidential communication. "I'm extremely pleased that the president has decided to recognize the accomplishments of Amateur Radio operators throughout America," he said today. "Amateur Radio is a real asset to America, and even more so after September 11. Amateur Radio has always played a big role in disasters and emergencies, and I'm very proud of it." President Bush said First Lady Laura Bush "joins me in sending our best wishes." Governors in several states have issued proclamations designating Amateur Radio Week or Amateur Radio Month. Copyright © 2002, American Radio Relay League Wednesday, June 19, 2002
Probation search in Simi turns up guns [Source: Ventura County Star] By Philippe Shepnick Authorities discovered illegal firearms in the garage of a Simi Valley man on probation, according to a press release from the Simi Valley Police Department. During a search Monday afternoon, officers from the Ventura County Probation Agency discovered a partially constructed machine gun in the home of Nick Arbuckle, 33, authorities said. Silencers and illegal high-capacity magazines were also found in the garage. Once evidence of a crime is found, the matter is handled by the police agency at the scene, said Alan Hammerland, a division manager in the Ventura County Probation Agency. In this case, the agency was the Simi Valley Police Department. Arbuckle is on probation for a drug conviction, said Sgt. Sterling Johnson, a spokesman for the Simi Valley Police Department. Arbuckle lives in the 2600 block of Daunet Street and was not there during the probation search, Johnson said. His whereabouts are unknown, and he is wanted for questioning, Johnson said. A federal warrant should be issued today, he added. Anyone having information about Arbuckle is asked to call the Police Department at 583-6950 and ask for Officer Jeffrey Dominick. Police believe the items were made in the garage using legally obtained items. Blueprints to build the silencers and the machine guns were found in the garage. Gun manufacturing publications were also discovered, Johnson said. The incident remains under investigation by local and federal authorities. Copyright The E.W. Scripps Co. Tuesday, June 18, 2002
Firescan.net [Source: Freq Of Nature]  Matthew Kaufman set up www.firescan.net a little less than a year ago, but "never really bothered to publicize it very well". "...now that we're back in fire season, I realized that others might want to check it out.", said Matthew Kaufman. Firescan.net currently monitors 6 channels (CDF local for CZU, BEU, and SCU; Santa Clara County, Santa Cruz County, and San Mateo Control 1) from 1 site and keeps about 30 days of audio for all the channels. The system can decode DTMF, and both Quickcall I (2+2) and Quickcall II (1+1) two-tone paging. Matthew goes on to say, "Recently I've been working on software to allow remote receive sites for the system, so if anyone has a good place to put some receivers to hear additional channels that ought to be added, drop me an email." Access to all audio, indexed by both time (coming soon) and paging tones (available now), for the following fire channels: 151.370 CZU (CDF San Mateo-Santa Cruz Ranger Unit) Local 151.250 BEU (CDF San Benito-Monterey Ranger Unit) Local 151.445 SCU (CDF Santa Clara Ranger Unit) Local 154.325 Santa Cruz County 153.890 San Mateo South County 154.250 Santa Clara County Monday, June 17, 2002
Simi Settlers ARC Commodated by Simi Valley City Council [Source: Freq Of Nature]  The Simi Valley City Council recognized the valuable service the Simi Settlers Amateur Radio Club provides to the community in times of disaster. A proclamation declaring the week of June 16 through 23, 2002 as ``Amateur Radio Week" was presented to Ed Meyer KA6OMG, Field Day Chairman, and Steve Abarta K6TLM, President of the Simi Settlers SARC. Amateur Radio Week coincides with this year's Field Day, which will be held at the Ronald Regan Presidential Library June 22nd and 23rd.
3 Die In Wildfire Tanker Crash [Source: Assoicated Press]  Links of interest Air Tanker Message Board Associated Air Tanker Pilots Hawins and Powers Aviation Investigations of the Loss of Lockheed C130A Tanker 82 (1994) By Tom Gardner, Associated Press Writer (AP)-(WALKER, Calif.)-An air tanker fighting a blaze near Yosemite National Park caught fire Monday and crashed in this Northern California resort town, killing all three crew members and just missing a mechanic's shop, authorities and witnesses said. A Reno, Nev., television station captured the scene on videotape as the wings broke off the C-130 transport plane. The fiery fuselage then rolled left and spiraled nose first into the ground and exploded in a ball of flame. All three crew members were killed in the crash "under unknown circumstances after making a drop" of retardant, said Jerry Johnston, operations officer with the Federal Aviation Administration in Hawthorne, Calif. "It was destroyed by impact and by fire," he said. Investigators for the National Transportation Safety Board were on the way to the scene. A deputy coroner on the scene said the bodies would be taken to Bishop, Calif. No one on the ground was believed to have been hurt in the plane crash, said Paddy Hardy, a Forest Service spokeswoman at the Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch Center in Minden, Nev. But a firefighter in a water tanker truck responding to the fire was injured and airlifted from the scene when the truck overturned on a road east of Walker. There was no immediate word on his condition, she said. Witnesses said the plane crashed in a field just east of U.S. Highway 395 within 150 feet of an auto shop shortly before 3 p.m. "I'm standing here looking at the tail section," shop owner Mike Mandichak told The Associated Press by telephone. "My shop is right next door. It almost hit it." The tanker was battling an 10,000-acre blaze that had forced 400 people out of their homes in Walker, which is 90 miles south of Reno, and about 25 miles north of Yosemite. At least one home has burned. Other aircraft battling the fire were grounded. Reno station KOLO-TV's news crew was interviewing a man watching the skies with his own camcorder near Walker Sporting Goods Mobile Home Park when the plane came into view. The plane came in low to the ground trailing a red flow of fire retardant above tall green pines. Both wings suddenly snapped off, with flashes of flame as they separated. "We saw it circle around once and then drop through the middle there. ... That's where we saw it break up," reporter Terri Russell said. "It was almost surreal. You saw it go down and for a second, I thought, `Is that really what I saw?"' The fire from the crash threatened about 10 structures in the immediate area, including homes, trailers and the mechanic's shop. But that fire at the crash scene was brought under control and posing no danger itself Monday night. The wildfire began Saturday in a remote section of the Humbolt-Toiyabe National Forest that the Marines use for survival training. Unexploded ordnance in the steep, rugged area was slowing containment efforts, according to the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho. Many residents had made a narrow escape from wind-whipped flames Sunday night. "The flames were coming down the mountain toward the town so it was time to go," Dan McCall said as he watched the fire burn a few miles east of town Monday afternoon. "You could feel the heat and hear the roar of the flames," he said. Many of the 400 evacuees returned to their homes Monday but remained on alert for another evacuation. The agency said the fire was "human" caused but had no other details. It was 10 percent contained Monday evening -- up from 7 percent earlier in the day -- and was being fought by some 671 firefighters. The fire was estimated to have burned about 6,500 acres at noon Monday, but had nearly doubled in size by Monday night. "The winds came up and it is now over 10,000 acres and the winds are still blowing," Hardy said. Fire officials originally estimated the fire would be fully contained by Thursday night but were considering pushing back that projection, she said. Copyright 2002 The Associated Press |