Fire

[Jacob J.]

23HP B&S Vanguard coupled to a 4-stage Wildfire head via a speed reducer. I don't trust their published numbers at all because I've seen 400PSI static and moved 150GPM at ~65PSI to drain 1000 gallons in about 7 minutes. That is, under ideal conditions with shortest possible hose lengths and a nozzle after every possible wye after every 100-ft length of 1 1/2" hose for a total of I think 9 nozzles each asking 50GPM for a math problem not accommodated neatly by a chart. At any rate, Overhead is concerned all of a sudden that it can't draft fast enough. I don't understand.

Very cool - Do you consider that a type 3? Your overhead may just be looking at the Red Book standard for a Type 3. That's a good set-up, clean and no nonsense. We had a similar pump set-up on a slip-on unit with a 350-gallon tank at the park. It was on an F-350 chassis with a flatbed.

A guy and I built a CAFS unit in the mid-90's for the BLM with a 2,000g tank and considered it a tactical tender. It's still in service with ODF out of Grants Pass.

 

[madhatte]

Thank you, thank you.

Yep, type 3. We've got very little material or maintenance support right now so I built this to be field-repairable. Almost all of the fasteners are 1/2", and it's all taped, no putty. Wiring is all solder/heat-shrink/dielectric grease for strength and weather resistance. Those new aluminum Hannay hosereels are excellent, best I've ever seen. Everything is reversible INCLUDING the inlet nozzle.

 

[Drptrch]

LA County Fire Dozer 6.

FD-8 in the background


Erik

 

[catbuster]

Those D8s and KWs are super well kept, like everything in LA County’s fleet. Nice shiny E or F series Cat ex in between. Looks like a 323 or 324 based on the size of it relative to the D8s.

 

[Drptrch]

As the 2019 season approaches and is on for some of us: Be diligent and safe out there !!

Not sure if posted before, but this includes an Engine close call from my County at the 2018 Car Fire, Shasta Co, Ca

Several members were also on the investigation and Gis of these events

https://projects.sfchronicle.com/2018/carr-fire-tornado/

https://www.wildfirelessons.net/Hig...ff2-4435-ee4b-1676-c5e066a313e7&forceDialog=0
Marin Eng listed as (George St Eng 1)



Erik

 

[bfrazier]

This is pretty much for Erik... but all ya'll might like it.

This is an interview that Travis Dotson had with Mike Lewelling, Fire Management Officer at Rocky Mountain National Park.

TRAVIS: What is the goofiest fire-related event you can recall?

MIKE: Oh man, there have been a few. This one sticks out:

I was dropping ping-pong balls at Whiskeytown. I was front seat. Before we took off, I was joking about getting airsick. I said: “I got my puke bag!” So I had my puke bag in my pocket and we’re flying and we’re dropping ping-pong balls and the pilot goes, “Hey, you got that puke bag?” I looked at him and I kind of laugh. I’m like, “Well, yes, but I’m good.” He’s like, “No, give it to me!” And I’m like, OK.

And so I gave him my puke bag and he starts hurling as we’re flying. You know how your body kind of convulses when you puke? He somehow bumped the controls and we just come screaming out of the unit. And thankfully, the PSD operator stopped dropping balls in the back. But yeah, he puked all over the place and then of course my puke bag had holes in it and so he hands it back to me and his pukes drip all over my legs. We ended up flying back over the fire and dropped the puke into the fire.

So, that was kind of goofy.

TRAVIS: You cannot make that stuff up.

MIKE: And it wasn’t that he was airsick, it was food poisoning or something. I don’t know how you can puke and fly at the same time. I’m glad we didn’t crash.

TRAVIS: Dropping ping-pong balls when the pilot gets sick—classic.

From the Wildfire Lessons Learned Center - a good read anytime.

 

[catbuster]

I read that SF Chronicle article over the winter. Terrifying to picture. I drove through (d’oh) a tornado last June... Of all places trying to get to a basement (again, d’oh.) I think it was rated as an F2. To have higher wind speeds and higher temperatures than flashover (yeah... Type 1 engine operator/boss most of the time. I’ve been way too close once or twice) is mortifying.

Looking at the place that dozer operator stopped now, I can’t see how anybody would survive in the open station. I guess he had to make a decision where there were no good choices to make. Looks like he tried to park up and ride it out. What I want to know is where that big chunk of wood came from next to the dozer. Did he not have enough time to clear the bench? Did that 700 not have enough power to clear it? Could he not see it because of fire/weather conditions? I have so many questions about that particular scenario that I don’t think anyone still living has answers to.

“Dozer 4” hitting a civilian vehicle, I gotta be honest, I laughed a little bit.

Anyway, fire season for us back east looks like it’ll be busier than last year. We had the wettest year on record last year over much of the Southeast, much drier this spring. I get to train some guys in our type 6 engine too. Nice ‘83 Chevy 3/4 ton with a skid unit that old, a 4 speed box and a very tired clutch. I hope I can get ahold of a D5 or something again this year.

 

[bfrazier]

I read that SF Chronicle article over the winter. Terrifying to picture. I drove through (d’oh) a tornado last June... Of all places trying to get to a basement (again, d’oh.) I think it was rated as an F2. To have higher wind speeds and higher temperatures than flashover (yeah... Type 1 engine operator/boss most of the time. I’ve been way too close once or twice) is mortifying.

Looking at the place that dozer operator stopped now, I can’t see how anybody would survive in the open station. I guess he had to make a decision where there were no good choices to make. Looks like he tried to park up and ride it out. What I want to know is where that big chunk of wood came from next to the dozer. Did he not have enough time to clear the bench? Did that 700 not have enough power to clear it? Could he not see it because of fire/weather conditions? I have so many questions about that particular scenario that I don’t think anyone still living has answers to.

“Dozer 4” hitting a civilian vehicle, I gotta be honest, I laughed a little bit.

Anyway, fire season for us back east looks like it’ll be busier than last year. We had the wettest year on record last year over much of the Southeast, much drier this spring. I get to train some guys in our type 6 engine too. Nice ‘83 Chevy 3/4 ton with a skid unit that old, a 4 speed box and a very tired clutch. I hope I can get ahold of a D5 or something again this year.

Imagine being there? 136 to 165 mile per hour winds, smoke, fire, debris. ****! How hard does stuff have to hit dozer glass to shatter it?

"Dozer 4 became disoriented when impacted by the flying debris. As a result, the dozer hit a civilian vehicle that was stopped alongBuenaventuraBoulevard. The impact caused the dozer operator tolandon the floor of his cab. The dozer continued to travel until it came to rest against a tree."

I melted the odd tail light, sticker, or other plastic doo-dad back in my time - can't even imagine this.

 

[bfrazier]

On the other hand, here's this old oak tree. It's by French Gulch road just off the highway west of Whiskeytown lake. (Very close to the Carr Fire point of origin) I always marveled at two things here: 1, the massive size of the tree, 2, the incredible fuel load it had all around it before the fire. Every time I saw this stretch I marveled at the fuel load. I had assumed this tree would be gone, but here it is, lost some lower limbs, but virtually no worse for wear otherwise - plenty of new leaves. Picture from a couple weeks ago - and maybe speaks to the value of old growth, especially this savanah type.

But I can't see the trees for the fuel load - I guess I'm ruin't.

 

[TBS]

The sand fire in Napa County is moving right along past 150 acres so far.

https://forums.wildfireintel.org/t/ca-lnu-sand/7348/14

 

[Drptrch]

The sand fire in Napa County is moving right along past 150 acres so far.

https://forums.wildfireintel.org/t/ca-lnu-sand/7348/14

Erik

 

[madhatte]

Limited lift, weird that it's growing so quickly

 

[rustykfd]

My first fire for 2019.
243 Command Fire
DIVS-Zulu head of fire
20,350 acres

Got to do a little flying.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[TBS]

Limited lift, weird that it's growing so quickly

There always seems to be a decent wind in that area. Wind gusts were up to 30mph near the fire.

 

[madhatte]

Ah, makes sense. I imagine the "sensitive individuals" downwind are complaining about smoke.

 

[TBS]

Ah, makes sense. I imagine the "sensitive individuals" downwind are complaining about smoke.

Yep, lol and asking if they should evac though they live 30 plus miles away.... Asking random people on Facebook.

 

[TBS]

And to continue the yearly tradition since 2002 there is a fire in or near the Golden trout wilderness of the Sequoia National Forest called the Manzanita.

https://rockyags.cr.usgs.gov/cgi-bi...=20190609&camera=jordan_peak_2&lastFrame=true

 

[TBS]

And to continue the yearly tradition since 2002 there is a fire in or near the Golden trout wilderness of the Sequoia National Forest called the Manzanita.

https://rockyags.cr.usgs.gov/cgi-bi...=20190609&camera=jordan_peak_2&lastFrame=true

They changed the name to Jordan because it is just over on the inyo national forest. That area is like an old sailors scraped knuckles with all of the fires that have burned through there.

 

[Blue Oaks]

We've already had a fire fairly close to me, maybe 5 miles away called the Malech Fire that burned a couple hundred acres. I'm getting more prepared this year. I've got my 8 watt VHF hand held radio programmed with a ton of channels ranging from Cal Fire Tactical, to our own tactical, to who knows what else. About 115 channels programmed by our radio guy. I also just installed a 50 watt mobile unit in my truck. It helps to have radio guys in the group. One is a former president of the radio club at Stanford, but he's not our expert lol. Our expert was a Captain in the Swedish Air Force in Electronic Counter Warfare. He's pretty knowledgeable !!!

 

[TBS]

We've already had a fire fairly close to me, maybe 5 miles away called the Malech Fire that burned a couple hundred acres. I'm getting more prepared this year. I've got my 8 watt VHF hand held radio programmed with a ton of channels ranging from Cal Fire Tactical, to our own tactical, to who knows what else. About 115 channels programmed by our radio guy. I also just installed a 50 watt mobile unit in my truck. It helps to have radio guys in the group. One is a former president of the radio club at Stanford, but he's not our expert lol. Our expert was a Captain in the Swedish Air Force in Electronic Counter Warfare. He's pretty knowledgeable !!!

Good idea getting set up for this fire season. I'm surprised so many calfire units are still allowing people to burn. So far we've been quiet here in Fresno County but that is not unusual but with people being allowed to burn above 3000 feet and it is dry at 3000 4000 foot is green in the shade.