On Monday that Lee De Forest Amateur radio club and our local ham community ran a local information net. It was a controlled net fire related at times very active with callers not always legible sharing observations and solutions.
A club member after the start of the fire was concerned when the fire was coming down the hill not far from his house. He is elderly and his spouse is disabled.
So while remarked that it was getting pretty scary fire was coming down the hill he was thinking to himself I don’t know if I can get us out of here. So he used ham radio. Our local repeater and got dedicated fire activity and environment were every call was answered. While others were watching TV news getting five minutes of five hour old news or worse ham radio was at work.
People have expressed their appreciation and thanks, but net control needs traffic.
I would like to thank everybody who participated including W9MCA, KN6PUR, KN6SOG, KN6MJS, W6WDS along with others. In particular I would like to thank KJ6YJI, WA6SPY and KM6JWS. Michael is an expert on emergency communications and best practices and monitored the repeater and answered calls while I was unavailable. WA6SPY made a lot of great observation and even reconnaissance. Here’s an older guy with asthma so far as I understand and he’s out there reporting on where the fire is. Thank you so much Earl you’re awesome. And finally, Bart did recon and provided prepared detail reports from the other side of the fire all via EchoLink. I was scared for Anza from the start of this thing. Your reporting from your area along with the incredible reconnaissance provided invaluable information on what the fire was doing. There contributions along with so many others really made this a great source of local information.
It wasn’t just hams sharing information, Candace my XYL was texting info she heard from me and on the air. KJ6YJ I expressed the same we became a HUB where current good information spread.
Some people were affected more than others. To those who maintained a clear frequency thank you.
The ham radio community with its skill and a significant investment in radio equipment 🙂 along with the desire to communicate effectively, made a delicate and scary time safer for some local residents.
Ham radio was the perfect communication tool.
To our first responders who year after year impress amaze and me.
Only 2 deaths and 12 structures. With just under 19,000 acres burned in this environment and terrain 2 deaths and 12 structures. so I’d like to say thank you to our firefighters on the ground and in the air you’re professional focused and tenacious.
For those who have suffered or lost there home or loved ones we pray for you.
Best Refrence We Found Thank You Asa KN6SVA
How to help victims of the Fairview fire near Hemet
Gibbel Area in spring a couple years ago
