MARITIMES SCANNING SITE

NOVA SCOTIA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES FIRE TOWERS

last updated September 18, 2009

Link to DNR official webpage

The department operates 33 seasonal fire lookout towers throughout the province.  In the past there were many more, and the lookouts actually lived at some or all of the sites rather than follow today's usual custom of driving to the site for daytime duty.    Lookouts carry with them a handheld TMR radio and check in with the local DNR office at the beginning and end of the shift, and to report on any fire activity of note.    There is no specific talk group for lookouts, and they simply use the local channel.   Commonly you might hear a lookout call in to say that he or she has noticed a "smoke" in a specific direction and estmated distance, as well as characteristics such as colour and changes over time.    The towers are equipped with a map table and device enabling the lookout to point to the smoke and read off the compass azimuth angle.     On some occasions this report will be sufficient to enable a DNR member in a vehicle to locate the fire, or even to check in the records for authorized burns.       Other times, another tower will be contacted in order to do a triangulation and locate the fire.  This is less common than in the past, as the towers are in most cases quite far apart, and visibility may as well not be sufficient.

The following list was derived from referencing the 5th edition of The Nova Scotia Atlas, prepared by Service NS and Municipal Relations at the NS Geomatics Centre.   Towers are arranged by county.   Names are as used on the radio (as reported by scanner listeners) or where starred they are tentative names based on the nearby features or settlements, and in these cases your input is requested.   It is likely that some of the listed towers are now decommissioned.  For example it was reported by area listeners that the Willow Hill tower in Hants County was closed in 2009.

 Please email with additions, with correct names for towers, and also which talk group sites they are heard on.     marscan1@canada.com or PM or post via ScanMaritimes.