Unions in Fire Depts in NYC Continue to Address Health Concerns from WTC Attacks

Direct link to September 9th video from CBS News New York

Many of us hold a special place in our heart for those who suffered (death or injuries) during the attacks on the World Trade Center on Sept 11, 2001. I had moved from eastern NJ not far from the River adjoining NYC a few months before the attacks happened. So I can only imagine what it was like for those who could see the World Trade Center and the attacks. I was working on that day I remember the shock that I felt when I heard that planes had flown into the World Trade Center on the radio. I went around my office and told a couple of people, including someone who was raised in downtown Manhattan, at first they did not believe me but then the news began to filter around my office and they were in as much shock as I was. Like many of you, I continue to have a special place in my heart for all who were affected by these attacks. I have deep respect for the first responders who responded to the collapse. So as we approach the 25th anniversary of these attacks I will continue to remember and pray.

Happy Labor Day 2026

Direct link to 2010 video from the History Channel on the history of Labor Day

My early memories of Labor Day as a child was that Labor Day meant the end of summer and school would be starting soon. Sometimes school started before Labor Day. When I was working outside my home Labor Day meant a wonderful three-day weekend off from work. When I went back to college and then graduate school a few years later Labor Day again signaled the end of summer and the start of classes. On this Labor Day, I will enjoy a quiet day at home. For those of you traveling today or this week, I wish you safe travels. Sorry for the tiny video, you may want to watch the video on YouTube.

2026 Wildfire Season: Blackhawk Helicopter Airlifted After Hard Landing

This September 3rd video is from https://www.youtube.com/@9news.

Here is a direct link to this video,

An unfortunate aspect to aviation and aerial wildland firefighting are hard landings. I came across this video today and was interested to see this video of Blackhawk being airlifted from the site of the hard landing. I am sure that this happens all the time after a hard landing, but I rarely get to see a video of such an airlift. As I understand no one onboard the Blackhawk was injured. There were reports of a fuel leakage and residents in the area of this hard landing are understandable concerned.

NOAA Hurricane Hunter Twin Otter Monitoring Seal Populations in Alaska

Direct link to August 31st post by NOAA Hurricane Hunters on Facebook

I hope that you can see the post I embedded from NOAA Hurricane Hunters on Facebook with photos of their Twin Otter, NOAA 46, flying in Alaska serveying seal populations in Alaska to see the seal's impact on local fish as well as gaining more understanding of seal populations in Alasaka. I applaud these flights and am glad to see that NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft do more than tracking hurricanes. I am sure that if this aircraft was needed to monitor hurricanes that it would be rerouted.

Fire Safety When Camping

Direct link to 2019 video from the Forest Service on YouTube

As we approach the end of summer, labor day and opportunities for camping out I thought that I'd post something about campfire safety drawing on my experience as a child and young adult. I no longer go camping for reasons I won't get into here. I saw a few videos on campfire safety but my favorite is the one I posted above, short and too the poing.

When I was a child in the 1960s, our family vacations were tent camping at campground in northern New England by the coast. It was a beautiful spot and my parents got a campsite where we could see the bay. Asides from the beauty of this area one of the things that stayed with me was campfire safety. The campsite had a designated location for campfires with a pit and rocks around the campfire site. I was not allowed to start the campfire but I learned about safety by watching my Dad. He never made a roaring campfire and when we left the campsite for a day trip he but the campfire out with water and touched the campfire pit to be sure that the fire was out. That made an impression on me and is similar to what I have seen in campfire safety videos such as the one that I shared here. I went camping at esatblished campgounds a few times several years ago as an adult with a friend; the lessons I learned about campfire safety that I learned from Dad stayed with me. I dumped water on the fire, I stired the embers and added more water when necessary including turning over logs, touching the campfire to be sure it was out. There may have been a couple of camping trips under near drought or drought conditions where the campground had restrictions on campfires, we followed those restrictions.

Here is a post from the National Park Service on campfire safety.

Please follow wildfire safety and adhere to any rules of the site you are visiting if you are planing to light a campfire.

2026 Wildfire Season: Air Attack over Sorrento Fire in Southern California

Direct link to August 19th video by Newsreel Media San Diego on Youtube

2026 Wildfire Season: Wildfires in Everglades in South Florida

Direct link to Aug 23rd video from WPLG Local 10 on YouTube The video that I share from WPLG in Miami Florida was on my newsfeed yesterday. As some of you know, I traveled to the Everglades once, about fifteen years ago. My friend and I spent a day traversing the Everglades from west to east and back to the hotel where I was staying. It was a day I will not forget. I am always saddened by wildfires anywhere, but the Everglades have a special place in my heart so I am especially saddened to hear of wildfires in the Everglades. The important thing is that as far as I know there were no injuries or deaths from these wildfires. I am also sharing a report on these wildfires from the Everglades National Park that may be found here. WGCU News has an August 23rd report on these wildfires that may be found here. As I write this Shark Valley remains closed.

2026 Wildfire Season: Helicopter Getting Water in Southern California

Direct link to Aug 19th video from https://www.youtube.com/@Squawk619 on YouTube.

I love helicopters and enjoy seeing video of helicopters filling up with water to help fight wildfires. I also have friends in southern California and think of them often when I see that aerial resources are being used to help fight wildires in southern California.

2026 Wildfire Season: European Aircraft Deployed to Belgium

Direct link to August 17th post from German Public Broadcast Service on YouTube

I heard a report early this moring on National Public Radio about the hot weather and wildfire danger that many areas of Europe are seeing. Unfortunately, I can not find a link to that story online nor could I find any videos on YouTube related to the story I heard. I did find a video that I shared above about a very large wildfire in Belgium and the help they are receiving from other countries in Europe sending aerial resources.

Six Airtankers used for Wildland Firefighting Explained

Direct link to May 29th 2026 video from https://www.youtube.com/@FireFighterExplains on YouTube

I do enjoy learing about the different types of aircraft used for wildland firefighting. I was interested in the above video that discusses 6 types of firefighting aircraft. I am posting it here because I thought that some of you might be interested in watching this seven and a half minute video.