2025 Holiday Greetings: The Shepard by Frederic Forsyth

Several months after I devoted this blog to aerial wildland firefighting and related issues a good friend, and former airtanker pilot, of mine who was instrumental in supporting me in the early days of my blog told me about The Shepard by Frederic Forsyth. He told me about the video of The Shepard read by Alan Maitland from CBC Radio. I want to thank another friend who told me about The Shepard video that I am am sharing with you today, his e-mail served to remind me of my holiday tradition to share The Shepard video with you. The video is 32 minutes long and well worth it if you are an aviation enthusiast.

Direct link to 2014 video of Alan Maitland reading The Shepard on CBC radio shared by rssensora2 on YouTube

Holiday Light Show

In the spirit of the season, I wanted to share something in the holiday spirit. I was fortunate to find this short video from the Olmsted County (MN?) Sheriff's Office just now. This is their third annual holiday light show, joined this year by Stewartsville Fire and Rescue. Music features the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. The light show starts after a brief holiday themed intro by the Sheriff.

Direct link to December 18, 2025 video from Olmsted County Sheriff's Office

Staying Safe from House Fires During the Holidays

Direct link to December 2024 video from WRDW News 12 on YouTube.

However or if you celebrate the end of year holidays, my wish is that you be safe from house fires. As the above video discusses, there is increased danger of fires at this time of year from holiday decorations, candles, trees, overloaded electric outlets, etc. 

Friday Fun: Neptune and AeroFlite Working 2023 Kiel Fire

Direct link to September 2023 video from BlueRocketPR on YouTube

For Friday Fun I am sharing this September 2023 video of tankers from Neptune Aviation and Aero Flite Aerial Firefighting working the Kiel Fire in Wichita Falls Texas. Enjoy!

Wildfires: 10 Standard Orders & 18 Watch Out Situations

Time for a review of how wildland firefighters stay safe while fighting wildfires. I am posting two short videos, one on the Ten Standard Fire Fighting Orders and the second on the Eighteen Watchout Situations.

Ten Standard Fire Fighting Orders

Direct link to March 2019 video from the National Wildfire Coordinating Group on YouTube

Eighteen Watch Out Situations

Direct link to March 2019 video from the National Wildfire Coordinating Group on YouTube

reflections on prescribed burns in New Jersey

Direct link to Feb 2024 video from the NJ Dept. of Environmental Protection on YouTube 

Direct link to Feb 2017 video from NJ.com on YouTube

For the last 17 years I have devoted this blog to aerial wildland firefighting and related issues. As many of you know, I am neither a wildland firefighter or a pilot, but I try to honor both firefighters and pilots and support staff flying aircraft in aerial operations over wildfires. One of the things I learned early on in writing this blog was the New Jersey Forest Fire Service's (NJFFS) prescribed burn season for a few weeks in February of each year, they have been conducting prescribed burns since 1928. On their prescribed burning page the NJFFS discusses the history of prescribed fire in NJ, planning for prescribed fires, preparation, executing the prescribed burn, smoke management and wildfire in New Jersey. I have a lot of respect for the careful planning, preparation, execution, and smoke management as the NJFFS takes time to plan and prepare for a prescribed burn before they execute the burn, this includes the important aspect of smoke management.

I know that NJFFS conducts many prescribed burns in and around the Pinelands in central and souther New Jersey, and have sign their signage when I was visiting the Pinelands as I drove by areas where they were conducting prescribed burns. I live in northern New Jersey and I know for a fact that they conduct prescribed burns in northern New Jersey both in and around the forested areas in the Delaware Water Gap and as well as forested or grassy lands. Just last year as I was driving by a grassy field several miles from my house I saw signage that the NJFFS was conducting a prescribed burn. During the prescribed burn season, they post notices on their website on a prescribed burning dashboard on their website.

I shared two short videos at the beginning of this post about prescribed burns in New Jersey, please take a few minutes to take a look at these videos.

P.S. I continue to read When it All Burns by Jordan Thomas and am currently reading about prescribed burns in chapter 14 of his book. Reading what Thomas has written about prescribed burns in California and other western States inspired me to write today's posts on my reflections on prescribed burns in New Jersey

About Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Fire

Direct link to 2021 video from the National Interagency Fire Center

The Bureau of Land Management Fire Program is housed in the U.S. Department of the Interior: 

As the largest and most complex fire program within the Department of the Interior, BLM Fire is directly responsible for fire management on more than 245 million acres. This land is commonly intermixed with other federal, state, and local jurisdictions, making partnerships and collaborative efforts crucial to the mission of safety and fire management. Overall, BLM Fire implements fire protection on approximately 650 million acres of public land with other fire management agencies.

I have a lot of respect for the work the BLM Fire does as the work to keep us safe from wildfires. 

About Giant Sequoia Trees

I continue to read When it All Burns by Jordan Thomas, I am still reading his chapter (chapter 12) on a 2021 wildfire in Sequoia National Forest. I believe but am not yet certain that the wildfire Thomas is talking about is the Windy Fire, see this December 12, 2021 article by the late Bill Gabbert with links for more information about the fire as well as links to videos and photos. In addition he gives a good overview of the Giant Sequoia. I was looking for a video about the history and stories of the Giant Sequoia and came across the above 2024 video by Epitome Perspectives. I learned more about the wonderful Giant Sequoia and especially enjoyed the pictures and drawings in the video

2021 Wildfire Season: An Inside Look at Hotshots Working a Wildfire in the Sequoia National Forest (CA)

Direct link to December 2021 Video from NBC News on YouTube

I am in the midst of reading a book called When it All Burns by Jordan Thomas.  A dear friend of mine in southern California read a review of this book, published earlier in 2025, and sent me the article as she thought that I would be interested in reading the book. Well, she was right, I started reading this book a few days ago and am learning a lot. Thomas, an Anthropologist, served on the Los Padres Hotshots in 2021. He writes about his experience on the Los Padres Hotshots in the very tough 2021 wildfire season in California. He also writes about a variety of issues about wildfires and hotshot crews. As fate would have it, I am in the midst of reading about a wildfire that the Los Padres Hotshot crew worked in the Sequoia National Forest in 2021. 

I have been wondering how to share some of what I am learning from reading Thomas's book when I ran across this 2021 video that I am sharing here, uploaded in December 2021 by NBC News. Among other things they cover a wildfire in the Sequoia National Forest as well as the low pay that hotshots received at the time. Thomas talked about the low pay that hotshots receive in his book. I have no idea what the current pay is for hotshot crews at this time and whether the changes in pay that Biden promised in his Infrastructure Bill (referenced in the video) were passed on to the hotshot crews. Judging from one of the comments on the video, it seems that Biden’s bill was passed but the increased pay never made it to hotshot crews as of June 2022. Nor do I know if Biden’s bill is still in effect. Hotshot crews should be paid much more than minimum wage.

Reading Thomas’s book and watching this video has had a profound effect on me and I am learning a lot.

About Aerial Firefighting in Florida Including a look at the "Eagle Single" Helicopter

Direct link to December 4th Video from Vertical Magazine on YouTube

As you may know, Florida is special to me so I am always on the lookout for how Florida fights wildfires. I struck gold yesterday thanks my friends at the NJ B10 NJ Wildland Fire Page for sharing this video about Florida's aerial firefighting strategy on their website yesterday. As soon as I watched this video I knew that I wanted to share it with you. I knew that Florida does a lot of prescribed burning but did not know that the did more than 48 states combined. I saw how they use helos to help the wildland firefighters on the ground fight wildfires as well as their use of airplanes to oversee aerial operations. Finally I learned about the "Eagle Single" helicopter, new addition to their fleet.

Coulson Aviation's International Operations 2025-26

 As we enter into winter in the northern United States and contractors supplying aerial wildland firefighting aircraft begin winter maintenance on some of their fleet, the southern hemisphere is in late spring and early summer meaning an uptick in bush fires (aka wildfires). I am grateful that Coulson Aviation is among the wildfire aviation operators in the United States that has an international presence. In particular, Coulson has a presence in South America and Australia in addition to their presence in the U.S  To the best of my knowledge Coulson has been in Australia and South America for at least a couple of years. For example, in July 2024 Coulson entered into a 10 year contract with the New South Wales Rural Fire Service in Australia to manage, operate, and maintain thier fleet of 11 aircraft used to fight bushfires  This 11 aircraft fleet includes a 737 Fireliner a CH-47 Chinook, smaller helicopters and lead planes. 

The CH-47 Chinook based in New South Wales is equipped with night vision capabilities 

Within the last couple of days one of Coulson's 737s touched down in Chile for their summer bush fire season to support the firefighters on the ground and help protect residences and businesses on the ground 

A Short Close Look at New Jersey Forest Fire Service Section B (June 2021) Operations

Direct link to June 2021 video from PintheQ Podcast on YouTube

As regular readers no doubt know, one of the ways that I, who is not a wildland firefighter, can get a closer look at wildland firefighting is through videos. The video that I shared above is from PintheQ Podcast. The video from June 2021 is less than five minutes and you will see images and short videos of New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) wildland firefighters on the ground as well as aerial resources. Enjoy this closer look at the wildfire operations by the NJFFS in central New Jersey. Thanks again to my friends at the B10 NJ Wildland Fire Page for sharing this video on their website in late October of 2025.