FCC Proposes Fine for Interrupting Communications During Wildfire

[Charlie_Dont_Surf]

FCC proposes $34,000 fine against licensee of amateur radio station for apparently interfering with radio communications that were guiding fire suppression aircraft combating the 2021 "Johnson Fire" near Elk River, Idaho.

B. Factual Background
6. On July 22, 2021, the Commission received a complaint from the U.S. Forest Service
alleging that an individual had been transmitting on government radio frequencies 148-174 MHz without
authorization, and that the individual was causing radio frequency interference to the U.S. Forest Service
firefighter’s fire suppression aircraft in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Specifically, the complaint alleges that the
individual was transmitting on 151.145 MHz, a frequency that has been allocated by the Commission as
part of the Public Safety Pool and was being used jointly by the U.S. Forest Service and the Idaho
Department of Lands to coordinate firefighting activities.9 The complaint alleged that on July 17th and
18th, firefighter personnel working on the “Johnson” fire, a 1000-acre fire located on national forest land
five miles outside of Elk River, Idaho,10 began receiving unauthorized radio transmissions from an
individual identifying as “comm tech.” This individual interrupted fire suppression activities and began
advising the firefighters and aircraft personnel of hazards at a radio repeater site located at Elk Butte.
When queried, “comm tech” identified his location at the Elk River airstrip.11 On the afternoon of July
18th, the Johnson Creek fire operations section chief left the fire to drive to the Elk River airstrip where he
located an individual holding a radio. This individual, subsequently identified as Frawley, admitted to
transmitting on government frequencies and doing so as a “comm tech.” The fire operations section chief
instructed Frawley to cease operations on the frequency and returned to his post.12

https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-22-43A1.pdf, page 2

Not very bright. That the fire chief went up there to find the guy tells you how seriously he took this.