2021 wildfire season: Coulson helicopters working a wildfire a night

Coulson Aviation has helicopters equipped for flying at night with the pilots wearing special night vision googles, see my May 21st article to watch a short video on Coulson's night operations. Coulson has four helicopters funded by Southern California Edison equipped for night flying that are currently on exclusive-use contracts in Southern California:

• One CH47 (3,000 gallons) on contract with Orange County
• One CH47 (3,000 gallons) and one Sikorsky S-76 "Firewatch helicopter used for command on contract with Los Angeles County
• One Sikorsky S-61N helicopters (1,000 gallon) on contract with Ventura County.

These four helicopters are called the Quick Reaction Fleet (QRF). To read more about the QRF, go to this June 2021 article from Vertical Magazine. Australia also contracts with helicopters equipped for night flying on contract, see this 2019 Vertical Magazine article.

I want to share a longer video (just under 12 minutes) from Coulson on their night operations earlier this year at a wildfire in Malibu. You will see the QRF working the fire in support of the wildland firefighters on the ground.

Direct link to YouTube Video from Coulson Aviation

NWS Incident Meteorolgist demonstrating balloon launch

One of the tools that National Weather Service Incident Meteorologists (IMETS) have in their tool kit is the ability to launch weather balloons. I have shared videos of IMETS launching balloons in years past, but I think this bears repeating. Listen to NWS Incident Meteorologist Trainee Blaine Britreiter explain balloon launches in this eight minute video. If you prefer, a direct link to the video may be found on this Lassen National Forest FB Page.

Friday Fun: Northern Illinois Airshow: Corsair F4U and P51 Mustang

Time for some Friday Fun. I found a nice video featuring a P-51 Mustang and a F4U Corsair from AirshowStuff Videos taken at the Northern Illinois 2021 Airshow held in Waukegan, IL. The video is a little over 7 minutes long. Enjoy!

Direct link to video on YouTube from AirshowStuff

2021 wildfire season: Thank-you Marie Bashir (T 210) and New South Wales Rural Fire Service

I wish that I could have been there in San Bernardino person to offer my thanks and gratitude to 737 tanker 210, Marie Bashir, who served here in the United States for 57 days, on loan from the New South Wales Rural Fire Service. You and your crew flew 40 fires in the western U.S. Thank-you and your crew for helping fight these wildfires in support of our wildland firefighters on the ground. I wish you well as you get a maintenance check in advance of your flight home to New South Wales, Australia as their bush fire season is just starting.

reflections on wildland firefighting

If you have read the about me page of my blog then you know that I am not nor have I ever been a wildland firefighter or any other kind of firefighter, nor am I licensed pilot. However, my interest in wildland firefighting whether it be on the ground or in the air is genuine. I am aware of the dangers involved in wildland firefighting on the ground and in the air. There is a reason why the wildland firefighters on the ground (aka groundpounders) where protective equipment, are trained in how to be safe, and carry and are trained in when and how to deploy fire shelters. There is also the importance of exercising safety precautions when using chain saws, and having an escape route. In spite of all that, accidents happen. Firefighters are injured and sometimes killed. 

In thinking about the dangers faced by groundpounders, I don't know about you, but I sometimes watch fire footage. Footage included structures burned, while depressing, shows the reality of what groundpounders assigned to some wildfires face. Whole towns can and have come close to being wiped out. Then there is the footage of close calls faced by ground pounders in engines or residents escaping a wildfire down a road with the raging fire on both sides, at times coming across the road. I am sure that many of you have seen such footage. I am not interested in that footage today. 

I am interested in raw wildfire footage, that is not too long, showing ground pounders with air support going about the business of fighting a wildfire and hopefully staying safe from the danger that surrounds them. I found some raw wildfire footage from KPIX CBS in San Francisco shot in July of this year of the River Fire that was then burning in Yosemite National Forest. The River Fire ultimately burned  9,656 acres and destroyed at 12 homes, see this article from the Visalia Times for more information. To the best of my knowledge, no firefighters were injured or killed on this fires, nor were any civilians injured or killed. The cause of the fire was under investigation

So I watched just under four minutes of footage of ground pounders working this fire a day or so after it was first reported. The lens of the camera allowed me to watch as an observer from the safety of my study. I get an extremely small taste of what it is like to watch ground pounders in action. But it is the best that I can do. 

I have oodles of respect for all ground pounders and for the pilots and crews working the fire from the air to support the ground pounders.  Thank-you ground pounders for all that you do in your efforts to keep us safe from wildfires. Sometimes you can not save our homes, that has to be hard. Sometimes you have to escape a dangerous situation to stay safe. And sometimes you mourn when ground pounders working the same fire die. I hope that my respect for you comes across in this post. There are times like this when I feel like my words are wholly inadequate, but my feelings and concern are genuine. In my own way, I pray daily for all of you.

Direct link to video from KPIX on Youtube

2021 wildfire season: NJ Forest Fire Crews continue deployment to Montana

When requested and as conditions in New Jersey allow, every year the New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) deploys engines and crews to other parts of the United States to assist in fighting wildfires. This year is no exception as engines and crewsI wrote on July 28th that engines and crews from the NJFFS were deployed to Montana. NJFFS crews have been deployed to other States, including but not necessarily limited to Minnesota (see my July 26th and September 15 posts). In the intervening weeks I thought but was not certain that NJFFS engines and crews continued to be deployed outside of New Jersey. 

I do my best to keep an eye out for social media and/or news reports on NJFFS deployments outside of New Jersey and I may well miss some reports. Yesterday I came across a social media from the New Jersey Forest Fire Service deployment to Montana. One of the wildfires the NJFFS crews worked was the Nob Hill Fire near Helena Montana. See this article from KTVH, referred to in a September 16th Facebook postost from the NJFFS, for more information. According to KTVH the assistance of the NJFFS as well as assistance from the US Forest Service and other Montana mutual aid meant that this fire was not as bad as might have been without these additional resources.

I am honored by the dedication of the NJFFS and their willingness to be deployed out of state to assist where they are needed.  Thank-you NJFFS crews in Montana, stay safe.

2021 wildfire season: Greenwood Fire (September 14th)

 I was scanning the Eastern Area Coordination Center this morning, noting the large number of wildland fire fighters from the eastern area and elsewhere that were or still are deployed to the Greenwood Fire in northeastern Minnesota in the Superior National Forest. fire including but not limited to fire crews, engines and modules from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Montana, Arkansas, New Hampshire, Minnesota. Wisconsin, Utah, Illinois, Wyoming, Michigan, Iowa, and Maryland. 

Obtained on September 15, 2021 from Inciweb - Greenwood Fire Maps

I had written a couple of posts in August on the Greenwood fire, see for example my August 25th and August 27th posts. Here is some updated information on the Greenwood Fire from Inciweb: at the time I write this the fire has burned 26,797 acres and is at 75% containment, at least some roads in the area are open and some evacuation orders remain in place. Fourteen residences and 57 outbuildings have been destroyed. There is a report on the Greenwood Fire from CBS3Duluth (September 14) and some images of the area burned.

2021 wildfire season: wildfires in Spain

 The end of last week and over the weekend, I learned of at least one wildfire in Spain that resulted in one death and multiple evacuations. I understand that the military has been brought in to assist in the firefighting efforts and it looks like there is air support as well.  Thanks to Mike Archer's Wildfire News of the Day Newsletter and NJ Forest Fire Service Section B10"s daily videos for pointing out these wildfires to me. Here is a news article from The Guardian (Sept 13th) Here is an excerpt from the article: 

Almost 1,000 firefighters and emergency workers are battling one of the most intractable Spanish wildfires in recent years as the blaze rages for a sixth day, after devouring at least 7,400 hectares (18,285 acres) of land in the southern region of Andalucía and forcing the evacuation of more than 2,600 people. ... 

Hot and dry temperatures combined with strong winds have created a perfect storm, turning the blaze into a “hungry monster”, according to Alejandro García, Infoca’s deputy operational chief. “The potency and strength of this wildfire is unusual for the kind of blazes that we are used to seeing in this country,” he told reporters on Sunday.

Direct link to YouTube Video

September 15, 2021 I believe but am not certain that this fire has been brought under control, see this short article from Bloomberg News

Remembering 9/11 attacks 20 years later: the heroic actions of mariners

I suspect that most of you who were old enough to remember have memories of your experiences when you heard about the terroristic attacks on the United States of September 11, 2001. I am not here to write of my memories. I am here to share on the heroic actions of mariners in the hours and days after the attack on the World Trade Center in New York City. I did know that shortly after the attacks, the usual transportation in and out of New York City (roads, subways, rail) were shut down. That left boats as the only way out of NYC. I have a memory of TV media mentioning the evacuations from Manhattan by boat. I don't recall mention of the number of boats or the many different types of boats. I don't recall hearing about the role that these same mariners who worked the evacuations played in getting first responders and supplies to lower Manhattan in the days following. I had no idea, but am not surprised to learn that many of these mariners and crew got sick in the years following the attacks. 

All the mariners, captains and crews are indeed heros, thank-you for your selfless dedication in getting folk off of Manhattan and for your service afterwards helping the response effort. Some of you are sick and may have died. You will not be forgotten.

I got the idea for this article after reading the cover story in my local newspaper yesterday, The Star Ledger from New Jersey Advance Media. This was, in my opinion, journalism at its best, and I was thrilled to read the article with the attendant crinkle of the newspaper that was delivered to my driveway. It was not until today that I saw a direct link to the article on the New Jersey Advance Media website. I  (with photos and the videos I share below). Speaking of the first video, when I went online yesterday to see what else I could come up with regarding the role of the mariners following the 9/11 attacks I did find this video. The New Jersey Advance Media article on the role of the mariners (posted September 10th), "The great boat lift of 9/11: the unsung story of how hundreds of thousands were rescued that tragic day" by Brittney Davis, Joe Atmonavage and Matthew Stanmyre is well worth the read. Here are some excerpts from the beginning of the article:

Thousands lost their lives in the tragedy of 9/11. Trapped in the burning towers of the World Trade Center, there would be no escape when the two tall buildings collapsed at the tip of lower Manhattan. But for thousands of others, caught between the river and a scene of Armageddon, salvation came in the form of a waterborne rescue, called the largest maritime evacuation in modern history. …

The rescue effort started minutes after the first plane struck the north tower at 8:46 a.m. and ended nine hours later.

In between, the maritime community would rescue and transport an estimated 400,000 people off the island of Manhattan to New Jersey and elsewhere. …

There were tugboats from Staten Island, fishing vessels from Brooklyn, historic boats, dinner boats, sightseeing boats and more. Countless captains and crews converged on the Hudson to help rescue the thousands of people who were desperate to flee.

I close with the video that is also shared in the article, it takes about 12 minutes and is well worth the time to watch it.

Direct link to YouTube video from directed by Eddie Rosenstein of Eyepop Productions and narrated by Tom Hanks.

The second video, shared below, is from the U.S. Guard. You will hear from Lt. Michael Day who helped coordinate the maritime evacuation. This video is under three minutes.

Direct link to YouTube video from U.S. Coast Guard

NJ Task Force 1 update (Sept 8)

When I posted on September 1 about the deployment of NJ Task Force 1 to the gulf coast region, I did not know that the NJ-TF1was demobilized  on August 31st to return to NJ to help with the remnants of Ida. I had read in a couple of news articles online that the NJ-TF1 was back in NJ helping with search and rescue and other storm recovery. I finally checked out the NJ Office of Emergency Management Facebook page and found the post about their demobilization. 

To the women and men of the NJ-TF1, I am honored by your national service in time of need. As a New Jersey resident, I am very grateful that you are here in New Jersey helping with search and rescue and other storm response after the devastation caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ida on September 1st leaving many areas in central New Jersey with catastrophic flooding. I thank-you for your service as we in New Jersey are working to clean-up and recover from Ida. 

The video that I have embedded below is from NJ Advance Media showing flooding in one town, Somerville and Raritan New Jersey. Scenes like this were all to common last week.

Direct link to YouTube video from NJ Advance Media

About Labor Day

 Today is Labor Day here in the United States. In the spirit of taking some time off today to be with my family and friends, I leave you with a short video about the history of Labor Day in the United States and Canada.

Direct link to video on YouTube from History

Friday Fun: more from EAA AirVenture 2021

We in the mid-atlantic and the northeast in the United States and portions of the maritime provinces recover from flooding after the remnants of Hurricane Ida while extreme drought and devastating wildfires continue in the western United States and Canada. We in portions of the east coast USA have had weather problems of a different sort than our friends on the west coast. The most recent example being that I had a lot of rain the night of September 1st and know that I am lucky to have had only minor inconveniences, this is not the case with others who live near me with badly flooded basements and then there are those who live in areas seeing River flooding. I don't know about you, but I need something fun and light hearted today. So, in the spirit of Friday Fun, usually aviation related, I share another video taken at the 2021 EAA AirVenture. In this video of just under nine minutes by AirshowStuffVideos, you will see US Navy EA-18G Growler Legacy Flight team (VAQ-129) flying, later joined by two F4U Corsairs. Enjoy

Direct link to YouTube video from AirshowStuffVideos

New Jersey Task Force 1 deployed to Gulf Coast Region

FEMA has 28 federal urban search and rescue teams, one of these is New Jersey Task Force 1 In addition to being a federal team they are a State of New Jersey Team operating under the New Jersey State Police. Like many of you, my heart and prayers go out to all on the Gulf Coast affected by Hurricane Ida which has decimated Louisiana and environs. I wanted to find a way to offer my heartfelt prayers, as inadequate as this might be, to all affected by Hurricane Ida. 

I think that the best way to express my prayers is to share that the New Jersey Task Force 1 was deployed to the Gulf Coast Region to provide support for ongoing search and rescue efforts on the Gulf Coast. I am honored by your service. You represent New Jersey well, and perhaps you can be an extension of my thoughts and prayers for all affected  by Hurricane Ida. From the New Jersey Office of Emergency Facebook post on the deployment of NJTF1 that I share below:

New Jersey Task Force 1 (NJ-TF1) has been activated as part of the National Urban Search & Rescue (US&R) Response System to deploy to assist with the rescue and recovery efforts resulting from soon-to-be Hurricane Ida.

NJ-TF1 is deploying as a Type 3 US&R Team consisting of 45 team members, in 35 technically skilled positions, and 10 ground support personnel. The team will have a full cache of equipment allowing them to be prepared for every type of situation.

NJ-TF1 is deploying to a staging area in the Gulf Coast Region. This will be the team’s ninth deployment as a FEMA US&R Team since 2016. The team has past experience in working in all types of situations, including structural collapse from 9/11, Tropicana Hotel Parking Garage Collapse, multiple hurricanes, Hackensack Parking Garage Collapse and Champlain Towers Collapse.