Pausing and remembering the Yarnell Hill 19

direct link to video from Envenomator1 on youtube

For reasons that I don't need to go into, I found myself reflecting this past weekend on the tragic loss of the 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots. So, I post this short video in memory of the 19 members of the Prescott Granite Mountain Hotshots who died fighting the Yarnell Hills Fire on June 30, 2013.

RIP - I will never forget you

Tanker action near Kamloops, British Columbia

I saw this video on youtube earlier in today of Canadian airtankers fighting a fire, probably earlier this summer, near Kamloops, British Columbia. I believe that I have seen tankers from Air Spray and Conair along with some helos. Allow just over 14 minutes to watch the video.



direct link to video

Two Dougs taking off to fight fires (one retired, one still flying)

Conair DC-6 T-50 taking off from Dawson City. I believe that the last season that Conair flew DC-6 air tankers was in 1998. (To read a little about the history of Conair, including the DC-6 tankers they flew from the 1970s into the late 1990s see History of Aviation in the BC Forest Service, Part 2 Air Tanker Operations. The reference for 1998 being the last year that Conair flew the DC-6 on contract for the B.C. Forest Service is found on p. 24).  All three parts of the History of Aviation in the BC Forest Service may be found on this webpage of the BC Forest Service Centenary.

direct link to video

DC-7 T-60 taking off to fight a fire near Hood River, OR when she was owned by Butler Aircraft. As you may recall Aero Air bought Butler in December 2012 (see this article on Fire Aviation for more information).

direct link to video

History - 1910 wildfires

Continuing with videos of notable historic wildfires, here is a video from Fed Flix on the 1910 wildfires, allow about 30 minutes to watch the video.



direct link to video page on Fed Flix

Description of video from Fed Flix: National Interagency Fire Center, Century of Fire - Part 11 - The Fires of 1910, 2010 Fireline Safety Refresher Training. Producer: National Interagency Fire Center.

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. 

History - 1961 wildfire in Bel-Air, Brentwood, and Santa Ynez CA

Following up on historic videos on wildfires that I posted a couple of days ago, I am sharing another video that is archived on the the FedFlix Archive. This video, in this video you will learn about the 1961 wildfire that burned in and near the communities of Bel-Air, Brentwood, and Santa Ynez CA in November of 1961.



direct link to video

Video description and reference: National Archives and Records Administration - ARC Identifier 13356 / Local Identifier 95.60 - Design for disaster - Department of Agriculture. Forest Service. Division of State and Private Forestry. Fire and Aviation Management Staff. (1986). Depicts the Bel-Air, Brentwood, and Santa Ynez Fires of November, 1961. Depicts dramatic scenes of homes and watershed burning. Measures to prevent similar tragedies are stressed.

The video references Santa Anna Winds, and I shared a short video on the causes of Santa Anna Winds on October 28, 2011.

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. 

History - 1970 fire Holocast in CA

A bit of history. The video that I am embedding here is called Countdown to Calamity (1971) about what the videographer calls a thirteen day fire holocaust in California in 1970.



direct link to video on archives dot org

Description for video from archive.org: National Archives and Records Administration - ARC Identifier 13352 / Local Identifier 95.56 - Countdown to calamity - Department of Agriculture. Forest Service. Division of State and Private Forestry. Fire and Aviation Management Staff. (1986). A documentary film of one of California's greatest fire disasters which occurred in 1970. I found out about this video on a thread on the wildlandfire hotlist forums called remember when. Perhaps you want to take a few moments and check out that forum to read the shares of some who fought fires in CA during the 1960s/1970s.

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. 

Seaside NJ Fire -- making last stand possible

In reading my local paper's (The Star Ledger) coverage of the fire that destroyed over four blocks of boardwalk and adjacent businesses in Seaside Park and Seaside Heights (Ocean County) NJ, there are the gut wrenching photos of the fire's devastation that I am sure that many of you have seen by now. And if you haven't and are so inclined, check out my posts of Sept 12 and/or Sept 13.

My intention today is not to further dwell on the destruction, but to share a couple of articles I read in the Star Ledger. In the the first article (below), you will read about the George Harms Construction Company that had a large excavator in a nearby town doing some work a highway. When the guys from Harms heard about the fire, they sent a large excavator to the scene and dug the trench that made the firefighter's last stand against the fire possible. This trench made the difference in stopping the fire.

Last Stand at Lincoln Ave (I read this in the print edition on Sat., Sept. 14, 2013).

Yesterday (Sept. 15, 2013), the Star Ledger and an article talking about the efforts of some of the business owners and others on that awful day when the fire broke out. You will also learn a little more about the George Harms Construction Co.

In Seaside Boardwalk Fire, Heros are not Hard to Find

The investigation into the cause of the fire continues.

Seaside NJ Fire - Friday morning update

An update from on the status of the fire in Seaside NJ. I am embedding here a report from CBS2 news in NYC from earlier this morning.



A report from CBS2 NYC may be found here including a link to a photogallery

A report from NBC10 Philadelphia with links to more videos, images, and an audio of the fire radio call may be found here.

As I understand it, some 50 buildings have been destroyed over about four to six blocks of the ocean front boardwalk in Seaside Park and Seaside Heights (Ocean County NJ). Blowing hands hampered the efforts of the firefighters yesterday afternoon. Portions of the boardwalk and business destroyed by yesterday's fire saw minimal if any damage from Superstorm Sandy last fall.  However, the Funtown Pier twas badly damaged during Superstorm Sandy because it jutted out into the ocean, was destroyed during yesterday's fire. The fire began about 2:15 PM yesterday afternoon, it took firefighters at least five hours to bring the fire under control. Some 400 firefighters responded from around New Jersey. This morning firefighters are working on hotspots.

I'm not quite sure how long the embed code that I used here will work, so if you are arriving at this page sometime after this fire occurred and the embed code does not work, you will know why.

Updated and revised September 13, 2013, 10:30 AM EDT

Fire on Boardwalk at Seaside Park and Seaside Heights NJ

Most of you saw the pictures of the destruction that Super Storm Sandy wrought on many NJ shore communities such as Seaside Heights. There was a bad fire on the Seaside Heights boardwalk

Philadelphia News, Weather and Sports from WTXF FOX 29

link to video from myfox philly

link to story on myfox philly

link to coverage on nj.com including photos

I'm not quite sure how long the embed code that I used here will work, so if you are arriving at this page sometime after this fire occurred and the embed code does not work, you will know why.

A&P shares photos of historic aircraft

One of the benefits of writing this blog on aerial wildland firefighting for just shy of five years is getting to know people in the tanker business like Don McKee. Don is an Airframe and Powertrain Mechanic (A&P). The more I learn about the tanker business, to say that Don is maintains and repairs tankers and historic aircraft seems simplistic. What I have learned about my  conversations with Don over the year plus that I have known him is that the planes that he works on are "his ladies", and keeping them safe to fly is a personal thing for him.

Don spent over 20 years working as an  A&P for Aero Union until 2011 when the US Forest Service terminated its contract with Aero Union. He was hired by Erickson Aero Tanker earlier this year. Earlier this fire season he was working as the mechanic for T-60. I'll be writing more about Don and his work as an A&P in the tanker business in later posts.

Don spent time before the fire season working on getting an historic Lockheed P-2V (in Tillamook OR) in flying condition. He was back in Tillamook after Labor Day getting the P-2V ready for a flight to Madras OR on September 8. Don had this to say about the flight after the P-2 arrived in Madras:

"The day is over and the P-2 is in Madras. It did well. Realizing this is about a 60 year old airplane that hasn't flown for dozen years or, what do we do? Take off make a wide left circle and come screaming down runway on the deck, recips and jets at full power. There's faith in your mech I guess."

He sent me some photos of some historic aircraft, including the P-2V, that he wanted me to share with you.

Lockheed PV-2 Harpoon: fun is putting plane with a 75 foot wingspan in a hanger with 76 foot opening (Tillamook OR)

Harpoon on jacks for gear swing (Tillamook OR)

DC-3 and Lockheed P2-V Neptune on ramp at Tillamook

DC-3 flying near Tillamook OR

DC-3 flying near Tillamook OR

"Old friend" Lockheed P2-V Neptune on ramp at Tillamook OR

Fueling Lockheed P2-V prior to flight to Madras OR

Pausing to Remember attacks of Sept. 11

I am pausing to remember the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. I offer my thoughts and prayers on this day for all who died in the attacks, for the first responders and others who are still living with the after effects of the attacks.

Morgan Fire -- Smoke Plume Weather

The Morgan Fire near Mt. Diablo east of Oakland has burned 1,500 acres and is 10% contained. The fire started yesterday afternoon. If you want more information on this fire, Bill Gabbert of Wildfire Today has an article on the Morgan Fire here, SF Gate has an article with some photos reported on the Morgan Fire earlier today, finally NBCBayArea reports and videos on the fire (including the video I embedded below). When I was checking out NBCBayArea's reporting on the fire, I was intrigued by the short video on smoke plume weather as relates to the Morgan Fire.  I thought that some of you might be interested in this video, so I am embedding below. I don't know how long this embed code will work, however, I enjoyed what the meteorologist had to say about smoke plume weather so I am giving this a shot. I'll try to remember to check back here periodically to see if the embed code continues to work.

Geronimo and Del Rosa Hotshots

I was looking around on Inciweb's page for the Rim Fire a little while ago because I wanted to check out their photo page. I figured that since this is such a large fire that there would be several pages of photos, and I was right. InciWeb had 144 photos on 15 pages. Perhaps you will want to take a look at some of these photos.

There was a method to my madness, so to speak. That is, I was thinking about the post I made yesterday about the Rim Fire, where I embedded a video from Sunshine Pictures showing the Geronimo Hotshots working the Rim Fire. I wanted to share a couple more videos of Hotshot crews at work, so I thought I'd start with the Geronimo Hotshots.

The Geronimo Hotshots are from San Carlos AZ, here is a short video:

direct link to video

When I was on the photo page from Inciweb's Rim Fire page, I saw a photo of the Del Rosa Hotshots. I believe that they are the oldest hotshot crew in the nation.

direct link to video

To my friends on the fire line, stay safe out there. Thanks for what you do for us.

Rim Fire (CA) - on the fireline

There have been a few thousands wildland firefighters on the ground along with various equipment working the fire. I was looking around for some video of groundpounders working the Rim Fire when I came upon a great Vimeo channel from Sunshine Pictures devoted to the Rim Fire, the page may be found here. I hope that you spend a few minutes checking out their channel. Sunshine Pictures says this, in part, about the video clips on this channel:

The clips are educational in showing wildland fire suppression tactics at work on the ground along with the general conditions of smoke and fire.

Sunshine Pictures promises more videos to come, and I know that I'll be going back to check out their channel. It is in the spirit of education that I embed one of the videos from Sunshine Productions here.

Here is one of the videos from Sunshine Pictures on their vimeo channel devoted to the Rim Fire. Depending on the browser that you use, you might have trouble seeing the embedded video, if that is the case, click on the link that says Geronimo Hotshots. According to the info that accompanies the video, "The first clips show the crew digging a small chunk of line in a thick duff layer. The next clips show the crew linking or putting a ring around a spot that had escaped the main fire line."

Geronimo Hotshots from Sunshine Pictures on Vimeo.

Rim Fire (CA) - Sept. 3 update

The LA Times is reporting that the Rim Fire is at 75% containment, having burned 235, 841 putting it less than 5,000 acres shy of being the third largest fire in Californian history, go here to see the LA Times article.The latest update from Inciweb on the Rim Fire may be found here. Full containment is estimated to be a few weeks away.

Here are a couple of articles that Mike Archer of Firebombers Publications shared yesterday and today. As I was writing this article, I saw that Mike Archer linked to the above LA Times article today.

time lapse video on flickr by Jeff Sullivan

USA Today (9/2/13) article on the fire referencing # of personal, equipment and helos working the fire

KMPH 9/1/13 report and video on the role of Fresno AAB and a hotshot crew

Fox News (9/2/13, Associated Press) on how weather has affected firefighters working the fire

Stay safe everyone!

Revised on October 12, 2015 to removed a dead link.

RIP Tanker 09: I remember

direct link to video

I had only been writing my blog on aerial wildland firefighting for about three months and was reading about Neptune's P2-V tankers in early April of 2009 when I learned about the crash of Neptune's P2-V T-09. Information about the crash was in some material that I had. So, I made my first of many posts about fatal tanker and helo crashes on April 4, 2009 in a post called In Memoriam: Tanker 09. Words escaped me at the time and they still do.

Tanker 09 crashed while working the Smitty Fire on Sept. 1, 2008. Five years ago today. Lost that day, but not forgotten were:

Gene Walhstrom

Greg Gonsioroski

Zachary Vandergriend

I think of you often, especially when I go on one of air experience flights. I pray for your family and friends often. I know that you are flying in favorable tail winds. 

There is a nice page on T-09 on Always Remember