National Interagency Fire Center (United States)

Last Updated: June 3, 2023, 7:44 pm

The National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) in Boise, Idaho is the physical facility which is the home to the National Interagency Coordination Center (NICC), and the National Multi-Agency Coordination group (NMAC or MAC). NIFC is responsible primarily for the interagency co-ordination of wildland firefighting resources in the United States, but also for other emergencies such as floods, hurricanes, and earthquakes.

NIFC maintains the National Incident Radio Support Cache (NIRSC) to support these incidents. Communications assets and frequency usage are assigned as needed on an incident-by-incident basis.

These assets are generally known and can be heard referred to on the air as the "NIFC System."

Frequencies found in the National Interoperability Field Operations Guide (NIFOG) may also be used at these incidents.

Frequencies

National Incident Radio Support Cache

Command
FrequencyLicenseTypeToneAlpha TagDescriptionModeTag
170.975 RM NIFC Cmd 1 Command 1 FMN Federal
170.450 RM NIFC Cmd 2 Command 2 FMN Federal
170.425 RM NIFC Cmd 3 Command 3 FMN Federal
170.000 RM NIFC Cmd 4 Command 4 FMN Federal
169.750 RM NIFC Cmd 5 Command 5 FMN Federal
168.475 RM NIFC Cmd 6 Command 6 FMN Federal
169.5375 RM NIFC Cmd 8 Command 8 FMN Federal
170.0125 RM NIFC Cmd 9 Command 9 FMN Federal
170.4125 RM NIFC Cmd 10 Command 10 FMN Federal
170.6875 RM NIFC Cmd 11 Command 11 FMN Federal
173.0375 RM NIFC Cmd 12 Command 12 FMN Federal
168.700 BM NIFC Cmd S1 Command Simplex 1 FMN Federal
168.100 BM NIFC Cmd S2 Command Simplex 2 FMN Federal
168.075 BM NIFC Cmd S3 Command Simplex 3 FMN Federal
166.675 BM NIFC Cmd S4 Command Simplex 4 FMN Federal
167.100 BM NIFC Cmd S5 Command Simplex 5 FMN Federal
168.475 BM NIFC Cmd S6 Command Simplex 6 FMN Federal
168.350 BM NIFC Wide 1 Government Wide 1 FMN Federal
163.100 BM NIFC Wide 2 Government Wide 2 FMN Federal
Air Command

168.650 uses PL 110.9 on both transmit and receive, 168.625 uses 110.9 PL on transmit only. Other channels may use various PL tones as defined during an incident.

National Air Guard is also used as an emergency channel for aircraft and ground crews. On all fires with a Type I and Type II incident management team assigned programming this frequency is mandatory in the last channel (usually Channel 16) of all fireground radios. National Air Tactics can be used for both air-to-air and air-to-ground communications.

FrequencyLicenseTypeToneAlpha TagDescriptionModeTag
168.650 BM 110.9 PL NIFC Nat FF Flight Following FMN Fire-Tac
168.625 BM CSQ Air Guard National Air Guard FMN Fire-Tac
166.6125 BM CSQ Natl Air 1 National Air Tactics 1 FMN Fire-Tac
167.950 BM CSQ Natl Air 2 National Air Tactics 2 FMN Fire-Tac
168.400 BM CSQ Natl Air 3 National Air Tactics 3 FMN Fire-Tac
169.150 BM CSQ Natl Air 4 National Air Tactics 4 FMN Fire-Tac
169.200 BM CSQ Natl Air 5 National Air Tactics 5 FMN Fire-Tac
Aircraft

The links shown are used to link both AM and FM simplex remote bases to incident heliports and incident command posts. The tone varies depending on what is assigned to the incident.

The jumper and heli-rappel frequency use is a nationwide, exclusive frequency assignment. The jumper tac is a federal common or itinerant frequency, but tone guarded for their use.

FrequencyLicenseTypeToneAlpha TagDescriptionModeTag
411.500 F A/C Link 1 Aircraft Link Simplex 1 FMN Fire-Tac
411.800 F A/C Link 2 Aircraft Link Simplex 2 FMN Fire-Tac
412.600 F A/C Link 3 Aircraft Link Simplex 3 FMN Fire-Tac
417.750 F A/C Link 4 Aircraft Link Simplex 4 FMN Fire-Tac
411.925 F A/C Link 5 Aircraft Link Simplex 5 FMN Fire-Tac
412.150 F A/C Link 6 Aircraft Link Simplex 6 FMN Fire-Tac
412.200 F A/C Link 7 Aircraft Link Simplex 7 FMN Fire-Tac
411.250 F A/C Link 8 Aircraft Link Simplex 8 FMN Fire-Tac
122.750 M CSQ NIFC Air 122.75 Fixed Wing Air/Air AM Aircraft
123.025 M CSQ NIFC Air 123.025 Helicopter Air/Air AM Aircraft
122.850 M CSQ NIFC Air 122.85 Multicom AM Aircraft
122.900 M CSQ NIFC Air 122.9 Multicom AM Aircraft
122.925 M CSQ NIFC Air 122.925 Multicom/Natural Resources AM Aircraft
122.675 BM CSQ Nat'l Air Tanker National Air Tanker Base Communications AM Aircraft
168.550 M 110.9 PL HeliRap A/G National Heli-Rappel Air to Ground FMN Fire-Tac
168.550 M 123.0 PL Smkjmpr A/G National Smokejumper Air to Ground FMN Fire-Tac
168.350 M 123.0 PL Smkjmpr Tac National Smokejumper Initial Attack Tactical FMN Fire-Tac
Tactical
FrequencyLicenseTypeToneAlpha TagDescriptionModeTag
168.050 M CSQ NIFC Tac 1 Tactical 1 FMN Federal
168.200 M CSQ NIFC Tac 2 Tactical 2 FMN Federal
168.600 M CSQ NIFC Tac 3 Tactical 3 FMN Federal
166.725 M CSQ NIFC TAC 4 Tactical 4 FMN Federal
166.775 M CSQ NIFC TAC 5 Tactical 5 FMN Federal
168.250 M CSQ NIFC TAC 6 Tactical 6 FMN Federal
Logistics

The logistics frequencies are often used to link command repeaters into a single net where each repeater carries the traffic of all the other repeaters in the net. Some of the repeater channels shown can be used link simplex frequencies in the configuration of a command net.

Camp Net frequencies are used for security, traffic control and other logistical use in the camp in simplex mode only.

FrequencyLicenseTypeToneAlpha TagDescriptionModeTag
411.300 M NIFC Camp 1 Camp Net 1 FMN Federal
411.425 M NIFC Camp 2 Camp Net 2 FMN Federal
411.525 M NIFC Camp 3 Camp Net 3 FMN Federal
411.575 M NIFC Camp 4 Camp Net 4 FMN Federal
414.650 M NIFC Camp 5 Camp Net 5 FMN Federal
406.400 RM CSQ NIFC Log 1 Logistics 1 FMN Federal
410.6375 RM CSQ NIFC Log 10 Logistics 10 FMN Federal
410.8375 RM CSQ NIFC Log 11 Logistics 11 FMN Federal
406.5875 RM CSQ NIFC Log 2 Logistics 2 FMN Federal
407.7875 RM CSQ NIFC Log 3 Logistics 3 FMN Federal
410.275 RM CSQ NIFC Log 4 Logistics 4 FMN Federal
410.775 RM CSQ NIFC Log 5 Logistics 5 FMN Federal
408.6875 RM CSQ NIFC Log 6 Logistics 6 FMN Federal
408.500 RM CSQ NIFC Log 7 Logistics 7 FMN Federal
410.2375 RM CSQ NIFC Log 8 Logistics 8 FMN Federal
410.4375 RM CSQ NIFC Log 9 Logistics 9 FMN Federal
411.400 BM CSQ NIFC Spec 1 Special Use 1 FMN Federal
408.900 BM NIFC Spec 2 Special Use 2 FMN Federal