Day 2- March 10, 2007
I couldn’t monitor KC, Kansas from my motel room and I was only picking up KCMO sporadically last night. You have to be pretty close to pick up the 800 MHz frequencies I guess. KC, Kansas is still trunked but KCMO has gone to simplex/repeaters on the 800 band after they had lots of trouble, especially on the fire ground. As I drove around east of the KC area on I-435, I was picking up KC, Kansas until I got way south. Then I lost them.
I was able to monitor all the Johnson County fire frequencies and heard a lot of action over night, but no fires. Johnson County includes Overland Park (6 sta’s), Olathe (7 sta’s), Lenexa (4 sta’s), South Johnson Co (4 sta’s), Shawnee (3 sta’s), Leawood (2 sta’s), JC District #1 (2 sta’s), JC District 2 (3 sta’s), Merriam (1 sta), and probably a few more single station departments.
When I checked out around 0830 hours it was 42 degrees and sunny. I went by Olathe Stations 2 (52) and 4 (54), both just of I-35, and got a few pics (mostly bad sun position however). Station 2 will come down soon as the land is too valuable and they will vacate and use the money for the property to build a new station. There are huge new developments in the area including a humongous Outdoor World across the street. I drove around, but could not find Station 1 (41). I finally gave up and went back to I-35 and headed for OK City.
Luckily a firefighter at Station 54 asked me where I was headed and when I told him OK City for the night he mentioned the Big 12 Basketball Championship there this weekend. I thought it would be best if I made a reservation just in case. It’s good I did as most of the motels were full for the weekend.
As I drove around Wichita there was a lot of activity (mostly EMS) on the radio, both for the City of Wichita and for Sedgwick County. I believe they are both dispatched from the same center as it sounded like the same voice dispatching the calls. It was already 60 degrees when I drove by that area.
I came across a bad accident very shortly after it happened north of the Billings, OK exit that involved a car that rolled multiple times in the center divider, which luckily was very wide where the accident happened. There were only a couple of cars pulled over and it looked like at least one person was ejected. There were no highway patrol cars on the scene, but an ambulance had just pulled up. I could have stopped and taken a few photos, but I didn’t.
It’s 1830 hours in OK City and OK City FD just dispatched a full assignment (which included a Brush truck included in the response) to 208 Pawnee Circle. OK City is switching to a EDAC’s Pro-Voice system, which no current scanner can pick up. They are still doing some simulcasting of dispatches, but I don’t think the operations or fire-ground channels are being simulcast. Since I’ve been in the city I’ve heard a lot of calls dispatched, but very little other than that. – It’s now 1848 hours and I never heard another word on this fire- other than the initial dispatch.
When I arrived in OK City around 1500 hours it was 75 degrees and sunny. I headed to Station 1 (headquarters) downtown and finally found it. I got photos of Engine 1 and new Air 1, but Engine 51 and Rescue-Ladder 1 were operating with reserves. I headed to Station 4, which is due to be moved out 15 miles NE according to the TriData report I read a few weeks ago. Engine 4 doesn’t have much to do after 5pm Monday’s thru Friday’s when the offices downtown close.
My next stop was Station 6, home of Engine 6 and Rescue-Ladder 6. I took photos of their present station, built in 1976. The University wants their property, so OK City is scheduled to build a station (TriData recommendation) in the “Brick Town” area in the next few years. Brick Town is OK City’s version of the San Antonio River Walk. They’ve installed a sunken, man-made waterway and hundreds of new businesses, restaurants, specialty shops and the like to this entertainment area just southeast of downtown.
My last stop was at OK City Station 5, the city’s HazMat station. I got photos of Engine 5, HazMat 5 and their version of the white Minnesota Chemcial and HazMat rigs- also purchased with Federal monies. . The sun was just going under the clouds as I shot the rigs there. I decided to head to the motel before they gave my room away.
All the firefighters today were really great, although the OK City FF’s questioned me a lot before allowing photos. Apparently the department has had some problems with private people taking photos and using them for “profit” motives. One firefighter, who already had asked me to e-mail him a copy of the photos, asked me if I was going to super-impose nude models in front of the rigs. I asked him if he really wanted me to and he said, “No, I can do that myself!”
The official OK City FD web site has a PDF file with all the recommendations from the TriData research firm, the same firm that will submitting a report on the St. Paul Department of Fire and Emergency Services. Oklahoma City has expanded by leaps and bounds and runs in many of the city’s outlying area’s response times are way over the recommended maximum times.
I am able to monitor other departments (that include Edmond, Midway, Moore etc) in addition to the OK City dispatches. It is supposed to rain big time here overnight- up to two inches. Hopefully it will clean up some of the dirt on my car. I’ll have to watch the Weather Channel tonight and see what to expect tomorrow. I’m planning on reaching Albuquerque tomorrow.
Don’t forget to reset your clocks tonight. That’s all for now!
