[Scanner] Another reason for comms in the "clear"

[scanner@mailman.qth.net]

This past weekend, I was in the path of the Grand Prix Fire that ripped 
through northern Fontana and Rancho Cucamonga before heading towards Claremont and 
La Verne (among other places). I can not tell you how much information that I 
gained from monitoring my scanners as the flames approached my location. Long 
before the fire had reached my neighborhood, I drove 4 blocks north of my 
house to assess the progression of the fire. I listened to the many radio 
conversations in both VHF and 800 MHz as the fire slowly crept towards my 
neighborhood. As I sat there, the Santa Ana winds kicked up in my area and blew the fire 
up into a massive fire ball and sent it on a rapid heading for the area just 
north of me. I decided to get the heck out of there right then and there and 
head back home. The rest of the night my scanners kept me apprised of the 
progression of the fire as it burned through many homes and came towards my 
neighborhood on two more occasions that night. This type of information in an emergency 
situation is vital for public safety and for this reason I feel that radio 
systems need to remain open to the public to monitor (although I do understand 
the need to have a few encrypted channels for sensitive communications). 
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