I 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.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Martin Mars
I love watching the Martin Mars. The videographer was running early on to get in position, accounting for the heavy breathing early on. The footage shows the Hawaii Mars while it was based at Lake Elsinore near Hemet-Ryan last December.
Thanks to a friend who told me "The lake the MARS is dipping out of is actually Diamond Valley Resevoir, 3 miles south of Ryan AAB and 18 miles east of Lake Elisnor. This was during the final days of the contract, they were doing foam test drops up near Poppet Flats, about 13 miles northeast of Ryan AAB.
Enjoy
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Training camp for wildland firefighters
This video is shot at the training camp put on by Boulder Mountain Contracting in British Columbia, Canada for rookie wildland firefighters. I like the video because it provides a short look at what this training entails. While shot in Canada, I suspect that some of the training is the same in America.
For a look at a training camp in America, Bill Gabbert of Wildfire Today wrote recently about the Nebraska Wildland Fire Academy complete with some good photos. His articles may be found here and here.
Remember air tankers and helos do what they do in support of the crews on the ground.
Thanks to the folk at the NJFFS Section B-10 website for posting this video and bringing it to my attention.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Air Tanker crash in New Brunswick CA on April 23
Yesterday, I read about the crash of an air tanker, a TBM Avenger, while reading this article posted by Bill Gabbert of Wildfire Today on April 24. The Avenger crashed shortly after 2 PM on April 23 in Miramichi, New Brunswick, Canada. The pilot and sole occupant, Ron Clowes, the sole occupant was killed. Ron Clowes, an experienced pilot with over 13,000 hours was flying for Forest Protection Ltd on a routine training run. He had worked for the Forest Protection for about a decade. The plane crashed shortly after takeoff. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is investigating the crash.
You may read more about the accident in an article published by the Telegraph-Journal. A report by CTV may be found here.
I offer my deepest condolences to Ron's family, friends, and colleagues. May you fly in favorable winds.
You may read more about the accident in an article published by the Telegraph-Journal. A report by CTV may be found here.
I offer my deepest condolences to Ron's family, friends, and colleagues. May you fly in favorable winds.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
In memorium: T-42 lost one year ago today
One year ago we lost T-42 and her crew, Tom Risk (PIC), Mike Flynn (c/p) and Brian Buss (flight engineer). They were on their way to the 4-mile fire in New Mexico when they crashed in heavy fog in the Oquirrh Mountains in Utah.
I'd like to thank the friend who sent me a link to this article posted today in the Fire Rescue Magazine blog.
Rest in peace. I know that you are flying in favorable winds.
I'd like to thank the friend who sent me a link to this article posted today in the Fire Rescue Magazine blog.
Rest in peace. I know that you are flying in favorable winds.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
helo footage at Owassa Fire
This is some nice footage of the Delta 6, the NJ Forest Fire Service UH-1H (Huey) helicopter with a 300-gallon bucket working the Owassa Fire.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Wildfre! 1970 wildfires in WA
This is another video released by the National Archives and Records Administration and freely hosted at FedFlix Internet Archives. This video is about wildfires that burned in the summer of 1970 in the state of Washington in the Wenatchee National Forest. It is a long video, about 50 minutes.
Smokey conditions along with wind may have kept aircraft away from the fire for the first few days. You will see some footage of helicopters with buckets working the fire about 30 minutes or so into the video. And at about 40 minutes, you will see s few minutes of nice footage of air tankers working the fire.
It is worth the time to watch this video, so if you don't have time right now, come back later when you have about 50 minutes to spare. It is worth it.
Added on June 15, 2016: I don't think that either the link or the embedded video on this article is working. Over the next several days, I'll try to take some time to get new links for you. Please be patient.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Location for start of 1985 Monroe NJ wildfire
I was able to pinpoint what I think is the approximate location of the start of the wildfire that burned in Monroe Twsp., NJ in 1985. This is noted by the yellow placemarker in the image that I got from Google Earth last night. I want to point out that in 1985 this area was all (or mostly) pine woods. The homes that are there now were not there in 1985. For more information on this fire see yesterday's post.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Update: Wildland FF to run in Racing the Planet Australia 2010
Rambling Chief just sent me a link to this article from FDNNTV News reporting on Kenneth Perry's upcoming ultramarathon (155 mile race) in the upcoming Racing the Planet Australia 2010. I understand that when Ken will be doing an interview with FDNN TV News when he returns. The race starts on April 25.
Historical NJ Wildfire (1985) Monroe Twsp. (Middlesex County)
A friend of mine sent me a link to an article about wildfire that burned hundreds of acres in April 1985 in Monroe NJ. Before I get to the fire, the article reminded of the extent of the NJ Pine Barrens ecosystem. For example, there is an isolated parcel of the Pine Barrens in Middlesex County that the article refers to as the Spotswood outlier (north of the protected Pinelands). Many people tend to think of the NJ Pine Barrens as being one and the same as the federal and state protected Pinelands in southern NJ. However, the larger Pine Barrens ecosystem extends beyond the borders of the protected Pinelands. The Pine Barrens are especially prone to wildfires. If my thinking is correct, the 1985 Monroe Twsp. fire was in the area referred to as the Spotswood Outlier, a 12 mile by 12 mile pine barrens ecosystem that includes Thompson Park where the NJ Forest Fire Service has its Jamesburg fire tower.
There were enhanced fire conditions on Friday April 19, 1985 with a relative humidity around 24 percent along with winds of about 18 mph. At 10:58 AM a NJ Forest Fire observer stationed at the Jamesburg Fire Tower noticed smoke about two miles north-northeast of the tower in some pine woods. The result was a 700-acre fire and one of the largest firefighting efforts in the history of Monroe Township. The fire was declared under control on April 20 around 3 PM, but was not declared out until 18 days later. The fire was human caused.
For more on the fire, read this article from The Sentinal. I don't know how long this article, dated April 15, will be freely available.
For more information about the NJ Pine Barrens, you may want to check out PineyPower and the Pinelands Preservation Alliance.
I am not familiar enough with the area to pinpoint the area of the 1985 fire with any degree of certainty. If I am able to find such a map to show you, I'll post it here at a later time. In the meantime, I am posting an image from google earth showing Middlesex County NJ and environs. The area labeled Jamesburg, NJ is in the general vicinity of where I think the fire was located.
There were enhanced fire conditions on Friday April 19, 1985 with a relative humidity around 24 percent along with winds of about 18 mph. At 10:58 AM a NJ Forest Fire observer stationed at the Jamesburg Fire Tower noticed smoke about two miles north-northeast of the tower in some pine woods. The result was a 700-acre fire and one of the largest firefighting efforts in the history of Monroe Township. The fire was declared under control on April 20 around 3 PM, but was not declared out until 18 days later. The fire was human caused.
For more on the fire, read this article from The Sentinal. I don't know how long this article, dated April 15, will be freely available.
For more information about the NJ Pine Barrens, you may want to check out PineyPower and the Pinelands Preservation Alliance.
I am not familiar enough with the area to pinpoint the area of the 1985 fire with any degree of certainty. If I am able to find such a map to show you, I'll post it here at a later time. In the meantime, I am posting an image from google earth showing Middlesex County NJ and environs. The area labeled Jamesburg, NJ is in the general vicinity of where I think the fire was located.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
NJ wildfire: Weber Fire (4/11/10)
The Weber fire in Middlesex County (NJFFS Division B Section 10), NJ burned at least 30 acres on Sunday afternoon, April 10 before being brought under control at about 18:30 hours that same evening. See this thread from the wildland fire hotlist and also this newspaper article for more information about the fire. I first saw the video (embedded here) on the Section B10 website a couple of days ago in their videos of the week section. You will see just how close the fire came to the residences on Weber Ave. in Sayerville NJ. Several municipal fire departments including those from near by towns, ground crews from the NJ Forest Fire Service, and at least one AgCat worked together to contain the fire several hours after it started. I understand that there was another SEAT working the fire, I'm not sure if it was a second AgCat or the AT-602 assigned to Division B.
During the first three minutes various municipal fire fighters are shown fighting the fire in the residential neighborhood. At about 3 minutes and 40 seconds, ground crews from the NJ Forest Fire Service are shown fighting the fire in the grass behind the houses, including lighting back fires.
You will see an AgCat flying overhead at about 5 minutes and again at 5 minutes 20 seconds into the video, but you don't see the actual drop. At 7 minutes 15 seconds and again at about 8 minutes 46 seconds you will see an AgCat dropping water.
Nice job everyone!
Monday, April 12, 2010
Watershed Wildfire (Los Padres Ntl. Forest 1958)
About a week ago, Rambling Chief made this post about three historical wildfire documentaries that are now freely available at the FedFlix video archive. I believe that history is important, so I am going to make individual posts of these three videos, in chronological order. This is video is about a wildfire that burned in 1958 in the Los Padres National Forest in California, dubbed the Watershed Fire. I'll post the next video in a few days, so stay tuned. Or, you can visit RamblingChiefs via the link above to watch all three.
Allow about 20 minutes to watch this video.
Added on June 15, 2016: I don't think that either the link or the embedded video on this article is working. Over the next several days, I'll try to take some time to get new links for you. Please be patient.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Aerial Operations at the Owassa Fire
The webmaster of the NJFFS Section B10 webpage told me about this video that he had posted to his webpage last night and I want to post it here so that you may enjoy this footage. There is some decent footage of the NJFFS UH-1H Huey Helicopter -- Delta 6 -- performing bucket operations with its 300-gallon bambi bucket. For those of you who want to see an AgCat in action, you will see two drops by the Ag Cat. Now, I don't know if we are seeing one or two AgCats. Two AgCats were working the fire on April 7 and I understand that the tanker base is about a 15 minute flight from the fire. So, if the video we are seeing is what was seen in real time, then I am pretty certain that we are seeing the two AgCats from Division A (Alpha 1 and Alpha 2).
I am thrilled to have some video footage of an AgCat flying a fire in New Jersey to show you. Enjoy!
Friday, April 09, 2010
Be-200 showing her stuff
With the help of RamblingChief, I was able to figure out how to embed one of the CA news outlets video report, KSBY, on the arrival of the Be-200 on Wednesday night (4/7/10) to this blog article from April 8. I did spend some time trying to embed the second video that I found that day, to no avail.
Anyway, I am moving the video on the Be-200 showing her stuff to her own post.
Owassa Fire (Sussex County, NJ): under control
According to the last update on this wildlandfire hotlist thread the final report on the Owassa Fire was issued on April 9, 2010 at 10:00 hr. The fire is now under control as of 10:00 AM on April 9. The firefighter who was in the ATV accident was seriously injured with a skull fracture. He had successful surgery at a NJ Hospital/Trauma Center where he will remain for a few more days. You will want to read the report that I linked to for more information.
Let us pause for a moment to offer our thoughts and prayers for this injured firefighter.
Let us pause for a moment to offer our thoughts and prayers for this injured firefighter.
Thursday, April 08, 2010
Owassa Fire (Sussex County, NJ): 80% contained
I had noted a few hours ago on the NJFFS Section B-10 website that the Owassa Fire had burned 105 acres and was 80 percent contained this morning. I was waiting for an update from the wildland fire hotlist forums before posting an update. I recently saw that an update has been posted to this thread (at 15:30 on 4/8/10) that you will want to check out for more details.
Of note from the update:
Of note from the update:
- As of 15:30 on April 8, the fire had burned 105 acres and was 80% contained,
- the cause of the fire is related to a power line and is still being investigated,
- three fire fighters were treated and released last night for smoke related injuries, and another fire fighter had a head injury today as the result of an ATV accident. The fire fighter with the head injury was taken to the hospital for treatment,
- a helo with a bambi bucket was working the fire at the time of the update (15:30 on 4/8/10).
Berieve Be-200 has landed
I wrote here that the Russian amphibious firefighting aircraft, the Be-200, is coming to Santa Maria CA this week. Well it has arrived on April 7. I came across this video on the arrival of the Be-200. Another video report, this one from KCOY, may be found here and an article on the Be-200's arrival may be found here. The Be-200 will be at Santa Maria for about one week and details are being worked out for a planned demonstration early next week. I believe that the Be-200 is not yet certified for use in the United States.
I understand that there are open hours for visitors this coming Saturday and Sunday from 2PM to 5 PM in front of the Radisson Hotel at the Santa Maria Airport. I am on the opposite coast so am able to come her up close and in person. Perhaps some of you who are near by will be able to go see her.
Updated on April 9, 2010 at #;55 PM EDT. I'd like to thank RamblingChief for his help in pointing me to the embed code.
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
Fire Activity in NJ on April 7: update #3
This video, from the ABC affiliate in Philadelphia, focuses on the fires in Central New Jersey (Division B), some of which I reported on earlier today.
And here is a link with a story reporting on wildfires in central New Jersey and the Owassa Fire in northern New Jersey. Finally, here is a link from earlier this afternoon about the Owassa Fire.
Owassa Fire: Sussex County NJ
There is a wildfire, currently 40 acres in a remote area of Sussex County NJ called the NJ-NJS Owassa Fire. Two Ag Cats and a Huey helo dropped water on the head of the fire, along with a fourth aircraft that arrived sometime before dark. These aerial operations ended at dark today to resume tomorrow (Thursday April 8) morning. The fire is in a mountainous area of Sussex County. The hand crews are being pulled from the mountainous terrain this evening and will resume their operations tomorrow morning. There is no containment at this time and some evacuations from a nearby residential area have been made as a safety measure. Fire patrols will continue through the night. For more information, see this thread on the wildland fire hotlist.
The image above is the area where I believe the Owassa Fire is occurring, as it seems to fit the description in the wildland fire hotlist thread that I referred to: west of Lake Owassa.
Stay safe everyone and kudos to the NJ Forest Fire Service.
Fire Activity in NJ on April 7: update #2
A second update on the Red Flag Warnings covering all of New Jersey today. I continye to listen to scanner feed from Division B of the NJFFS (central NJ) and have heard about this fire reported on the Section B10 webpage:
Jackson Twp (Ocean County), Colliers Mills WMA -- Section B9. The last report from Delta 5, a UH-1H Huey Helicopter is that this is a 4 or 5 acre fire. Delta 5, assigned to Division B, can handle a 300-gallon bambi bucket. I don't know if Delta 5 is making water drops with the bucket. Bravo 1 (AT-602), Bravo 2 (Ag-Cat) and Charlie 1 (an AT-602 from Division C) have made multiple drops on this fire (updated at 17:20).
Updated April 8 at 12:15 PM
The Section B10 webpage provided an update on the fire in Jackson Twsp NJ on April 7 at 20:57. The size of the fire is 5 acres and the status is UC.
Jackson Twp (Ocean County), Colliers Mills WMA -- Section B9. The last report from Delta 5, a UH-1H Huey Helicopter is that this is a 4 or 5 acre fire. Delta 5, assigned to Division B, can handle a 300-gallon bambi bucket. I don't know if Delta 5 is making water drops with the bucket. Bravo 1 (AT-602), Bravo 2 (Ag-Cat) and Charlie 1 (an AT-602 from Division C) have made multiple drops on this fire (updated at 17:20).
Updated April 8 at 12:15 PM
The Section B10 webpage provided an update on the fire in Jackson Twsp NJ on April 7 at 20:57. The size of the fire is 5 acres and the status is UC.
Note added April 8, 9:50 PM
Note that the NJFFS Section B-10 website is updated frequently. For example, the section on current NJ wildfire activity that I am referring to is updated as new fire activity occurs and older fires drop off the list. Perhaps you are visiting here for the first time several days after April 7 and reading this article for the first time. Perhaps you are reading some of the other articles I wrote on April 7 about that day's wildfire activity in NJ. In this scenario, when you go to the Section B-10 webpage you are going to see postings about what will then be current NJ wildfire activity and not for today's fires.
Fire activity in NJ on April 7: update #1
An update on the Red Flag Warnings covering all of New Jersey today. I have been listening to scanner feed from Division B of the NJFFS (central NJ) and have heard about some of these fires reported on the Section B10 webpage:
Two fires under control:
1. Howell Township (Monmouth County) -- Section B8, acreage unknown, Bravo 2 (Ag-Cat) made three drops, status UC at 12:39 on April 7
2. Marlboro Twp (Monmouth County) -- Section B10 .50 forest - Status UC at 1438 on April 7
Updated April 8 at 12:15 PM
As of 15:00 on April 7, there are three fires in Pemberton Twsp in the Ongs Hat area (Burlington County) in Section B3. Bravo 1 (AT-602) and Bravo 2 (Ag Cat) are making drops. I have hiked near here on a couple of occasions. Late in the day on April 7, the NJFFS Section B10 website reported the status of this fire as UC.
Stay safe everyone! I don't know the status of any fire activity in Divisions A or C. I am going to keep listening to the Division B scanner feed.
Two fires under control:
1. Howell Township (Monmouth County) -- Section B8, acreage unknown, Bravo 2 (Ag-Cat) made three drops, status UC at 12:39 on April 7
2. Marlboro Twp (Monmouth County) -- Section B10 .50 forest - Status UC at 1438 on April 7
Updated April 8 at 12:15 PM
As of 15:00 on April 7, there are three fires in Pemberton Twsp in the Ongs Hat area (Burlington County) in Section B3. Bravo 1 (AT-602) and Bravo 2 (Ag Cat) are making drops. I have hiked near here on a couple of occasions. Late in the day on April 7, the NJFFS Section B10 website reported the status of this fire as UC.
Stay safe everyone! I don't know the status of any fire activity in Divisions A or C. I am going to keep listening to the Division B scanner feed.
Note added April 8, 9:50 PM
Note that the NJFFS Section B-10 website is updated frequently. For example, the section on current NJ wildfire activity that I am referring to is updated as new fire activity occurs and older fires drop off the list. Perhaps you are visiting here for the first time several days after April 7 and reading this article for the first time. Perhaps you are reading some of the other articles I wrote on April 7 about that day's wildfire activity in NJ. In this scenario, when you go to the Section B-10 webpage you are going to see postings about what will then be current NJ wildfire activity and not for today's fires.
Red Flag Warning in NJ and online scanner feed
I got the map shown above from the National Weather Services Experimental Fire Weather Page, the counties colored in red are under Red Flag Warnings. You can see that the Red Flag Warnings extend to other States in the Mid Atlantic region and into southern New England. To see a copy of the Red Flag Warning issued by the Mt. Holly Office of the National Weather Service for portions of NJ and eastern PA, see this post on wildland fire.
In my wanderings around the web this morning I have seen that various media outlets have reported on the Red Flag Warnings, see for example here and here.
I saw on another post on the wildland fire hotlist forums that the NJ Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) has what they call Patrol Level One in each Section of each of the three Divisions today. What this means is that the section warden plus one other NJFFS firefighter is patroling each section.
For the last three days, I have spent a part of each afternoon listening to live scanner feed from the NJ Forest Fire Service on Radio Reference. For example the scanner feed from the NJFFS Division A may be found here, and the Division B feed may be found here. I did not see a feed for Division C on Radio Reference.
I have been learning a lot by listening to the live scanner feed from the NJFFS. I am not going to report on what I am listening because I can't be sure that I will "get it right." But I can say, for example, that while I was listening to the Division B feed on Monday afternoon, I heard them mention "Bravo 1", the AT-602 assigned to Division B being sent to a fire, finding out later in the day from the Section B10 website that the AT-602 had made a couple of drops on a fire in Barnegat Twp. in Ocean County.
If you don't hear anything more from me on today's Red Flag conditions here in NJ that will probably mean that there was light initial attack that was quickly dealt with by the very capable folk at the NJFFS.
Monday, April 05, 2010
Light initial attack in central NJ
As you know, all of NJ except for the five northeastern counties are under red flag warnings through 6PM this afternoon and a fire watch through tomorrow afternoon. I have been listening to live scanner feed from Division B (central NJ) of the NJ Forest Fire Service for most of the afternoon. I don't know much details, but I what I have been listening to on the scanner suggests initial attack on at least wildland fire. I just went to wildland fire to see if someone had posted about this, and saw this posting about the red flag warning and light initial attack in Division B.
I just now checked the NJFFS Section B-10 webpage and found an update at 5:20 PM EDT on today's initial attack activity in Division B. Bravo 2 (Ag Cat), made a drop on a fire on Rte. 547 (Howell Twsp, Monmouth County?) in Section B8. Bravo 1 (AT-602) has made two drops on a fire near West. Bay Ave in Section B4. I believe that the fire in Section B4 is near Barnegat Twsp (Ocean County).
I just now checked the NJFFS Section B-10 webpage and found an update at 5:20 PM EDT on today's initial attack activity in Division B. Bravo 2 (Ag Cat), made a drop on a fire on Rte. 547 (Howell Twsp, Monmouth County?) in Section B8. Bravo 1 (AT-602) has made two drops on a fire near West. Bay Ave in Section B4. I believe that the fire in Section B4 is near Barnegat Twsp (Ocean County).
Aerial firefighting in Pennsylvania
I have been on the lookout for videos that show aerial firefighting in my part of the U.S. (mid-atlantic). I was delighted to find this video to show you about a SEAT fighting fires in Pennsylvania.
Enjoy!
Friday, April 02, 2010
Air Tractors
Beautiful photography of an elegant airplane in action. The video served to remind me that in addition to its role as a SEAT for firefighting, the Air Tractor plays an important role as a crop duster. Enjoy!
Thursday, April 01, 2010
Jesusita Fire Videos: what wind driven wildfires can do
Two videos (part 1 and part 2) showing footage of the Jesusita Fire that burned in Santa Barbara CA in May 2009. Some incredible footage up close and personal with the fire, including some audio scanner feed. Allow about 13 minutes for the two videos.
I did not enable the HD feature in order to allow for faster load times. To watch the videos in HD click on the video to go to youtube and then select 720 resolution in the menu bar at the bottom of the video.
I did not enable the HD feature in order to allow for faster load times. To watch the videos in HD click on the video to go to youtube and then select 720 resolution in the menu bar at the bottom of the video.
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