Thank you all for your wishes regarding my wife. Yes, she is fine, home late last night- female bleeding issue/surgery.
As for the saw and our situation this will help clear up questions: I've been doing wildland since 1988. I'm engine boss qual's, a strike team leader- engine trainee and B faller (FALB) qual'd. I'm gathering by some of the posts you all may know or refer to this as faller 2, with the 24" restriction (uncompromised). In the actual fire world, I've seen variances in the field on this, to include this past season- max diameter is what you can cut while only cutting from one side. My USFS card actually says "above 24" use best judgement".
I came to my current department, a small paid department (district) in late June of last year. One of the pluses I had was my qual's and experience. This department until then had not been "in the game" regarding wildfires, except typical on district stuff. I came on board as the "Wildland Coordinator" to help build a "Wildland Division" if you will. Coming on board in the middle of the season, and just as a 7000 acre fire had started right off district, it was baptism by fire (excuse the pun) for the Chief and everybody. The Chief and others learned a lot by being able to have apparatus on the fire because of having a qual'd engine boss. I ended up out two more times to CA, once as a strike team leader trainee to the Sierra NF during the French Fire, and again with our Type 3 engine to Southern CA (Temecula/Oak Grove area) prepositioned, then ordered up north to the King Fire.
I had to use what we had on hand then, including scraping other departments for qual'd people to take on the road. Our budget is July 01- June 30 and I have $3200 allocated specifically to Wildland. I am preparing budget figures for next year's budget for bothWildland and Training as I am also our Training Officer. There are huge needs in both which I hope to fund better than they have been. Part of the limited funding has been a lack of awareness of requirements and what is available or possible. They realized this past season that a Wildland Division can bring in revenue (truck wages) and self-support if done right.
The current personnel we have: few (having fingers left on one hand when counting) have had S-212 Wildland Power Saws class, the start for FALA (faller 1?), and only one have a FALA taskbook open. For these individuals, the 362's are appropriate, and ours have 20" B/C. For me as a FALB, not so much. Hence the shopping for said 440/460 044/046, ending with 25" B/C. This would satisfy myself as a FALB and those others as they work up.
With the above stated, I am trying to keep my purchase of one saw to improve our standing at $500, leaving me $2700 to obtain PPE, hose, appliances, hand tools, etc.. We have some of thise, and I understand there are many avenues such as grants, other departments and such. Our neighboring "big city" department was supposed to "yard sale" much stuff at pennies on the dollar last October, however that has not happened yet, and I cannot wait for an undisclosed date. I need to act now for this season to get us better prepared, even in a small way. There will be more saws than this one in the future but for now...
So that's where we're at and where the search for a dependable (pretty doesn't cut wood) saw comes from. I am shying away from modified/ported due to the inexperience of our users. I don't need a saw to come back burned up due to lack of knowing how to tune at different elevation. A FALA, or faller 1? with a stock saw should not run into this problem. And my 066 can stay home where it belongs (and I can use something lighter on the line).
Sorry so long gang but hope that helps!
Duane
