palisades fire - jan 7 2025 - V1 transcript - 1021 am tape

[Peteri Szerlagi]

my notes on v1 tape starting at 1021 am - tape from broadcastify

2017 on tape - 1 squawk - this should be 1041 am (1021 + 20 minutes)

2049 on tape - copter 18 copies response

2103 on tape - quebec 1 and 2 copy response - (super scoopers from
quebec on contract)

2103 on tape - HT55 cannot respond due to winds - remaining AIQ /
available in quarters - (either coming from Pacoima or Van Nuys
probably)

2132 - Copter 11 copies response

2227 - Copter 17 copies response

2242 - Patrol 65 vols and sent - from sta 65 area - will attach you to
the ticket - (will add you to the response - by typing the info /
punching buttons on dispatch console - into the CAD)

(my commentary is in parenthesis)

2411 - copter 11 request helispot

2456 - Fire 4 is on V1 looking for any IC - (Fire 4 is a helo from
LAFD and he is acting as HelCo)

2540 - 2nd try by Fire 4 to any ground unit

2700 - Fire 4 asks if any ground unit at scene yet - no one replies

2736 - fire 4 talks to batt 5 or Cmd 42 - 10 acres on top of ridge -
will run to homes in 20 minutes - started just south of Palisades scar
/ burn / Fire (?earlier?) - Command 42 request street name - is LGA or
moving toward County? - (trying to figure out who should be IC - LAFD
or LA Co FD)

2853 - E70 requests repeat - LA Co seeking helispot designation -
(spot where helos get water - typically is assigned very early in
every fire)

Fire 4 says LAFD is using San Dimas helispot - (unknown where that is located)

Fire 4 also said they have been bombing the fire - (that would be the
lafd helos - probably using the victor channel - AM aviation band)

E70 says use Helispot 88A

Truck 69 looking for IC - (this is the first LAFD ground unit heard on
V1 - someone is on V1 direct also maybe)

3021 on tape - LAFD Truck 69 says that homes on Chastain look good -
requests new assignment - (Chastain is north of the dispatched address
on Piedra Morada)

note - V1 should have been the primary initial attack channel on this
fire - all responding units should have been tuned into V1 - and then
some aircraft could have started to use a Victor channel for helo to
helo comms - and then someone should have used 154.40 for air to
ground comms from aerial IC to ground IC - and then units at scene
should have used VFire 22 and VFire 23 for ground to ground comms -
but it sounds like LAFD units initially used their 800 mhz channels
during this critical phase of the fire - we will have to check further
and try to confirm that

note - hopefully just 1 victor channel was assigned to the fire - and
hopefully just 1 a/g channel was assigned - lafd ag is 154.83 - lacofd
ag is 154.40 - lafd victor is ?133.70 - lacofd victor is ??? - there
should be a plan in use in that area that dictates which channels
should be used - but possibly no backup channels are listed on the
plan - so if the primary channels are in use -some senior dispatcher
has to pull channels out of his hat

note - maybe 6 or 7 helos responded on first alarm plus 2 large water
scoopers - somehow they were not able to stop the fire - seems that
lafd helos arrived first - probably because they were already in the
air from the Hollywood brush fire response in 41s area

note - if V1 was the primary command channel - then the first alarm
would have had approx 20 engines and 7 helos and 2 scoopers and 2
dozers and 2 handcrews and multi chiefs all on 1 channel - only 1
person can talk on a channel at the same time