ARE YOU BUSHFIRE READY?

Sunday, October 1, 2023

ARE YOU BUSHFIRE READY?

Hello and Welcome Back... Summer has come early this time around, and while i love the heat, so does Bushfires..

(Winmalee Fires 2013) (above)

I live in Springwood, bang smack in the middle (almost) of the Blue Mountains.

There have been several large bushfires in the Blue Mountains over the years, but the biggest and most scariest for me was the 2013 Winmalee fires.

It was a hot, windy day and i was getting ready to go pick my kids up from Winmalee High & Winmalee Public school around 2pm

As I was about to leave, I heard a heap of sirens so I figured I would grab my scanner and a little birdie in my head told me to grab my camera as well... I'm Glad I Did

As I was rounding the top of Hawkesbury rd, Springwood near the golf course, i could see a huge plume of smoke..

This was the view (below)

My first thoughts were, 'Shit, My Kids Are In There Somewhere'... sadly, I didn't get to them.. It was to be 3-4 days before i would get to see my kids again..

I made it to the bottom of the hill and that's where i was stuck as the road I was now on resembling a car park. The amount of Emergency Vehicles that was now flying past me was staggering..

I turned on the scanner to revealed the true horror, multiple 'Red' messages were coming through the speaker from both the RFS (Rural Fire) and Fire Brigade (Fire & Rescue) as one by one, various trucks from other suburbs were now flying past me..

I tried to phone my wife but phones were out as the influx of people trying to contact love ones pushed the nearest phone tower to its limit.. So was internet, that was down too.. I sent multiple messages trying to let my wife know what was happening, who was at home, oblivious to what was going on

This was the view from where i was parked (Below)

Thankfully, one of my messages got through and my wife rang relatives who lived on the other side of the fire who picked up my kids before things really hit the fan..

From where I was, nobody knew how big this fire had spread in such a small space of time... I did, because my scanner was now, my only form of communication... I could hear what was happening, as it happened..

In a Bushfire, never rely on the phone network as i just gets choked with messages, phone calls and internet all trying to get information, all at the same time..

Your scanner, when programmed correctly, is your only source of instant information that could mean life or death..

That day on 17th October 2013, 248 dwellings in Winmalee, Yellow Rock and surrounds were burnt to the ground, 193 houses were lost while another 109 houses were damaged.. Sadly 2 people died..

It all started when trees hit power-lines causing then to spark..

So, What To Program?

The first thing I always program into my radio are the Air Frequencies as helicopter support are often the first real good 'Birds Eye' view on how big the fire is and where its heading..

RFS (Rural Fire Service) has several helicopters & other large aircraft on standby at any given notice, those include Large Air Tankers, three fixing wing aircraft and seven helicopters including a CH-47 Chinook

119.100 (Wollongong, Bulli, Sydney)
118.150
123.450 (air to air chat)
123.650
124.250
124.450
128.700
130.550
132.350
132.550
133.200
134.375 (RAAF)
136.025 (RAAF)
152.8125 (Handhelds)
450.4125 (Comms)

Next is, National Parks and Wildlife Services (NPWS) now known as 'Office of Environment & Heritage'

Current Fleet

Parkair 1 (VH-NPX) - Aerospatiale AS 350B3 Helicopter
Parkair 2 (VH-NPD) - Eurocopter AS 350B3 Helicopter
Parkair 3 (VH-WDS) - Airbus Helicopters H125 Helicopter
Parkair 4 (VH-UAH) - Eurocopter AS 350B3 Helicopter
Parkair 5 (VH-ZHG) - Eurocopter AS 350B3 Helicopter
Parkair 6 (VH-TFV) - Cessna 208B Grand Caravan EX Airplane
Parkair 7 (VH-TQV) - Cessna 208B Grand Caravan EX Airplane

119.600 (Perisher)
122.850
123.850
124.050
125.450
130.650 (Mt Poppong/Howes Valley)
134.700

NPWS (Fireground)
161.175
161.1375
161.300
161.3125
162.525
162.6375
162.700

Next thing I program is RFS Fireground channels as this get a good idea of whats happening on the ground.. Fire Ground is limited to 5w of power so you have to be fairly close to hear them..

161.1500 - Fireground 1
161.0625 - Fireground 2
161.0750 - Fireground 3
161.1125 - Fireground 4
161.0875 - Fireground 5
161.0375 - Fireground 6
161.0125 - Fireground 7
161.0500 - Fireground 8
161.1875 - Fireground 9
161.2125 - Fireground 10 (Baulkham Hills)
161.2250 - Fireground 11 (Blue Mountains)
161.2375 - Fireground 12 (Camden)
161.2500 - Fireground 13 (Campbelltown)
161.3375 - Fireground 14 (Gosford)
161.3625 - Fireground 15 (Hawkesbury)
161.3750 - Fireground 16 (Hornsby)
161.3875 - Fireground 17 (Liverpool)
161.4125 - Fireground 18 (Penrith / Blacktown)
161.4500 - Fireground 19 (Sutherland)
161.4625 - Fireground 20 (Waringah)

Analogue/Digital Simplex
FG1 - 411.0125
FG2 - 411.0375
FG3 - 411.0625
FG4 - 411.0875
FG5 - 411.0125
FG6 - 411.0375
FG7 - 411.0625
FG8 - 411.0875

Analogue/Digital Repeater
R17 - 462.0625
R18 - 462.2875
R19 - 462.4250
R20 - 462.5250
R21 - 462.5375
R22 - 462.9000
R23 - 462.9625
R24 - 462.9875

The view from my back door (once i got home)

Next on the list is NSW Forestry.

Forestry is not as big as NPWS in regards to firefighting but in a large Bushfire environment, Forestry will often get called in to help

NSW Wide   70.550
NSW Wide   72.650
Sydney     79.1125
NSW Wide   79.9375
NSW Wide   79.9375
ForestAir Helicopter - 132.550 (Bankstown Airport)
NSW Wide   150.700
NSW Wide   154.4125
NSW Wide   161.450
NSW Wide   426.0750
NSW Wide   426.300

Rural Fire Misc Frequencies (NSW Wide - Portables/Handhelds)

75.225
77.650
77.6625
77.8875
78.1625
415.525
422.6875
422.9375
426.0875
426.3375

161.0125 - NSW Fire Service Headquarters (Homebush)
161.1500 - NSW Fire Service Headquarters (Homebush)
460.69375 - NSW Fire Service Headquarters (Homebush)

RFS - PMR (Personal Mobile Radio)

Kurrajong RFS	-	77.6625
Yetholme RFS	-	77.9125
Jews Mtn RFS	-	78.2125
Lithgow (Hassans Walls) RFS	-	78.2375
Terrey Hills RFS	-	78.7375
Hillside RFS	-	78.825
Glenorie RFS	-	78.825
Heathcote RFS	-	78.925
Razorback (Camden) RFS	-	78.9875
Homebush (Olympic Park)	-	161.0125
Hornsby Heights RFS	-	161.0375
Terrey Hills RFS	-	161.0625
Hillside RFS	-	161.0750
Glenorie RFS	-	161.0750
Prestons (Liverpool) RFS	-	161.0875
Heathcote RFS	-	161.1125
Homebush (Olympic Park)	-	161.150
Plumpton RFS	-	161.2125
Oberon RFS	-	161.2250
Wilberforce RFS	-	161.2375
Campbelltown RFS	-	161.250
Silverdale RFS	-	161.3375
Narellan RFS	-	161.3625
Regentville (Penrith) RFS	-	161.3875
Nattai RFS	-	161.400
Terrey Hills RFS	-	161.400
Kingswood RFS	-	461.04375
Lithgow RFS	-	461.31875

And Lastly PSN (Public Safety Network) ex GRN (Government Radio Network) (P25)

https://www.nswpsn.com/home

Programming for PSN/GRN can be complicated as you will need to program Base Frequencies as well as TGID (ID Tags) that tell your scanner who using the radio..

The PSN can be complicated for new users or scanner lovers who have come back to scanning after a long time away from the radio...

I offer a service where I will program everything you need in case of emergency... and more.

In regards to PSN/GRN Programming, I use settings that make the radio more sensitive, COWs (Cell On Wheels) so your radio stays working while planned work or emergency's do things to the towers, I also have 35 years of scanning experience and I live in Springwood, Blue Mountains as the radio program I use to keep my friends and family safe is the same one I offer you..

Interested? See Here = http://scanradionsw.blogspot.com/2021/11/radio-programming-services-available.html

Have a Happy and Safe 2023/24 Summer and Always Be Prepared..and hope that 2013 never happens again..

EMERGENCY IN THE BLUE MOUNTAINS (Video)