It was a near miss last week for several radio stations as a fire in southern Colorado burned out of control.

The Aspen Acres wildfire came within several hundred feet of the Camp Jackson tower that contains critical emergency and commercial radio equipment, according to reports

The fire near Rye, Colo., has consumed nearly 100,000 acres of the San Isabel National Forest in the Wet Mountains. It also burned hundreds of homes across Pueblo County. As of Monday afternoon it was about 36% contained, according to news reports.

Semi-retired independent broadcast engineer Michael Baldauf, a Radio World contributor who helps maintain the broadcast site, told Radio World the fire came within a tenth of a mile of the mountaintop facility.

Camp Jackson is situated at an elevation of about 8,600 feet. The tower hosts broadcast antennas for KTPL(FM), WAY-FM’s KRWA(FM) and K-Love’s KWRY(FM) and KRNX(FM), all of which air Christian programming.

Baldauf said the stations have been off the air since power was cut to the tower site around July 1, shortly after the Aspen Acres fire started.

The site has achieved some prominence during the Aspen Acres fire, serving as a critical vantage point and infrastructure anchor for containment operations.

Baldauf himself lives about 10 minutes away but he was evacuated from his home two weeks ago.

He says the fire has burned through the foothills and is burning across the mountain face. As of Monday his home and Camp Jackson appeared to be safe barring a change in wind direction.

“The Sheriff’s Department escorted me up there last week. It all looks fine, but everything had a layer of pink dust on it from fire retardant. It was a very close call,” Baldauf told us.

“I turned off all the circuit breakers in the building so when power is eventually restored, the transmitters won’t automatically start back up. That way I can make sure they are ready to go.”

The four radio stations remain off air, Baldauf said, but the site is approximately 60 miles southwest of Colorado Springs, which has FM signals carrying Christian programming that can serve the Rye area.

He serves as a contract engineer for several of the stations. In the winter, he snowshoes into the site to perform maintenance duties.

“I’m the eyes and ears on the ground here. WAY-FM and K-Love have broadcast engineers in Colorado Springs, but this is so remote that it’s hard to get to.”

Camp Jackson was built in the early 1980s. There is no TV on the tower, Baldauf said, but there are several government agency repeaters.

Baldauf says it’s possible that Camp Jackson received protection from firefights because it had been used by the YMCA as a summer camp for underprivileged youth for about 50 years. The site has a medium-size lodge and some additional outbuildings.

“The fire service is looking to protect property and lives, so having the YMCA camp buildings there likely increased their attention to the area,” he said.

The Colorado Sun reported on Monday that the fire could burn for months.

[This article originally appeared in our sister publication Radio World. Their coverage of the industry is available here.]

BALTIMORE—Sinclair and Tennis Channel have launched “Sinclair Cares: California Wildfires Relief, a fundraising initiative in partnership with the Salvation Army” to provide disaster relief support across wildfire-stricken greater Los Angeles.

Donations made via Sinclair Cares: California Wildfires Relief will help provide critical aid, shelter, food, fresh water and support for wildfire survivors and first responders in Los Angeles. All funds raised will directly support the Salvation Army’s wildfire disaster-relief efforts, Sinclair reported.

Tennis Channel is owned by Sinclair.

“Our hearts go out to everyone impacted by these devastating wildfires,“ Sinclair Chief Operating Officer and President of Local Media Rob Weisbord said. “Sinclair is committed to supporting the communities we serve, especially in times of need. By partnering with the Salvation Army, we aim to bring hope and critical resources to those affected in Southern California.”

LOS ANGELES—As wildfires continue to rage and spread in greater Los Angeles, the Broadcasters Foundation of America (BFOA) is reminding Southern California broadcasters it is offering emergency grants of assistance to those harmed by the disaster.

“We have set aside Emergency Grant Dollars to provide financial assistance to broadcasters in L.A. who are in need,” BFOA President Tim McCarthy said.

The group also reported that the BFOA Emergency Grant Application Process has been streamlined to deliver financial aid to those in need as speedily as possible, usually within weeks.

Historically, it can take a week or more for victims of disasters like these wildfires to apply because their lives have been upended and they may not have immediate access to the internet, etc. For those broadcasters, the BFOA has set up an emergency phone number at (212) 373-8250. To apply directly online, broadcasters may go to broadcastersfoundation.org.

BOFA reaches across the country to provide an anonymous safety net for radio and television broadcast professionals who find themselves in acute financial need due to an illness, accident or emergency.

IRVINE, Calif.—With the 2022 wildfire season getting an early and devastating start with record breaking fires in the American Southwest, Verizon has laid out some of its plans to be able to continue to provide crucial communications to communities and first responders during wildfire, extreme weather and other natural disasters

With the hottest and driest months of the 2022 wildfire season still ahead and experts predicting another active fire season, teams of Verizon engineers have been preparing by running emergency drills, testing fiber and cell site readiness, and ensuring recovery equipment is in place, the telco said.

Verizon Frontline and the Verizon Frontline Response Team also have been working to ensure that they can provide first responders on the front lines of potential disaster response efforts with portable gear that will allow them to maintain mission-critical communications.

Verizon said that it maintains a fleet of over 500 portable assets, including fully functional, generator-powered cells sites that can replace or enhance network coverage and capacity in a given area as well as drones and a fixed wing aircraft that can provide service from the sky above. 

Verizon also has 150 satellite-based portable network assets that can be used in case fiber connection is lost due to loss of commercial power or physical damage. Those assets include mid-Earth orbit and geosynchronous assets. All of those mobile assets are complemented by nearly a thousand portable generators and a comprehensive refueling program.

The use of battery and generator backup systems in critical locations such as macro cell sites, switch locations and network operations centers also serve to minimize the risk of disruption if commercial power is lost, the company said. All of Verizon macro cell sites have backup battery power and 78% have backup generators. 

Verizon engineers have also been preparing for the coming season by ensuring fuel levels are high on all generators at cell sites, testing battery back-ups at network facilities, positioning extra equipment in case additional capacity is needed, and prepping emergency crews to respond quickly to any network issue.

Verizon noted that in 2021, Verizon teams responded to 128 named wildfires, delivering more than 2,000 Verizon Frontline solutions to first responders in nearly 200 communities across 16 states.

Composed of many former first responders and military veterans, the Verizon Frontline Response Team is available 24/7 to deliver Verizon Frontline technologies including portable cell sites, drones, charging stations, WiFi hotspots, and other Verizon Frontline devices and solutions that enable communications and/or boost network performance, the company said. 

The telco also stressed that Verizon’s retail team stands ready to assist customers and ensure they have the right devices, accessories and connectivity they’ll need to prepare for extended power outages, mandatory evacuation orders, and other extreme circumstances. 

When wildfire risk is high, Verizon also issued these recommendations:

• Keep devices protected: While many phones today are some degree of water resistant, you still want to take some extra care to ensure phones, tablets, batteries, chargers and other equipment remain dry and accessible. Plastic zipper storage bags help shield devices, and there are weatherproof phones, phone cases and other protective accessories available.
• Keep devices fully charged: Make sure your device is ready when you need it by keeping phone and tablet batteries fully charged in case commercial power goes out.
• Get some backup: When power is out for an extended period of time, portable battery packs can be a game-changer to ensure you remain connected. Don’t forget your car chargers as well in case you need to evacuate.
• Create a list: Keep a list of emergency numbers in your phone so that you have them if needed.
• Be prepared for loss: Take pictures of valuables and other important belongings for possible insurance claims. And make sure they’re uploaded to the cloud so you have a backup.
• Review checklists: Review the wildfire safety recommendations and other resources from the American Red Cross.
• Download useful apps: There are plenty of free wildfire notification, weather, news, and safety-related apps available for download to your smartphone.

For businesses and government agencies, Verizon recommended:  

• Make sure you have contact information updated and readily available for all employees, including at-home information for remote workers and branch information for satellite offices.
• Stress-test primary and backup networks and shore up any weak areas
• Make copies of insurance documents, review insurance coverages and update as appropriate.
• Ensure employees working from home have documented all corporate equipment being used to work from home in case of damage or loss.
• Ensure backup plans are in place to shift work in case work-from-home employees in a fire-impacted area have to evacuate their home or their home loses commercial power for an extended period.

NEW YORK—As wildfires in the western U.S. continue to rage, Locast has announced a new program to those impacted by the fires that will allow them to access local TV totally free.

A non-profit local TV streaming service, Locast provides access to local news, including news critical in emergency situations like the wildfire, to viewers with online and mobile access.

Locast says that it will offer interruption-free streaming TV service for 30 days for registered users unable to pay the typical $5 per month voluntary donation for Locast’s services. Affected Locast users—particularly those around Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Denver—can submit a request for a one-time waiver by emailing admin@locast.org.

“Locast is here for you,” said Locast founder and Chairman David Goodfriend. “If you have lost your home or are just going through tough times, please send us an email and we’ll give you a month of interruption-free service.”

For more information, visit www.locast.org. 

WASHINGTON—California is once again being hit with a series of devastating wildfires all across the state, which the latest report from the FCC for Wednesday, Oct. 30, reveals have caused power shutoffs for 173,058 cable and wireline subscribers, causing in many instances the loss of TV, internet and phone services.

This all comes from the Disaster Information Reporting System, which the FCC activated late last week and extended over the weekend. On Wednesday, the FCC added five counties, making DIRS activated in 37 counties.

The latest report released from the FCC has 25 TV stations report that they were operational, while no stations were reporting being out of service at that time. However, there are 13 FM radio stations that reported as out of service; it was 21 on Tuesday. Three FM stations were out of service but programming was being sent to another station (KRSH, KXTS, KSXY). One AM station, KVIP, also reported as being out of service.

The out of service FM stations are K236AW, K238AF, K264AL, K265CV, K270BE, K276EK, KAWJ, KCAI, KHAP, KKDV, KLVY, KNOB and KNVE 

The 32 counties where DIRS was activated are as follows: Alpine, Alameda, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Glenn, Humboldt, Kern, Lake, Los Angeles, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, Nevada, Orange, Placer, Plumas, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Tehama, Trinity, Tuolumne, Ventura, Yolo, and Yuba. 

The DIRS report also shares that status of 911 service (all are currently operational) and cell sites out of service.

TV Technology will update this story as the most recent DIRS report is made available.