2020 wildfire season: thanks to NJFFS deployed in western USA

I am sure that many of you have joined me in thinking and offering our own personal prayers for all those affected by this devastating wildfire season in the western United States. As I have done so, I am every mindful of the men and women of the NJ Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) who are currently deployed on wildfires out west. So this post is in honor of all of the men and woman of the NJFFS who have served out west, are currently deployed out west, or are awaiting deployment. You are working hard on your assignments, I know that you are doing your best to be safe so that you can come home to your family and friends at the end of your deployment. I know that your service is appreciated by those who live or work near the fires you are working on. 

I found a nice article late last week, from the SandPaper (September 24th), New Jersey Forest Fire Service busier than ever this year with western wildfires. I want to share it with you and encourage you to take a few moments to read this great article offering a little insight into the work that NJFFS crews are doing out west. At the time the article was written, there had been 74 firefighters and 10 engines deployed out west. Most drove but at least one crew flew. One of the NJFFS firefighters who is deployed out west is Bill Donnelly from Mays Landing NJ, a 30 year veteran, who is serving as a task force leader. He shares a little about the work that his crews are doing:

‘A fire’s a fire’s a fire,” Donnelly said resolutely. “Some are bigger than others, but the work that goes into putting them out is the same.” That was not to downplay the gravity of the situation, as he described this particular season as “chaotic.’

‘It’s just like you see on the news,’ he said. ‘The fires are raging, burning down houses, killing people. There is something to be said about that.’

Donnelly’s team is in northern California, bordering Oregon, on a million-acre fire. ‘It’s a pretty big one,’ he said, comparing the size to about one-third of New Jersey. The work involved requires long hours and extensive hiking on very little rest. Just getting to the fire takes his team three to four hours. ‘We’re working in areas where homes have already burned down around us,’ he described. ‘We’re keeping it in check and keeping it from carrying on further.’

Donnelly outlined the multiple factors at work creating the prolonged disaster on the West Coast. First, there has simply been an overwhelming number of fires due to intense weather, high winds and low humidity: ‘All the ingredients necessary for fire are at play.’ With the longer season comes the need for more responders.

I wrote a couple of family and friends who live in southern California, telling them about all the crews and engines that the NJFFS has sent to California. They said to say "thank-you, we appreciate it." 

I don't want to leave out other states in the eastern region, please know how much your service means to me. 

I am honored by the service of all from New Jersey and elsewhere in the eastern region who have been or are currently deployed out west. You honor us with your service. Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you

2020 wildfire season IMET deployments (Sept 11 to Sept 24)

As the western United States is experiencing a devastating wildfire season, National Weather Service Incident Meteorologists (IMET) continue to be deployed to a large number of wildfires to give firefighters on a given incident the best possible weather forecast so that they may be safe as the work to fight wildfires and as necessary do their best to provide structure protection. Recent readers may know that I have been following the Bobcat Fire (113,986 acres) that is still burning in the Angeles National Forest near Pasadena California. I watched a couple of virtual public meetings (a day later) held be officials providing updates about the fire. In the two virtual public meetings that I watched, I heard the IMET then deployed to the fire provide an incident specific weather forecast. I had not thought about this aspect of what an IMET does. I know that they work hard to determine current and future incident specific weather conditions as well as providing briefings to firefighters. I admit that I had not thought that they would be present at briefings to brief the public. The presence of the IMET at the virtual public meeting spoke volumes to me. IMETs save lives.

Before I get to recent IMET deployments, I had the opportunity to correspond via social media with NWS meteorologists about fire weather including a representative from the NWS IMET office. I asked how many IMETs were currently deployed to wildfires. This is what they said: "Currently (September 23rd) 30 IMETs are deployed to fires. This is a record for this date. Historically, no more than 20 IMETs have been deployed on a single day past September 19th."

Here is a list of IMET deployments over the last two weeks, obtained from the National Weather Service IMET Facebook Page. Links are to the specific post about the deployment where you may find links for more information about the fire. IMET deployments are usually for two weeks. If IMETs are required at an incident beyond the two week deployment period, another IMET will rotate in. Looking at the list of deployments below, it appears that there might be more than one IMET (not including an IMET trainee) on some fires, or perhaps the deployment was shorter than two weeks. Any errors are mine.

September 11th

• Archie Creek Fire near Gilde, OR

September 13th

• Brattain Fire near Paisley, OR
• Dolan Fire near Big Sur, CA
• North Complex near Quincy, CA
• August Complex near Elk Creek, CA
• El Dorado Fire near Yucaipa, CA

September 14th

• Red Salmon Complex near Denny, CA
• Castle Fire part of the SQF Complex near Porterville, CA

September 15th

• Slater Fire near Happy Camp, CA (IMET trainee)
• Thielsen Fire near Chemult, OR
• Beachie Creek Fire near Detroit, CA

September 16th

• Cameron Peak Fire near Redfeather Lakes, CO
• Badger Fire near Oakley, ID

September 17th

• August Complex near Elk Creek, CA
• North Complex near Quincy, CA (IMET trainee)
• SQF Complex near Porterville, CA
• Creek Fire near Shaver Lake, CA (IMET trainee)

September 18th

• East Fork Fire near Hannah, UT
• Creek Fire near Shaver Lake, CA (IMET trainee)

September 19th

• El Dorado Fire near Yucaipa, CA

September 20th

• August Complex near Elk Creek, CA

September 21st

• Castle Fire part of SQF Complex near Porterville, CA
• Dolan Fire near Big Sur, CA
• Bobcat Fire near Pasadena, CA

September 22nd

• Archie Creek Fire near Gilde, OR
• Lionshead Fire near Warm Springs, OR
• Creek Fire near Shaver Lake, CA

September 24th

• Williams Fork Fire

Seat Crash over Schill Fire in Idaho

Updated September 24th at 9:39 AM

Yesterday afternoon, the Bureau of Land Management Fire and Aviation released the name of the pilot who was killed in the fatal SEAT crash near Emmet Idaho on September 22nd. The pilot is Ricky Fulton. I continue to hold Ricky's family, friends, colleagues and all who loved him in my prayers as they mourn his loss. Ricky, may you always fly in favorable winds. For more information see Bill Gabbert's updated September 23rd Fire Aviation article.

Updated information regarding last night's fatal Single Engine Air Tanker crash on the #SchillFire. Our thoughts are with the family, friends, & collogues of pilot Ricky Fulton. #NeverForgotten https://t.co/cuwNxNth83

— Bureau of Land Management Fire and Aviation (@BLMFire) September 23, 2020

September 23rd, 1:13 PM

It is with great sadness that I must write about another tanker crash, this one a SEAT. A Bureau of Land Management SEAT was working the Schill Fire near Emmett Idaho on Tuesday evening September 22. The pilot did not survive. The pilot's name has not been released pending notification of the family. 

It's with deep sadness that we share the loss of a Single Engine Air Tanker pilot after a crash tonight working on the #SchillFire near Emmett, ID. More info will be released following family notifications. Our thoughts are with all those impacted by this tragedy. #NeverForgotten pic.twitter.com/A6Wxf67QW5

— Bureau of Land Management Fire and Aviation (@BLMFire) September 23, 2020

Bill Gabbert wrote about the crash in an article posted on September 23rd on Fire Aviation. KTVB7 in Boise Idaho reported on the crash, updated on September 23rd, here.

I offer my deepest and heartfelt condolences to the family, colleagues, friends and all who loved the pilot. Please join me in a moment of silence to remember the pilot and their loved ones as they grieve. 

Updated information regarding last night's fatal Single Engine Air Tanker crash on the #SchillFire. Our thoughts are with the family, friends, & collogues of pilot Ricky Fulton.

2020 wildfire season: Bobcat Fire (Angeles National Forest) update (Sept 21)

On September 16 I wrote about the Bobcat Fire, at the time it had burned 44,393 acres. Due, in part to high winds couple with low humidity, as I write this the Bobcat Fire has burned 105,345 acres in rugged terrain. Evacuation orders are in place and an unknown number of residences as well as a nature center have been destroyed. As winds allowed, airtankers and helicopters continue to work the fire to support the firefighters on the ground. I offer my heartfelt prayers for all the firefighters working this and other wildfires as well as living or working in communities affected by this and other wildfires out west.

Bill Gabbert wrote a nice article on September 18th with some nice photos along with the then current situation.

The Bobcat Fire is one of many wildfires burning in the western United States. For personal reasons, it is the Bobcat Fire that I am following. I suspect that many of you have followed the Bobcat Fire and other wildfires burning in the western United States through national or international news outlets as well as you local newspapers and media outlets. I knew over the weekend that I wanted to post on the Bobcat Fire today. I thought the best way for me to do so was to embed a few videos. So if you are information overload about these fires, then you know what to do. And if you are not, then take a little time to watch these videos.

The first video is from KCBS in Los Angeles, shot on September 18th, showing some of the destruction in Juniper Hills.

Direct link to video

The second video is also from KCBS in Los Angeles from this morning. The reporters provide an update on the then current status including evacuations. In addition, they discuss the firefighters, on the ground added by aerial assets a are working to save Mt. Wilson.

Direct link to video

I end with a video uploaded by WOW Media with thirteen minutes of footage of the Bobcat Fire uploaded on September 19.

Direct link to video

An aviation contractor reflects on flying fires for the firefighters on the ground during this devastating fire season

I saw a post from Coulson Aviation on their Facebook page yesterday which left me speechless. It is not their normal post about their aircraft currently on contract with the U.S. Forest Service or soon to be on contract in Australia, it is a post addressed to the all the firefighters on the ground. They speak in very eloquent terms about the sacrifices made by all the firefighters on the ground, that they fly to help them. I always try to say that aerial firefighting assets fly to help the firefighters on the ground, they do not put fires out but I do not write this out of any first hand experience. As soon as I saw Coulson's post yesterday, I knew that I had to share it with you. They say what I can not. Please click on see more to read the entire post. And don't forget the pictures. 

2020 wildfire season: Bobcat Fire in San Gabriel foothills and Mt. Wilson

A couple of days ago I began to follow the Bobcat fire in the Angeles National Forest in Los Angeles County, California. The fire is threatening nearby foothill communities. As I write this, the fire has burned 44,393 acres. While some mandatory evacuation orders have been lifted, allowing residents to return, other mandatory evacuation orders and evacuation warnings remain in place.  I began following the fire through the Bobcat Inciweb pages, the Angeles National Forest facebook page as well as some media outlets, see for example this KABC article (September 16th) or this KCBS report (September 14th) or this September 15th article from Pasadena Now. Yesterday I learned that the flames came within 500 feet of the observatory. Tankers and helicopters made strategic drops to help the firefighters on the ground fight the fire on Mt. Wilson and save the historic observatory as well as vital communications and electric infrastructure. I was very interested to see that a portable container was set up on Mt. Wilson to allow the LA Count Firehawk to dip and drop on Mt. Wilson.

See this September 15th twitter post from the LA County Fire Air Ops retweeted by the Mt. Wilson Observatory, you will have to click on the link to see the photo of the Firehawk dipping on Mt. Wilson

Today, @LACoFireAirOps set up a mobile water reload container in the Mount Wilson parking lot. With support from a @Cal_OES fire engine, one of our brand new S70i Firehawk helicopters helped protect @MtWilsonObs & other critical infrastructure from the advancing #BobcatFire. pic.twitter.com/sSufOOKqOI

— LACoFireAirOps (@LACoFireAirOps) September 16, 2020

Alternatively, the same photo is included in the following Facebook post from the LA County. The link to full post where you may read about the evacuation orders and see the 3-D photo (very cool) may be found here.

Firefighters continue to work to fight the fire on Mt. Wilson and to save the observatories, outbuildings, and transmission infrastructure. While progress has been made fires continue to burn, so they are not out of the woods yet. The firefighters have also worked hard to protect the foothill communities. Kudos to the firefighters.

Direct link to video from CBS Los Angeles

The two facebook posts below were posted on September 15th.

2020 wildfire season: NJ Forest Fire Service deployments Sept 14 update

I have a couple of friends who live in areas affected by the wildfires out west. Somehow to say to my friends that what they are going through is scary beyond words feels wholly inadequate. This continues to be a devastating wildfire season for many areas in California, Oregon, and Washington. What is close to my heart as I write this is that thousands and thousands of people are scared, they may be evacuated and are wondering what they will come home to. Others are living in areas under evacuation warnings, ready to leave at a moments notice, wondering if the fire will come to their neighborhood. Wildland firefighting resources are stretched to the max, those of us in States that are able, are sending engines and crews to help the wildland firefighters work the fires. We are there to help you.  

I am so proud of the New Jersey Forest Fire Service, at Governor Murphy's request, a Russian transport cargo plane transported three additional engines, a support vehicle and ten wildland firefighters to California, they arrived in San Francisco on Saturday, September 12th. They join a few NJFFS engines and crews already working in California, Nevada and elsewhere in the western U.S. Most states in the Eastern Area Coordination Center have sent engines and crews to help out west   Here is a nice article from Josh Axelrod of NJ Advance Media about the deployment of NJFFS resources.

Never Forget - Remembering 9/11

I remember all those who died in the 9/11 attacks in 2001. I remember the first responders who died trying to save others. I remember the first responders who were there saving others who live with horrific physical and emotional problems. Join me in a moment of silence to remember.

Direct link to video

 

2020 wildfire season: update on NJFFS deployments (September 10th)

The New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) continues to provide crews and engines to the western United States to help fight wildfires. I am very proud of all the NJFFS crews and engines, you are doing good work under tough conditions. You are sacrificing time with your family and friends because what you do is fight fires and you help where you are needed. Here are two reports highlighting the NJFFS crews work out west. The first is by Josh Axelrod reporting for New Jersey Advance Media on September 4th, with a paywall. Unfortunately, you may not be able to read the article, but just in case try going here to see if you can view the article, apologies if you can not access the article. I felt it important to acknowledge good local reporting on the NJFFS deployment. Axelrod reports that "over the last six weeks 51 New Jersey Firefighters have been sent to western States, with nine currently in California." NJFFS Chief Greg Mclaughlin talks about the deployment with Axelrod of New Jersey Advance Media:

“Something’s changing,” McLaughlin said. “Why it’s changing, how it’s changing, is still uncertain or unclear. It’s the extremes that’s happening that are really causing an unpredictability.”

In response to another year of volatile forest fires, NJFFS has sent three modules, or 10-person crews, to Wyoming, four engines to California, an engine to Nevada, an engine and resource specialists to Colorado and two helicopter managers to Montana.

Two to three crew members man each engine that drive across the country to their assignment. When crews arrive, they typically camp out, though occasionally they stay in hotels.

“There’s great eagerness to go and help out,” McLaughlin said. “It’s what they’re trained to do and it’s what their career is. It can be stressful, and it’s a sacrifice, because in the summer, school’s off, your kids are home, and you’re agreeing to leave for two weeks, to leave your family and commit to this. So it’s a big sacrifice, but there’s an eagerness and a high level of commitment to wanting to do it.”

The second report, from 6ABC in Philadelphia is freely available. I am not sure how long the link will be active so if you are arriving here some time after the date of this article, and the links are broken, you will know why. The September 10th report from 6ABC with a video may be found here, and I am embedding the video at the end of this article.

Here is an excerpt from the 6ABC report:

Yesterday, the winds were probably 15 to 20 mph all day," said Larry Birch.

Birch is part of a team from the New Jersey Forest Fire Service who are aiding those in California.

A total of 60 fires continue to scorch three states Wednesday night, including California, Washington and Oregon.

Firefighters are attacking the flames from the ground and the air, 14,000 people are on the frontlines just in California.

"(It's) very hot, we were caught in 100 degree days," said Birch.

The winds have produced everything from mushroom cloud-like plumes of smoke to vortexes that can make it almost impossible for firefighters to contain.

"I mean it was just chasing spot fires after spot fires, we have to hold the line," said Birch.

2020 wildfire season: reflections on severe fire season in the western United States

 I have no adequate words to offer about the devastating wildfire season in parts of the western United States. I know that the wildland fire fighters on the ground and in the air are working very hard to protect you and your homes. They are stretched to the max. I am very thankful of their efforts, not just because I have some friends and family who live out west, but because I care. I care passionately. A couple of friends of mine have commented to me about the wildfires, I thank them for noticing and for their concern. and assure them that I am paying attention but there are too many for me to even to try to write about here. The tip of the iceburg is dramatized by: (1) a fire shelter deployment last Saturday (all ok) in Bozman Montana, (2) the rescue of over 200 campers by helicopters from a remote campground in the Sierra National Forest, CA, and (3) yet another fire shelter deployment, this one in Shaver Lake California where 14 firefighters deployed shelters on September 8, 1 is in critical condition and a second is in serious condition.

Those conversations got me thinking that I wanted to take time today to acknowledge these devastating wildfires and to offer my profound thanks to all of our wildland firefighters on the ground and in the air. Thank-you from the bottom of my heart. Stay safe. You are spending time away from your families and loved ones during a pandemic no less. Your sacrifice is appreciated. Know that I care.

One picture is worth a thousand words and to that end, I offer the photographic essay by the Capital Weather Gang of the Washington Post on September 9th.

I close with a couple of videos, the first one is raw footage of homes burning near Bear Creek California, while the video is of one fire it represents the situation in many towns across the west as wildfires threaten homes and businesses. The second video is about wildfires burning in Oregon and Washington. I offer these videos as an act of prayer for all those affected by this devastating wildfire season and the wildland firefighters in the air, on the ground, and their support teams. I will remember.

Direct link to video

Direct link to video

2020 wildfire season: IMET deployments (September 1 to September 7)

With the continued ramp up in the wildfire season in the western United States, the National Weather Service Incident Meteorologists have been busy. According to the NWS IMET Facebook Page, as of September 4th, a total of 51 IMETs have been deployed to 73 separate incidents. I am going to list IMET deployments for the last week, from September 1st to September 7th, follow the links to the NWS IMET Facebook Page for more information and more links about each fire:

September 1

• North Complex Fire near Crescent Mills, CA
• Hidden Fire near Gisela, AZ
• Slink Fire near Coleville, CA

September 2

• Beachie Creek Fire near Detroit, OR
• Lionshead Fire near Warm Springs, OR

September 3

• Butte Lightning Complex near Oroville, CA
• Red Salmon Complex near Denny, CA

September 4

• Lofer Fire near Whiteriver, AZ
• Pine Gulch Fire near Grand Junction, CO (an IMET trainee)

September 5

• El Dorado Fire near Oak Glen, CA

September 6

• Valley Fire near Clovis, CA
• Creek Fire near Shaver Lake, CA

September 7

• East Fork Fire near Hanna, UT
• August Complex near Elk Creek, CA (an IMET trainee)

I am very thank-full for the good work that IMETs do to provide the best possible weather forecasts to the incident they are assigned to. IMETs keep wildland firefighters safe. IMETs save lives!

Note: IMET Trainees work with an IMET who is already assigned to the fire.

2020 wildfire season: Thank-you Canada and U.S. Army for helping fight wildfires in California

Thanks to Bill Gabbert's fine reporting on August 28th, I did know about that the U.S. Army announced last week that they were sending 200 troops to fight wildfires in California. First there was a training period to learn about wildland firefighting for a few days ending on September 30th. See this September 3rd tweet from the U.S. Army North with a short video of members of the I-Corps completing their training, they are practicing working with hoses. A special thank-you to all the U.S. Army troops helping fight wildfires in California. Your service will not be forgotten. Stay safe.

Again, thanks to Bill Gabbert, I did know that the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) had asked Canada and Australia to send wildland firefighters to help fight wildfires in California, Bill writes on September 2nd that the Canadian Province of Quebec is sending six crews of twenty persons each while the request to Australia is still pending. As Bill wrote on September 3rd, the crews from Quebec arrived in the U.S. on September 2nd and received training in the use of fire shelters before being deployed to the North Complex in California. 

I was a little behind in my reading, so I only learned this morning about the wildland firefighters from Quebec, Canada coming to help fight wildfires in California. I used to spend a part of each summer in northern New England not far from the border with Quebec, so Quebec's deployment has a special meaning to me. Thank-you Quebec. Stay safe.

Note, after reading Bill Gabbert's reporting on the mobilization of U.S. Army Troops and the deployment of wildland firefighters from Canada to wildfires in California, I did find some reporting on these events on the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) Twitter Page, see for example their September 3rd post. Since Bill's reporting contained much the same information and I was unable to fully embed the NIFC tweets, I opted not to included the NIFC. But for those who are so inclined the NIFC twitter page is a good resource with lots of good information about current wildfires burning, wildland fire safety, deployments, etc. So I wanted to give @NIFC_Fire a shout out for their nice twitter page.

2020 wildfire seasons: air tankers in action (Aug 14th) over Grizzly Creek Fire CO

 I found a nice video to share with you uploaded on August 14, 2020 to Youtube of airtankers in action over the Grizzly Creek Fire in the White Mountain National Forest near Glenwood Springs, Colorado. The video is just under five minutes. I should warn you that there is one instance of colorful language near the beginning of the video, if that bothers you you may want to mute the sound. I hope that I have correctly identified the tankers that ou will will see in the video: MD-87s from Aero Air, a P-3 on exclusive use contract with Colorado, an RJ85 from Aero Flite, a DC-10 tanker from 10 Tanker, and a BAe-146 from Neptune Aviation and a couple of Single Engine Air Tankers (SEATs). Enjoy.

Direct link to video on Youtube

2020 wildfire season: update on NJ Forest Fire Service deployments in western US (Sept 1st)

I want to provide a brief update to what I know about New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) deployments in the western United States where they are helping fight wildfires. I last wrote about these deployments on August 28th. Before I get to New Jersey's deployments, I want to point out that when I was checking the Eastern Area Coordination Center's (EACC) website today (information updated frequently), specifically their resource summary page. The states in the Eastern Area are well represented in deployments in the western U.S. Point being is that New Jersey is but one of the states in the EACC sending crews and/or engines out west. For a listing of the states and agencies in the EACC, go here.

The NJ Pinelands Module, aka NJ-NJS#3, a 10-person crew, is being demobilized and will return home soon. They spent two weeks working wildfires in Wyoming and more recently in South Dakota, thanks to my friends at the NJFFS Section B-10 website for this information (site updated frequently, so what you see may be different).

Regarding other NJFFS deployments, there is a nice article from the NJ Herald (August 27). According to this article, five (I think) NJFFS engines have been deployed to California, Colorado, and Nevada and smaller two person crews are in Montana and California doing specialized tasks. The article interviewed Gregory McLaughlin who heads the NJ Forest Fire Service, McLauglin provided some insight into the two-week deployments of 10-person modules:

With the COVID-19 pandemic, there are also extra precautions being taken as well. Instead of 20 people in a “hand crew,” the number has been cut to 10. Those going are isolated in New Jersey for a couple of days and tested for the virus.

Once it’s determined where the crews will go - they are dispatched by e-mails - they work remotely, taking with them their own food, water and equipment.

“Normally, there were large camps set up and teams would go out from there,” the chief explained. The precautions also cut the number of people going with an engine, from four to three.

Teams are also bringing their own hand tools and efforts are made to keep people within their own units.

At the scene, firefighters work 16-hour shifts on work ranging from face-to-face fire fighting, to creating fire breaks by intentionally setting fires or cutting down trees and “mop-up” operations which ensure there are no hot-spots which can flare up.

I continue to be thankful for all of you from the New Jersey Forest Fire Service, and any other firefighters from other agencies based in New Jersey who are helping out with the wildfires in the western United States. You honor us with your service. Stay safe. 

As I can do so reliably, I will try to provide updates on these deployments.

The toolkit of NWS Incident Meteorologists (IMETS)

Among the tools that a NWS Incident Meteorologists takes to the field when deployed to a wildfire are weather balloons and RAWS. Learn about these two tools from recent posts from the US NWS IMET Office .

Weather balloons used by weather offices around the world, including National Weather Service Weather Forecasts Offices. The portable version is used by IMETs when deployed to wildfires.

Another important tool used by IMETs is the Remote Automatic Weather Station.

2020 wildfire season: NJ and PA engines deployed to California

First a brief update on the two crew modules from NJ deployed to Wyoming. The NJ Highlands module will be returning home tomorrow. The NJ Pinelands module is "assigned to the Freeze Out Fire near Sheridan, WY. 10 acre fire. Directing bucket drops, digging line. Most resources have left the area. Module is doing well. No new information. (obtained from Eastern Area Interagency Report (IARR) and the NJFFS Section B10 webpage on August 28, 2020 (note that information on these two dates is update frequently and what you see when you go to these sites may be different). 

Several engines and crew from the NJ Forest Fire Service and the Pennsylvania DCNR took four days to drive 3,000 miles across country to California to help out with the wildfires in that State.  I am very, very proud. You honor us with your service. Here is a short video from KSBW 8 showcasing the NJFFS engines that recently arrived in California, some of the engines will be working the CZU Lightning Complex. Another NJFFS engine is assigned to the Elkhorn Fire. I don't know all the fires that the engines are deployed to, and will see if I can find a complete list of the fires where the PA and NJ engines are deployed.

I am very, very proud of the modules and engine crews from New Jersey and Pennsylvania. You are helping provide much needed support to the crew in California fight wildfires. I can not be of direct help, but you are helping where we in New Jersey and Pennsylvania can not. You honor with with your service in California. Stay safe.

August 24 helicopter fatality: RIP Tom Duffy

I am deeply saddened to be writing about another wildland fire aviation fatality. On Monday, August 24th, a Kmax helicopter (type 1) crashed while doing bucket drops on the White River Fire in the Mt. Hood National Forest in Oregon. According to Oregon Live (August 25th), the KMax was on contract with the U.S. Forest Service. The only occupant of the Kmax, the pilot, was the only fatality. The wildland firefighting has lost yet another one of their firefighting family.

The US Forest Service had initially announced yesterday afternoon that they were not releasing the name of the pilot pending notification of the family. However, by early evening, the pilot was identified. 

The pilot was Tom Duffy (40) of Bozeman, Montana. He was identified in a press release from his Church, the Seventh Day Adventists. Thanks to Bill Gabbert of Fire Aviation for his August 26th article and the link to the Gleaner Now: Northwest Adventists in Action (August 25th) article about Tom Duffy. Tom was an active member of the Adventists in Bozeman Montana and a leader in their Northwest organization. He was deeply committed to the Adventists and much loved by the Adventist community in Bozeman and in their Northwest organization. He is survived by his wife, Robyn and his three children. 

Hearts in and outside of the wildland firefighting community that were already broken by the August 19th helicopter crash and the July 31st SEAT mid-air collision are broken yet again. 

Tom, you were doing good service making bucket drops from your KMax over the White River Fire when you died. You loved your family, your church, and your flying buddies. You died protecting the Mt. Hood National Forest, an area that had special meaning for some in my family. I thank-you for this. I will always remember your service and your sacrifice. I offer my sincere prayers for your family, church family, friends, colleagues and all who loved you.

August 19th helicopter fatality: RIP Michael John Fournier

On August 19th, Michael John Fournier died while making bucket drops with his helicopter over the Hills Fire in Fresno County California. The picture and tweet below are from CAL FIRE.

obtained on August 25, 2020 from pic.twitter.com/gZlV9E3cV5

We are deeply saddened to report the passing of a pilot aboard a Call When Needed helicopter that crashed yesterday, August 19th while providing support at the #HillsFire in Fresno County. We send our sympathies to the family during this difficult time. pic.twitter.com/gZlV9E3cV5

— CAL FIRE (@CAL_FIRE) August 20, 2020

While I am a little late in making this post, my prayers have been with Michael's family, friends, colleagues and all who loved him as they mourn his loss. I was very moved to read an August 20th report on ABC10 San Diego where he flew as a back-up news helicopter pilot. I know that his former colleagues loved him and miss him. Please take a couple of moments to read this article. I can not access the video in the report, happens some times, but there are a couple of photos of Michael. Here is an excerpt:

Timothy Gaughen, a former ABC 10News photojournalist, said working beside Fournier was one of the high points in his career.

"Fast, efficient, fun, it was always great. It was always enjoyable," Gaughen said. "There's certain people you remember from your career. I still remember it as if it was yesterday ... Just a pleasant, pleasant personality."

Gaughen said when it was time to get in the air, Fournier was an absolute professional.

You died flying a wildfire to help the firefighters on the ground. You died saving lives. Your service will not be forgotten, I will remember. I offer my sincere and heartfelt prayers to your family, friends, colleagues, and all who loved you. May you always fly in favorable winds. 

Update on fatal collision of two SEATs (August 20th) pilots identified

I wrote about the fatal mid-air collision of two single-engine airtankers over the Bishop Fire near Caliente, Nevada on July 31st. The Nevada Office of the Bureau of Land Management updated their press release about the crashes on August 20th to add the names of the two pilots killed in the fatal mid-air collision. They are David Blake Haynes and Scott Thomas.

David and Scott, I offer my prayers for your families, colleagues, friends and all who loved you and are mourning your loss. You were making drops on the fire to help the firefighters on the ground and to save lives. The sacrifice you made while flying the Bishop Fire will not be forgotten. I know that you are flying in favorable winds. Please know that I will always remember your sacrifice and that of your tankers.

2020 wildfire season: reflections on northern California wildfires (Aug 21st)

For the last couple of days, my thoughts have been on the severe wildfire outbreak in California. As I sit here in (for the moment) relatively tranquil New Jersey, I find that my words our wholly inadequate. A helicopter pilot was killed in a fatal crash on August 19th (ABC30 report), a PG&E employee also died. At least two other fatalities have been reported. As usual, Bill Gabbert of Wildfire Today does his usual good job of reporting, here is his August 21st article. Thousands of people are under evacuation orders and this during a pandemic. 

Here is a brief summary from a CAL FIRE August 21st update:

Nearly 12,000 firefighters are battling nearly two dozen major fires and complexes across California. Overnight firefighters continued to make progress despite extreme weather conditions. Since the lightning siege started on Saturday, August 15, 2020 there have been nearly 12,000 lightning strikes. During this time-period, there have been more than 560 new wildfires, most of which have been contained due to aggressive firefighting. Those fires have burned over 771,00 acres in total.

Thanks to Mike Archer's Wildfire News of the Day newsletter for August 21st, I found a satellite image taken from GOES-17 of smoke over California from the wildfires. I obtained the image on August 20th from NASA's Earth Observatory website. They say in part:

The map below shows the concentration of black carbon particulates—commonly called soot—at 12:30 a.m. on August 20. Black carbon can harm humans and other animals by entering the lungs and bloodstream; it also plays a role in global warming. The black carbon data come from the GEOS forward processing (GEOS-FP) model, which assimilates data from satellite, aircraft, and ground-based observing systems. In this case, GEOS-FP assimilated fire and aerosol observations with meteorological data on air temperature, moisture, and winds to project the behavior and extent of the plume.

I want to acknowledge and thank all the wildland firefighters in the air and on the ground working in very difficult conditions. I understand that there may not be enough of you. You are working very hard. I offer my prayers for all the residents affected by these fires and for the firefighters. Heed evacuation orders. Stay safe. Take care of each other.

2020 wildfire season: SEAT on initial attack in Wyoming

 Thanks to my friend at the NJFFS Section B10 and their newly redesigned website who now posts fire videos of current interest on their home page (changes daily). Late last week they shared a nice video, just under five minutes of a Single Engine Airtanker (SEAT) flying initial attack on the Brandel wildfire, a smaller wildfire in southeast Wyoming. I was intrigued about the video of this SEAT (T-889) flying initial attack on this fire with great videography that intrigued me, so I knew I had to write about this video. Here are a couple of images from Google Earth to provide a geographic reference.

Actually, there is not much that I can say about this wildfire. The video was uploaded on August 13 over the Brandel Fire which burned 60 miles south east of Casper Wyoming. I did an internet search and *think* I found a short article about the Brandel fire on Oil City News (August 7th) that provided a couple pieces of additional information: the fire started on August 7th and burned 168 acres near Wheatland, WY at the time the article was written. I have no further information on this fire. From watching the video (there are some radio communications), it appears that in addition to T-889, three other SEATS flew initial attack on this fire: T-832, T-862, and T-864. In addition, it appears that two helicopters were working the fire.

If I am correct in reading the credits at the end of the video, T-889 and 832 are based at the Casper (WY) SEAT Base, that is at the Casper/Natrona County International Airport. In addition to hosting a SEAT Base, the airport also hosts a base to support Large Airtankers, see this August 4th Facebook post for more information.

Direct link to video by High Speed Productions on Youtube

About the National Preparedness Levels (wildfires in the United States)

 I suspect that many of you have heard various websites refer to the National Preparedness Level, a five level scale where as you go up the scale from 1 to 5. I find the current National Preparedness Level on the main fire info page of the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) . Rather than try to do a perhaps inadequate job of explaining this to you, I thought that I go to the horses mouth, so to speak. I don't know about you, but I do find it useful to know what each level means, so I went to the NIFC website to learn more. We are currently at Preparedness Level 4, and depending on when you read this, the preparedness level may be higher or lower.

So here goes, you may download a pdf file about the National Preparedness Levels from the NIFC here.

The National Multi-Agency Coordination Group (NMAC) establishes Preparedness Levels throughout the calendar year to help assure that firefighting resources are ready to respond to new incidents. Preparedness Levels are dictated by fuel and weather conditions, fire activity, and resource availability. 

The five Preparedness Levels range from 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest level. Each Preparedness Level has specific management directions. As the Preparedness Levels rise, more federal and state employees become available for fire mobilization if needed.

Preparedness Level 1

• Geographic Areas accomplish incident management objectives utilizing local resources with little or no national support.

• Conditions are not favorable to support significant wildland fire activity in most geographic areas.
• Resource capability is adequate with little or no mobilization of resources occurring through the National Interagency Coordination Center.

• Potential for emerging significant wildland fires is expected to remain minimal.

Preparedness Level 2

• Active Geographic Areas (GA's) are unable to independently accomplish incident management objectives. Resource capability remains stable enough nationally to sustain incident operations and meet objectives in active GA's.

• Significant wildland fire activity is increasing in a few geographic areas.

• Resources within most geographic areas are adequate to manage the current situation, with light to moderate mobilization of resources occurring through the National Interagency Coordination Center.

• Potential for emerging significant wildland fires is normal to below normal for the time of year.

Preparedness Level 3

• Mobilization of resources nationally is required to sustain incident management operations in the active Geographic Areas (GA's). National priorities established as a necessary measure to address the heavy and persistent demand for shared resources among active GA's.

• Significant wildland fire activity is occurring in multiple geographic areas, with Incident Management Teams (IMTs) actively engaged.

• Mobilization of resources through the National Interagency Coordination Center is moderate to heavy.

• Potential for emerging significant wildland fires is normal for the time of year. 

Preparedness Level 4

• Shared resources are heavily committed. National mobilization trends affect all Geographic Areas (GA's) and regularly occur over larger and larger distances. National priorities govern resources of all types. Heavy demand on inactive/low activity GA's with low levels of activity for available resources.

• Significant wildland fire activity is occurring in multiple geographic areas; significant commitment of Incident Management Teams.

• NICC increasingly engages GACCs in an effort to coordinate and fill orders for available resources.

• Potential for significant incidents emerging in multiple GA’s indicates that resource demands will continue or increase.  

Preparedness Level 5 

• National mobilization is heavily committed and measures need to be taken to support GA's. Active GA's must take emergency measures to sustain incident operations.

• Full commitment of national resources is ongoing.

• Resource orders filled at NICC by specifically coordinating requests with GACCs as resources become available.

• Potential for emerging significant wildland fires is high and expected to remain high in multiple geographic areas. 

Obtained on August 17, 2020 from https://www.nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireinfo_prepLevels.html

Friday Fun: Banner Towing

 Late last week, I came across a very cool video on NJ Advance Media's website, fortunately it is on their Youtube channel making it easy to share with you. It is funny, I meant to share it earlier this week but got distracted with my other posts. Just yesterday I realized that I had meant to post this earlier, and then realized that this video will make a good post in my occasional Friday Fun series of posts. So here goes, many of you either at a beach or elsewhere have probably seen banner planes towing a banner. Whether or not you agree with the banner that they are being paid to tow, they certainly can get your attention. At least they get mine. I admit that I did not know a lot about banner towing. Thanks to this video from NJ Advance Media, I learned a little more about the risks involved in towing banners. Kudos to the pilots.

Direct Link to video on Youtube from NJ Advance Media (NJ.com)

2020 wildfire season: out of state NJFFS deployments (August 10)

August 17th update: The NJ Storm module is being demobilized from service in Wyoming and will be replaced by the NJ NJS#3 module aka NJ Pinelands. The NJ Pinelands module will be traveling to Wyoming today, see this FB post from the NJFFS Section B10.

August 14th

I wrote on August 3rd about a 10-person NJFFS module, NJ Storm, that was deployed to Wyoming. The NJ Storm module left New Jersey for Wyoming on or about August 2nd. According to my friends at NJFFS Section B10, they worked the Bull Lake Fire in Wyoming (information not available) until they were released on August 11th returning to the staging area in Wyoming await assignment to another fire. Their rotation out west should be ending on or about August 17th. Sadly, I have no photos to show you or link to, but I understand that they did good work on the Bull Lake Fire and may have been aided by some large or very large air tankers in addition to other air support.

Yesterday, August 11th, the NJFFS Section B10 posted on Facebook that a second 10-person NJFFS module, known as NJ Highlands, was deployed to Wyoming for a fourteen day deployment. I know no details, perhaps they are in a staging or pre-position area awaiting assignment to a fire. 

These two 10-person modules from New Jersey are but two of several modules from the Eastern Area deployed out west. The information about Eastern area crews deployed outside the eastern area  is updated daily by the Eastern Area Coordination Center. Current information may be found on the Eastern Area Interagency Resource Representative Report, the latest report may be found here (only updated while crews are on assignment outside of the eastern area). I am glad that modules and crews from the eastern area are deployed to other areas of the United States to help local wildland fire crews work wildfires. 

I am proud of the crews from my own State of New Jersey and all the other eastern area crews. You honor us by your service fighting wildfires outside the eastern area. Stay safe.

2020 wildfire season: IMET deployments (August 2 to August 9)

 I last wrote about the deployment of NWS Incident Meteorologists (IMETs) on July 3rd. In referring to the US National Weather Service IMET Facebook page, and if my counting is correct, I have counted 20 IMET deployments since July 3rd, mostly to wildfires in the western United States. Of those 20 deployments, five have occurred since August 2nd. I will focus on the last five deployments here.

On August 2nd, an IMET from the US NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard Office was deployed to the Apple Fire that is burning near Cherry Valley CA. As I write this, the wildfire has burned 32,905 acres.

On August 3rd IMETs were deployed to these fires:

• An IMET from the US National Weather Service Tucson Arizona office to the Cassadore Springs Fire near San Carlos, AZ. The fire has burned 20,337 acres to date.
• An IMET from the US National Weather Service Denver/Boulder Colorado Office to the Pine Gulch Fire burning near Grand Junction, CO. The fire has burned 28,888 acres to date.

On August 5th, an IMET from the US National Weather Service Hanford California Office was deployed to the Stage Coach Fire burning near Havilah, CA. The fire has burned 7.760 acres to date.

And finally, on August 8th an IMET from the US National Weather Service Boise Idaho Office was deployed to the Phillips Creek Fire Near Fairfield, Idaho. The fire has burned 2,121 acres to date.

IMETs save lives! 

Post Isaias in New Jersey - thank-you utility linepersons and treeguys

Three days after Tropical Storm Isaias slammed New Jersey, adjoining states and New England, portions of New Jersey are still without power. I won't get into the details here, most of you have probably seen local or national news reporting on Isaias. 

I took a drive around my part of the State to see if I could find a stopped utility truck to take some photos for you. I passed five on local highway but as I was driving, I was unable to take a photo for you. Then there were about four utility trucks (by the colors of the trucks I think that they were from out of state) that passed my house yesterday, including one that stopped after my power was turned back on. They were making repairs on an outage near my house, necessitating shutting off my power for a little over an hour. I was not thinking nor was a wearing a mask, so I thanked the lineman from a distance, and did not think to ask him if I could take a photo of his truck.

I drove by the staging area a few miles from my house for utility crews. I did enter, wanting to respect Covid restrictions. Covid restrictions probably explained why I did not see utility trucks parked on breaks. 

Just before going home, I did see a utility truck parked at an intersection near an outage that was reported by the local utility. So I grabbed a not so great photo for you. Perhaps later this weekend I will be able to get some more photos for you, or perhaps not.  I know that utility crews have come from out of state to help restore power. There is a lot of tree damage around the state, I saw a lot of downed trees on people's lawns as well as cut-up trees near areas where I knew there were outages. The tree guys have to come first to take care of the trees before the utility linemen can work on restoring power.

I write this and show this not so great photo of just one utility truck as a way of thanking all of the local and out of state crews (utility crews and tree removal crews)who are helping us in New Jersey (and adjoining states) get our power back.  This utility truck is one of hundreds helping us. 

I also want to thank the New Jersey Forest Fire Service Crews who have been working in our parks cutting trees that came down in Isaias.

Thank-you. Thank-you. Thank-you

2020 wildfire season: out of state NJFFS deployments.

Most every year some crews from the New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) are ready to be deployed out of state to help with wildfires in other parts of the United States. The first call of the season came over the weekend, and on August 2nd, a 10-person module from the New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJ storm) left for Cheyenne Wyoming. I thank the folk at NJFFS Section B10 (Facebook) for making this known to us. 

It is not important that I know no details of their assignment. What matters is that they are needed, and will pitch in to work a wildfire in the Cheyenne Wyoming area, or perhaps to help out in another capacity. I may know some basic information later from the Eastern Area Coordination Center, and when and if I do I will provide an update. 

I wish the NJFFS module the best as they travel and then work whatever their assignment is. NJFFS NJ Storm module, thanks for your service and stay safe.

P.S. Updated on August 4th at 9:20 AM EDT. We are due to see the impacts of Tropical Storm Isaias this afternoon, August 4th. I hope to set up a post for Wednesday in a little while, but if I don't then you will know why