NEWINGTON, CT, Jun 22, 2006--Fire season is in full swing in several states in the Western US, and Amateur Radio volunteers have been helping to provide communication for the American Red Cross and The Salvation Army. Residents have been evacuated in several areas where wildfires threatened homes.
Arizona ARES Ready if Brins Fire Escalates
Arizona ARRL Section Emergency Coordinator Rick Aldom, W7STS, says ARES teams are gearing up to activate in case the Brins Fire, burning in timber two miles northeast of Sedona, gets out of hand this weekend. Given the heavy HF activity for Field Day, Aldom has requested that radio amateurs steer clear of the ARES net frequencies of 7248 kHz and 3992 kHz and The Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) frequency of 3977.7 kHz, on the outside chance they'll be needed for Arizona fire-related emergency traffic. Aldom anticipates that most emergency communication would take place on VHF and UHF repeaters, however.
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 The Brins Fire in Arizona, as it appeared June 18. [Northern Arizona Incident Management Team Photos] |
"The American Red Cross invited ARES volunteers to provide back-up for their communication systems," Aldom told ARRL June 23. "Emergency Coordinators in Flagstaff and Yavapai County report ham radio volunteers are supporting two evacuation centers." He said ARES also is available to provide communication between the state emergency operations center and the two shelters, as needed.
Fire officials say there's still a chance that the Brins Fire -- now deep in a canyon -- could expand and jump State Route 89A. Additional ARES involvement depends on how the fire behaves, Aldom said, noting that firefighters made "significant progress" in battling the blaze June 23, and "things are looking very good." The weather also cooperated.
"Two things happened," Aldom said. "We had an influx of moisture last night in the middle levels, which I think helped on the ground, and the winds were much calmer than they might have been."
Should additional evacuations become necessary, ARES volunteers may be called in to help livestock rescue crews. Aldom says it's also possible that he'd have to request mutual aid from other ARES teams in Arizona, and there's a possibility the fire could threaten Flagstaff as well. Aldom has two portable repeaters on standby in case they're needed.
As of June 23, about a dozen ARES volunteers were assisting in the Arizona wildfire response, Aldom said.
By late June 22, the Brins Fire had burned almost 3256 acres and was 15 percent contained. Numerous residences are threatened, and evacuation orders are still in place for Oak Creek Canyon and two subdivisions north of Sedona. State Route 89A remains closed. Power to the region has been cut, and authorities have gone door to door to urge remaining residents to leave. The fire also is generating considerable smoke in the region, causing a hazard to both health and visibility.
"Residents and visitors in the Sedona area can expect to experience continued smoke in the area, especially during the late evening and early morning hours due to downslope winds," a Coconino National Forest announcement said. The Coconino National Forest has been closed to the public.
ARES Readies, Deploys for Active Fire Season in New Mexico
 The Bear Fire in New Mexico, as it appeared June 20. |
New Mexico's Office of Emergency Management said June 22 that a statewide fire emergency continues throughout New Mexico.
On June 19, the Bear Fire in the Bearwallow Mountain area of Catron County, New Mexico -- some 17 miles east of Alma -- caused authorities to evacuate residents and campers in the Willow Creek, Snow Lake and N-Bar Ranch areas to two Red Cross shelters. New Mexico ARRL Section Emergency Coordinator Rick Sohl, K5RIC, has been coordinating Amateur Radio volunteer assistance for both Grant and Catron counties.
"This looks to be a very active fire season," Sohl observed. "ARES groups need to be ready in the event of a major fire." ARES volunteers have been working overtime in June to support local emergency managers after many wildfires broke out across the state -- some of them ignited by lightning.
As of June 22, the Bear Fire had spread over 33,250 acres and only 5 percent contained. Sixty structures along Willow Creek were said to be imminently threatened. The fire has crossed into the wilderness, and accumulations of extremely dry fuels in the southern and western portions of the fire are hampering containment.
Firefighting resources from the Gila National Forest have responded, and some 200 firefighters have been reassigned from the Skates Fire. Russell Stanley, KD5RWX, and Grant County ARRL Emergency Coordinator Tom Meyer, N4CYV, were reported active on UHF to provide any needed communication support.
Over the weekend residents were evacuated as a precaution after the Skates Fire erupted in the Lake Roberts area of the Gila National Forest in New Mexico. Meyer says ARES volunteers provided communication for a shelter there over the weekend.
According to the National Fire Information Center, the Skates Fire had burned nearly 12,500 acres and was 60 percent contained as of June 22. State Highways 15 and 35 have been reopened but at reduced speed limits. A mandatory evacuation for the Lake Roberts area has been lifted, and residents have been allowed to return home. No homes were lost.
ARES volunteers assisted the Red Cross after two fires broke out within four days in the Bosque south of Albuquerque. Volunteers were deployed to the fire scene and a shelter as well as at a collection point and in the Bernalillo County emergency operations center. Sandoval County ARES provided emergency communication support after the second fire broke out June 18 in the Bosque in Corrales.
Long range weather forecasts for this summer offer little hope for relief from the extreme fire danger in the southwest and the Amateur Radio Operators who volunteer when called.--PIO Charlie Christman, K5CEC, contributed information for this report
ARES Stands Down in Colorado Fire Response
Colorado SEC Rob Roller, N7LV, reports the Colorado Disaster Response Team (DRT) stood down this week after providing communication support for The Salvation Army in the wake of the Mato Vega fire near Fort Garland. The relief organization's canteen was pulling out, Roller said, and another food supplier was coming in to provide meals.
"ARES has received no other requests for support from any other agencies," Roller told ARRL Emergency Coordinators in Colorado.
DRT Emergency Coordinator Wes Wilson, K0HBZ, had been in Fort Garland to provide communication support for The Salvation Army back to its Denver Headquarters using Winlink for digital e-mail communication.
The Mato Vega Fire in Costilla County continues to grow, Roller reports. As of June 22, it had burned more than 11,800 acres and was 30 percent contained.
The fire, 12 miles northeast of Fort Garland, has prompted the evacuation of the Wagon Creek, Paradise Acres and Old La Veta Pass communities --
some 280 homes in all. US Route 160 remains closed to public travel.
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