OES Fire

OES FIRE has three purposes. First, it is used to coordinate between the 65 Fire Operational Area Mutual Aid Coordinators, the 6 Regional Mutual Aid Coordinators, and OES Fire & Rescue Branch's EOC at HQ in Sacramento. Second, it is used between OES Fire & Rescue HQ and the OES Fire field staff [52xx units] enroute to or at major emergencies. Third, it is used to coordinate any and all of the above points with the 130+ OES Engines and support vehicles located in local fire departments around the state.

OES FIRE, with 22 sites, is the state's oldest technology repeater system (lowband input, highband output), although we are in the process of converting the network to VHF-Hiband only. Due to various factors, this has not been a 'clean' process. As a result, we have a hodge-podge of frequency and access tone combinations [and multiple channel names, unfortunately] in place throughout the network. We are replacing the 70+ base stations in the network, which will allow us to 'retire' the 33 MHz inputs (the mobile and handheld fleet is all VHF-Hiband) and bring the name nomenclature back in line.

White Fire & FIREMARS

The WHITE FIRE frequencies (not "OES White") are FCC-designated as "intersystem" channels used for multiple agency fire coordination operations.

The old OES "FireMARS" system (153.830 in, 154.295 out, using handhelds and portable repeaters) is dead. The BART UNDERGROUND (153.770/154.295) will disappear with BART's move to 800.

The FIREMARS channels ("FIREMARS", 868.9875; and "FIREMARS 2", 866.9125 in the "Northern California" area defined under CLEMARS, above) are designated for Fire & EMS operations by those agencies operating on 800 MHz.

CESRS

CESRS has 21 interconnected sites around the state (and 4 stand alone radios not interconnected). It is used for radio coordination between OES staff (51xx and 51xxx units) and our facilities in Sacramento, Fresno, Los Alamitos, Oakland, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara; and between our Regional Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs) [in Oakland, Los Alamitos, and Sacramento] and around 30 county EOCs. Other users of CESRS are the facilities of the Calif. Youth Authority [for their direction & control purposes], and the Department of General Services' Telecommunications Division units ("Area xx", and "DC-xxxx" units), who maintain it all.

CLEMARS

There are CLEMARS frequencies in each Public Safety radio band (except the 220-222 MHz band). CLEMARS is used for on-scene Law Enforcement communications. The nationwide Law frequency of 155.475 is included in the CLEMARS plan.

CALCORD

CALCORD is a mobile-only channel for use on scene as a command channel. Yes, it is also a Marine Radio Service channel [61A] in Canada (not authorized as a Marine channel in the U.S.); we have it licensed out of the old Highway Maintenance pool. No base stations are allowed.

FIREMARS

National Plan 800 MHz - Interoperability Channels

When the FCC opened the 821-824/866-869 MHz spectrum to Public Safety use in the 1980s, the FCC established an advisory committee (the National Public Safety Planning Advisory Committee, or "NPSPAC") to recommended rules for the assignment and utilization of the new spectrum. NPSPAC recommended (and the FCC adopted) 5 Interoperability channels - a calling channel, and 4 tactical. In negotiating the border interface zones with Canada and Mexico, these 5 pairs were also adopted by those countries for Public Safety interoperability use. The channels, therefore, are known as I-CALL (866.0125), and I-TAC 1 thru 4 (866.5125, 867.0125, 867.5125, and 868.0125 respectively). Under the plans developed by California's two Planning Regions, OES administers the use of these channels.

Other Pages to See

Definitions