The remote and rugged landscape of the Ventana Wilderness creates many communication challenges for firefighters trying to contain the Basin Complex Fire, but Incident Cmdr. Mike Dietrich says they have found a unique way to address at least some of the problems.
Thanks to funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the fire managers were able to call upon the California Department of Fish & Game to provide one of its vessels as a floating platform for radio communications.
Equipped with a portable radio repeater provided by the National Interagency Fire Center, the 58-foot Steelhead is patrolling about 26 miles of the coastline, significantly improving communications among firefighters in the rugged backcountry.
“This is the first time a California Department of Fish & Game patrol boat has been used to provide critical support to firefighters,” DFG Capt. Doug Huckins said.
Kathy Good is a public affairs officer for the Los Padres National Forest.