Helicopter flight over Pioneer Fire

One of the Facebook pages that I check out periodically during wildfire season is by US National Weather Service (NWS) IMET. IMET's are National Weather Service Meteorologists who have received special training to provide onsite meteorological services for wildland fires (see the about tab on the USNWS IMET facebook page for more information, I wrote about IMETs on August 10th and August 11th (2016). IMETs save lives!

The US National Weather Service IMET (Facebook) has some useful information including when and where IMETs are deployed during wildfire season. But there is also other good information posted on that page, which is how I found about the video that I am embedding below. 

I was interested to read September 2, 2016 post on the US National Weather Service IMET Facebook Page. An IMET from the NWS Weather Forecast Office in Jackson, Mississippi was assigned to the Pioneer Fire at the end of August. On August 29th, he had a chance to go on a helicopter flight over the Pioneer Fire when it was making run. It seems that the Pioneer Fire grew by 30,000 acres that day. According to the commentary by Dan Byrd that accompanies the video (direct link to Aug 29th Helicopter Flight over the Pioneer Fire: "The fire put up a 40k foot plume today and consumed 30 thousand acres just north of Boise ID."

I don't know the nature of the helicopter flight, probably reconnaissance. In any event, the video is over nine minutes long with some great footage of an active and growing fire. Impressive! According to an August 30th news release about the Pioneer Fire, the fire had burnt about 140,780 acres on August 30th, up from 111,604 acres on August 29th. As I write this, the Pioneer Fire (page updated periodically, what you see may be different) has burned 188,404 acres in Boise National Forest near Boise Idaho and is at 64 percent containment. 

I shared a video on September 12th showing the Umatilla Initial Attack Crew working the Pioneer Fire on or about August 4th.

Revisiting Soda Fire (2015) Post-Fire Recovery (Sept. 2016)

I am still very interested in the 2015 Soda Fire Post-Fire Recovery. Readers of this blog may recall that I wrote two series on emergency rehabilitation and recovery from the 2015 Soda Fire. The first series, in late 2015 focused on Burned Area Emergency Response. I wrote the second series in February 2016 focusing on the 2015 Soda Fire Emergency Stabilization and Rehabilitation (ESR) plan for burned area recovery (BAR). If you are interested in reading any of these earlier articles, please see my February 8th post where I have included links to all my earlier articles.

You may recall that burned area recovery that the ESR work will continue for one to five years depending on the specific treatments (see for example part two of my two part interview with the Idaho BLM. For some information on specific treatments planner see my February 12th and February 15th articles.

I do spend a certain amount of time reflecting on the 2015 Soda Fire Post-Fire Recovery and regret that distance and other factors preclude me from being able to follow this more closely. I did see that the BLM prepared a briefing package on Emergency Stabilization and Rehabilitation in May 2016, it is a short document with some photos and a list of treatments is provided on page 3. According to the May 2016 Briefing document, included in the treatments planned for 2016 (this may be a partial list) are:

• repair of roads, recreation trails, culverts, ditches, water bars, and warning signs;
• planting of seedlings;
• repair of fencing;
• and treatment of noxious weeds

On page 5 of the May 2016 ESR Briefing Package refers to plans for emergency fuel breaks:

On May 5, 2016, the BLM Owyhee Field Office signed an emergency decision authorizing the construction of up to 25 miles of fuel breaks in the highest-priority area of the wildland-urban interface. The fuel breaks will include approximately 200 acres of targeted grazing and mowing along with improvements on up to 25 miles of roads.

as well as an environmental assessment for fuel breaks (May 2016 ESR Briefing Package, page 5)

On May 13, 2016, BLM released an environmental assessment (EA) of a network of fuel breaks designed to protect the ESR investment for public comment. 

• The EA analyzes the completion of approximately 425 miles of fuel breaks, using a combination of road maintenance, mowing of sagebrush, application of herbicides, targeted grazing, and establishment of vegetative fuel breaks 

• These fuel breaks will allow for improved access by fire suppression resources and a higher probability for stopping fires before they become large, protecting lives, property, ESR treatments, and natural resources.

 The BLM released a press release about the planned fuel breaks here.

• A final EA and decision are anticipated in early June, 2016. 

I am never quite sure how long links will be active, but I found information about the May 2016 ESR Briefing Package on a webpage from the Idaho BLM on the Soda Fire Emergency Stabilization and Rehabilitation. Depending on when you are accessing that page, the information that you see may be different. At the time that I am writing this in September 2016, the information on the Idaho BLM's Soda Fire Emergency Stabilization and Rehabilitation page is similar to the information found in the May 2016 ESR Briefing Package.

A little Tanker History (1980)

As I continue to work on another project which I hope is nearing completion, I leave you with footage of Air Tankers working out of Hemet in November 1980, recently uploaded to Youtube. I loved watching footage of these now historic aircraft.


Direct link to footage uploaded to Youtube by Habujet

Time for SEATs (again)

I love watching SEATs, and on this day when I am busy doing some research for future articles, I am posting a couple of videos of SEATs that I found on Youtube. Enjoy!


Direct link to video on Youtube


Direct link to video on Youtube

Umatilla IA Crew - Pioneer Fire

I just came upon this nice video of the Umatilla Initial Attack Crew working the Pioneer Fire in early August of this year. As I write this, the Pioneer Fire  was first reported on July 18, 2016, it has burned 185,895 acres in the Boise National Forest in Idaho, and is at 56 percent containment.

Note the video was uploaded to Youtube by Brock Shelton on August 4th. At the time the video was made the fire had burned 50,237 acres.


Direct link to video uploaded by Brock Shelton

A Type II Initial Attack Handcrew Works a Wildfire

I came across this great video from Wildland Firefighters Anonymous about an anonymous Type II Initial Attack Handcrew working a wildfire. The comment that goes along with this video says simply "It's all part of the gig. No recognition need, just proud of our work." What a wonderful video showing this Type II Initial Attack Crew at work somewhere. It doesn't matter, what matters is that they are proud of what they do, and we get a glimpse of this crew at work. I enjoyed the video. I was reminded, yet again, when I saw several shots of tankers and helos working the fire that tankers and helos fly fires to support the troops on the ground.

Stay safe everyone.


Direct link to video on youtube

About the CAL FIRE Pilots Association

I have been very remiss in nor writing about the CAL FIRE Pilots Association before now. I became aware of the CAL FIRE Pilots Association a few years ago now, either from Jerome Laval (editor of their newsletter) or from some of my other tanker pilot friends. Or perhaps from both sources.

As stated in the CAL FIRE Pilots Association (CFPA) Mission Page, the goal of the the CFPA (a California Mutual Benefit Nonprofit is to "... promote a safe and fair work place for those pilots working under the Calfire contract."

I have learned a lot from the CFPA webpage. For example, I just now saw a great power point on aerial fire fighting (link to download, requires Power Point or Keystone (part of the Apple iWork suite). If you can, I hope that you take some time to take a look at this presentation on aerial fire fighting. You'll learn about the anatomy of a wildfire along with some photos of S2-T tankers working a wildfire.

If you want to learn more about the airplanes on the CAL FIRE contract, the Grumman S2-T Tanker and the OV-10A Bronco, you are in luck. The CFPA has a page focusing on the S2-T and the OV-10A Bronco -- the CFPA Gallery (with links to photos and videos). Once you get to the CFPA Gallery you can get information about the Grumman S2-T and the OV-10A Bronco. Briefly, the OV-10A Bronco is an Aerial Supervision Module (ASM)/Lead Plane Platform (when the pilot is Lead Plane qualified), and the S2-T is an Air Tanker Platform.

If you want to learn more about the CAL FIRE tanker bases, there is a page for that with an interactive map -- CFPA Tanker Bases. Also on CFPA Tanker Bases is a link to information about temporary flight restrictions (TFRs) in California from the FAA.

The CFPA in the News page has some links to relevant articles.

Last but by no means least are the CFPA Newsletters, published three or four times a year from June through October. I love this newsletter and have downloaded all the issues that I can. Not only do I learn about wildfires in California and the S2-T and OV-10A pilots and where they are assigned, I have enjoyed reading about some of the pilots. For example, the June 2016 and the July 2016 issues has a two part article on a now retired CAL FIRE pilot, Deen Oehl who was based at Hemet Ryan. Also in the June 2016 and the July 2016 is an article by fire photographer Kit Robinson, with some history. I also enjoyed reading about another recently retired CAL FIRE pilot, Bob Forbes in the July 2016 issue. And then there are the awesome photos along with other great articles relevant to the aerial firefighting business. The CFPA newsletter does focus on California, but also includes articles focusing on safety, and national and international concerns. I find each issue of the CFPA newsletter, a must download and a must read.

Thank-you wildland firefighters for laboring on Labor Day

There are many folk who are working this Labor Day, a national holiday for many (but not all) in the United States. If I were to try to name an all inclusive list of those who are working this Labor Day, i would no doubt leave some out. So, I won't try.

I do want to pause and remember all of you who are working wildfires, and there are many large fires burning in the U.S. To all of you working wildfires today -- ground crews; air tanker, helicopters, lead plane and reconnaissance aircraft; all those supporting ground and air crews; dispatchers; NWS incident meteorologists; etc. -- I thank all of you. My wish for you is to stay safe so that you can finish your tour of duty and go home to your family and friends.

Please know that your work and sacrifices that you make is appreciated by me and by many others.

I offer this perhaps inadequately worded post as an expression of my thanks to all working wildfires in any capacity for all you are doing.

Thanks to Hurricane Hunters

On a day when some in the Mid-Atlantic are getting ready for whatever Hurricane Hermine throws our way later this weekend into early next week I do want to pause a moment and thank all the #Hurricane Hunters who have been flying this storm and others. I don't know about you, but airplanes and weather bring out the geek in me. First if you or your loved ones are living in areas that may be impacted by Hermine, you may want to check out the National Hurricane Center Website as well as you local National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office.

If you are want to know more about any current missions being flown by the Hurricane Hunters, you may find a list of today's and tomorrow's missions on the NHC Aircraft Recon Page, check under plan of the day at the top of the page. For example, here is today's (September 2nd's) potential Hurricane Hunter Missions (I believe that the Teal designation refers to Hurricane Hunters from the USAF 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron:

000
NOUS42 KNHC 021457
REPRPD
WEATHER RECONNAISSANCE FLIGHTS
CARCAH, NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER, MIAMI, FL.
1100 AM EDT FRI 02 SEPTEMBER 2016
SUBJECT: TROPICAL CYCLONE PLAN OF THE DAY (TCPOD)
         VALID 03/1100Z TO 04/1100Z SEPTEMBER 2016
         TCPOD NUMBER.....16-099

I.  ATLANTIC REQUIREMENTS

    1. TROPICAL STORM HERMINE
       FLIGHT ONE - TEAL 71           FLIGHT TWO - TEAL 72
       A. 03/1730Z,2330Z              A. 04/0530Z
       B. AFXXX 1509A HERMINE         B. AFXXX 1609A HERMINE
       C. 03/1430Z                    C. 04/0215Z
       D. 36.0N 75.3W                 D. 37.1N 73.0W
       E. 03/1700Z TO 03/2330Z        E. 04/0500Z TO 04/0800Z
       F. SFC TO 10,000 FT            F. SFC TO 10,000 FT

    2. SUCCEEDING DAY OUTLOOK: CONTINUE 6-HRLY FIXES WHILE 
       SYSTEM REMAINS A THREAT

II. PACIFIC REQUIREMENTS

    1. HURRICANE LESTER
       FLIGHT ONE - TEAL 76           FLIGHT TWO - TEAL 77
       A. 03/1800Z, 04/0000Z          A. 04/0600Z,1200Z
       B. AFXXX  0713E LESTER         B. AFXXX 0813E LESTER
       C. 03/1630Z                    C. 04/0515Z
       D. 21.7N 154.5W                D. 22.4N 157.3 
       E. 03/1730Z  TO 04/0000Z       E. 04/0530Z,1200Z
       F. SFC TO 10,000 FT            F. SFC TO 10,000 FT

    2. OUTLOOK FOR SUCCEEDING DAY.....NEGATIVE.

$$
JWP

NNNN

Finally if you want information on Hurricane Hunter flights in progress, or past flights, go to Live Recon in the Atlantic. You can either use your browser by clicking Cesium (no plug in required) or you may download a plug-in for Google Earth. I have just recently started using Cesium and it is very easy to use. I downloaded an image for you from Hurricane Hunter Mission 14 into Hermine flown by USAF (C-130J) 304. If you are looking at this in your browser, you can zoom in and you can click on different observations (the wind flags, the dropsnodes (cylindrical objects) to get the data. Pretty cool stuff.

Hurricane Hunter Mission 14 into Hermine flown by USAF 304 (C-130J)

Stay safe Hurrican Hunters and thanks for your service!!

Bogart Fire (Riverside County CA)

The Bogart Fire was first reported on August 30th, ground crews assisted by air resources are working the fire. As I write this, the Bogart Fire has burned about 1,300 acres and is at 45 percent containment, the cause has been determined to be human caused according to CAL Fire, see this Riverside County Fire Department incident page for more information.

Here is a nice video shot by EPN16 of the Emergency Photographers Network, uploaded on August 31st. A video is worth a thousand words, and you will see ground troops, air resources, and fire footage. In addition, you will hear some scanner feed in the background.


Direct link to video by EPN16 of the Emergency Photographers Network

NJ Forest Fire Crews deployed out west (2nd time this season)

August 31, 2016, 1:20 PM EDT

A New Jersey Forest Fire Service Crew continues to work the Tie Fire. The Tie Fire has burned 1,031 acres and is at 60 percent containment as I write this update. There are no mandatory evacuations in place, but there is a level one evacuation notice in place. I believe that a level one evacuation encourages people to leave the area, see this article from LocalNews8 in Idaho Falls Idaho.

August 29, 2016, 6:00 PM EDT
Another New Jersey Forest Fire Service Crew (NJS #2) was deployed out west on or about August 25th to help crews fight wildfires. As I understand NJS #2 was working the Henrys Creek Fire that hs burned 52,972 acres with 81 percent containment (Buearu of Land Management, Idaho Falls District) through this past weekend. They have been reassigned to the Tie Fire which has burned 1,014 acres in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest near Idaho Falls (44 percent containment). There are evacuations orders in place, I am not quite sure if this is a  mandatory or voluntary evacuation order. Some photos of the Tie Fire, including some photos of aircraft that have worked the fire may be found here.

I accessed the Eastern Area Coordination Center's Interagency Resource Representative Report on August 29, 2016 at about 10 AM and again at 3 PM, the report updates about 1 PM CDT when crews are assigned out west.

Groundcrews working wildfires in California

Two videos that I will share below remind me of the power and destruction of wildfires. The crew on the ground were aided by aircraft in both fires. But the footage is shot from the ground showing a little of what it was like for the ground crews working the fire.  The videos will speak for themselves. Thank-you ground pounders and pilots. Stay safe.

The Sand Fire (Los Angeles County CA, Angeles National Forest) was reported on July 22nd, the cause of the fire is still under investigation. The fire has burned 41,432 acres and was reported to be on or about August 1, 19 single-family residences and 97 other structures were destroyed. Illegal drone activity shut down air operations (see this news report from Sand Fire's Inciweb Page for more information). Both ground troops and aircraft worked the wildfire. I hope that you go and spend just under nine minutes to watch this footage of the Sand Fire shot by RMG News (you must go to directly to Youtube to watch this footage). It is well worth it. At about 4 minutes 30 seconds into the video there is some nice footage of a helo and snorkle refilling her belly tank from a portable dip tank.

The Clayton Fire has burned 3,929 acres in Lake County California, 299 structures including 189 single-family homes were destroyed in this arson-caused wildfire. As I write this it is at 99 percent containment. This is a CAL FIRE incident and I accessed a CAL FIRE page for the Clayton Fire on August 26th. Allow 10 minutes to watch the footage below. You will see (and hear) some helicopters working the fire in support of the crews on the ground.


Direct link to video

CL-415s scooping - Pioneer Fire (ID)

Here is a nice video that I just rain across, uploaded by Airailimages on August 21st, of two CL-415 scooping out of Deadwood Lake, Idaho in support of the Pioneer Fire. As I write this, the Pioneer Fire has burned 101,922 acres and is at 40 percent containment. The fire, burning eight miles north of Idaho City in the Boise National Forest, was first reported on July 18th, the cause is unknown. According to this August 24th news release on the Pioneer Fire's Inciweb page, evacuations remain in place. Depending on when you are accessing this article, there may be more current news releases on the Pioneer Fire's Inciweb page, you may access the latest news release here.


Direct link to video

Bluecut Fire - San Bernardino National Forest - Update #3

I wrote about the Bluecut Fire (San Bernardino National Forest, CA) on August 17th and August 19th. When I checked out the Bluecut Fire Inciweb page just now, I see that the fire has burned 37,020 acres and is at 89 percent containment. All or most the evacuation orders that were in place last week affecting approximately 82,000 people have been lifted. I-15 is open north and southbound through the Cajon Pass, and many other local roads are now open, in some cases to residents only.

A Damage Assessment Team working under the Blue Cut Fire Unified Command announced today that a preliminary estimate of 105 single family residences and 216 outbuildings were destroyed by the Blue Cut Fire, and 3 single family residences and 5 other structures were damaged (obtained on August 22, 2016 at 5:40 PM EDT from http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4962/ - Bluecut Fire Inciweb).

See this report from ABC News (dated August 22nd) for more information.

Honey Creek Fire (Davis OK) contained

While much of the wildfire news of late is focused on various wildfires burning in California and other western States, I was reminded last week about the Honey Creek Fire (Davis, OK) that was burning last week in Oklahoma. The Honey Creek Fire started on Monday, August 15th and by Wednesday the 17the had burned 3,000 acres. Earlier in the week the Turned Falls Park had been evacuated but those evacuations were lifted on the 17th (see this article from Fox25). By Friday August 19th the Honey Creek Fire was contained, having burned 3,360 acres. I understand that aerial resources were used in containing the fire.

When my friend told me about this fire last Thursday, I was reminded that wildfires can crop at anytime, anywhere. I believe that dry conditions in that part of Oklahoma may have contributed to the Honey Creek Fire. I am glad that the fire has been contained, and I am not aware of any injuries or damaged/destroyed property.

Bluecut Fire - San Bernardino National Forest - update #2

I wrote about the Bluecut Fire here with some updates. As I write this at 9:40 AM EDT on August 19th, the Bluecut Fire has burned 35, 969 acres and is at 22 percent containment.

Here are some photos for you of the Bluecut Fire from San Bernardino County Fire

Bluecut Fire, San Bernardino National Forest

August 18, 2016 at 2:30 PM EDT

With better mapping the Bluecut Fire the area burned was downgraded to 25,626 acres, down from 30,000 acres last night. However the latest information from Inciweb's Bluecut Fire page (accessed at 2:30 PM EDT) shows that the fire has grown to 31,689 acres and is at at four percent containment. See this report from ABC7 in LA. Mandatory evacuations remain in place. There is still no count on the number of damaged and destroyed houses.  A few roads have re-opened, including I-15 northbound. I-15 southbound and other local roads in the fire area remain closed.

August 17, 2016 at 7:25 PM EDT

I spent a little time this afternoon watching some live stream coverage of the Bluecut Fire from ABC7 out of Los Angeles. I saw at least two Air Cranes dipping at a Lake and then dropping nearby defending Lytle Creek. In the time that I was watching a couple of tankers dropped on the fire, one of which was BAe-146 T-01 from Neptune Aviation. I understand that the community of Wrighwood is threatened (see this article from ABC7). Mandatory evacuation orders (including Wrightwood and Lytle Creek) along with road closures remain in place. There is still no containment and the fire has burned 30,000+ acres though that could change tonight.

Red Flag warnings remain in place over the Bluecut Fire through this evening local time.

For other media coverage:

• LA Times article (August 17th) with map and photo galleries (limited number of free views, but worth it for the map and the photo galleries).
• Los Alamitos Patch
• WKBW - instagram photos
• NY Times, August 17th (limited number of free views each month, but worth it for photos, video, and social media)
• Washington Post (August 17th) - photos, social media and a video

August 17, 2016 at 12:25 PM EDT

Yesterday afternoon I got an e-mail alert about what is now known as the Bluecut Fire that started the morning of August 16th in San Bernardino National Forest east of Los Angeles, California. I was watching some live streaming footage of the fire from ABC7 out of Los Angeles. At the time I was watching this footage, about 5 PM EDT on August 16th, the fire had  burned about 1,800 acres up from 300 acres earlier that day. I am no expert on wildfire behavior, but I did have a creepy feeling about this fire. As I watched the footage, I saw at least one structure that was in flames, likely destroyed. And it seemed close to other structures as well. As the camera on the news helo zoomed out, I could see a line of retardant on the hillside. I saw some nice footage of two drops from a DC-10 tankers, one of which was tanker 910.

This morning, I woke up to reports from two other national media outlets, NPR (fire size reported at 18,000 acres earlier this morning) and a weather report from MSNBC (sorry I can't find a link for you, you'll have to trust me). I did find this report (with a video) on the Bluecut Fire from the Weather Channel with a map and a discussion of the drought and the winds. I was listening to a news radio station this morning (again no link) with a brief report on the fire. Point being that this fire is in the news.

As I write this at shortly after noon EDT on August 17th, the Bluecut fire has burned 30,000 acres and is not contained. Residences have been destroyed, evacuations (see below are in place), and there are numerous road closures in the area including but not limited to a portion of I-15.  Evacuation centers for humans and animals have been set up. I'd like to quote from Inciweb's latest incident overview on the Bluecut Fire (in large bold print near the top of the page, what you see may be different depending on when you access the Inciweb page:

There is imminent threat to public safety, rail traffic and structures in the Cajon Pass, Lytle Creek, Wrightwood, Oak Hills, and surrounding areas. Please follow the evacuation instructions, as this is a very quickly growing wildfire. An estimated 34,500 homes and 82,640 people are being affected by the evacuation warnings. (obtained on August 17, 2016 at 12:10 EDT from http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4962/)

I know from Inciweb's latest incident overview on the Bluecut Fire that the following air resources are available to work the fire: two Very Large Airtankers , 8 Airtankers, and eight helicopters.

Bill Gabbert of Wildfire Today has been providing his usual excellent coverage that I found here (with updates), including coverage of firefighters who were entrapped for a short time with two minor injuries. Bill also has some maps and other links with information about the Bluecut Fire.

There are a few media outlets in the Los Angeles area, I have been checking ABC7, and here is a report on the Bluecut Fire (last updated on August 17th at noon EDT) with a video or two and a photo gallery.

A little more on how IMETs use Weather Balloons

I was writing recently about what a National Weather Service Incident Meteorologist (aka IMET) does when they are assigned to a wildfire, see for example my August 10th article. One of the questions that I had was how an IMET might use a weather balloon and how does the radiosnode attached to the weather balloon transmit data while the balloon is ascending. That is, what might the data look like. Well, I found one answer to this question as I was poking around the internet this afternoon.

Please watch these two videos that I will embed below. In the first video, Ryan Walbrun, an IMET that was assigned to the Sobranes Fire (burned 72,566 acres in and near Los Padres National Forest, CA, and is at 60 percent containment) is interviewed. You will hear Mr. Walbrun discuss what IMETs do and what he did as an IMET on the Sobranes. One of the things that he discusses is that he monitored the height of the marine layer.

Direct link to video uploaded by NWS San Francisco Bay Area/Monterey CA (Here is the website for the NWS San Francisco)

In the second video, you will see the IMET and his assistants launch the weather balloon, here about how Mr. Walbrun will use the data from the weather balloon to monitor the height of the marine layer (among other things), and get a chance to see some of the data that the radisnode is transmitting. Very cool, this brings out the weather geek in me.

Direct link to video from NWS San Francisco

A flight in EAA's B-17 Aluminum Overcast

I love the B-17 and when I was looking for something different and fun to post today, I came upon a video of EAA's B-17 Aluminum Overcast in flight. The video, uploaded to Youtube by David Sirak shows husband a wife team Ken and Lorraine Morris flying Aluminum Overcast over Orlando, Fl. Great footage from some GoPro Cameras. Looks like fun. Enjoy.


Direct link to video

NJ Forest Fire Crew demobilized & more on IMETs

After I made yesterday's (August 10th) post , I found out that the New Jersey Forest Fire Service crew (NJS #1) has been demobilized from the Roaring Lion Fire. Not only did I see this reported on social media, but I also saw this reported on the August 10th Eastern Area Interagency Resources Representative (IARR) Crew Report, the latest report is available here. The IARR is, I think, updated a few times a week while crews from the Eastern Area are deployed outside the eastern area, so what you see may be different from the IARR that I saw last night. The IARR is available from the Eastern Area Coordination Center.

I'd like to thank the NJS #1 crew for all the good work that you did working the Roaring Lion Fire which has burned 8,274 acres to date and is at 65 percent containment. I understand that the crew visited the Smokejumper base in Missoula Montana, you may see their photo below.

I'm not quite sure if NJS #1 crew is coming home now or if they are going somewhere else. I'll update this post as I find out what they are doing.



And speaking of the Roaring Lion Fire, recall that I wrote about the IMET, Dan Borsum from NWS Billings Montana yesterday. I was able to get in touch with Mr. Borsum via e-mail yesterday thanks to the NWS Billings MT who forwarded my e-mail to him. I am very impressed by his dedication as an IMET to providing weather forecasts and briefings to keep all the firefighters working the Roaring Lion fire safe including but not limited to those from outside the area (like the NJS #1 crew and other crews from the east) who may have been unfamiliar with the area.

The Roaring Lion Fire is in the Bitterroot National Forest which includes some mountainous terrain. I know enough to know that  weather forecasts involving mountainous terrain such as the mountains in the Bitterroot National Forest can be challenging. I am again left with a renewed appreciation for the complex nature of weather forecasting, including fire weather forecasting. I was chatting with a now retired wildland firefighter last night about IMETs, he commented to me that IMETs save a lot of lives. Nice work Dan! Thank-you all IMETs.

Dan shared a photo with me of a thunderstorm that affected one of the camps at the Roaring Lion Fire one night. He gave me permission to share this with you. Wow. I'm glad that you were there to keep all safe from these thunderstorms.

Thunderstorm impacting Roaring Lion Camp

Roaring Lion Fire - Incident Meteorologist

I have been writing about the Roaring Lion Fire recently, see my August 3rd and August 8th articles, because the New Jersey Forest Fire Service has a crew that is working the Roaring Lion Fire along with other crews from the Eastern Area. As I write this, the Roaring Lion Fire (in the Bitterroot National Forest near Hamilton Montana) remains at 8,274 acres and is at 60 percent containment, perhaps thanks in part to some cool and wet weather yesterday (see this August 9th report from KXLH 9 with video). Evacuation orders are still in place.

I want to take the opportunity to draw your attention to the very important work done by IMETs, also known as Incident Meteorologists. As I understand it, Incident Meteorologists are National Weather Service Meteorologists that have received special training to provide on-site weather forecasting services to incidents including but not necessarily limited to wildfires. Deployments typically last two weeks or until the wildfire is maintained, see this article on IMETs from the National Weather Service for more information. I am introducing IMETs now because there is an IMET working the Roaring Lion Fire, he describes what being an IMET involves in this video (uploaded on Aug 7th) that I found on Inciweb's Roaring Lion Fire photo page. One of the things that an IMET does is to launch a Weather Balloon with a radiosonde. A radiosonde has a variety of instruments to take upper air readings that Meteorologists use to help them make forecasts. Here is a very short video of the Roaring Lion Fire IMET launching a weather balloon. Here is an article describing yesterday's weather on the Roaring Lion Fire from NBC Montana.

I'd like to thank the IMET, Dan Borsum from the NWS Billings Montana Office, for all that he is doing providing meteorological services to the Roaring Lion Fire, to help the fire crews stay safe and work the fire effectively. Thank-you Dan! I share a brief reflection on what I am learning about IMETs and share a photo that Dan shared with me to share with you in my August 11th post.

Thanks to my friends from the NWS Mt. Holly for helping me with a brief fact check in writing this article.

NJ Forest Fire Service Crews working the Roaring Lion Fire

I wrote in my August 3, 2016 blog article that a New Jersey Forest Fire crew is working the Roaring Lion Fire. According to the latest Daily Managers Briefing from the Eastern Area Coordination Center (EACC, see note 1) this crew (known as NJS#1) was mobilized out west on July 29th. If I am not mistaken, this is a two week assignment. As I write this, the Roaring Lion Fire has burned 8,274 acres and is at 30 percent containment (this inciweb page is updated frequently while the fire is active, so you may see a later version). The cause of the fire, first reported on July 31st, is unknown.

I understand that there were evacuations in place and that some residents are allowed back in to their homes. An update on the evacuations (dated August 7th at 7:30 PM local time) from the Ravilli County Sheriff may be found here. According to an August 5th update from the Ravilli County Sheriff sixteen residences were destroyed and 49 outbuildings and nonresidential structures reported as seeing some level of damage from the fire.

The Missoulian (August 8th) is reporting on additional evacuations and closure of a portion of the Bitteroot River issued on August 8th.

Aircraft have worked the fire, see for example helo photo 1 and helo photo 2.

Additional Media reports on the Roaring Fire:
KPAX8 (August 5th) with photos
KPAX8 (August 7th)
Missoulian (August 7th)

Note 1: this briefing, also referred to as the Morning Briefing is updated daily so what you see may not be what I am referring to. The latest Morning Briefing (also referred to as the Daily Briefing or Managers Briefing) is posted on the EACC Intelligence Page under Predictive Services. If you want to see the latest Morning Briefing, go here.

Updated on August 11, 2016:  neglected to mention that when the Eastern Area Coordination Center has eastern area crews deployed outside the eastern area, that there is report known as the Interagency Resource Representative Report (IARR) that is updated when eastern crews are deployed outside the eastern region. The latest IARR report is available here.

Time for some helos (again)

I have been taking care of some personal business this week which is now resolved. Everything is good. Then I took some rest and recreation this afternoon. Many of you know that I have a special fondness for helo videos, so I am sharing some that came across my desk this week. Enjoy.


Direct link to video


Direct link to video


Direct link to video

New Jersey Forest Fire Service Crew working out west

August 3, 2016 2:40 PM

The New Jersey Forest Fire Service has mobilized a crew that is currently working the Roaring Lion Fire, that has burned 7,130 acres in the Bitteroot National Forest near Hamilton, Montana. As I write this, the fire is not contained. I understand from the morning briefing that I saw on the Eastern Area Coordination Center that I saw today that the eastern region has three crews in addition to the NJ Forest Fire Crew working the fire. I am very happy that crews from the east are helping fight this fire.

Updated on August 8, 2016: the Roaring Fire has burned 8,274 acres and is at 30 percent containment. Evacuations are in place and 16 residences have been destroyed, see my August 8th article for more information.

Updated on August 11, 2016: The New Jersey Forest Fire Service crew (NJS #1) that was working the Roaring Lion Fire has been demobilized, see my August 11th post for more information. Also, I neglected to mention that when the Eastern Area Coordination Center has eastern area crews deployed outside the eastern area, that there is report known as the Interagency Resource Representative Report (IARR) that is updated when eastern crews are deployed outside the eastern region. The latest IARR report is available here.

Turn Around, Don't Drown

I share a Facebook post from a Rescue Squad in my corner of NJ. Several inches of rain over 24 hours from July 30th into July 31st lead to flash flooding. The photos tell the story of why it is important to "turn around, don't drown." The First Responders and those they rescued are all safe.



Kudos to members of the Flemington-Raritan First Aid and Rescue Squad. Mutual aid responders from Whitehouse Rescue Squad were on the truck assisting in the rescues. The really cool orange truck you see is Flemington-Raritan's Special Services 495 (go here for more information and scroll down the page. I am not sure what other agencies provided mutual aid.

And I'd be remiss if I did not embed a video showing Special Services 495 in action.


Direct link to video

About the Erskine Fire (Kern County, CA)

I saw incredible footage of the Erskine Fire on Facebook yesterday which I will embed and link to in a little while. The Erskine Fire began sometime in the afternoon of June 23rd near Lake Isabella in Kern County, California. At the last update on Inciweb on July 6 2016, the Erskine Fire had burned 48,019 acres and is (or was) at 98 percent containment. Kudos to the wildland firefighters on the ground and in the air who worked this fire, some of whom are on mop up duty as I write this.

A couple of items interested me from the Erskine Fire's Inciweb news page:

• June 26th news item: two confirmed fatalities.
• A June 27th news item: a drone incursion on June 26th shut down air operations for about 30 minutes.
• Another June 27th news item reporting that 257 structures were destroyed and 75 were damaged.

You will want to check out Bill Gabbert's (of Wildfire Today) report with updates on the Erskine fire that may be found in this June 23rd article (with updates).

Burned Area Emergency Recovery on the Erskine Fire has started, for more information go to Erskine Fire BAER page on Inciweb.

Now for the videos. Both videos that I am embedding here are from High Desert News. The two videos are shot by and copyrighted by David Johnson of High Desert News. David, great footage!

June 23rd video by David Johnson of High Desert News is fire footage from the first day of the fire. Incredible footage, allow about seven minutes for the video.

Direct link to video on Facebook

July 2nd video by David Johnson of High Desert News, an interview with the Kern County Fire Department Captain (about seven minutes) includes information for residents that were affected by the fire and then current information on the status of the fire. The Erskine Fire is the largest wildfire to date in Kern County,

Direct link to video on Facebook

Sand Fire (Angeles National Forest, CA) -- July 27th

I suspect that many of you may have seen or heard some of the media coverage of the Sand Fire that is currently burning in and near the Angeles National Forest near Los Angeles, California. As I write this, according to the Sand Fire's Inciweb page (accessed on July 27th at 12:15 PM EDT), the fire has burned 38,346 acres and is at 40 percent containment, with aircraft working the fire. Here are links to a couple of photos of aircraft from the Sand Fire's photo page on Inciweb: Neptune BAe-146 Tanker 40 and a helo dropping retardant.

As I write this, the latest information (late in the evening of July 26th) about evacuations and road closures may be found in this news article on the Sand Fire's news release page (Sand Fire News Release Page on Inciweb is here).

I hope that you are following the articles on the Sand Fire written by Bill Gabbert of Wildfire Today and Fire Aviation: video of a DC-10 Tanker dropping (bottom of post), article on a building in the Angeles National Forest destroyed by the Sand Fire, and finally he has been reporting (with updates) on the Sand Fire in this July 25th post (including a map). You might want to check back at Wildfire Today and Fire Aviation for later updates.

I thought you might be interested in some media coverage of the Sand Fire:

CNN report with video  and photos (July 26th, 10:40 PM)
ABC7 in Los Angeles, CA (article, video and photos) -- July 27th
NY Times video (from Tyler Celio/Instagram) - July 25th

August 3, 2016 2:20 PM EDT

The Sand Fire is at 100 percent containment, and burned a total of 41.432 acres (see the Sand Fire's Inciweb page for more information.).

Hayden Pass Fire, July 25 (Coaldale CO)

I wrote about the Hayden Pass Fire that is burning in Coaldale (Fremont County), Colorado on July 13th. As I write this, according to the latest update from the Hayden Pass Fire Inciweb Page, the fire has burned 16,520 acres, much of the acreage burned is in the Pike And San Isabel National Forests and is now at 55 percent containment. As some of you know, active fire information on Inciweb is updated periodically while the wildfire is burning, so the information that I am reporting here may not be current. I was interested to see that the wildfire had grown by a little more than 4,000 acres since I last wrote about the wildfire on July 13th.

On or about July 23rd, an Interagency Burned Area Emergency Response was sent to the Pike And San Isabel National Forests  to begin work on a burned area survey, see the Hayden Pass Post-Fire BAER page on Inciweb for current information.

I don't know about you, but I find it useful to look at maps showing a wildfire perimeter, especially when you can see some of the nearby roads. Here is a map showing the fire perimeter on July 21st.

Obtained on July 25, 2016 from http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/photos/COPSF/2016-07-10-2348-Hayden-Pass-Fire/picts/2016_07_22-10.50.59.473-CDT.jpeg

Mandatory evacuations were in place for residents near the fire perimeter (County Road 45 and County Road 6). Mandatory evacuations were lifted for County Road 45 residents on July 19 while evacuated residents of County Road 6 were allowed to re-entry on July 21st.

There are some videos (daily reports) and photographs that you may access on the Hayden Pass Fire Inciweb page.

I read a nice article with a video on FoxNews21 (July 18th) about the base camp set up for the Hayden Pass Fire.

I was interested in some of the aircraft that have and continue to work this fire. I understand from the July 22-23rd report on the Hayden Pass Fire Inciweb page that as of July 25th two helicopters (one large and one small) are at an airport close to the fire to provide support.  I found the video of a Chinook Helicopter that I am embedding below from the Hayden Pass Fire Facebook Page (I believe this is publicly available, but I could not get the direct link to video that they posted on July 25th to work).



Here are some links to photos of some of the aircraft that worked the fire.

Kaman K-Max waiting for duty and her bucket
Chinook taking off from Salida Helibase
Airtanker (very large airtanker?) dropping
Helicopter and bucket
Bill Gabbert of Fire Aviation shared a nice photo from Weston Burch of DC-10 Tanker 912 dropping, and for those of you following the Sand Fire, Bill Gabbert also shared a nice video of a DC-10 Tanker dropping in the aforementioned article.

Malheur Heli-Rappel

Continuing with videos of helitack and heli-rappel crews crews. Here is a nice video from feener productions of Life on the Malheur Rappel Crew uploaded in September 2013. The video is about eight minutes long, there is no audio. I looked the footage so I am sharing it here. Enjoy. Thanks Malheur Rappel Crew for all you do and stay safe!


Direct link to video

ODF Helitack (2015)

Continuing with videos from helitack crews, here is a nice video about the Oregon Department of Forestry helitack crew highlighting their 2015 season. Nice work everyone and have a safe 2016 season.


Direct link to video

Kootenai Helitack (2015)

Continuing with more videos. Today I am sharing a very nice video showing the Kootenai Helitack 2015 fire season. Kootenai Helitack is based in Libby, Montana and is used as an initial attack resource. Thanks for all you do, and have a safe 2016 season/


Direct link to video

Time for some helicopters

Some of you know that I have a special place in my heart for helicopters. On a slightly warm, but pleasant summer afternoon I am sharing some footage of various helicopters that work wildfires. Thanks to my friends from the B10 NJ Wildland Fire Page where I first watched these videos a few weeks ago (they change their videos on their video page once a week on Friday or Saturday)

These are for you Matt.

I start with some footage from the Mesa Verda Helitack 2013 season

Direct link to video

Here is a short video of helicopters (bucket and snorkle) working a wildfire in China

Direct link to video

I finish up with a video from my friends at Erickson Air Crane

Direct link to video

Hayden Pass Fire, July 13th (Coaldale CO)

As I was making my rounds earlier today of today's wildfire news, I noted the Hayden Pass Fire that has burned 12,193 acres near Coaldale, Colorado. The fire started on July 8th and was probably caused by natural events. It is not contained. As usual, Bill Gabbert of Wildfire Today has been covering this fire with some photos taken from space with a thread on the Hayden Pass Fire that he has been updating, last update on July 13th. I check Bill's blog at least once a day to see the latest wildfire news, including his reports on wildfires.

Here are a couple of nice videos about the fire that I found.

Last night (July 12),  Denver 7 - The Denver Channel had a report on the Hayden Pass Fire. There was an interview with an artist who has lived near Hayden Pass for thirty years and has to leave behind some art work in the event of an evacuation. He has most of his art work in the back of his van.


Direct link to video

Here is a nice video of some images of the smoke from the Hayden Pass Fire. The smoke is in the background, with photos of the local area.


Direct link to video

Neptune's BAe 146 Tankers

It is one of those rare perfect summer days in northwest New Jersey, temps in the low 80s with low dew points. So I took a little play time today. Hope that those of you who are able are taking some time off during the summer.

Anyway, I don't know about you, but I love hanging out and watching airplanes landing and taking off. One of the great things about the internet is that I can partake in watching tankers landing and taking off courtesy of many fine videos on Youtube. Today, I am sharing a video of Neptunes BAe-146 Tankers 1 & 2 working out of Boise, Idaho on August 26, 2015, uploaded by airailimages. Enjoy!

Team from South Pole Rescue back home

On June 24th, I wrote about a rare successful mid-winter aerial rescue of two sick workers from the South Pole in Antarctica. The other day a read a report from CTV in Alberta Canada, with a few videos) that the two crews from Kenn Borek Air who flew this rare mid-winter trip Antarctica arrived back home in Calgary, Alberta on June 30th.

The article along with nine videos from CTV may be found on this CTV webpage (dated July 5, 2016). CTV reporters interviewed the Kenn Borek crews that participated in the mid-winter rescue from the South Pole on July 5th. I tried, but was unable to get the embed code to work here, sorry.

I am never certain how long these reports and the videos will be available, so I am highlighting for you some of the key points that I learned from reading the report and watching the videos. Watching all nine videos takes about 15 or 20 minutes tops.

• The two Twin Otters and their crews, traveling together,  arrived home in Calgary on June 30th.
• They traveled a total of 21,054 nautical miles.
• The two Twin Otters had extended fuel tanks taking up much of the "passenger area" and were equipped to handle winter weather in the Antarctic.
• The crews had Antarctic experience. The crew that flew to the South Pole talked about flying the route from Rothera Base to the South Pole in October (late spring and summer in the Antarctic), saying that even in the summer they often spent the 10 hour flight from Rothera to the South Pole in the clouds.
• The crews are committed and well trained. When the CTV reporter asked who would volunteer for such a mission in the future all raised their hands.
• In addition to using GPS for navigation the pilots used celestial navigation.
• The two Twin Otters left Alberta on June 14th, making their last stop of the day in Texas. Pilots from Kenn Borek air flew on a commercial flight to Texas so that the team could continue to fly, at night to the next stop in Costa Rica.
• By June 17th the Twin Otters had arrived at Punta Arenas, Chile. Medics joined the Kenn Borek teams in Chile.
• The Twin Otter that stayed behind in Punta Arenas had her skis on until just before the Twin Otter (KBG) that flew to the South Pole arrived back in Punta Arenas when they changed out her skies for wheels.

Personal reflections on Fire Weather Forecasting (part 5 of 5)

I have been considering and reflecting on what to share in this final “reflections” post to wrap up my series, “About Red Flag Warnings & other Fire Weather products from National Weather Service (NWS) Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs).” I think that I can let the articles that I wrote (see bottom of this post for a list with links) stand for themselves. However in parting, I have six reflections or thoughts that I'd like to share with you.

1) As I reflected on what I had learned in researching and then writing my series on “About Red Flag Warnings & other Fire Weather products from NWS WFOs”, I found myself thinking early on in this process that fire weather and fire weather forecasting is complicated. I came away thinking that I had no idea just how complicated fire weather and fire weather forecasting is before I started doing background research for this series. 

2) I have a great deal of respect for the NWS WFOs who issue Red Flag Warnings and Fire Weather Forecasts. To all at the NWS WFOs, I say thank-you, thank-you, thank-you. I know that wildland firefighters on the ground and in the air use Red Flag Warnings (RFW) and other Fire Weather Forecasts to know how the weather is affecting their fire. To all of you who work fires on the ground and in the air and on support teams I say thank-you, thank-you, thank-you. 

3) I call myself an ordinary citizen who is interested in knowing about current weather forecasts, including fire weather forecasts in my corner of New Jersey in the United States. So I go to my local WFO website and keep an eye out to see if they have issued any Fire Weather Watches or Red Flag Warnings. Sometimes not all the RFW criteria will be met, but conditions will warrant the issuance of a Special Weather Statement for Enhanced Fire Danger. For example, perhaps the relative humidity (RH) is below RFW criteria but the winds and fuel moisture criteria are above RFW criteria, so the local NWS WFO will issue a Special Weather Statement for Enhanced Fire Danger (or another product with similar wording). I appreciate knowing about any possibility of enhanced fire danger if for no other reason than I can be more vigilant. Often local media will pick up on upcoming Fire Weather Watches and Red Flag Warnings.

4) I don’t know about you but I do try to be fire aware on any day and try not do anything that might lead to a wildfire. I am especially mindful to be extra careful on days when Red Flag Warnings or Enhanced Fire Danger Warnings are issued by my local NWS WFO. These are some of things that are on my list: I no longer smoke, but if you are a smoker being careful not throw a cigarette on the ground. Also on my list are no outdoor burning, checking my car for a pipe that might drag on the road, if I am camping checking for current camp fire regulations and perhaps going the extra mile and not lighting a camp fire, being sure that camp fires are fully extinguished, and if I am going to compost ashes from your indoor fireplace or wood burning stove I will be sure that ashes are fully extinguished. Your State fire agency will have a list of what you should and should not do on a high fire danger day. Of course, it is always good to be fire aware even if you are not under a RFW. 

5) Thank your local NWS WFO, social media is great for this. Whether it be RFW or warning us about any weather event (flood, hurricane, snow storms, thunderstorms and tornadoes to name a few), they are all about keeping us safe. 

6) Finally, a prayer, meditation, or thought for wildland firefighters doesn’t hurt. 

Articles in this series:

June 27, 2016: About Red Flag Warnings & other Fire Weather products from NWS WFOs -- Intro (part 1 of 5)

June 29, 2016: Framework for discussion of Red Flag Warnings and other Fire Weather Products issued by NWS WFOs (part 2 of 5)

July 1, 2016: NWS Mt. Holly Fire Weather Products part 1 (part 3 of 5)

July 4, 2016: NWS Mt. Holly Fire Weather Products part 2 (part 4 of 5)

NWS Mt. Holly Fire Weather Products Part 2 (part 4 of 5)

Today I continue with the second part of my interview with Lee Robertson, fire weather focal point for the National Weather Service (NWS), Mt. Holly NJ. This is part 4 of a 5 part series "about red flag warnings & other fire weather productions from NWS Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs)." For those of you who are landing here, in part 2 of this series I provided a framework for discussion of red flag warnings and other fire weather products. The first part of my interview with Lee Roberts is presented in part 3, posted on July 1st.

As you continue reading my interview with Lee, please remember that fire weather operations in the NWS Mt. Holly are appropriate for the fire regime in the Mt. Holly Forecast Area. Further Mt. Holly’s fFire Weather Operations Plan is customized for their core audience (or partners). Mt. Holly Fire Weather Operations Plan that is available at http://www.weather.gov/phi/fire under “additional fire weather information”

Q5. Random Ramblings: 6. Where does Mt. Holly get their observations from, I noted some observation sites on your fire weather page. And what is included. Can you add anything to what I can read in the sites linked to on your fire weather page?

Lee: Our observations come from a variety of places.  The main observation is Automated Surface Observation System or ASOS, which we use for everything from Aviation, to public forecasting.  There is the RAWS network which are the sites listed on our Fire Weather page.  There is also the Citizen Weather Observation Program aka CWOP network.  

Note: ASOS observations are available at This FAA website for ASOD observations (click on your State in the map). RAWS and CWOP observations are available at from this Mesowest website based in Utah, where you can select your state and then use a drop down box to select the observations you want to see (ASOS observations are also available at the same Mesowest website based in Utah where they are listed as “NWS”).

Q6. Random Ramblings: How often does Mt. Holly issue your Fire Weather Forecast (FWF) and if issued, your Red Flag Warnings?

Lee: We update our Fire Weather Forecast (FWF) twice daily; around 4 am and 4 pm.  This was changed from only 4 am several years ago to give an updated forecast to the next day for our fire weather partners.  When conditions are not representative to the forecast, such as relative humidity being much lower than forecast (for instance 20% occurring, versus 35% forecast) our forecasters should be updating the forecast.  Also, if a Red Flag Warning is issued, the FWF is to be updated as well.  

Q7. Random Ramblings: Can you briefly talk about the spot weather forecasts that Mt. Holly issues?

Lee: Spot Forecasts are requested by our Fire Weather partners when they need weather information for a specific locations when they are working individual fires.  Sometimes they request Spot Forecast for prescribed burns, other times they request Spots when an active wildfire is ongoing.  Other times, we do not get any requests from them because they are able to use the FWF and current conditions to suit their needs.  There is a website where they can request the Spot Forecast, and access the actual forecast output when we issue it.  Once they send their request, an alert pops up on our screen in our office and we work up our forecast, then send it out.  Depending on forecaster workload and other factors, once the request is issued, it can take as little as 5 minutes, sometime up to 15-20 minutes to show up on the website.  Our partners also have our number, so if there is a concern about the foreast or if they didn't get it, they can always call us.

On July 6th I will close out this series with some reflections on what I have learned while researching and then writing this series about red flag warnings & other fire weather productions from NWS Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs).

Other Articles in the series

June 27, 2016: About Red Flag Warnings & other Fire Weather products from NWS WFOs -- Intro (part 1 of 5)

June 29, 2016: Framework for discussion of Red Flag Warnings and other Fire Weather Products issued by NWS WFOs (part 2 of 5)

July 1, 2016: NWS Mt. Holly Fire Weather Products part 1 (part 3 of 5)

July 4, 2016: NWS Mt. Holly Fire Weather Products part 2 (part 4 of 5)

July 6, 2016: Personal reflections on Fire Weather Forecasting (part 5 of 5)

NWS Mt. Holly Fire Weather Products Part 1 (part 3 of 5)

Recall that I live in the NWS Mt. Holly’s weather forecast area. I’d like to thank Lee Robertson, fire weather focal point for the National Weather Service (NWS), Mt. Holly NJ. Lee and I spent a few e-mails discussing the fire weather operations in NWS Mt. Holly. As you read my interview with Lee, please remember that fire weather operations in the NWS Mt. Holly are appropriate for the fire regime in the Mt. Holly Forecast Area. Further Mt. Holly’s Fire Weather Operations Plan is customized for their core audience (or partners). Mt. Holly Fire Weather Operations Plan that is available at http://www.weather.gov/phi/fire under “additional fire weather information.”

This is part 1 of my interview with Lee Robertson, part 2 will post on Monday, July 4th.

Q1: Random Ramblings: I understand that NWS Mt. Holly’s Red Flag Warning Criteria, from the Mt. Holly Fire Weather Operations Plan, are as follows:

PA: wind >=20 mph (sustained/frequent gusts), Relative Humidity <=30%, 10 hour fuels <=10% 

NJ: wind >=20 mph (sustained/frequent gusts), Relative Humidity <=30%, 10 hour fuels <=10%

DE and MD: wind >=20 mph (sustained), Relative Humidity <=30%, 10 hour fuels <=8%

I have read the Mt. Holly Fire Weather Operations Plan. I understand that a Fire Weather Watch means that critical fire weather conditions (red flag warnings) may happen in the next 12 to 72 hours. Red flag warnings are issued by NWS office when critical fire weather conditions are imminent expecting to occur within the next 12 to 24 hours, The exact criteria vary from office to office.  I know that your fire weather plan uses other language to describe when you issue a Fire Weather Watch and Red Flag Warnings, but I want to use hours here because I think that this is language that everyone will recognize. Finally, you will sometimes issue a special weather statement for elevated fire risk. Can you elaborate on these fire weather products?

Lee: There really isn't much other way to describe Red Flag Warnings/Fire Weather Watch and their criteria.  Fire Weather Watches (PHLRFWPHL) are issued for the 2nd, 3rd or 4th 12 hour period of a forecast (24-48 hours). A Red Flag Warning (also PHLRFWPHL) is issued for the 1st or 2nd period of a forecast (12-24 hours).  The three criteria ALL have to be met at the same time to be considered a Red Flag Warning.  Some regions/offices have more or less criteria, but it's the same that all criteria have to be met.  If say, the Relative Humidity is not less than 30%, then it would not be a Red Flag Warning day even if winds gust to 30 mph and fuels are dry, and same for the other ones not being met.  You listed the criteria.  We forecast the RH (relative humidity) and Wind Speeds.  Fuel moisture is determined by our Forestry partners.  We coordinate with them to see who fuels have reacted to recent rainfall and drying conditions to determine of a RFW is needed.  Sometimes it is determined that fuels are not critically dry, or winds and/or RH will be marginal, and a RFW is not needed, so we may issue a Special Weather Statement to highlight the threat so people can be aware of the dangers of fires, and also give a heads up to our fire partners that it could be a dangerous day, but not critical RFW conditions.  We coordinate via a chat system with our neighboring NWS offices about the conditions we expect, and then coordinate with our Forestry partners our concerns for the day and determine what statements, if any, will be needed whether that be an RFW or SPS (Special Weather Statement) or a mentions in our Synopsis in our Forecast Discussion.

Q2. Random Ramblings: Who are Mt. Holly’s forestry partners? Do you have any idea how your forestry partners determine fuel moisture?

Lee: Yes, our partners are the Forestry/Forest Fire Services with each state.  

They have instruments in the field that give them actual measurements for fuel moisture.  But they also take into account recent rainfall and drying.

Q3. Random Ramblings: I know that the SPC does fire weather forecasts, can you briefly explain how Mt. Holly interfaces with SPC regarding forecast fire danger?

Lee: SPC does do a Fire Weather Forecast that covers the entire country.  They have specific criteria that they use to determine if they will issue an enhanced, critical, or extreme fire weather day.  You can view their criteria here. Again, we coordinate via our chat system concerns on either end.  There are days when they will have us in an outlook and our partners are less concerned due to fuels not as dry as thought, and there will be days when we have statements out when no outlook is in effect for various reasons, one being SPS uses Temperature as a criteria, while we do not.

Q4. Random Ramblings: How does Mt. Holly coordinate with adjoining office on fire weather forecasts. For example on March 23, 2016 (the day I first wrote Lee) Upton issued a special weather statement for elevated fire risk a couple of hours before you did. Did you talk to them?

Lee: As mentioned above, we have a chat system we use to coordinate with neighboring offices, or we use a phone call.

Other Articles in the series

June 27, 2016: About Red Flag Warnings & other Fire Weather products from NWS WFOs -- Intro (part 1 of 5)

June 29, 2016: Framework for discussion of Red Flag Warnings and other Fire Weather Products issued by NWS WFOs (part 2 of 5)

July 1, 2016: NWS Mt. Holly Fire Weather Products part 1 (part 3 of 5)

July 4, 2016: NWS Mt. Holly Fire Weather Products part 2 (part 4 of 5)

July 6, 2016: Personal reflections on Fire Weather Forecasting (part 5 of 5)