tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-297114882024-03-18T16:00:32.463-04:00Random Ramblings: Aerial Wildland FirefightingI have blogged about aerial wildland firefighting since 2009. I am not a firefighter and am not a pilot, just an interested bystander who wants to learn more and share what I learn here. Join me here as I blog on the aircraft and the pilots who fight wildland fires from the air in support of crews on the ground. I also blog on concerns affecting fire crews on the ground as well as other aviation and meteorology issues. Learn what it takes to do jobs that are staffed by the best of the best. Random Ramblings NJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11798742867159589511noreply@blogger.comBlogger3177125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29711488.post-26893639382713477052024-03-18T15:59:00.002-04:002024-03-18T15:59:52.844-04:00Rest in Peace Tom Janney<p>Tom Janney who was my mentor in the first couple of years of my blog on aerial wildland firefighting died on March 9, 2024. Tom, may you rest in peace and fly in favorable winds, My prayers are with your wife Debbie and all of your many friends in the wildland firefighting community and elsewhere loved you. </p><p>I want to take some time in today’s post to share about how Tom mentored me and other ways he helped me.</p><p>As some of you know, I first got interested in wildland firefighting in late summer of 2008 and I began to learn on my own about wildland firefighting. Since I had this blog at this time, I began to share what I was learning about wildland firefighting. I knew that if I was to continue to blog on aerial wildand firefighting that I would need some help, so At some point in early 2009 I went to a couple of now defunct wildland firefighting forums on the web sharing about my interest in wildland firefighting and my blog. That is how I first met Tom Janney, who at the time I knew as TL Stein. Tom told me that he used to be a pilot who flew fires in California for what was then known as the California Department of Forestry, now known as CAL FIRE. He told me that he was an aviation historian and offered to help me learn about the world of aerial wildland firefighting. I jumped at his offer to teach and mentor me about aerial wildland firefighting. </p><p>While he had not flown as a pilot in a few years when I met him online in 2009, I knew right away that he was very knowledgeable about aerial wildland firefighting.Tom’s mentorship, especially in the first months after I started to blog on aerial wildland firefighting, was crucial. Over the last couple of days since I learned that Tom had passed, I realized that I could not have made the transition to blogging about aerial wildland firefighting and related issues without Tom’s help. Early on he suggested that I write about some of the different aircraft that were flying fires at the time and he taught me about the use of retardant. He was the one who helped to guide me to reliable websites where I could learn about the aircraft flying fires at that time and just as important he taught both through our correspondence ad reliable sites some of the basics about aviation that are important.</p><p>Tom also facilitated introductions to wildland firefighting pilots that he knew who helped me as I continued to learn, some of these conversations (on and off the record) were the basis for some blog articles on the aircraft they flew. He also encouraged me to reach out to other pilots and those who provide ground support, these contacts were and continue to be very helpful, especially in the first couple of years of my blog.</p><p>I mentioned that Tom was an aviation historian, so in the few years that I was doing my blog on aerial wildland firefighting, we discussed aviation history as pertains to wildland firefighting but we also discussed other aspects of aviation history. He referred me to a couple of books and tapes that I purchased as well as referring me to some websites focusing on aviation history in general. His knowledge of aviation history has been very helpful to me not only as I was first learning about aerial wildland firefighting but as I continued to write my blog, I wanted to know more aerial wildland firefighting history.</p><p>Perhaps one of the more important things that Tom did for me in addition to his mentoring was to help me be right sized and not write beyond my abilities. That is, while I believe that he recognized and had respect for my research abilities, he knew that I was not any type of wildland firefighter on the ground or in the air. Moreover, he knew that I was not a pilot. He gently explained to me that what I can do on my blog is limited because I am not in the wildland firefighting business. While sometimes difficult, We talked about my being right sized and not writing beyond my abilities. I owe Tom a debt of gratitude for his gentle guidance that helped me to be right sized. He was the first to encourage me to write within my abilities but not the only one.</p><p>On a more personal note, as I navigated my way through learning something about general aviation through sitting in on FAA ground school and came to the hard to accept realization that I can never be a licensed pilot, he listened and supported me with understanding. One day as I was especially discouraged over not having a pilots license, I encountered a Red Tailed Hawk sitting on a utility pole and I felt comforted in a way that was hard to explain. I told Tom about this when I got home, he told me that the Hawk was releasing me into their world. That meant a lot to me. We chatted about other aviation related things. </p><p>As time went on and I had been writing the blog for a couple of years, I had more confidence and I was doing more on my own with Tom sitting by quietly. As the years went on, we gradually lost touch, that happens sometimes. We would chat every so often on social media and I saw in one social media platform that we both used how much he was respected and loved by many in the wildland firefighting community and friends.</p><p>Tom, I miss you already. However, I know that in your own way that you continue to be with me as I continue to blog about aerial wildland firefighting. You gave me a couple of aviation related tokens that I treasure even more now that you are gone. May you rest in peace and fly in favorable winds. </p>Random Ramblings NJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11798742867159589511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29711488.post-31327998792993504472024-03-15T11:51:00.002-04:002024-03-15T11:51:36.421-04:002024 New Jersey Wildfire Season: Prescribed Burns and Spring Fire Season<p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/JZjn-HOMJgA?si=pieOqaQPoHFAOXsJ" title="YouTube video player" width="100%"></iframe> <a href="https://youtu.be/JZjn-HOMJgA?si=pieOqaQPoHFAOXsJ" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Direct link to video from Eyewitness News ABC7NY on YouTube</a></p><p>As we enter the spring wildfire season in New Jersey today, I am reminded that last years wildfire season in New Jersey was the worse in at least ten years. According to the report, data from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection reveals that 1,194 wildfires burned approximately 18,000 acres in 2023. If you watch this short video, under two minutes, you will learn from NJ Forest Fire Service officials about the important role that prescribed burns have in reducing wildfire risk.</p><p>After some recent rains in New Jersey, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service conducted prescribed burns on March 12th through 14th across New Jersey.</p><iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="442" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FNJForestFireService%2Fposts%2Fpfbid031Wb8iG9ZE3e4yCnyYe56guqyYCY4HgtgRb7q85cbfsy1a1ffS2GhhSDmccCwT8Qml&show_text=true&width=500" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" width="100%"></iframe><p><br /><iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="442" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FNJForestFireService%2Fposts%2Fpfbid034CKi2W3GvG5HoUSJgYMqqw5XgTTf4gy3WggTaEbZdtQd4ztkUZbSyuH6hgi6Gi7fl&show_text=true&width=500" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" width="100%"></iframe><p><br /><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FNJForestFireService%2Fposts%2Fpfbid02ZmoAbEKHBRnbMarVMtWu3jwYYMShpXVj1roTfcTRi5ZJqzKuXNQZmmRMyHnXfaYpl&show_text=true&width=500" width="100%" height="423" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe><p><br />Random Ramblings NJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11798742867159589511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29711488.post-78130472716244025702024-03-13T11:46:00.006-04:002024-03-13T11:46:55.303-04:00Women in Aviation: The Ninety-Nines<p>I have known about <a href="https://www.ninety-nines.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Ninety-Nines</a> for about 13 years or so from a couple of female pilots who may have been members of The Ninety-Nines. I knew from these women that The Ninety-Nines advocated for and promoted women in aviation. Around the same time, I read or reread books by or about Amelia Earhart mentioning that The Ninety-Nines were founded by 99 women pilots in the late 1920s or early 1930s. Looking at <a href="https://www.ninety-nines.org/our-history.htm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">the history of The Ninety-Nines</a> I see that they were founded in 1929 and Amelia Earhart was their first president. I know that they do a lot of good work supporting women in aviation and if I were a pilot, which I am not, I would have become a member. The following description about The Ninety-Nines is from <a href="https://www.ninety-nines.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Ninety-Nines main webpage</a>:</p><blockquote><p><span style="color: red;">OUR MISSION — The NINETY-NINES® INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF WOMEN PILOTS® promotes advancement of aviation through education, scholarships, and mutual support while honoring our unique history and sharing our passion for flight.</span></p><p><span style="color: red;">Established in 1929 by 99 women pilots, the members of The Ninety-Nines, Inc.®, International Organization of Women Pilots®, are represented in all areas of aviation today. And, to quote Amelia, fly "for the fun of it!"</span></p></blockquote><p> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@theninety-ninesinc.42" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Ninety-Nines have a nice YouTube channel</a> chock full of some wonderful videos highlighting women in aviation, past and present. Here is a video that they uploaded a couple of months ago highlighting women in aviation in 2023. The video is under four minutes, enjoy.</p><p><br /><iframe width="100%" height="360" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/c4EAMCGm3ZY?si=bBz9UTAVMMnx0gME" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/c4EAMCGm3ZY?si=lLYrIpKxPC7mmyMI" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Direct Link to Video from The Ninety-Nines on YouTube</a></p>Random Ramblings NJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11798742867159589511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29711488.post-22149893812120615492024-03-11T12:13:00.000-04:002024-03-11T12:13:00.067-04:00Celebrating Women in Aviation (three days late)<p>I knew that this past Friday, March 8, 2024 was <a href="https://www.un.org/en/observances/womens-day#:~:text=Join%20us%20on%20March%208,us%20using%20the%20hashtag%20%23InvestInWomen." rel="nofollow" target="_blank">International Women's Day</a>. I have no excuse for not paying attention to the increased role of women in aviation. I am not a pilot but I do endeavor to support women in aviation in the way that I can. So I come here to share two videos with you celebrating women in aviation.</p><p>The first video is about an all women's crew taking off from Newark Liberty International Airport on International Women's Day.</p><p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/JCGzTL1RIoE?si=uDtYWobpnTfPA1bc" title="YouTube video player" width="100%"></iframe></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/JCGzTL1RIoE?si=XhZr6VfHHrHwbHDa" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Direct link to video from PIX11 News on YouTube</a></p><p><br /></p><p>The second video, from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ALIAC1984" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Air Link International Aviation College</a> celebrates women in aviation.</p><p><br /><iframe width="100%" height="360" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/4BgYskOD_cQ?si=78vrG6v42C19v-dC" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/4BgYskOD_cQ?si=zg29JNj_2QVAWYxS" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Direct link to video from Air Link International Aviation College on YouTube</a></p>Random Ramblings NJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11798742867159589511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29711488.post-1896978404069164522024-03-08T11:52:00.002-05:002024-03-08T11:52:56.663-05:00Friday Fun: Chinook Helicopters working wildfires in California<p> For today's Friday Fun I offer a five minute 2023 video from <a href="https://www.coulsonaviationusa.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Coulson Aviation</a> of their Chinook Helicopters working wildfire in California.</p><p><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/k10pvrbuM3A?si=GS7hofdebViAKMDq" title="YouTube video player" width="100%"></iframe></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/k10pvrbuM3A?si=I-qQYuTAp6eXkb7F" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Direct link to video from Coulson Aviation on YouTube</a></p>Random Ramblings NJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11798742867159589511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29711488.post-90704596662216104442024-03-06T14:40:00.005-05:002024-03-06T14:40:34.007-05:002024 Wildfire Season: Texas Panhandle Fires ( March 6th Update)<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/wE1IeUb_xXc?si=9D6OkTfw10YKOzon" title="YouTube video player" width="100%"></iframe><p><a href="https://youtu.be/wE1IeUb_xXc?si=9D6OkTfw10YKOzon" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Direct link to video from KHOU11 on YouTube</a> (reported early morning of March 6th)</p><p>I continue to follow the fires in the Texas panhandle. Referring to<a href="https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-publication/txtxs-smokehouse-creek-fire/texas-panhandle-fire-update-03-06-2024" target="_blank"> todays report (March 6th) update on Inciweb</a>, progress is being made on all three fires with increases in containment. Of note is that containment of the Smokehouse Fire has increased to 37 percent from 15 percent two days ago. Aerial resources continue to be available to help wildland firefighters on the ground. </p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir7QGx36j-XgHucgFb0fQYWnsyektu6-LyAmidmduTarPaJvxeeyksCwW3AFw8I9ewMI0jxfZduCXTiipjA8y14iSgUArl68wVARyNBgtQw5YQEN2tgqJUcY1cX00vsI7quahLDJ_lduHaiMM_h8pKJtKvff2cv1TDUkMSEuyNJXIhihr_NkBW/s1292/Screenshot%202024-03-06%20at%202.00.01%E2%80%AFPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1292" data-original-width="948" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir7QGx36j-XgHucgFb0fQYWnsyektu6-LyAmidmduTarPaJvxeeyksCwW3AFw8I9ewMI0jxfZduCXTiipjA8y14iSgUArl68wVARyNBgtQw5YQEN2tgqJUcY1cX00vsI7quahLDJ_lduHaiMM_h8pKJtKvff2cv1TDUkMSEuyNJXIhihr_NkBW/w470-h640/Screenshot%202024-03-06%20at%202.00.01%E2%80%AFPM.png" width="470" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">obtained from <a href="https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-publication/txtxs-smokehouse-creek-fire/texas-panhandle-fire-update-03-06-2024" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Inciweb</a> on March 6, 2024 at 2 PM EST</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Random Ramblings NJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11798742867159589511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29711488.post-50956533529919476402024-03-04T14:09:00.001-05:002024-03-04T14:32:46.770-05:002024 Wildfire Season: Wildfires in Texas Panhandle<p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/ZAifTU5nhkk?si=p3HBdNmj2Osvi2EW" title="YouTube video player" width="100%"></iframe><br /></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/ZAifTU5nhkk?si=p3HBdNmj2Osvi2EW" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Direct link to video from CBS Texas on YouTube</a></p><p>Thanks to my friends at the <a href="https://www.sectionb10.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">NJ Forest Fire Service Section B10 website</a> who shared the video that I embedded above, I learned about the Roughneck Fire which I believe was first reported on Sunday, March 4th. I did find some information about this fire on the <a href="https://tfswildfires.com/public/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Texas A&M Forest Service Incident Viewer</a> (accessed March 4 at 1:50 PM); they say that the fire has burned 300 acres in Hutchinson County (in the Texas Panhandle) and is at 50 percent containment. </p><p>In the meantime, here is a report from Fox4 Dallas-Fort Worth on folk pitching in to help those devastated by the wildfires in the Texas Panhandle.</p><p><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/500iSBaErhE?si=PaZyk2eth4mnm7oO" title="YouTube video player" width="100%"></iframe></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/500iSBaErhE?si=PaZyk2eth4mnm7oO" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Direct link to video from Fox4 Dallas-Fort Worth on YouTube</a></p><p>Some news media coverage of the wildfires in the Texas Panhandle (thanks to <a href="http://archercopywriting.com/newsletter.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mike Archer of Wildfire News of the Day</a>), most include photos.</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/03/02/2024-texas-wildfires-map/72819901007/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">USA Today (March 2) Interactive Texas Wildfire Map (scroll to bottom)</a></li><li><a href="https://wfxl.com/news/nation-world/more-air-tankers-headed-to-fight-devastating-texas-wildfires-smokehouse-creek-fire-1-million-acres-burned-blaze-fire-damage-governor-greg-abbott-disaster-declaration" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Fox31 on Air Tankers working the Smokehouse Fire, with video</a></li><li><a href="https://abc7amarillo.com/news/local/watch-super-scoopers-grab-water-from-lake-meredith-to-battle-wildfires-windy-deuce" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ABC7 Amarillo on CL-415 Scoopers working the Windy Deuce Fire</a></li><li><a href="https://www.amarillo.com/story/news/fire/2024/03/04/texas-panhandle-wildfire-live-updates-map-monday/72837212007/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Amarillo Globe-News on the Roughneck Fire</a></li></ul><p></p><p>Lastly, but by no means least, here is todays report on the larger wildfires burning in the Texas Panhandle. I am especially interested in all the air resources available to the wildfires in the Texas Panhandle: 3 large airtankers, 2 scoopers, 2 lead airplanes, 6 SEATs, 2 Chinook helicopters, 1 Blackhawk helicopters and 1 Type 3 helicopter.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiuaRMxttOlWsNzMoa14y2on4zoYUfmpUm3GNRECfxTfe7N-ZRvQbGoPxlRJNgZdl0I6x9PkC3xNxp8mkfP80vRsVJ2fHSQFDNS5XkzoRZuisyP37w0Jh0wT-vcyyczqVPhqewMwq6mbfqO3BE8e2uzT5A3dGKudwzwxzgbJTrE3t4yFvuQQVx/s792/20240304%20Daily%20Update%20Texas%20Panhandle%20Fires.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="792" data-original-width="612" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiuaRMxttOlWsNzMoa14y2on4zoYUfmpUm3GNRECfxTfe7N-ZRvQbGoPxlRJNgZdl0I6x9PkC3xNxp8mkfP80vRsVJ2fHSQFDNS5XkzoRZuisyP37w0Jh0wT-vcyyczqVPhqewMwq6mbfqO3BE8e2uzT5A3dGKudwzwxzgbJTrE3t4yFvuQQVx/w494-h640/20240304%20Daily%20Update%20Texas%20Panhandle%20Fires.jpg" width="494" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Obtained from <a href="https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-publication/txtxs-smokehouse-creek-fire/panhandle-fire-information-update03-04-2024" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Inciweb</a> on March 4 at 1:30 PM</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>Random Ramblings NJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11798742867159589511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29711488.post-51704154590350044582024-03-01T16:17:00.002-05:002024-03-01T16:27:18.791-05:002024 Wildfire Season: Skellytown TX (Carson Cnty Tx) and the Smokehouse Fire<p>I was talking to a friend from Texas yesterday, whom I will refer to as S, we were chatting about the Smokehouse Fire. At the time he thought that it had decimated Skellytown, the town where some of ancestors were from, one of his parents was born in Skellytown. Skellytown is in Carson County in the Texas panhandle. S was not born in Skellytown but lived for a few years as a boy. S told me a couple of hours later that he was mistaken when he said that Skellytown was decimated; saying it was not decimated that Skellytown still stands. He told me a little about Skellytown telling me that in its hay day, the town was an oil town and suggested that I look at the <a href=" https://www.texasalmanac.com/places/skellytown" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Skellytown webpage in the Texas Almanac</a> to learn more about the town. As soon as I heard from my friend S about his family’s association with Skellytown and the few years he spent there as a boy, I knew that I had to write about Skellytown. S, this post is for you and your family. As an FYI my friend S lives over 500 miles from Skellytown. Before moving on, I want to share a map of the area that I obtained about noon on March 1st from the <a href="https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/usfs/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">FIRMS US/CANADA (Fire Resource Management System US/Canada webpage</a>. I went to their "<a href="https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/usfs/map/#d:24hrs;@-100.0,40.0,4.0z" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">fire map link</a>", zoomed in and capture my screen in a jpeg file to share with you. The small red arrow in the jpeg file is pointing to Skellytown.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="946" data-original-width="1672" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVq2MrwpBXdEHnehspvB9wqO_ww0XRYeJJELAAQJ2_n3y51ir7oQu4lej29-433o816Fa868xrZX7F8uOTxQ8ZNkUFGP7UsiIkDIehg6BLMQXVNx8AZLTRt-pXjpPuBo9yxhbQTy5meh6cYWp-nebpK80zWg7cdzns0MIY8MN4cVROdlkRg9eQ/w640-h362/FIRMS_24hrs%5B@-101.04,35.74,11.00z%5D.jpg" style="color: #0000ee; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/usfs/map/#d:24hrs;@-100.0,40.0,4.0z at" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">obtained from FIRMS US/CANADA</a> on March 1, 2024 at 12:00 PM</td></tr></tbody></table><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><br /><p>I hope you take a few minutes read the <a href=" https://www.texasalmanac.com/places/skellytown" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Skellytown webpage in the Texas Almanac</a>, it is a quick read and you will learn about Skellytown. Briefly, the town was named for the Skelly Oil Company who had bought up oilfields in and around what later became Skellytown in the 1920s. By 1927 a rail line was in place to the near by town of White Deer (to the south). The town lost some population in the early 1930s declining to 154 before growing again by the mid 1940s with a population of 650. The town was incorporated in 1958, later building sewer and water infrastructure. But the early 1980s there was an elementary school, a fire station, town hall, baseball field, a library and four churches and ten businesses.</p><div>I think that the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SKVFD " rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Skellytown Fire Department</a> did great work fighting the fire at Skellytown and I expect that they may still be involved with the fire in someway. I want to point out that S’s Dad served as a volunteer for the Skellytown Fire Department when they were living there in the mid to late 50s and the early 60s, he still has his Dad’s badge. I will let you read what Chief Jacob Clifton (embedded below) had to say in <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SKVFD/posts/pfbid0GydpBBprbzwMqBPkVsZ7QNuNYQHv2jApycYyVg2nJX2rdoNqcBdBbo1765FVU2LQl?__cft__[0]=AZUdUbmQ1fXH_F2epRhCHsyBegPrR73vjkmqEU8Q72OatlJf12Rh4A0NqU7M-kK3NghlgOH3_76HAjXiLTG9cYxxE6ej66xuxTk-j-qxNBD-aupnlln8m4_lIV5fqWQ0Q7HeCpUHRBXbF10_IxOIAOYLtdj4FpXhr02pSy02JErnMPR-6JjCA3gQ30ojvkZ8rk8&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">his Facebook post on February 29th</a>. He thanks a lot of first responders who helped along with the Texas Forest Service and many volunteers who donated food and otherwise supported the Skellytown fire firefighters. Please expand the post so you can read it and look at the pictures.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="790" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FSKVFD%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0GydpBBprbzwMqBPkVsZ7QNuNYQHv2jApycYyVg2nJX2rdoNqcBdBbo1765FVU2LQl&show_text=true&width=500" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" width="100%"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div>I have the greatest respect and admiration for the Skellytown Fire Department and the local volunteers who assisted them with food and other support services while they were working the fire. Kudos to all.</div><div><br /></div><div>From looking at the map that I shared from FIRMS, note the fire perimeter in the map is just to the north of Skellytown, also see <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=731990175689132&set=pcb.732009225687227" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this map from the Texas A&M Forest Service shared by the Skellytown Fire Department on Facebook</a>. Hopefully the Smokehouse fire does not burn into Skellytown. At the time that I write this post, according to the <a href="https://tfsweb.tamu.edu/CurrentSituation/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Texas A&M Forest Service (accessed at 1 PM on March 1st)</a> the Smokehouse Fire is at 1,078,086 acres and is at 15 percent containment. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Random Ramblings NJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11798742867159589511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29711488.post-42011473054580781492024-03-01T11:01:00.010-05:002024-03-01T11:20:51.148-05:002024 NJFFS Prescribed Burns: March 1st update<p><iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="390" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FNJForestFireService%2Fposts%2Fpfbid036v88utUhTixYAWdpGnPcAztcc4XyEfn52spRzevAfqJ6FS3WgY2y3ihFSEQnTahQl&show_text=true&width=500" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" width="100%"></iframe><br /></p><p>I am writing this post with some information from the NJ Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) on a change in their prescribed burning a couple of days later than intended as I was following the Smokehouse Fire in the panhandle of Texas (more on that in a later post). Anyway, in 2024 the NJFFS has increased their prescribed burning program to hopefully to prescribed burns on 25,000 acres, up from 21,900 acres. This increase is in response, at least partially, to the 2023 wildfire season in NJ where 14 major wildfires (100+ acres) burned approximately 18,000 acres in New Jersey. This made 2023 the worst wildfire season in 20 years. Prescribed burns can benefit the health of the ecosystem as well as safeguarding nearby towns.</p><p>The NJFFS conducts prescribed burns on public and privately owned lands. </p><p>The NJFFS issued a new press release on February 27th about their prescribed program which may be found <a href="https://nj.gov/dep/newsrel/2024/24_0005.htm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. Perhaps being aware of this press release from the NJFFS, <a href="https://www.nj.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">New Jersey Advance Media</a> has a nice <a href="https://www.nj.com/news/2024/02/bad-wildfire-season-prompts-nj-to-expand-its-planned-burns-in-wooded-areas.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">February 27th article</a> referencing this information and other information about the benefits of the prescribed burn program. The spring wildfire season in New Jersey starts on March 15th.</p><p>Both the New York City and the Philadelphia local CBS stations carried reports on the importance of the NJFFS prescribed burn program. I embed both of these videos here. I think the importance of these two report is to get the word out to both northern and southern New Jersey. In addition, if you watch both videos you will see prescribed burns in two different ecosystems.</p><p><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/rQfESmYHgqg?si=bZhDBlt9snOrPmOt" title="YouTube video player" width="100%"></iframe></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/rQfESmYHgqg?si=31fQPL92Kv3QJBnk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Direct link to video from CBS New York on Youtube</a></p><p><br /></p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/6c2QSVFnTo4?si=TOiTzEMvfGjVduz-" title="YouTube video player" width="100%"></iframe><p><a href="https://youtu.be/6c2QSVFnTo4?si=lHOHwWK-mRtmRiow" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Direct link to video from CBS Philadelphia on YouTube</a></p>Random Ramblings NJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11798742867159589511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29711488.post-11574515650614114312024-02-29T16:53:00.007-05:002024-02-29T16:54:51.197-05:002024 Wildfire Season: Smokehouse Fire (Texas Panhandle) and Oklahoma Fires Feb 29th update<p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/_BRyJOCNoT0?si=fj1edL3KIR8o5Cq5" title="YouTube video player" width="100%"></iframe></p><p><span style="color: #0000ee; text-decoration-line: underline;">Direct link to video from Fox Weather on YouTube</span></p><p>I write today following up on the post I wrote on <a href="https://randomramblingsfromnj.blogspot.com/2024/02/2024-wildfire-season-texas-panhandle.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">February 28th on the wildfires in the Texas panhandle and northwest Oklahoma</a>. At the time that I am writing this update on the <a href="https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/txtxs-smokehouse-creek-fire" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Smokehouse Fire</a>, currently burning in the Texas panhandle with a portion burning in northwest Oklahoma, has burned 1,075,000 acres and is at 3 percent containment. Evacuations and closures in Canadian, Texas have been lifted. <a href="https://wildfiretoday.com/2024/02/28/texas-battling-fires/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kelly Robinson of Wildfire Today wrote in a post on the afternoon of February 28th</a> that</p><p></p><blockquote><span style="color: red;">"Officials are warning those who evacuated from the town of Fritch ahead of the Smokehouse Creek Fire that destruction there is considerable. 'People who live in the Fritch area are probably not going to be prepared for what they’re going to see as they pull into town,' said Deidra Thomas with the Hutchinson County Emergency Management. 'There are still homes that are on fire.' The main road into the south side of Fritch is still closed. 'Right now, we can’t let you in,” she said. “It is not safe to do that.'"</span></blockquote><p>In a post today, <a href="https://wildfiretoday.com/2024/02/29/a-prescribed-burn-stalled-the-huge-texas-fire/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">February 29th, Kelly Anderson</a> shares some drone footage, a satellite image of the fires in Oklahoma and Texas. He also reports on a prior prescribed burn, <span style="color: red;">"Officials with Borger’s Office of Emergency Management said the prescribed burn prevented a fire flank from spreading into the southern parts of the town, including the Meadowlark, Country Club, and Bunavista areas."</span></p><p>Thanks to my friends at the <a href="https://www.sectionb10.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">New Jersey Forest Fire Service Section B10</a> who shared this video on their website today about the destruction caused by the wildfires in western Oklahoma.</p><p><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" rel="0" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/0SCEUArCwfU?si=G8qhecWNRrLA04_3" title="YouTube video player" width="100%"></iframe></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/0SCEUArCwfU?si=G8qhecWNRrLA04_3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Direct link to video from News9 on YouTube</a></p><p><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></p><p></p>Random Ramblings NJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11798742867159589511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29711488.post-22392116387267415412024-02-28T11:11:00.004-05:002024-02-28T11:11:30.030-05:002024 Wildfire Season: Texas Panhandle and NW Oklahoma<p><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/T54y2paF0Hw?si=Zsx4Ns5MD2jtp4JD" title="YouTube video player" width="100%"></iframe></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/T54y2paF0Hw?si=Zsx4Ns5MD2jtp4JD" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Direct link to video from ABC News on YouTube</a></p><p><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/8ziOzk_rhpo?si=JwY2F9fa5DJ_jtL1" title="YouTube video player" width="100%"></iframe></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/8ziOzk_rhpo?si=6vMWRWCy_oywE_Iu" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Direct link to video from News9 on YouTube</a></p><p><br /></p><p>When I was checking my newsfeed on my devices this morning I noted an article in the top portion of the feed on wildfires in the Panhandle of Texas. The article I saw is from <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/02/27/texas-wildfires-weather-disaster-declaration/72764872007/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">USA Today, Texas wildfire becomes second largest in state history, burning 500,000 acres (February 28th)</a>, I noted that Gov. Abbot declared a disaster in 60 Texas counties, that evacuations are in place with residences being destroyed. The largest wildfire, the <a href="https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/txtxs-smokehouse-creek-fire" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Smokehouse Fire (Inciweb)</a> started on Monday, February 26th and has burned 500,000 acres, evacuation are in place and there are road closures in the area. </p><p>Seeing the USA Today article on the wildfires in the Texas Panhandle prominently placed in my newsfeed, I went to newspapers that I subscribe to and noted this <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/28/us/texas-wildfires-smokehouse-creek-panhandle.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Y00.XWEr.SVAtTWNh6Dvk&smid=url-share" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">February 28th New York Times article (gifted for 10 days) </a>on wildfires in the Texas Panhandle and Northwestern Oklahoma with a short video and a smoke forecast map and a report on a hospital in Canadian, Texas (Hemphill County) being evacuated Tuesday afternoon. </p><p>I then checked the Washington Post which has updates (dated February 28th) on the wildfires in the Texas Panhandle, that may be found <a href="https://wapo.st/3wBZKjW" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here (gifted for 10 days)</a>. Among other things reporting that some evacuations have been lifted and the Pantex Plant which was closed on Tuesday has reopened Wednesday morning.</p><p>The NY Times articles references some wildfires in adjoining areas of Oklahoma, this got me curious about what is happening in the adjoining area of Oklahoma, so I found a nice article on The Oklahoman (which I hope has no paywall) that has some information about the<a href="https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/fire/2024/02/28/live-updates-wildfires-blaze-into-nw-oklahoma-smoke-information/72770704007/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> wildfires currently burning in Oklahoma along with photos and a nice map</a> that you can access showing wildfires in Oklahoma, Texas, and nearby states. The map I saw was updated on Feb 28th at about 10 AM local time. The Oklahoman reports that a portion of the Smokehouse Fire has crossed into adjoining northwest Oklahoma.</p><p>I'd like to thank my friends at the <a href="https://www.sectionb10.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">NJ Forest Fire Service Section B10</a> who shared the two videos that I embedded at the beginning of this post on their website on February 28th</p><p><i>Note: on the gifted articles from the New York Times and the Washington Post, hopefully the links do give you free access for ten days from February 28th, with free access stopping on or about March 9th. </i></p>Random Ramblings NJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11798742867159589511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29711488.post-38390810549742103382024-02-26T10:21:00.009-05:002024-02-26T12:16:25.870-05:002024 Wildfire Season: Midewin Hotshots prescribed burns<p>The Midewin Hotshots began preparing for their 2024 wildfire season on Feb 12th, see <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MidewinIHC/posts/pfbid025Kx27tBa9kFTy3W3hPfn1WK6zNQMb7Ch5zjaW5hfLeAPBuhFrHMNzbNnSRH7UWnhl" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">the Midewin Hotshots Feb 12th Facebook post</a>. I was just on their Facebook page a short time ago and saw that on or about February 25, they were on day six of their 2024 wildfire season conducting prescribed burns in the eastern region. Thanks to the Midewin Hotshots for doing prescribed burns which will help to reduce wildfire risks in those areas. I just now checked the <a href="https://gacc.nifc.gov/eacc/predictive_services/intelligence/documents/Resource_Summary.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Eastern Area Resource Summary</a> (dated February 24, 2023) on the <a href="https://gacc.nifc.gov/eacc/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Eastern Area Coordination Center</a> under predictive services-intelligence and saw that the Midewin Hotshots were deployed on February 19th to Indiana, so I assume that the Facebook Post that I embedded below is referring to prescribed burns in Indiana.</p><p>I wish the Midewin Hotshot crew the best as they continue with their 2024 wildfire season where they will be deployed in the eastern region of the United States and elsewhere to help with prescribed burns as well as bringing wildfires into containment. Stay safe.</p><p><br /><iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="581" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FMidewinIHC%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0EFPTKM1vCLbpF4c5ExAXPiGc4gaSgYwNQY2ZBo6mtVuJ7ZH8krhYZSVUYzJ6fXaVl&show_text=true&width=500" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" width="100%"></iframe></p>Random Ramblings NJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11798742867159589511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29711488.post-12109025749878453772024-02-23T11:42:00.003-05:002024-02-23T11:42:43.529-05:00Friday Fun: About the 1946 J-3 Cub<p> I was looking around for a fun aviation video to share with you on Friday Fun. I have made a note of the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@blancolirio" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">blancolirio YouTube channel</a> where he posts many different aviation videos. Some are about crash investigations but he also posts other aviations videos about different airplanes, interviews with pilots, and aerial firefighting.</p><p>Today I am sharing a video he uploaded about three months ago around November 2023 called "<a href="https://youtu.be/lN7vysMi6UI?si=v4rZ4jWvxdIcxbqe" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Meet the Cub! 1946 J-3</a>". I enjoyed watching this 15-minute video and I hope you do as well. He demonstrates are the power-off stall, three point landing, and gives a walk around of the Cub that he had recently purchased at the time he made this video.</p><p><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/lN7vysMi6UI?si=v4rZ4jWvxdIcxbqe" title="YouTube video player" width="100%"></iframe></p>Random Ramblings NJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11798742867159589511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29711488.post-49977816541505627602024-02-21T11:12:00.001-05:002024-02-21T11:12:55.972-05:002024 NJFFS Prescribed Burns: February 21 update<iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="442" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FNJForestFireService%2Fposts%2Fpfbid02PKtLJYDXZR5L5WaSHTKkuatdr7SYED7Z9i5WThcPgdNvpHpH6GXg1tzciDjGoJ8Gl&show_text=true&width=500" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" width="100%"></iframe><p><br /></p><p>Recent snowfall in northern and central New Jersey probably means that conditions (wet soil?) are not conducive for the New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) to conduct prescribed burns in these areas. This is not the case in southern New Jersey where you can see from the embedded Facebook post from the NJFFS on February 21st that they conducted prescribed burns on that date in the following locations: </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Burlington County - Delanco Twp. - County Property</li><li>Burlington County - Eastampton Twp. - County Property</li><li>Burlington County - Washington Twp. - Wharton State Forest </li><li>Cumberland County - Maurice River Twp. - Peaslee Wildlife Management Area</li><li>Cumberland County - Pittsgrove Twp. - Municipal Property</li><li>Cumberland County - Vineland - Municipal Property </li></ul><p></p><p>In addition the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/NJForestFireService" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">NJFFS</a> did prescribed burns in these locations in the last five days:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>February 16th</b>: Wharton State Forest in Winslow Twp, Camden County</li><li><b>February 20th</b>: private property in Barnegat Twp, Ocean County</li></ul><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Random Ramblings NJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11798742867159589511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29711488.post-1200904261315712842024-02-19T21:41:00.003-05:002024-02-19T21:41:39.348-05:00Wildfires in Colorado in 2012-13<p> It is a rather late on a busier than expected day where time got away from me. So I am sharing a video that I have bookmarked. This is a 28 minute video from the Denver Post about wildfires that ravished areas of Colorado in 2012 and 2013. Great journalism! Please take the time to watch the video, if not now bookmark it for later viewing.</p><p><br /><iframe width="100%" height="360" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/WbwHRUl87Tk?si=cttoqHGsS3kLe4Q2" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/WbwHRUl87Tk?si=keGGwpEeaCXSdH0Z" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Direct link to video from the Denver Post on YouTube</a></p>Random Ramblings NJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11798742867159589511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29711488.post-49807476747446737212024-02-16T11:45:00.003-05:002024-02-16T11:45:49.257-05:002023 Wildfire Season: Midewin Hotshots (Wilmington, Illinois)<p>The Midewin Hotshots are based in Wilmington, Illinois where they are hosted by the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie. They Midewin Hotshots are the only Hotshot crew based in the eastern region per the <a href="https://www.fs.usda.gov/science-technology/fire/people/ihc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">US Forest Service list of Interagency Hotshot Crews (IHC)</a>. There are two sites you may go to for information about the Midewin Hotshots: <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/midewinihc/home" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Unofficial Webpage of the Midewin Hotshots</a>, and the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MidewinIHC" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Midewin Hotshots on Facebook</a> where they post updates through out the season. </p><p>According to a September 2, 2023 post on the the Midewin Hotshots Facebook page (see below), in 2023 they had 10 rolls in six different states. I looked up what a roll is, and according to <a href="https://wildlandfire101.com/what-to-expect#:~:text=Wildland%20firefighters%20can%20work%2014,and%20after%20the%20official%2014" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wildfire 101</a> a roll is when “Wildland firefighters can work 14 days straight (called a roll) with 16-hour days and possibly up to three days travel before and after the official 14. Night shifts and longer shifts of 16-24 hours are possible depending on the fire and area you are in, but not super common.” </p><p><br /><iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="765" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FMidewinIHC%2Fposts%2Fpfbid02XbkaJR3XwSFVe3Qj3awjRvDtuu9XN3Fiq5zTTJ5GBeieFrdVJn51pcQZMENzq4Rwl&show_text=true&width=500" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" width="100%"></iframe></p><p><br /></p><p>I would have posted the Midewin Hotshots 2023 fire season video, but I have not seen one posted. That is ok, it happens. But going to their Facebook page I was able to find some posts where they shared where they were helping with prescribed burns or working wildfires in 2023</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>February 22: first fire assignment on or about February 22, 2023 in Hoosier National Forest</li><li>February 26: first roll at Mark Twain NF Missouri</li><li>Feb 28 and March 1: Missouri a couple of prescribed burns</li><li>later in March early April region 8, George Washington National Forest in VA</li><li>April 12: to Michigan, including Huron-Manistee National Forest stayed through May</li><li>July 21: northern rockies</li><li>August 12: Hungry Horse MT</li></ul><div><br /></div><div>February 12, 2024 was the first day of the Midewin Hotshots 2024 season. Best wishes to the Midewin Hotshots as they prepare for their 2024 season. Thanks for all you do to keep us safe from wildfires. Stay safe.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><p><iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="404" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FMidewinIHC%2Fposts%2Fpfbid025EozUJPrc2uWfvutd8FSUkzTktd6RNuEcbveizoooxr32PAupRUT38FGjp4Vn2awl&show_text=true&width=500" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" width="100%"></iframe></p>Random Ramblings NJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11798742867159589511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29711488.post-60202799564697255922024-02-14T12:20:00.004-05:002024-02-14T12:20:31.232-05:002023 Wildfire Season: Crew 3 (Idaho?) Crew Video<p> When I post crew videos summarizing their 2023 wildfire season, I always try to look for initial attack crews or other crews that are not hotshot crews. Initial attack crews do important work, often being among the first crews assigned to a wildfire. While on YouTube just now, I came across an eleven-minute video from summarizing the 2023 wildfire season of Crew 3. Given the number of wildfires in Idaho that this crew worked (see the end of the video), my guess is that Crew 3 is based out of Idaho. But I am not certain of this. I don't know if where this crew is based matters, what matters is that they did good work on wildfires to protect us.</p><p><br /><iframe width="100%" height="360" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/7zT0wWkP45M?si=ouOnw8YAzP2yFPnj" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/7zT0wWkP45M?si=vNBiSJ-1jRSQZHcE" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Direct link to video from Krossed Saints on YouTube</a></p>Random Ramblings NJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11798742867159589511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29711488.post-4413862512876782132024-02-12T12:48:00.005-05:002024-02-12T12:48:37.512-05:002024 NJFFS Prescribed Burns: February 12th Update<p> The New Jersey Forest Fire Service continues to do prescribed burns. Here is a list of prescribed burns done by the NJ Forest Fire Service between February 8th and February 11th, I got this information from the<a href="https://www.facebook.com/NJForestFireService" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> NJ Forest Fire Service’s Facebook page</a> starting with <a href="https://www.facebook.com/NJForestFireService/posts/pfbid036ZoQhnPJUYvw5JHGctRoqofkHZjmTorAuRgM2kkP6HhBUa6GcMKjNNvWvQxv2LEal?__cft__[0]=AZUyKAU8jRkS4CJby4KD1dWNXJPiWjamkseU61RJqMxSjaiOhTyReHuhSMfuINrH76UlG1mb6Yad2-mSP4eRej8mq0_BxXb-5ppII2tZDawIZqj-HU0eFT58bivpHB2jNI_e3Xm7OoOVg2dEPRJSiw_gC7lAk3BJd1hyga8eK_nBDQZn7SYjgfcoFPytm-bENZfWistLk59OylYR4zyCuzet&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">their February 8th post</a>. I think but am not sure that the NJ Forest Fire Service will post about prescribed burns when they are scheduled, usually in the late morning. As a citizen of New Jersey I appreciate these prescribed burns are done so that excessive underbrush can be removed minimizing fire danger. Thanks to all Division of the NJ Forest Fire Service for conducting these prescribed burns.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>February 8th</b></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Burlington County - Tabernacle Twp. - Wharton State Forest </li><li>Burlington County - Washington Twp. - Wharton State Forest </li><li>Burlington County - Woodland Twp. - Brendan T. Byrne State Forest </li></ul><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b>February 9th</b></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Atlantic County - Estell Manor - Maple Lake Wildlife Management Area</li><li>Burlington County - Medford Twp. - Private Property</li><li>Gloucester County - Franklin Twp. - Private Property</li><li>Gloucester County - Monroe Twp. - Private Property</li></ul><p></p><p><br /></p><p><b>February 10th</b></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Ocean County - Jackson Twp. - Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area</li><li>Ocean County - Jackson Twp. - County Property</li></ul><p><br /></p><p><b>February 11th</b></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Monmouth County - Upper Freehold Twp. - Prospertown Lake Wildlife Management Area</li><li>Ocean County - Jackson Twp. - Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area</li></ul><p></p>Random Ramblings NJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11798742867159589511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29711488.post-64405411873723118372024-02-09T12:09:00.001-05:002024-02-09T12:12:21.174-05:002024 Wildfire Season: Wildfire in Chile Feb 9th update<p>On February 5th I wrote about the wildfires in Chile, <a href="https://randomramblingsfromnj.blogspot.com/2024/02/2024-wildfire-season-wildfire-in-chile.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">see my Feb 5th post</a>, and I am writing to provide an update. I want to give a shout out to Mike Archer of Wildfire News of the Day for his<a href="https://archercopywriting.blogspot.com/2024/02/western-us-lawmakers-push-to-protect.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> February 8th WNOTD</a> where he included the two articles about the wildfires in Chile that I am referring to in this post. But first, I know from the following post on Facebook recently shared by Coulson Aviation that Coulson continues to have a presence in Chile with at least one tanker deployed to Chile. According to <a href="https://www.coulsonaviationusa.com/newsmedia/coulson-aviation-extends-aerial-firefighting-support-to-south-america-via-new-contracts-in-chile-for-the-c-130h-hercules-large-airtanker-and-citation-550" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Coulson's November 14th (2023) press release</a>, one of their C-130's and crew plus a Citation 550 departed to serve in the Summer wildfire season in Chile. While I do not know for certain, I think it is logical to assume that Coulson's C-130 flew these recent wildfires in Coulson if conditions allowed.</p><p><br /><iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="634" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fcoulsonaviation%2Fposts%2Fpfbid02N8RRK7cMXMHGJAE9xTtfY3eGMPYJbosEZwr6Tk8kgpaykTtmSFA65U2hwkgvDJz8l&show_text=true&width=100%" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" width="500"></iframe></p><p><br /></p><p>A <a href="Firefighters said Wednesday they had extinguished all wildfires in Chile's coastal region of Valparaiso, where flames razed entire communities and left 131 dead. The forest emergency that began on February 2 is considered to have been overcome,' said the fire department in the seaside resort town Vina del Mar, one of the worst-hit areas." rel="nofollow" target="_blank">February 7th Barron's article on the Chile</a> wildfires reported that</p><blockquote><p><span style="color: red;">Firefighters said Wednesday they had extinguished all wildfires in Chile's coastal region of Valparaiso, where flames razed entire communities and left 131 dead.</span></p><p><span style="color: red;">The forest emergency that began on February 2 is considered to have been overcome,' said the fire department in the seaside resort town Vina del Mar, one of the worst-hit areas.</span></p></blockquote><p>The Barron's article goes on to report that local officials say that something in the order of 15,000 homes have been impacted by these wildfires. I am not sure if Barrons has a paywall for this article, I was able to access this article.</p><p>The APNews has a nice photo spread of images of the Chile wildfires, see their <a href="https://apnews.com/article/chile-wildfires-fires-photo-valparaiso-vina-del-mar-e6551582724dac05004f3df1fec636f2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">February 7th article</a>.</p><p><br /></p>Random Ramblings NJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11798742867159589511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29711488.post-41181181622205162112024-02-07T10:50:00.001-05:002024-02-07T12:25:41.961-05:002024 NJFFS Prescribed Burns: February 7th Update<p> It is late winter here in New Jersey and that means that the <a href="https://www.nj.gov/dep/parksandforests/fire/index.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">New Jersey Forest Fire Service</a> is ramping up to do prescribed burns. The prescribed burning season is from October 1 to March 31, see the <a href="https://www.nj.gov/dep/parksandforests/fire/program/aboutrxb.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">NJ Forest Fire Service About Prescribed Burn Page</a> and click on planning. I know that the NJ Forest Fire Service did at least two prescribed burns on February 5th, both in Ocean County.</p><p><iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="404" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FNJForestFireService%2Fposts%2Fpfbid02cgwcEe4F5t9xfyQTa1PsZHFXZxbLcxNcJcPECSMvk3PvGzHQJ1rafuzKScSsTRNbl&show_text=true&width=500" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" width="100%"></iframe><br /></p><p>I follow the<a href="https://www.facebook.com/NJForestFireService/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> NJ Forest Fire Service on Facebook</a> where prescribed burns happening on a specific day may be listed, as is the case for February 5th prescribed burns. The New Jersey Forest Fire Service has a map of prescribed fire notifications listing active and scheduled prescribed burns that may be found <a href="https://www.nj.gov/dep/parksandforests/fire/infotools/rxb.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. To learn more about prescribed burns see this <a href="https://nj.gov/dep/newsrel/2023/23_0012.htm?fbclid=IwAR0rfORMwuMKXp4V_Vr7tpIMXXtpCFExEPsczdJ0sVM6Rfwdn-BQEQ1aPJc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">2023 news release from the NJ Forest Fire Service</a>.</p><p>I can say that over the years that when I have driven in or through areas where a prescribed burn is being conducted there is signage alerting drivers and while I have never driven on a road that was temporarily closed to a prescribed burn, I assume that there is road closed signage with detours posted. </p><p>I am updating this post to embed a post below from the NJ Forest Fire Service notifying us of prescribed burns scheduled for today, February 7th.</p><p><br /></p><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FNJForestFireService%2Fposts%2Fpfbid037S9GhLCbjephsfwFy2W8UcvVEAVrLMZsdCCjzhG1rHaQNQZAAxtNWTfyVg22WpVal&show_text=true&width=500" width="100%" height="423" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe><p></p><p>Finally, The NJ Forest Fire Service Sections A7/8 shared a notice from the Mercer County Park Commission on their Facebook page this morning. Their Facebook page requires that you have a Facebook account so out of deference to those of you who are not on Facebook, I am not including the link to their site but I am embedding the post from the Mercer County Park Commission:</p><div><br /><iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="742" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FMercerCountyParkCommission%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0oHFTysLgbSm2nqRpXkbSr6rfzxTr2ZySZrFUSzSrzVAEF1aMciedoXcJZL1n8BA8l&show_text=true&width=500" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" width="100%"></iframe></div>Random Ramblings NJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11798742867159589511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29711488.post-41586077898079628812024-02-05T12:27:00.001-05:002024-02-05T12:27:04.815-05:002024 Wildfire Season: Wildfire in Chile<p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/6wHNP77QfGg?si=-nupOD_NXpNI4---" title="YouTube video player" width="100%"></iframe><br /></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/6wHNP77QfGg?si=YUlpt0PCaQSP38CP" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Direct link to February 4th video from NBC News on YouTube</a></p><p>It is summer in Chile and a wildfire is burning during a hot and dry period leading to at somewhere in the order of 112 deaths. A state of emergency has been declared and damages could be in the hundreds of millions of dollars according to Chile's Chief Finance Minister Mario Marcel. See this <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/03/climate/chile-wildfires-state-of-emergency-intl-hnk/index.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Feb 5th report from CNN</a> for more information, another video and photographs.</p>Random Ramblings NJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11798742867159589511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29711488.post-10515374112073635942024-02-02T11:29:00.001-05:002024-02-02T11:29:28.526-05:00Friday Fun: Flying Wildfires in a Lockheed P2V <p>Enjoy this video from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@Ornythopter" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Bob Webb</a> that I am embedding. Bob calls this video "a review of slurry bomber firefighting missions in a Lockheed P2V." The time frame is from 2015 to 2017. Allow about 6.5 minutes to watch the video.</p><p><iframe width="100%" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3kW6C8jIiFE?si=dtc_nL-SzL-_mrRC" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kW6C8jIiFE" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Direct link to video from Bob Webb on YouTube</a></p>Random Ramblings NJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11798742867159589511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29711488.post-11938554849693057432024-01-31T10:40:00.002-05:002024-01-31T10:45:18.330-05:002023 Wildfire Season: Panhandle Helitack Year in Review<p>I am always interested in the good work that various helitack crews do to support crews on the ground fighting wildfires whether it be bucket work or bring in gear, food and other material that crews on the ground in remote areas need. Of course, in some cases I suppose that helitack might transport crews to remote areas or perhaps there are other helicopters that transport crews to and from remote areas. </p><p>The other good work that helitack crews do is in igniting prescribed burns in remote locations using either plastic fires that ignite when they hit the ground or special torches.</p><p>As I was looking at a couple of social media groups on Facebook focused on aerial firefighting I came across a post by the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/USFSIPNF" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">U.S. Forest Service - Idaho Panhandle National Forests</a> shared a couple of weeks highlighting the work that the Panhandle Helitack Crew did in 2023. They flew to 64 wildfires and did 13 prescribed burns. The Panhandle Helitack Crew does bucket work, transports ground crews to remote locations on a wildfire, transports gear and equipment to crews on the ground in remote locations, and does prescribed burns. I share a short post from the Idaho Panhandle National Forests with relevant photos showcasing what they do and a thorough but concise description of their work in 2023. Click "see more" to see their full post. </p><p><iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="790" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FUSFSIPNF%2Fposts%2Fpfbid031FGwKV2NPzPf15YcC6c5Zn3AHTmx39gwjb2N8DmUuot6XKuhk8R8TDA3MBE36hWnl&show_text=true&width=500" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" width="100%"></iframe><br /></p>Random Ramblings NJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11798742867159589511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29711488.post-7196360352008411382024-01-29T16:26:00.000-05:002024-01-29T16:26:23.510-05:00Reflections on Fifteen Years of Blogging on Aerial Wildland Firefighting<p>It was in January 2009 that I made a commitment to devote this blog to aerial wildland firefighting and related issues. If someone had told me 25 years ago that I would be writing a blog on aerial wildland firefighting I would not have believed them. Then a series of changes in my life 20 years ago started me on a quest to do some writing. I wrote a couple of articles related to a former job and then I took a trip to Malawi in 2007. I began this blog to record my thoughts before, during, and after my trip to Malawi. I had some hopes of turning my time in Malawi into something more than just a life changing trip. So I knew that at some point I would have to find something else to write about. I ran out of things to post about Malawi in early 2008 and then spent a few months writing about various things that interested me.</p><p>I got interested in wildland firefighting in the fall of 2008 after following a major fire in California so I began learning about wildland firefighting. To be clear, I am not a wildland firefighter, nor am I a pilot. It is hard to explain but deep down inside I knew that I wanted to write about aerial wildland firefighting and I knew that not being in the business would pose some challenges. I have to give credit to a couple of friends of mine for encouraging me to follow this dream, especially Tom Janney. Without Tom’s early help and encouragement and a couple of other friends in the business. the early days of this blog would not have been possible. </p><p>I can never write from the point of view of a wildland firefighter or those who flew tankers and helos in support of wildland firefighters on the ground. What I lack in first hand experience, I’d like to think that I make up with my passion and some research skills that I learned in graduate school and a think tank where I used to work as support staff.</p><p>I make no money off this blog, it has been and will remain a labour of love. Sure I get discouraged sometimes, wondering why I keep the blog going. During those times when I am discouraged either something happens in the world of wildland firefighting that gives me a reason to keep going or a firefighter friend tells me that I need to keep this blog going. </p><p>I owe a debt of gratitude to some good social media groups, blogs and websites for letting me observe news on current and past wildfires as well to my friends in the wildland firefighting business (past or present) for answering my questions. I sometimes delve into related areas, such as weather events, and first responders responses to flooding and the like. </p><p>For those of you reading who are wildland firefighters on the ground or in the air and your support teams, I want you to know how much I care about what you do. In the way that I can, I hope that I honor you in this blog.</p><p>Finally, I save the most important people for the last. That is you, my readers. Whether you drop by only on occasion or are a frequent reader, I do this blog for you. Thank-you from the bottom of my heart for reading and being a part of my journey. I hope to keep this blog going for many more years. </p>Random Ramblings NJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11798742867159589511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29711488.post-177061725423738102024-01-26T11:55:00.002-05:002024-01-26T12:53:40.158-05:00Mars Helicopter Ingenuity Flew Last Flight<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/qMbHE_VXI-8?si=Wul-dKSvCor8Yh7b" title="YouTube video player" width="100%"></iframe><p><a href="https://youtu.be/qMbHE_VXI-8?si=SFAjfhQB9n6H_UDD" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Direct link to video from NASA Jet Propulsion Lab</a></p><p>The little helicopter that could, Ingenuity surpassed all expectations by flying 72 missions on Mars. She was only expected to fly five flights in a month. She made her first flight on April 19, 2021. To read more about Ingenuity and her last flight see this <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/after-three-years-on-mars-nasas-ingenuity-helicopter-mission-ends/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">NASA press release</a>. In honor of Ingenuity I embed this video from NASA Administrator announcing her last flight. </p><p><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/hW5akI5Rnyg?si=5E0CnCO09blHkHTM" title="YouTube video player" width="100%"></iframe></p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/hW5akI5Rnyg?si=egfHbJcuVjyDIa1h" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Direct link to video from NASA on YouTube</a></p>Random Ramblings NJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11798742867159589511noreply@blogger.com0