NJ Forest Fire Service Staff at 76%

Before I begin writing about density altitude tomorrow, I want to take the opportunity to write about the staffing situation at the New Jersey Forest Fire Service. As I understand it, there are 21 vacant positions out of 89 positions allocated to the NJ Forest Fire Service for a staffing rate of 76 percent. This scares me. I don't want to let our wet summer and September lull me into a false sense of security.

So far we have been lucky this year, if you check the numbers on the NJ Forest Fire Service website, you will see that from Jan. 1, 2009 through Oct. 5, 2009 there were 683 wildland fires statewide burning a total of 1,076 acres. Their goal is to keep wildland fires under 2,000 acres. Perhaps we will make it. What happens if we have another major conflagration such as the 15,500 acre Warren Grove Fire (May 2007) that burned in an area of the Pine Barrens known as the East Pine Plains. From what I understand, the East Pine Plains consists of one of the more volatile vegetative types. I also understand that it took about twenty days to bring this fire under control.

I took the above photo in March 2009, not far from Warren Grove, NJ (where the fire started) on county rte. 579. While you can see new post fire growth in this picture, I choose this photo because you get some idea of the extent of the fire

What would happen today if another fire the size of Warren Grove occurred? It could happen. If there were other wildland fires burning at the same time, would we have enough personnel? What happens if we enter into a dry period here in New Jersey as we did in the mid-nineties when there was one year when the pine barrens burned in central Jersey to be followed by a wildfire along the Kittatiny Ridge in northern NJ. To see some videos of the Warren Grove Fire, Section B-10 of the NJ Forest Fire Service was a page on youtube, it may be found here.

Please, take a few moments and go here to read a very good and detailed update about critical issues facing the NJ Forest Fire Service. I have only very briefly touched on these issues here, and I urge you -- especially NJ residents -- to read this report. And if this is happening to us here in NJ, perhaps it is happening to you as well.

To my friends in the NJ Forest Fire Service, I write this for you. Stay safe and thank-you for all you do!