Germann Rd. (Wisconsin): Fire

The largest wildfire in Wisconsin, the Germann Road Fire, has burned 9,026 acres in Gordon and Highland (Douglas County) and has destroyed seventeen homes and at least 30 outbuildings. The fire, which started near a logging area on Tues. May 14, is 90 percent contained. I understand that SEATS from WI and MN have worked the fire and possibly other aerial resources as well. Red Flag Warnings remain up in WI until 9 PM Wed. May 15.

updated on July 18, 2013: video that I had embedded here with a report on the Germann Road Fire is no longer available. :-(

Some links for more information:

WI DNR press release dated May 14
WI DNR webpage on Germann Road Fire (with links for more information)
WI DNR press release dated May 15

Inciweb on Germann Road Fire
Inciweb Map of Germann Road Fire

Media Reports
WDIO short video report
WDIO report - 17 homes lost, 9026 acres burned
Star Tribune
MyFoxTwinCities with photos
Wbay

Elsewhere
Wildfiretoday on Germann Road Fire
Wildland Fire Hotlist Eastern Area - Germann Road Fire
Photos on Flikr of Germann Road Fire

History of Alberta's Forests

A couple of days ago I was writing about wildfires in Canada, saying that I was in the process learning more about wildfires in Canada. In my wonderings on the webpage for Alberta's Environment and Sustainable Resource Development, I found the video that I am embedding here (47 minutes) on the history of Alberta's Forests. Wanting to learn more about Alberta I watched the video. I thought that some of you might enjoy watching some or all of the video. The video discusses some history as well as talking about wildland firefighting and the use of airplanes and helicopters to fight fires. Enjoy!

direct link to video

P2-V cockpit footage

Shortly after I devoted this blog to aerial wildland firefighting in early 2009, I wrote a series on the Lockheed P2-V tanker. As a part of that series, a devoted an entry to some link's from Neptune Aviation's website of the photo galleries that had up at that time and a link to 16 minutes of footage from a P2-V tanker flying fires. Both links were dead, and I just updated those links. I enjoyed watching the footage again and thought that some of you might enjoy the footage as well.

direct  link to video

Learning about wildfires in Canada

I want to make a point of paying more attention to the wildfire situation in Canada. I am still learning my way around Canadian wildfire information websites, so please bear with me. I begin by looking for articles about wildfires in Canada, and I found some articles in today's Firebomber Publications, three articles concerning wildfires in New Brunswick, Canada:

Cleanup efforts underway after forest fire destroys homes in N.B. | CTV Atlantic News

Forest Fire in East St. John N.B. - News 889

New Brunswick forest fire contained, evacuees sent home | CTV News

And a fire in Alberta, Canada: Wildfire near Nordegg Alberta

A couple of week ago when I was poking around on the internet looking for wildfire information in Canada, I came across the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System website from Natural Resources Canada. You will see links for a few maps on the page you land on including fire weather, fire behavior maps, fire hotspots and an interactive map showing fire conditions. I was interested in the wildfire situation report, the one I saw was dated May 8 where 943 wildfires have burned 943 hectares or approximately 2,330 acres. This report was helpful to me as I found links to agencies in New Brunswick and Alberta. I found a link on the Alberta ERSD site reporting on the one hour evacuation notice for Nordegg Alberta.

I'll be posting more about wildfires in Canada as the season progresses and will continue to try to learn my way around various information available on the web. So stay tuned. In the meantime stay safe out there.

Springs Fire (CA) - helos, a dozer, and T-44 dropping

direct link to video - helos dipping


direct link to video - helos dropping and dozer footage


direct link to video - a dozer, helos, fire footage, lead plane with smoke, T-44 dropping ( at 7:02)

I've been busy with some other work today, so I thought you'd enjoy these videos of the Springs Fire, which according to the latest update from CAL FIRE has burned 24,451 acres with 95 percent containment. Full containment is expected on May 9.

USFS Issues Notice of Intent to Award Next Generation Airtankers

Yesterday (May 6th), the US Forest Service (USFS) announced a notice of intent

to award five companies Next Generation Airtanker Contracts. The contract is for five years with five one year options (years 6 through 10). What is known as the awards abstract, listing awards for the first five years and the five option years may be found here. Tankers under this contract must be turbine or turbojets and carry a minimum of 3,000 gallons of retardant. Those who received the awards are.:

Minden Air Corp (Minden, NV) - 1 BAe-146

Aero Air LLC (Hillsboro, OR) - 2 MD87s

Aero Flite, Inc (Kingman, AZ) - 2 Avro RJ85s

Coulson Aircrane USA (Portland OR) - 1 C130Q

10 Tanker Air Carrier, LLC (Adelanto CA) - 1 DC-10

Of the seven aircraft, only the DC-10 tanker is currently flying. The hope and expectation is that the six remaining tankers will come into service within a year. You may notice that Neptune Aviation is not on this list. Last year, the USFS issued a notice of intent for Next Generation Airtankers with Neptune Aviation being one of those receiving an intended award. When protests were made challenging these June 2012 intended awards were upheld by the U.S. Office of Government Accountability the USFS reopened the bidding. 

It is important to note that Neptune Aviation has what is known as a Legacy Air Tanker contract with the USFS for six P-2V's and one BAe-146. Minden has one P-2V under the Legacy Air Tanker contract.

Two articles on the Next Generation Airtanker Contract awards thanks to Mike Archer at Firebomber Publications from

Elko Daily Free Press announcing the Next Gen awards

Billings Gazette on Neptune Aviation's situation.

BIll Gabbert of Fire Aviation has a nice article announcing the Next Generation Airtanker awards, a summary of the events of the last year, and a chart of specifications of current (including those receiving the May 6th Next Gen Awards) and potential air tankers.  Bill's article, which is worth reading, may be found here.

Wildland Fires in CA and Tanker Tidbits: May 6

I was still a little under the weather this weekend and then catching up with some personal business today. But I have been following the wildfire situation in California. Here are some updates for you. Some of you may have been following these fires on various news outlets.

• KCRA is reporting that the California wildfire season is off to an early start, you may read the KCRA report (with a video) here.
• I wrote about the Springs Fire that is burning in Ventura County, CA on May 3. According to the CAL Fire incident page on the wildfire (no longer available), tt has burned 28,00 acres and is 80 percent contained. Evacuations orders have been lifted.
• The Panther Fire has burned 6,864 acres in Tehama County CA, and is at 60 percent containment. Three people have been injured.
• CAL FIRE activated T-910, see this article from The San Bernadino Sun, she dropped on the Gorgonio Fire. According to CAL FIRE's current incident reports the Gorgonio Fire burned 510 acres in Riverside County CA. The fire was started on May 4 and contained on May 5.
• According to the Department of Defense (article no longer available), two MAFFS from the Channel Islands were activated to help out with these California wildfires.

Revised on October 12, 2015 to remove dead links.

Springs Fire - Ventura County CA

The Springs fire, started on May 2, has burned about 10,000 acres and is at 10 percent containment. According to the incident information from CAL FIRE which I obtained at 4:30 EDT on May 3 (info is updated once or twice a day and may be different):

• damaged structures: 15 residences, 15 outbuildings, and 5 commercial properties
• 4,000 residences, 300 commercial properties and 50 outbuildings are threatened
• Evacuations in effect
• Aircraft: 6 airtankers and 8 helicopters

According to this LA Times article airtankers were grounded for a time yesterday due to high winds. Red Flag warnings are in effect today for LA County.

updated on July 18, 2013: video that I had embedded reporting on the Springs Fire is no longer available. :-(

Springs Fire on wildland fire hotlist

Springs Fire In Camarillo « Photo Galleries « CBS Los Angeles

direct link to slide show below from my foxla

A visit to NJFFS Air Attack Base at Aeroflex-Andover-pt 3 (Huey Delta 6)

These are some photos of a 1966 Bell UH-1H Huey, delta 6. According to the folk at Aeroflex-Andover, she spent six years in Vietnam. She has a new paint job, isn't she purty? She carries crew to fire, has a long line and a cargo net for supplies. She carries a 325 gallon bucket, the bucket is cinched to about 80 percent of capacity and she carries partial fuel (206 gallon capacity, carries about 180 gallons) to save weight. On average, she can make 20 drops on a single tank of gas. It does not show in one picture, but her tug is a De lorean Tug. I got to sit in her left seat to get the cockpit photos for you.

NJ Forest Fire Service "Delta 6", UH-1H Huey

NJ Forest Fire Service "Delta 6", UH-1H Huey

NJ Forest Fire Service "Delta 6", UH-1H Huey

NJ Forest Fire Service "Delta 6", UH-1H Huey: stowed bambi bucket

NJ Forest Fire Service "Delta 6", UH-1H Huey

NJ Forest Fire Service "Delta 6", UH-1H Huey

NJ Forest Fire Service "Delta 6", UH-1H Huey

NJ Forest Fire Service "Delta 6", UH-1H Huey

NJ Forest Fire Service "Delta 6", UH-1H Huey: can view bucket ops in mirror

NJ Forest Fire Service "Delta 6", UH-1H Huey

De Lorean tug

De Lorean Tug

Air Tractor 602 (NJFFS Charlie 1) dropping

Hopefully I will be back later on this afternoon with more photos from my trip to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service Air Attack Base at Aeroflex-Andover. In the meantime, enjoy this short video of Charlie 1 (Air Tractor 602) dropping on a marsh fire in Cape May County on April 27.


direct link to video

Fifty years ago (April 20 1963) NJ wildfires burned 183,000 acres+

I'd like to thank my friend from New Jersey Forest Fire Service Section B10 for reminding me about Black Saturday in NJ on April 23, 1963 when some 37 wildfires began to burn out of control. No, I was not living in NJ at the time, but I suspect that if I was I would probably have known that something was going on.

I first became aware of the April 1963 wildfires from John McPhee's 1968 book, The Pine Barrens. It is still in print and I will recommend in a heart beat for any of you who wants to read about the NJ Pine Barrens. McPhee has a chapter on Fire in the Pines (Chapter 7). He writes about fires in the Pine Barrens including a  1936 wildfire where the cousin of a fire watcher having no place to escape to died holding on to a pine tree (111). 

McPhee writes about the wild fires that burned in the Pine Barrens in April 1963, here is an excerpt:

The men who fought the fire made stand after stand--first at a state highway and later at county roads, sand roads, and plowed lines--only to have the flames burst over them and force them to regroup further east. Embers went into the upper winds and advanced as much as two miles at a jump, starting new fires where they landed. Several crown fires were spread out over a six-mile front, and rolling white heat was trailed by streaks of orange flame. The fire was so hot that it caused the surfaces of macadam roads to form bubbles. Overhead, white piles of smoke went up hundreds of feed, and against this white background, now and again, appeared black twisters of smoke from pitch. Multliple airdrops were made but did not significantly help (McPhee, 1988 paperback edition, p. 117).

Please take a moment to ride a very fine article on Black Saturday in NJ, April 23, 1963. To read more about John McPhee and how his book on the Pine Barrens lead to a movement to save the Pine Barrens, read this article.

A visit to NJFFS Air Attack Base at Aeroflex-Andover-pt 2

Today I am going to share some photos of the G-164-A (Radial) Ag-Cats, Alpha 3 & 4, that were at Aeroflex-Andover when I visited this past Monday. But before I do that I want to show you a photo of the 300-gallon hopper of a G-164-A Ag-Cat and a photo of the 400-gallon hopper of the Turbo-Cat. I don't know about you, but I was wondering about the larger hopper on a plane that used to have a smaller 300-gallon hopper. I learned the answer to that during my visit to Aeroflex-Andover this past Monday from Joe, one of Downstown's pilots. When Joe was showing me the Turbo Cat, one of the first things we talked about was the larger, 400-gallon, hopper on the Turbo Cat. He pointed to the portion of the hopper that is visible on the outside of the plane, pointing to a "bulge" in the larger hopper that is not present in the smaller 300-gallon hopper of the G-164-A Ag-Cat. It seems that the larger, 400-gallon, hopper in the Turbo Cat accounts for this "bulge." I have circled the hopper (in yellow) in each of the photos.

Turbo-Cat, hopper circled in yellow

 G-164-A Ag Cat, hopper circled in yellow

Here are some photos of the two G-164-A Ag Cats.

G-164-A Ag Cat

G-164-A Ag Cat

G-164-A Ag Cat

G-164-A Ag Cat, Turbo-Cat in background

G-164-A Ag Cat

A visit to NJFFS Air Attack Base at Aeroflex-Andover-pt 1

I finally made it to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service Air Attack Base at Aeroflex-Andover  the Air Attack Base for Division A of the New Jersey Forest Fire Service. That is my Division folks. They are really nice people and I had a great time. I spent a couple of hours there on a nice spring day. Oh, by the way, I drove. About an hour one way, not too bad all things considering. 

Before I begin, I want you to meet Orville in the photos below. Orville is the airport cat, and a good mouser. He is a real sweet and friendly cat, coming up to greet me. As you can see, he posed for me. I feel like I made a new friend in Orville.

Orville posing in front of the NJ Forest Fire Service Air Attack Base Office

Orville

Unless something comes up, I'll be posting a few articles based on my trip to the Air Attack Base over the next few posts. Today I'm going to start with some photos of the Turbo-Cat.

There were three Ag-Cats on base today, the Turbo-Cat was not in service as her pilot had the day off. Instead, I got to spend some time with Joe, whom I met last year. In the two photos below, the Turbo-Cat is on the far end.  Joe flew up in one of G-164-A (Radial) Ag-Cats.

Downstown Aero converted one of their G-164-A Ag-Cats to Turbine over the winter. They purchased a conversion kit and a turbine (Pratt & Whitney PT6A-28  680 hp) engine and did the conversion in their shop. Everything from the firewall forward is new. The new fuel tank is slightly bigger, 120 gallons compared with 80 gallons in the G-164-A  Ag-Cats. And the hopper (also new) capacity is 400 gallons. Another nice feature is that there is a bottom loading fuel system. Joe tells me that they can refuel the plane and load water at the same time, saving a little time. The cockpit steam gauges have been replaced with a glass cockpit. There is a new drop spray boom system coupled to the new Ag Nav GPS. The plane has been repainted inside and out with.

Ag-Cats at the NJFFS Division A Air Attack Base, Turbo-Cat on far end

Ag-Cats at the NJFFS Division A Air Attack Base, Turbo-Cat on far end

Turbo-Cat

Turbo-Cat

Turbo-Cat

Turbo-Cat

Turbo-Cat

Turbo-Cat

Turbo-Cat

Fuel loading (labeled with Jet A fuel) and water loading at bottom of Turbo-Cat

Flight to NJFFS base at Aeroflex-Andover

Andover-Aeroflex, Ag-Cats (2) at far end of hanger

Andover-Aeroflex, Ag-Cats (2) at far end of hanger

Andover-Aeroflex, Ag-Cats (2) at left end of hanger

I had a great scenic flight this morning with a great pilot. The destination was the SEAT base for New Jersey Forest Fire Service Division A at Andover-Aeroflex, who knew we were coming. 

It was a bit windy, winds from 110 about 18 knots (+/-) about 20 minutes before we took off. The winds at take-off were not as bad as expected and we had a quick flight to Aeroflex-Andover. 

When we got to Aeroflex-Andover after a flight of about 20 minutes, the pilot announced our approach for landing on runway 3. I saw the wind sock, the winds were blowing across the runway, or in aviation terminology there was a cross wind. 

On the first attempt, the pilot flew a normal pattern, when she turned to base she had overshot the runway because of the winds. She made adjustments on the second attempt (what I believe is referred to as a side-slip) and was lined up for final into runway 3, but the cross-winds were too strong. A related factor is the length of the runway (about 1,900 ft) with a lake at either end of the runway. And the airport is in the mountains in northern NJ in an area known for "squirrely winds." She aborted the landing. 

She flew the pattern at a slightly higher altitude one more time so I could get these pictures. Not great quality, I did the best that I could considering the winds. But I wanted to give you an idea of the layout and where the Ag-Cats are parked.

Literally a couple of minutes after we departed the pattern at Aeroflex-Andover, we heard someone on the radio with a "weather advisory" for winds gusting at 20 knots or more. A 20 knot cross-wind is a significant cross-wind for a Cessna trainer.

I have renewed respect for the winds. I could feel the winds when we were lined up for the final approach blowing across the Cessna trainer. While I felt the winds, I knew that I was in good hands with a good and competent pilot.

I did not get to see Downstown's Ag-Cats up close and personal, that will come on another day. But I had an important experience on this flight. A friend of mine told me that the only mandatory part of a flight is landing, that the rest is voluntary. and the pilot did that. She landed safely. And I get to share about this experience with you.

This Just in: DC-10 Tanker 910 visiting MN, SD. and MT

direct link to video

direct link to video

These two videos show a DC-10 Air Tanker in action. There are two DC-10 Air Tankers, each can carry 11,600 gallons of retardant and can be refilled in about 10 minutes. I have watched some live streaming video of these magnificent aircraft working fires. They are something special to watch as they drop a long line of retardant on a fire.

I just now got a copy of a press release from 10 Tanker Air Carrier announcing that DC-10 Tanker 910  will be leaving Michigan this Monday, April 22 (after receiving "heavy maintenance") for Victorville, CA. On her way to Victorville she will visit four airports:

Brainard, Minnesota (BRD) on Monday (4/22) morning

Rapid City, South Dakota on Monday (4/22) afternoon

Billings, Montana on Tuesday (4/23) morning

Missoula, Montana on Tuesday (4/23) afternoon

According 10 Tanker CEO Rick Hatton,

The purpose of this tour is to familiarize more regional bases with the ease with which the DC-10 air tanker can be operated and its unmatched effectiveness in suppressing wildfires. We recently surveyed some 25 additional runways to ensure they are capable of handling our operation. Expanding the number of potential bases for the DC-10 during the upcoming fire season will allow the aircraft to be more  optimally positioned to fight fires.

A complete copy of the press release may be found here.

For those of you who live are near any of these airports, whether it be by auto or by airplane, this is a great chance to get to see this magnificent aircraft. I wish that I could be there to see her, and to take some photos, but that is not possible. Perhaps one day she will visit New Jersey or some where closer to me. In the meantime, I hope that some of you who are able to go and see her. 

Updated on April 22, 2013

Bill Gabbert of Wildfire Today reported in an article earlier today that there is a revised schedule for the  DC-10 T-910 visits because of snow in South Dakota. In addition, he reports that while tours for the public are not available, that the public should be able to view the DC-10 tanker. The revised schedule is:

Brainard, Minnesota (BRD) on Tuesday (4/23) morning

Rapid City, South Dakota on Tuesday (4/23) afternoon

Billings, Montana on Wednesday (4/24) morning

Missoula, Montana on Wednesday (4/24) afternoon

Mega Fires

direct link to video

I found this CBS 60 minute report on Mega Fires while I was looking at the NIFC channel on youtube. I found this report interesting, and I thought you might to. I'm not quite sure when this 60 minute report originally aired, but I think it is relevant today. Allow between 11 and 12 minutes to watch the video.

Brush fire burns five acres near Garden State Pkwy in NJ

View more videos at: http://nbcnewyork.com.

direct link to nbcny news report and video

Earlier today New Jersey State Forest Fire Service Firefighters fought a five-acre brush fire along the Garden State Parkway in Old Bridge NJ. Here are two more news reports about the fire:

New Jersey dot com
Middletown NJ Patch

A little of this and a little of that

Douglas A-26 Invader

I wrote a series on the Douglas A-26 Invader a little over a month ago. I continue to do research on the Douglas A-26's service as a tanker in the U.S. and in Canada. I have been having a blast doing so. I still have a couple of irons in the fire, so to speak, so it will be awhile longer before I post the series on the A-26 as a tanker. As some of you no doubt know, the A-26 served as a tanker in Canada for a many years. I have enjoyed learning a little bit more about wildland firefighting in Canada, and at the same time, I am learning a bit of geography. I have had the privilege of some old and new friends who have flown the A-26 who have been helping me. Thank-you.

Spring Fire Season in NJ

We had a couple of days of rain the end of last week which I believe helped to calm things down for a bit. While things may have been a little quieter for the last few days, we all know that fire danger can change quickly this time of year.  The SEATs continue on contract in all three divisions in NJ, the ending date depending on the division, see the schedule at the right of this blog. Here is an article on the spring wildfire season and what we can do to reduce wildfire risk, from North Jersey dot com.

Prescribed Burns

The prescribed burn season here in New Jersey was over in March before the SEATS went on contract. However, I'd like to share a nice article that recently came across my electronic desk on the importance of prescribed burns in the New Jersey Pine Barrens, go to this Philly dot com article.

Speaking of prescribed burns, it is now or will soon be prescribed burn season in Vermont.  Apparently, at least in the central and southern part of Vermont, prescribed burn season is for two weeks only. Vermont is near and dear to my heart, so I do try to look out for news on anything related to wildfire activity including but not limited to prescribed articles. For more information on planned prescribed burns in Vermont read this article from the Bennington Banner.

Scenic flights

I don't write much about the scenic flights I take with some wonderful pilots. I try to go up every three weeks but that doesn't always work out. For various reasons, it has been about six weeks since I went on my last flight. It has been too long. I have been itching to get back in the air for a couple of weeks now. If everything works out, I hope to go on another scenic flight early next week. Looking forward to that.

The Not So Mundane

Spring is here and with spring comes spring chores, planting, and gardening. And the never ending weeding. I am in the process of getting estimates for a new roof, exciting, huh? 

And the best part about spring? Baseball. :)

Tragedy at the Boston Marathon

I am taking a time-out to send all those affected by the bombs that went off at the finish line at the Boston Marathon my thoughts, prayers, and loving intentions. Please join me. Thank-you.

US Forest Service Contracts for "Legacy" Airtankers

I am a bit late in writing about the status of the U.S. Forest Service's contracts for "Legacy" Airtankers. The U.S. Forest Service announced these contract awards on Wednesday, March 27. At the time that I first read about this contract award, I was a bit preoccupied with the death of Jeffrey Scheuerer and after that the start of the spring wildfire season here in New Jersey. With some rain on Wednesday night and again today provides the opportunity to write about this contract.

The recently announced "Legacy" Airtanker contract awards contracts to MInden Air for one Lockheed P2-V (T-48) and to Neptune Aviation for six Lockheed P2-V and one BAe-146-200. I take it that the term "Legacy" is referring to the Lockheed P2-V tankers as they have been around for quite a few years by now. 

As I recall, I first learned of the Legacy Airtanker contract award through Walt Darran's post on the Associated Aerial Firefighters website in their news and articles section in an article that may be found here. Around the same time, I read Bill Gabbert's writeup on the Legacy Airtanker award on his Fire Aviation Site in an article dated March 28th. Bill has a good summary of this contract and related issues so you might want to check it out.

Last year at this time, I found a listing the tankers (P2-V and BAe-146) under contract in 2012. I have not seen such a list for this year, and if and when I do, I'll post the list here as I did last year. Nor do I know the status of the DC-10 tankers or if the US Forest Service will ask for help from our friends in Canada as they did in 2011 and 2012. Finally, I don't know the status of the contracts for the next-generation tankers, I am hoping that these contract awards by the US Forest Service are announced and awarded soon because we need them. Hopefully I will be able to report back here on positive news about the availability of some of these tankers. We sure need them. In the meantime, stay safe!

Today's wildfire news in and environs

I want to write what will have to be a brief update on recent brush fire activity in NJ/PA/NY. I have to cut this short because I want to get this posted before a squall line and the attendant thunderstorms pass through my area in a little while. You understand. Stay safe everyone!

Brush fire in Hackensack Meadowlands near the New Jersey Turnpike. This is not a primary response area of the New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS but the NJFFS does provide mutual aid if the municipal firefighters request their help. I do not know if the affected municipalities requested aid from the NJFFS for these fires. As someone who used to live one of these towns, I can attest to periodic brush fires in the Meadowlands that can be challenging to fight because the terrain can be difficult to access.

Report from News 12 NJ on busy fire season in NJ (this may not be publicly available, but it is worth a shot)

Brush fires in Lehigh County PA, Lehigh County abuts northern New Jersey.

Fire in Harriman State Park in NY, Harriman Park is north of New York City.

I had to delete a link from Firehouse dot com reporting on brush fires on Long Island as the article is no longer available.

And from my friends at the Section B10 (NJFFS) website: in their current NJ wildfire activity section*, they reported on a 2-acre fire in an Ocean County park (Lakewood NJ), Bravo 1 (AT 602) made 3 drops. A short article on this fire may be found here.

*The current NJ wildfire activity section of the Section B10 website is updated every few days, so you may see different information from what I reported here when you access the site.

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

Spring wildfire season in NJ: updates and tidbits

Yes we had yet another day of enhanced fire weather concerns in NJ today. I was busy running around today so I don't know about any major fires in NJ (100 acres+), but will be sure to report back here if I should hear of any later.

To the best of my knowledge, light to moderate initial attack activity in New Jersey continues.

Hampton Gate Fire
I am hearing from my friends at Downstown Aero and the Section B10 (NJFFS) website (current NJ wildfire activity section*) that the Hampton Gate Fire has burned 205 acres and is still at 75 percent containment in a remote and inaccessible area of the Wharton State Forest in Tabernacle NJ. See also this updated thread on the wildland fire hotlist.

Brush Fires in Morris County New Jersey
The brush fires in Morris County New Jersey may be out, as reported by the Star Ledger. Speculation is that a passing freight train may have caused the fire.

Other Smaller Wildland Fires
The  Star Ledger referred to a small wildland fire in the Washington Township Area of Morris County on Sunday.

A 2.5 acre fire in Oakland in northern Bergen County on Monday where at least one of the Ag-Cats assigned to Division A made a drop, see this article from the Daily Record.

This past Sunday, my friends from Downstown Aero told me that the two Ag Cats in Division A (Alpha 3 & 4) had made multiple drops on a fire south of Andover NJ. I saw on the current NJ wildfire activity section* of the Section B10 (NJFFS) website that the location of these drops was in Warren County (Allamuchy) and that the fire was of an undetermined size.

I did manage to spend about 30 minutes listening to online scanner feed from New Jersey Forest Fire Service Division A. I may be wrong but it sounded like one of the Ag Cats (Alpha 4) made a drop on a fire at an unidentified location (at least I could not determine the location.

Downstown Aero Crop Services
And finally, last but by no means least. Read about Downstown Aero, their long service as a tanker contractor and their new Turbo Cat in this article on airtanker dot org.

*The current NJ wildfire activity section of the Section B10 website is updated every few days, so you may see different information from what I reported here when you access the site.

Brushfires in Morris County near NJ Transit tracks

I wrote earlier today about week 2 of our spring fire season here in NJ where I wrote at the end of the article about a wildfire that is currently burning in Budd Lake NJ near a NJ Transit train line.

Here is a video from the Daily Record of one of the Ag Cats (either Alpha 3 or 4) making a drop.



direct link to video and link to latest Daily Record article on fire (includes a photo or two and the video).

As I was listening to the NJ Forest Fire Service Division A scanner feed at about 4:30 PM, I heard that the Air Tractor 602 (Air Tractor 602) was released from the Budd Lake Fire back to Coyle Field in Division B. I confirmed this with my friends from Downstown Aero, who told me that Alpha 3 & 4 (piston Ag-Cats) will continue on spot fires.

Just after Bravo 1 finished up and was starting to fly back to Coyle, I heard someone from Division A (perhaps an incident commander?) say to Bravo 1:

Bravo 1 it was a pleasure having you, thanks for helping us out.

To this, I can only say ditto, thanks for your help Bravo 1.

Week 2 of Spring Fire Season in NJ

Our SEATs have been on contract here in NJ for a little over a week now, the exact start date depending on the Division. My friends at Downstown Aero have told me that there were a few instances in all three divisions where the SEATs flew initial attack on smaller fires. I also know from reading the current NJ wildfire activity section* on the New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) Section B10 website that there has been light to moderate initial attack activity for the past week or so, where initial attack could involve ground crews as well as SEATs. 

The only wildfire in NJ of 100 acres or more that I know about (there could well be others that I don't know about) is the Hampton Gate Fire that I wrote about yesterday. Recall that two SEATs (Turbo Cat and Air Tractor 602) As I write this, the latest information that I have on this fire is from the Wildland Fire hotlist - eastern region forums where they report that fire remains at 75 percent containment having burned 150 acres. There remains unburned fuels in the interior of the fire that are inaccessible, there is no threat posed. Containment will not be reached until these fuels burn themselves out. The Star Ledger published a short article on recent wildfire activity on April 7, go here to read the article.

As I write this, I have been listening to online scanner from broadcastify for NJFFS Division A. I think, but am not 100 percent certain, that one or two of the SEATs based at Andover Aeroflex have made at least one drop, possibly more on fires. I have no idea of the size or location of this fire, if the fire is small and contained quickly then I may not know because I don't have easy access to that sort of information. What is important is that the SEATs may be flying in Division A. SEATs are deployed to fly initial attack in hopes of assisting the ground crews in knocking the fire out while the fire is small in size. If I should hear more concrete information about what I am currently listening to on the NJFFS Division A scanner, I'll provide an update to this article. 

*The current NJ wildfire activity section of the Section B10 website is updated every few days, so you may see different information from what I reported here when you access the site.

April 8, 3:40 PM

Right around the time that I originally posted this article, I started to hear reports of smokes on the NJFFS Division A scanner feed about smokes in the Budd Lake area of Morris County. Some of the smokes were near a New Jersey Transit line. I continued listening, hearing that the two Ag Cats (Alpha 3 and 4) had finished up with another fire and were being deployed to the Budd Lake fires. I confirmed this with my friends at Downstown Aero who confirmed that Bravo 1 was then on her way from Coyle Field (Division B). I just saw footage on News 12 NJ on TV (web access restricted, nothing on web when I wrote this) who sent their news helo to the area. I saw the fire near the train tracks from the News 12 helo footage. As the news anchors reporting on the fire, I saw Bravo 1 (Air Tractor 602) fly over the fire from the helo footage. So far, I can only link to this article from NJ dot com and another article from the Daily Record (covering a small fire that burned on Sunday as well as today's Budd Lake fire). I'll post an article later tonight with any updates and hopefully some news footage that I can either embed or link to.

Hampton Gate Fire in Wharton State Forest

I was laying low for a couple of days and am back now. I first read about the Hampton Gate fire that has burned around 150 acres in this thread in the wildland fire hotlist. As I understand it the fire was first spotted in a remote and difficult to access area of the Wharton State Forest in the Pine Barrens of NJ on Saturday afternoon and is at least 75% contained. As I write this the NJFFS Section B10 website is reporting in their current wildfire activity section that two SEATs worked the fire yesterday.You will have to scroll down to see the current NJ wildfire activity section of the B10 website, and they update this current wildfire activity section periodically so you may see different fire activity when you visit.

The slide show that is embedded at the top of this post is from myfoxphilly, here is a direct link to their article and the slideshow; as I write this myfoxphilly is reporting that the fire is contained.

I'll try to follow up on news of this fire as the day goes on and will update this article as appropriate.

April 7, 7:36 PM

My friends at Downstown Aero confirmed that two SEATs worked the Hampton Gate fire for two hours on Saturday, April 6: Bravo-2 (Turbo Cat) and Charlie 1 (Air Tractor 602). Eddie Carter, the pilot of Charlie-1 took a photo of Bravo 2 over the Hampton Gate fire yesterday. Downstown completed the turbo conversion on this Turbo Cat (N6762Q) over the winter. She has a Pratt and Whitney PT6A-28, 680 hp engine with a tank capacity of 400 gallons. She is real purty! They gave me permission to share this photo with you. 

According to the contract schedule, she should be on contract in Division A (designation will be Alpha-2) starting April 8 through April 29. I am so glad that we will have her in my part of NJ for three weeks during the spring fire season. 

Stay safe!

Bravo-2 (Turbo Cat) over Hampton Gate fire (Tabernacle NJ) on April 6, 2013

April 8, 1:40 PM

The latest information that I have on this fire is from the Wildland Fire hotlist - eastern region forums where they report, in a post made about 10 AM this morning, that fire remains at 75 percent containment having burned 150 acres. There remains unburned fuels in the interior of the fire that are inaccessible, there is no threat posed. Containment will not be reached until these fuels burn themselves out.

Brush fire in Minquadale DE under control

direct link to story and video on 6ABC Action News

The fire in Deleware that was referred to in yesterday's post on Red Flag Conditions is under control.

Red Flag warnings for all of NJ and portions of adjacent states

direct link to story from ABC6 Action News with video

We have had about three days so far this spring fire season with elevated fire concerns, but today is our first day of red flag warnings here in New Jersey, Deleware,  and portions of adjacent states. As I write this, I have been listening to online scanner feed from broadcastify for New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) Division A. New Jersey Forest Fire Service Division B online scanner feed may be found here. I'd like to thank my friend from NJFFS Division B Section 10 for pointing me to the links for these scanner feeds.

As was the case in prior fire seasons here in New Jersey, when I hear of major wildfire activity here in New Jersey I'll report back here. I am thankful that we have one SEAT on contract in all three NJFFS Divisions. The fire that you see in the video is (or was in Deleware), I'll look around to see if I can find any additional information about this fire.

For my friends at the NJFFS, be safe, LCES. Thanks for all you do to keep us safe here in New Jersey.

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
324 PM EDT WED APR 3 2013

NJZ001-007>010-012>027-PAZ054-055-060>062-070-071-101>106-040200-
/O.CON.KPHI.FW.W.0001.000000T0000Z-130404T0200Z/
SUSSEX-WARREN-MORRIS-HUNTERDON-SOMERSET-MIDDLESEX-
WESTERN MONMOUTH-EASTERN MONMOUTH-MERCER-SALEM-GLOUCESTER-CAMDEN-
NORTHWESTERN BURLINGTON-OCEAN-CUMBERLAND-ATLANTIC-CAPE MAY-
ATLANTIC COASTAL CAPE MAY-COASTAL ATLANTIC-COASTAL OCEAN-
SOUTHEASTERN BURLINGTON-CARBON-MONROE-BERKS-LEHIGH-NORTHAMPTON-
DELAWARE-PHILADELPHIA-WESTERN CHESTER-EASTERN CHESTER-
WESTERN MONTGOMERY-EASTERN MONTGOMERY-UPPER BUCKS-LOWER BUCKS-
324 PM EDT WED APR 3 2013

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM EDT THIS EVENING...

* LOCATIONS...ALL OF EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA AND ALL OF NEW JERSEY
  IN THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY FORECAST AREA.

* WINDS...NORTHWEST 15 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 20 PERCENT.

* HIGH TEMPERATURES...MOSTLY 45 TO 50 EXCEPT 35 TO 40 HIGHEST
  TERRAIN OF THE POCONOS AND FAR NORTHWEST NEW JERSEY.

* IMPACTS...THERE IS A GREAT POTENTIAL FOR RAPID WILDFIRE SPREAD
  THROUGH 10 PM THIS EVENING DUE TO THE GUSTY WINDS... LOW RELATIVE
  HUMIDITY AND DRY FINE FUELS. OUTDOOR BURNING IS NOT RECOMMENDED.

* OUTLOOK THURSDAY...HUMIDITY WILL AGAIN BE VERY LOW THURSDAY
  AFTERNOON... GENERALLY UNDER 25 PERCENT WITH MINIMUM RELATIVE
  HUMIDITY POSSIBLY A FEW PERCENT LOWER...NEAR 15 PERCENT INLAND.
  THE WIND WILL BE MUCH LESS...TURNING SOUTHWEST TO SOUTH WITH
  GUSTS UNDER 20 MPH.

Firefighter Jeff Scheuerer honored for his service to New Jersey

Gov. Christie's proclamation honoring FF Scheuerer

Governor Christie issued a proclamation directing flags to be lowered at the State House in Trenton from Tuesday, April 2, 2013 to Monday, April 8, 2013 to honor Scheuerer. 

“Jeffrey Scheuerer was an outstanding young man who had a remarkable sense of duty and commitment to our state and to his community,’’ said Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin. “His service began as a young teen and continued for the rest of his life. He is a role model for all of us when it comes to the value of community service.’’    

A copy of the news release announcing Gov. Christie's proclamation may be found here.

NJFFS Division A Wildland Fire Fatality - Funeral for Jeff Scheuerer

RIP Jeff Scheuerer



direct link to video from WFMZ 69

photo gallery 1 from Hunterdon County Democrat -- the procession to the Church

photo gallery 2 from Hunterdon County Democrat -- just outside the Church

Hunterdon County Democrat article on Jeff Scheuerer's funeral

Note: the video that I embedded above may not work in all browsers. I got it to work in firefox and safari but it did not seem to work in Chrome.

Added April 4: video of funeral procession by Brain McCarthy reported by NJ101.5

NJFFS Division A Wildland Fire Fatality - Viewing

I took some time out from my writing and research to go and pay my respects to Jeff Scheuerer. You may recall from my last blog entry that Jeff Scheuerer was working on a prescribed burn with Division A of the New Jersey Forest Fire Service on the morning of March 28th when he was struck by a car. He did not survive his injuries. Jeff was also a long-time member of the Readington Volunteer Fire Department (RVFD) where he served as their safety officer. I believe that the truck you see on the right side of the photo is from the RVFD.

I got there early, so I took a little time to get this photo for you of the two fire trucks parked outside the Kearns Funeral Home in Whitehouse New Jersey where the viewing was. As expected, there was a large number of firefighters from both the New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) and the Readington Volunteer Fire Department. There was an honor guard from the NJFFS and the RVFD. Before I signed the guest book, I went over and paid my respects to two members of the RVFD who were standing outside the door of the parlor. I went in and paid my respects, taking time to look at all of Jeff's firefighting gear and the photos. I found out that he served as District Warden, NJFFS Division A, Section 8, District 6.

I went over and paid my respect to Jeff's family, and then went to the back of the parlor. I watched members of the Readington Township NJ police department go up in groups of three to pay their respects. Following the police department, the wildland firefighters from the New Jersey Forest Fire Service went up in groups of three to pay their respects.

I found the whole experience profoundly moving. To my friends at the New Jersey Forest Fire Service and the Readington Volunteer Fire Department, I don't know whether or not it was important for you to know that I was there. I tried to be quiet and respectful, wanting to give you the space that you need at a time like this. But I was there and I do care.

For Jeff's family, friends, fellow firefighters, and all those who love him, I continue to keep you in my thoughts, prayers, and loving intentions.

Jeff, I will not forget you and what you were doing to keep us safe. I drove by your firehouse, and was touched by the purple bunting and the flags at half mast. I wanted to take a picture, but the road was too narrow and it wasn't safe to stop. There were two engines from neighboring fire departments, perhaps providing coverage to your service area.