2026 Agenda

Project 25 LMR radios in aircraft create secure communications links to ground personnel for coordinated incident management in Wildland Fire, Search and Rescue, Law Enforcement, and Natural Disaster relief/recovery. Many challenges and issues in both civilian and military aircraft have been identified and resolved over the previous two decades. The key to success is well engineered installation and programming of the aircraft radio and proper selection and mounting of the antenna.

The session will be presented by Ken Brown, a nationally recognized expert in aircraft radio installation for the US Forest Service and numerous National Guard air operations. Come to learn why simply hopping on board an aircraft with a portable radio does not work and can cause serious issues for the aircraft's operation. Learn about Multi band P25 aircraft radios, specifically designed for aircraft use, and how P25 ground subscriber radios can be adapted.

In addition, Brandon Diemer, Deputy Chief, Radio & Spectrum Management Branch of the National Park Service will share how aircraft are used to support fire and law enforcement in National Parks nationwide. He will detail the use of aircraft for wildland fire fighting including spotter, tanker, and smoke jumper operations managed by National Fire Center in Boise ID.

Lastly, Hermina (Nina) Koshinski will present her experience with aircraft support and issues identified during a series of critical manhunts in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Law Enforcement interoperability using the Pennsylvania State Police PA-STARNet state-wide system will be shared.

Check back to see who else might join this exciting discussion!

Takeaway

What options exist for establishing reliable communications between aircraft and users on the ground?
What are the Best Practices for installation of LMR radios and antennas in civilian and military aircraft?
How does communications interoperability with air support improve wildland fire, law enforcement and natural disaster response?.