2018 wildfire season: Woolsey and Hill Fires post-fire hazardous waste clean-up

I have written four articles to date on the Camp Fire post-fire hazardous waste clean-up, see the end of this article for a listing and summary of each of the four articles. For the last several weeks, the residents and businesses who lost their residences and or places of business (or had substantial damage) as a result of the Camp Fire have been going through the post-fire hazardous waste assessment removal process (part 1). Once part 1 was complete meaning that the household hazardous waste has been removed (the property will be tagged after part 1 is complete). the clean-up moves to (part 2), debris removal. During this same time period, the residents and businesses who lost their residences and/or places of business as a result of the Woolsey and Hill Fires were going through the same two-part clean-up process. Please see the summary of my earlier four articles at the end of this article for information on where to find more information on the post-fire hazardous waste and debris removal programs.

The Woolsey Fire burned portions of Los Angeles and Ventura County while the Hill Fire burned in Ventura County. Much of what I wrote about in my four articles about post-fire clean-up after the Camp Fire will apply to the Woolsey and Hill Fires. At the time I wrote this article, part 1, household hazardous waste removal for properties burned by the Woolsey and Hill Fires is complete and the debris removal phase (part 2) is under way. Each county has a webpage (all links current as of the date I wrote this article) devoted to the post-fire hazardous waste removal and debris removal process:

Ventura County Recovers, page on debris removal
Los Angeles County Recovers, page on debris removal
CAL Recycle page on wildfire debris removal and clean-up

As I write this, it has been over three months since the Woolsey and Hill Fires were extinguished (mid-November 2018), but consequences to public health from the fire debris as well as the ash may still remain. Perhaps mold will be an issue because of the water used to extinguish the fire as well as the heavy rains that have occurred over the fire area. Once the household hazardous waste is cleaned up ash that will be removed in part 2, debris removal. Ash can be dangerous to health, so precautions are still important. It is important to obey any restrictions on re-entry, even after the property has been certified to be free of household hazardous waste (propane tanks, lead batteries, paint, asbestos, solvents, pesticides etc.) as local and state officials may still have restrictions on re-entry especially when the part 2 debris removal is going on. In my December 19th article on the clean-up after the Camp Fire, I summarized what happens in both phases of the post-fire clean-up. The same process applies to clean-up after the Woolsey and Hill Fires.

I don't know if local officials are still giving out appropriate protective suits and respirators to affected property owners, if not before going to your property talk to your local health department about how to protect yourself with pants, long sleeved shirts, and where to to get goggles and respirators. I know that this process has to be frustrating, but protecting your health and that of your families is top priority (see my January 4th article for more information). Go to any public meetings, call your local officials if you have any questions. If you have any health concerns -- including but not limited to asthma, chronic obstructive lung disease and other respiratory conditions, heart disease, and allergies -- at a minimum you will want to follow the precautions that I wrote about on January 4th, and perhaps talk to your health care provider before entering the property or have someone else go to the property in your place.

One of the reasons I wanted to write this article on the clean-up following the Woolsey and Hill Fires is because I came across a short report with audio from KPCC 89.3 Southern California Public Radio, this should be a direct link to the audio report from KPCC. The reporter paints a picture with words of the process of debris removal from one house that was destroyed in the Woolsey Fire.

I hope to be able to write more about the debris removal (part 2) phase of the post-fire clean-up affecting the Woolsey, Hill and Camp Fire in a couple of days, stay tuned.

Summary of articles to date about post fire hazardous waste clean-up and debris removal in California:

• December 19, 2018: Camp Fire, Paradise California. Summary of post-fire clean-up, part 1 (household hazardous waste removal and part 2 (debris removal).
• January 4, 2019: update on progress to date of Camp Fire household hazardous waste clean-up, excerpt from Butte County Hazard Advisory on precautions residents should take when re-entering their property after household hazardous waste (part 1) clean-up is complete but before debris removal (and ash removal, soil testing) is complete.
• January 11, 2019: update on progress to date of Camp Fire household hazardous waste clean-up. Conundrum on where to put non-hazardous debris from Camp Fire.
• February 13, 2019 discussion of California government sponsored debris removal (part 2) and what is and is not eligible to be removed under this program. References in this article are to Butte County, but the information would apply to the Woolsey and Hill Fires. Residents also have the option to use their own contractors but must comply with state and local regulations, see this page on property clean-up from Butte County for more information (link is active as of the date I wrote this article).

Reflections on annual wildland firefighter's training (ground crews)

It is the end of February and that means that in parts of the United States the wildland firefighter crews on the ground are training new firefighters and experienced firefighters are getting refresher training. Both new recruits and experienced firefighters will be taking courses and physical tests. The physical test may include carrying a pack of a certain weight for a certain distance with a time requirement. The exact requirements will vary be agency and the type of crew. State agencies will have their requirements that may be based on federal requirements.

My point here is not to delve into the different course and testing requirements. Rather I respect and understand the need for wildland firefighters to be physically fit with the appropriate updated knowledge to work a wildfire, in some cases they are on the fireline for several days. This is physically and perhaps emotionally demanding. Not only are they working hard, they are away from their families.

In my own state of New Jersey, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service wildland firefighters will soon be going through their training. Returning wildland firefighters will be taking their annual refresher course and a pack test, both have to be successfully completed. New recruits will be successfully complete a few course in addition to the requisite physical training which includes a pack test.

I would imagine that the training also serves to help the firefighters to bond and become a cohesive unit, communicating well on the fireline and enjoying downtime together. Their lives depend on each other.

I wish all wildland firefighters, new and returning, a successful training period as you prepare for your upcoming fire season. Stay safe and thank-you for the sacrifices you make to keep us safe from wildfires.

Lightning safety for wildland firefighters

When I first wrote this post in February 2019 I had shared a nice video about lightning safety for wildland firefighters. Unfortunately, it is no longer available.

Reflections on reading about flying

As my regular readers know, circumstances prevent me obtaining my pilot's license. Such is life. Yes, I was very disappointed several years ago when I first realized my dream of being a pilot could never be. I am fortunate to have pilot friends who take me flying from time to time, weather cooperating. I always sit in the right and never fly. But I do get to experience flying from the right seat of a Cessna 172. When I do go flying in the right seat with one of my pilot friends, it is like going home.

I have always enjoyed reading and I have a read a lot of books about flying. Some are novels with a pilot and their adventures as the main theme, Others are autobiographies written by pilots, others are biographies and still others are about aviation history. I get to experience flying through these books, and at the same time learn about different parts of the United States and elsewhere.

Yes, I do enjoy videos, tankers and otherwise shot from the cockpit. I have posted some videos from tankers and helos flying fires on this blog. Those videos are the closest that I can get to sitting in the cockpit of a tanker or helos.

Reading and flying videos are not quite the same as piloting an airplane. But reading about flying helps me to stay connected to the world of aviation. An added plus is that it soothes me. When my pilot friend takes me flying that is really special.

I meant to go into a little more detail in today's blog post, perhaps writing about something else, but time got away in the form of a cracked iPad screen. I am in the process of getting the cracked iPod replaced thanks to Apple Care. I wanted to go to my local Apple Store but it is closed for renovations so I opted to do what Apple calls express replacement where Apple is shipping me a new iPad which should be coming tomorrow by the end of the day. After it arrives and I set up the new iPad, I send the old iPad back to Apple. I was not expecting that Apple would be shipping through FedEx overnight delivery, that is nice. Yes, if anyone is wondering, I have to sign for the shipment. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Update on February 22nd: my replacement iPad came late yesterday afternoon and I am in the process of setting it up.

2018 fire season: Del Rosa Hotshots

I have been taking a stay at home holiday. I wish those of you traveling on what is a long holiday weekend (Presidents Day) safe travels.

Enjoy this eleven minute video highlighting the Del Rosa Hotshots 2018 fire season.


Direct link to video

Pineapple Express soaks California

A weather phenomenon known as a Pineapple Express soaked California yesterday with heavy rainfall and snow in the mountains. Listen to this report to learn about the Pineapple Express. You will hear one of the meterologists from the NWS Weather Forecast Office in Los Angeles tell us what a Pineapple Express is. I am less familiar with the Pineapple Express so I learned something.

There was some flooding and debris flows along with white conditions in the mountains. I don't know if there were any debris flows on or near any burn scars.


Direct link to video report from CBS Los Angeles

Here are some videos showing some of the effects of yesterday's pineapple express:


Direct link to video report from CBS Los Angeles


Direct link to video report from CBS Los Angeles

And two newspaper articles
From the Washington Post on February 18, 2019 article with video report
Los Angeles Times, February 18, 2019

2018 wildfire season: Camp Fire post fire hazardous waste clean-up - Feb 2019 update

I have written Three articles on the Camp Fire post fire hazardous waste clean-up. On December 19, 2018 I introduced the hazardous waste clean-up that is taking place in two phases. Phase one, completed on or about February 2, 2019, involved the removal of household hazardous waste See this Camp Fire Response graphic (I am not sure how long this graphic will be available). With the completion of phase one, phase two is probably well under way. In my January 4th article I covered precautions that people should take when re-entering their property after the hazardous waste is completed but before debris and ash removal is completed. Finally, I wrote on January 11th about the conundrum of where to put the non-hazardous debris, I don't know the resolution of this.

My understanding is that fire related debris is removed under phase two through a government-sponsored debris removal program for those who have elected to participate or through an alternative debris removal program. Links to the phase 2 program may be found on the Butte County Recovers website. As I write this, I am not sure how long these links will be active.

To the best of my knowledge ash will be removed under phase two. More soil samples will be taken under phase two for testing. See this CAL recycles webpage for more information.

The following items are eligible for removal according to this document on the 2018 Consolidated Wildfire Debris Removal Program (California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, CAL Recycle, Butte County Recovers, Town of Paradise California):

• Destroyed residential houses (includes all out buildings on the property).
• Residential houses with significant damage (1 wall standing).
• Occupant damaged houses.
• Occupant owned manufactured housing units (mobile homes).
• Commercial / rental manufactured housing units (mobile homes).
• Commercial structures.
• Combined use, commercial and residential.
• Vehicles and boats if on property where a home was destroyed / there is another structure eligible for removal.
• Destroyed garage / shed / non-commercial barns / play structures and other outbuildings will be removed if it is 120 square feet or more.
• Foundations (slab on grade excluding seismic piers) will be removed.
• Basements . wine cellars will be removed or fenced.

The following items are not eligible for removal according to this document on the 2018 Consolidated Wildfire Debris Removal Program:

• Residential houses with significant damage, more that 1 wall standing. However, the structure may be eligible if it presents an immediate threat to life, public health, or safety. This is determined on a case-by-case basis.
• Partially damaged houses (minimal damage)
• Vehicles and boats not meeting the criteria for removal (above). However, if they are in the public right of way, the county will remove / owner can have insurance remove.
• Destroyed garage / shed / non-commercial barns / play structures and other outbuildings it it is less than 120 square feet.
• Residential swimming pools are not removed but will be fenced.
• Driveways and retaining walls.
• Trees are not eligible for removal unless they present a danger to workers
• Patios.
• Seismic piers.
• Wells.
• Septic tanks.
• Docks are not eligible unless it presents an immediate threat to life, public health, or safety. This is determined on a case-by-case basis.

Great fire photography of the NJ Forest Fire Service courtesy of NJFFS Section B10

Enjoy this video, just under five minutes of great fire photography of the New Jersey Forest Fire Service fighting wildfires over the last 20 years. The photographs are shot by various photographers and firefighters and complied into this video by my friends at NJFFS Section B-10. Great job everyone and stay safe!


Direct link to video from NJFFS Section B-10

Curtiss P-36 Hawk in memory of my Grandpa

Grandpa this article is for you.

My Grandpa died forty years ago. If I have not said this before, I believe that I got the aviation bug from Grandpa. He was aeronautical engineer in the late 20s into the early 50s when he switched careers to teach ninth grade mathematics

He did not talk a lot about his career as an aeronautical engineer, and I knew not to push. One of the last conversations we had was about aviation. I don't quite recall what we talked about, but we had a great time. And I remember that he lit up. So, that is how I want to remember my Grandpa.

I'd like to think that he is smiling at me from the great beyond and understands my love of aviation and this blog.

I do happen to have a copy of his college alumni records where he listed his places of employment. I had been meaning to poke around on the internet to see where he was working prior to World War II when he was working for Lockheed Aircraft in Burbank CA. He worked for Curtiss-Wright in Buffalo New York from 1932 to 1936. So, I went to the Curtiss-Wright Website to see if I could find out what they were doing during the period when Grandpa was working there. Curtiss-Wright has a history page. Clicking on the link for 1929 to 1938 revealed that they worked on the Curtiss P-36 Hawk as well as designing and building the 9-cylinder Wright engines for the Boeing B-17. Now I have absolutely no idea what he did at Curtiss-Wright. When I wrote my about the B-17, I had not considered where my Grandpa was working for I would have at least mentioned Grandpa in an appropriate article. Oh well.

The Curtiss P-36 Hawk was a single-seat monoplane fighter that was operated prior to and during World War II. She had one Wright R-1820-G205A Cyclone piston radial engine. She was capable of a maximum speed of 322 mph or 280 knots. See this Military Factory article for more information about the specifications. I found a fourteen minute historical video on Youtube about the production of the Curtiss P-36, those of you who are interested may go here to watch this video. At 10:44 you may watch them put the engine in.

Here are two short videos you might enjoy. The first video is two minutes of footage from a 1939 newsreel highlighting Buffalos role in aircraft production


Direct link to video on Youtube

The second video is footage of a restored Curtiss P-36 on her inaugural flight prior to the 2015 Legends Airshow.


Direct link to video on Youtube

More reflections on ten years of blogging about aerial wildland firefighting from a non-pilot aviation enthusiast

In the fall of 2008, I got interested in wildland firefighting, see my June 29, 2018 article for reflections on learning about wildland firefighting. In late 2008 and early 2009, I met a now very good friend and retired tanker pilot and aviation historian who offered to introduce me the world of aerial wildalnd firefighting. I took him up on his very generous offer. He and I remain good friends to this day. He spent a lot of time with me over e-mail and sometimes over the telephone in the first three or four years of this blog. Through him, I met other retired and current tanker and helicopter pilots as well as others in the business. The help of all this fine folk has been invaluable to me over the years. Ten years later, I know that these friends have my back. This is important because I write this blog more as an observer and not a participant.

I wrote my first article introducing my interest in aerial wildland firefighting on January 23, 2009. About 18 months later I made the decision to change the name of the blog, making a quiet but more public commitment to blogging aboutaerial wildland firefighting and related concerns. Little did I know that for years I had buried what I know now to be a lifelong passion for aviation. As I learned about the world of aerial wildland firefighting, my thirst for knowing about aviation grew.

A dream that I had of getting a pilot’s license can never happen. That is the things are sometimes. But I did not let the fact that I will never be licensed pilot stop me. I attended aviation ground school, but never went further than that. Through aviation ground school, I learned the basics of flying, at least as much as I could through books. I was fortunate that I found some pilot friends who took me flying, I was always in the right seat and never handled the controls of the airplane. Yes, at the direction of the pilot, I may tune in the radio to the correct frequency. I had learned a little about navigation so I can plot a route and follow along on my maps using visual cues on the ground.

I love to read about flying. When I am reading a book that was written by a pilot, in a sense I can fly through their words and their descriptions of the landscapes they flew over. I like reading about aviation history and am currently reading a couple of books about the early female pilots, including but not limited to Amelia Earhart, there a slew of lesser know female pilots of that era, some died. But many male pilots died as well. I have huge amounts of respects for these early women of the air. I promise to write more about some of these women in later articles, but I want to finish reading these books first.

I also like videos shot from the cockpit, both fire fighting tankers and helicopters as well as general aviation aircraft.

My passion for aviation has broadened my horizons in other ways, I have gotten more interested in weather and try to pay some attention to the aviation resources that NOAA and other agencies use to help weather forecasters.

I would be remiss to not take a moment to remember all the wildland firefighters on the ground, I have learned about the work that you do over these ten years. The air support, when available, is there to help these “ground pounders” fight wildfires. I learned about how the ground pounders communicate with aerial resources, that they work together to contain the fire.

I am not a wildland firefighter or any other kind of firefighter. I hope that my blog honors all the great work that you do, whether you be a firefighter on the ground or in the air.

Most important, I’d like to thank all of you who read this blog, I try to take you along on these various journeys that I have embarked on over these ten years.

Marcal Paper Plant (Elmwood Pk, NJ) burns down in wind driven fire

I usually do not write about structure fires, but due to the wind driven nature of the fire, I am making an exception in writing about the loss of the iconic Marcal Paper Plant in Elmwood Park (Bergen County), New Jersey. If any of you have ever driven on Interstate 80 in New Jersey, you may have passed the Marcal plant with it's cool red lighted sign.

Image from Google Earth Pro, street view (August 2018)

I believe that the fire started sometime on January 29th. Because fires were somewhat common at Marcal because of the highly combustable paper, Marcal had an in-house group of firefighters. At some point they called for mutual aid from the nearby towns.  The fire continued into January 30th. Then everything changed when a wind driven snow squall hit sometime between 3:25 PM and 3:50 PM.


Direct link to video from Tommy Gee Videos

I am familiar with the snow squall as it hit my town about an hour before, the winds kicked up with white out conditions. The snow squall only lasted about 10 or 15 minutes but it ushered in an arctic cold front with sustained winds of 20 to 25 mph and gusts up to 50 mph. I wanted to give you an idea of the winds that afternoon, so I called up the National Weather Service at Upton NY whose forecast area includes Bergen County. One of their Meteorologists gave me wind data for Teterboro Airport (KTEB) which is located about 5 miles southeast of the Marcal Plant. While not wind data for Elmwood Park, this wind data will give you an idea of the type of winds the firefighters were dealing with. Any errors in the data are mine.

Note the uptick in the winds at 3:51 PM, shortly after the snow squall passed through. For more information about the conditions the firefighters were facing, by this time it was a 10-alarm fire, read this NJ dot com article (with photos). Elmwood Park Fire Chief, Michael Sulick told NJ Advance Media (for NJ dot come) what happened when the squall hit:

Firefighters in Elmwood Park felt they were making progress against the fire in “Building 41” of the sprawling Marcal Paper campus, pushing back the flames with four lines, like they had done so many times over the decades.

Then, from the west, the squall hit, unleashing fierce winds that pushed the fire towards the sky. Within minutes, the 86-year-old plant, packed with combustibles, erupted into a raging inferno that continued to burn nearly a day later. 

“The roof caught fire, we heard cracking, we automatically pulled everyone out at that point,” Elmwood Park Fire Chief Michael Sulick said. “It just went downhill from that point on.”

The plant was burned to the ground. No firefighters were injured, and nearby residents were evacuated. I am not sure about damage to nearby residences.

When I lived in northeastern New Jersey almost 20 years ago, I frequently drove on that section of Route 80. The Marcal paper plant was an old friend, and I remembered their paper products. Five hundred people employed at Marcal are without jobs, Elmwood Park is grieving the loss of Marcal. I am saddened by the loss of the Marcal Plant, but I am very glad that no lives were lost and that most of the destruction appears to have been contained to the Marcal Plant complex.

Kudos to all the fire companies that responded, some of whom may have been volunteers.


Direct link to video on youtube from NJ dot com

2018 Fire Season: Wyoming Hotshots

The Wyoming Hotshots, based out of Greybull Whyoming, spent their 2018 fire season fighting wildfires in Colorado and Wyoming. I enjoyed getting to know this hotshot crew as they fought wildfires in Wyoming and Colorado. They have a nice Facebook page where you can find more photos and information about their 2018 fire season. I hope that you enjoy their 2018 fire season video, allow about six and a half minutes to watch the video.

Nice job in 2018, and best of wishes as you prepare for the upcoming fire season. Stay safe.


Direct link to video on Youtube uploaded by Birney Brayton.