Fire
- Thread starter Gologit
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300 firefighters, 10 hand crews, 6 tankers, 4 helicopters, 11dozers...all in 21/2 hours. I guess they aren't fooling around eh?
Good attack plan. You know what that country is like. When the onshore winds come in through Carquinez Straight and make a hard turn for the valley and foot-hills it might run pretty good tonight.
The evening briefing has it at 1000 acres already. 5% containment.
And it that area with those winds up in the valley it's not a matter of might. The weather is actually preferable for fighting it... Outside of the Southwest 20s I'm reading about
I've been on this fire for the last 3 days. It's pretty much wrapped up now. About 80 acres.
EDIT: also notice that they call it a "brush fire" but show only pics in timber? Yeah, it's not in brush. It's just not on Inciweb, because somehow DOD stuff never is.
EDIT: also notice that they call it a "brush fire" but show only pics in timber? Yeah, it's not in brush. It's just not on Inciweb, because somehow DOD stuff never is.
This isn't looking good....urban interface, narrow roads, limited ground access, and a propane tank at every home.
http://yubanet.com/2015Local/Lowell.php
http://yubanet.com/2015Local/Lowell.php
Metals406
Granfodder Runningsaw
There's a ton or urban fires this season so far.
And only 10 dozers on scene... Doesn't make any sense considering the ground they're in
You've been there? You've been on that ground? You've dealt with the logistics of moving dozers in that area...the access roads, the distance and time for travel, the availability?
It doesn't make sense to you? That figures. Just sit down and read and listen and maybe...just maybe...you'll learn something. Or then again, maybe not.
Gypo Logger
Timber Baron
It's funny how they call them brush fires when a few million board feet turn to charcoal. Loggers can't seem to put a dent in the resource compared to natural forces.
Have a drink on me.
That looks like some 30 yr old crappy diesel I siphoned out of an old drum, I hope it works & tastes better.
Thansk
Well... As for being in that area? Yes. Logistics of moving dozers? Yeah. I think it's safe to say I have a pretty good grasp on it. I would be out of business without knowing how to move heavy gear.
The only thing I can't tell you is the current availability of CALFIRE's resources. I haven't been out west this year, but it appears to have been an active fire season. But what I can say for sure is that a large dozer with an angle blade is the fastest way to knock in a line. A lack of access for a lowboy trailer to get in is no reason to not at least get as much heavy iron that will do the job the fastest of all possible means at least on scene and starting to work.
You and I have differing opinions on this. I get it. And sure, I'm younger than you and might have less experience fighting wildland fire. But man, I can say I've been there and done that. And if I don't know something, I'll ask or won't comment. Just don't roast me because I don't agree with you.
They're getting as much equipment to the fire as they can...air and ground resources both. It's easy to stand back and be critical if you don't really know what's going on. Easy, but not right.
You can spout off all the generalities you want...until you've actually been there you don't really know.
Cutting line at night in that kind of terrain takes somebody who knows what they're doing. Any fool can run a dozer but not just anybody can get up there and do a good job safely.
Give the people making the decisions the benefit of the doubt, okay?
Do you even grasp how dozers are operated on wildland fires, Bob? Have you ever worked a fire? You're talking down to me like I haven't. The agencies who operate the machines won't just let any fool on a machine.
1: You have to take (and pass) a Dozer Ops class. There are written and practical tests. And my practical was on some gnarly terrain, so... In order to be an operator you have to be a pretty good one. In California, CALFIRE requires you have a Class A CDL to even take the DOZOP class.
2: They have to work in a two-man team, an operator and a dozer boss. The dozer boss acts as your spotter and support crew. It usually works as an operator who drives the lowboy and runs the machine, and the boss drives a service/fuel truck.
3: Doing a good job safely isn't that hard cutting line. You show up, drop the blade and cut down to subsoil. Sure you have to account for terrain, but any dozer operator on a fire has to be able to do that. If they can't, well, they won't be found on a fire. If you get into a tough spot you have your dozer boss as a backstop.
Now, I think I'm going to take WC90's advice, and enjoy a cold Sam Adams on my day off, a long, long way away from the Left Coast in Boston.
Yup. I've run dozer on fires. It's not my favorite thing to do and I'm glad I'm retired but I've been carded ever since it became a requirement.
Do you think that maybe the way you guys do things back there might be just a little different from the way we work out here? Do you guys cut line at night on steep ground?
I wouldn't criticize the way somebody did something unless I was familiar enough with the terrain, the weather, the logistics, and the leadership to make a truly informed statement. You're not. That's nothing against you personally, it's just the way it is You're not here with your boots on the ground so you have no call to find fault. If questions arise about the way things are done there will be plenty of qualified people with plenty of time to ask those questions...and they'll get answers too.
I don't know what your part of the country is like but I doubt I'd be second guessing the decisions your fire people make. Watching videos, memorizing requirements and reading books wouldn't work either . There's just no substitute for being there.
If you want to know something about how we work out here just ask. But don't go running your mouth and being critical because we didn't have enough dozers on a job early enough to suit you. That just highlights your inexperience in this particular area. You need to be learning.
Best of luck to you.
I'll say this: I've bossed dozers on a few fires, and it is absolutely not something that just any operator can do, nor is it something that just anybody can boss. A good team is a rare treat.
There's plenty of experience on this board. What are you asking about, specifically?
We Industrial Firefighters like to use the BLEVE acronym as meaning " Blast Leveling Everything Very Effectively"
Gypo Logger
Timber Baron
No, this wood is much bigger! In the pic it was a jammy place to be. I tried really hard not hurt the black currants as I need to make more wine out of them to help me get thru the winter, which is gonna be a long and cold one. Lol
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