Just a big giant thank you

Thank you to all the firefighters out there risking it their lives for all of us.
Thank you to the hundreds of volunteers out their risking their safety to save pets and livestock.
Thank you to all who have taken their time or money to support those who have been affected by this fire.
It is an honor to be your neighbor.
May we all attempt to meet your selfless sacrifice, courage and common decency.

Ditto to the above.

And thanks to 285bound!

Also.....a huge thanks to a member here who did a heroic job of keeping us all informed. You know who you are and you have my deepest thanks and gratitude.

I would like to thank Jeffco Sheriff's Office for the information they have provided. It has been extremely helpful.

Ditto on the huge thanks to everyone. Not enough words to thank the fire crews and a HUGE thanks to you all at 285bound that have also been working around the clock to keep us all informed. The updates and info here, from both 285bound staff and its members, have made this site a one-stop-shop for keeping the whole community updated. Really, really can't thank you all enough. (On a side note, it's been a lovely bonus to view active posts and not have them all be in the Ring. Woot!)

Thanks to the Jeffco Sheriff's Office for providing updated information on Twitter.

Thanks to the scanner monitor who provides the Jeffco Scanner Feed so that we listen to it on our phones from anywhere.

Thanks to the various fire departments and agencies for their work in fighting this fire.

Thanks to 285Bound for getting all the information together in one place.

It's going to be a long fire season.

Yes- thank you to all the scanner team members both here on 285bound and PC. Many of those people have their own digital scanners and spend lots of time listening and keeping the community informed of the details of big events like this fire.

It takes many hours during a big event like this- jf1acai, Becky and all the others spend so much of their time doing this- not just during a major event - but day in and day out.

I have been listening to our local government on their frequencies since 1978- I have heard so many things go on - I always wished that it could be available to the public- for anyone who wanted to listen. Several years ago, the Sheriff and state patrol and many fire departments switched over to a digital system called P25. This new system nearly eliminated the public from hearing what was going on because the scanners that were capable of decoding this system were very expensive.

While the equipment costs have come down a bit- they are still pretty expensive - the first scanners that decoded P25 cost about $1000 each. There were very few models available. You would have to be pretty determined if you wanted to listen to what the law enforcement and Fire departments were up to- and spend a good chunk of money to do it.

The activities of our local government should always be transparent to the taxpayers who fund it. My opinion has always been that this information should be fully accessable to the public- while the PIO information from Law enforcement and Fire Officials is helpful- we all should be aware that it is "filtered information". They share what information they want to share. Also - everyone should know that at any moment- they can flick a switch and "encrypt" the entire P25 system, preventing anyone without the encryption code from listening.

I don't get a "cut" of anything- and the other people who spend countless hours providing information do not get a cut of anything. It's all being done to pass on this info to everyone who wants it. The audio everyone heard on 9 news of the sheriff who got trapped in his vehicle came from my scanners. I have 2 digital and 2 analog scanners, antennas and power supplies - and the dedicated server equpiment to feed the audio up to the internet and RadioReference.

On the first day of the fire- my listener count shot up to 1,344 listeners. I was scrambling to get my best antennas connected- and keep audio quality as good as possible and keep the server from crashing. Only got a few hours of sleep those first few days. I was getting e-mails from people all over the country- people who had houses in the burn area and wanted to hear what was going on.

The second day- I had over 1100 listeners- and the feed was the most listened to in the USA. That's pretty impressive considering there are much bigger places like New York, LA and Chicago.

I'm just happy knowing that people were listening- that's all the thanks I needed because that's why I'm doing it. The information belongs to the public.

BearMtnHIB wrote: My opinion has always been that this information should be fully accessable to the public- while the PIO information from Law enforcement and Fire Officials is helpful- we all should be aware that it is "filtered information". They share what information they want to share.

That also holds true for many scanner posts. The posts are filtered as well, just as the PIO's info is. That's why I'm glad the raw information is easily available to anyone with a computer or a phone.

Whenever there's a school or college shooting I immediately go to the scanner feed and listen to it first hand. It gives me a new appreciation for the work law enforcement and firefighters do.

Bear......a BIG OLD HUG to you......your dedication and selflessness is what the world needs MORE of.......thank you from the depths of my heart.