2021 wildfire season: wildfires out west (July 19th)

I must start with offering my kudos to all who report on what may be yet another catastrophic wildfire season in the western United States. On a regular, if not daily basis, my two go two sources of wildfire and fire aviation reporting are Bill Gabbert's Wildfire Today and Fire Aviation and Mike Archers Wildfire News of the Day e-mail newsletter (five days a week). Without them, what I try to do would be a lot harder. I myself do not "report" and I may not always write a post about the wildfire season in the western United States, but I do try to be aware of what is going on. There are also various and sundry over the air, cable, print/online news media, various state and federal agencies, and a myriad of social media sites. 

A conversation with a friend of mine about the major wildfire out west led me to offer this article to acknowledge that I am troubled by the extreme drought, heat waves and the major wildfires burning out west. More importantly, I care about our wildland firefighters on the ground and in the air fighting wildfires. Thank-you firefighters for your service, I pray for your safety.

According the the National Interagency Fire Center in their National Wildfire News for July 19th:

Wildfire activity continues in 13 states where 80 large fires have burned 1,174,486 acres. More than 19,600 wildland firefighters and support personnel are assigned to incidents. To date, 35,086 wildfires have burned 2,537,744 acres in the United States. 

Over the weekend, fuels and fire behavior advisories were issued for south/central Idaho, Northern California, Northern Rockies, and south/central Oregon. Many of these advisories describe extraordinarily dry fuels, resulting in elevated fire potential and fire activity. 

What I offer here are four videos which offer only a brief glimpse into what is going out west. Many, but not all of these fires may be found on inciweb. Included in the wildfires that Bill Gabbert is covering are the Tamarack Fire (CA) and the Bootleg Fire (OR).

Direct link to video from CBS Evening News (July 17th)

Direct link to video from KPIX CBS in San Francisco

Direct link to video from The Oregonian

Direct link to video from KGW News

NOAA Satellites detect wildfire smoke

I try to keep an eye on videos and images shared by NOAA's National Environmental Satellite Data and Information Service (NESDIS) in part because satellites fascinate and as I learn I want to share this with you. NESDIS shares videos in their Earth from Orbit page. Yesterday, July 15th, NESDIS shared a video (also available on their YouTube Channel) called "Wildfire Smoke Blankets the U.S." A fascinating two minute video where you learn how NOAA's different satellites (GOES and the polar orbitors) monitor smoke and how this data is fed into models used by wildland firefighters and others to monitor wildfire smoke conditions. The July 15th Earth from Orbit by NESDIS may be found here, you may want to go I would recommend taking a couple of minutes to read the text that goes with their video. They say in part

Wildfire activity amid extreme heat and drought has resulted in smoke blanketing much of the United States and Canada. As of July 14, 2021, 68 active large fires in 12 states have burned more than one million acres of land in the U.S. To date in 2021, more than 34,000 fires have burned more than two million acres. This is the most fires in the January to July time period since 2011. July is relatively early to see wildfire activity of this magnitude.

NOAA satellites are monitoring the fires, their smoke output, and air quality effects from the smoke. The fires are injecting smoke 40,000 feet into the atmosphere and compromising air quality.

2021 wildfire season: Preparedness Level 5

 As some of you know, here in the U.S. the National Interagency Fire Center has five national wildfire preparedness levels.

Obtained on July 15, 2021 from https://www.nifc.gov/fire-information#current-level 

According to the daily wildfire information from the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) in their daily wildfire news (information on this page is updated daily so the figures you see may be different):

Seventy-one large fires and complexes have burned 993,678 acres across the United States. More than 17,000 wildland firefighters and support personnel are assigned to incidents. To date, 34,411 wildfires have burned 2,255,218 million acres. (obtained on July 15th from NIFC wildfire news

On July 14, 2021, NIFC raised the preparedness level to five, the highest level. This is the earliest the preparedness level has been at level 5 in ten years.

2021 wildfires: Beckworth Complex, California

 I was watching videos posted by the NJFFS Section B10 (videos change weekly) and came upon two videos of the Beckwourth Complex that has burned 95,358 acres in the Plumas National Forest. For more on this Complex read the article that Bill Gabbert of Wildfire Today wrote on July 11th. 

The first video is about three minutes and the second video is a little over eight minutes.

Direct link to video by TNLA

Direct link to video by Action of the Day

Significant Flash Flooding near Delaware River in portions of NJ and PA

I occasionally take a time out to write about significant weather in my part of the world. I am over 50 miles from the areas that I am writing about. On, July 12th, severe thunderstorms went through portions of Southeastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey. I was fortunate and only had light drizzle. Not so in Bucks County in Pennsylvania and adjoining New Jersey. Towns where significant flooding occurred include Bensalem, Bristal, and Croyden in Bucks County, PA; and Florence, NJ in Burlington County. Note that these towns are in the upper right of the image below with Philadelphia in the lower Left for reference, click on the map for a larger image.

The NWS in Mt. Holly, New Jersey issued a Flash Flood Emergency late in the afternoon of July 12th. Some places received six to ten inches.

A significant flash flood occurred Monday afternoon and evening near the Delaware River in Bucks and Burlington Counties. The areas greatest impacted by this event received 6"-10" of rain in around 3-4 hours. This is estimated to be a 100 year flood. #PAwx #NJwx pic.twitter.com/BZZ9F1rOPk

— NWS Mount Holly (@NWS_MountHolly) July 13, 2021

Please, if you get alerted to a Flash Flood Warning on your smartphone, please heed the warning, go somewhere safe, preferably high groundFrom what I could tell the waters rose pretty quickly, cars got stuck in the flood waters and some were forces out of their apartments or houses due to the flood waters. Please do not drive through a flooded roadway, turn around don't drown. For more of Flood safety see this NWS page.

A special shout out to the National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office in Mt. Holly NJ for doing a great job with their warnings in what must have been a difficult and life threatening situation. In addition to these flash floods, there were other significant thunderstorms last night elsewhere in their forecast area. Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you NWS Mt Holly for a job well done.

Kudos to all the first responders who helped flood victims to safety. Nice job! Thanks so much for your service.

WHYY, the National Public Radio Station in Philadelphia has a July 13th report on the flooding. WABC6 in Philadelphia had an eight-minute report on the flooding on July 12th.

Direct link to video from ABC6 Philadelphia on YouTube

Fatal crash of Air Attack Airplane in Arizona

 I was saddened to hear the news of the fatal crash of an air attack airplane near the Cedar Basin Fire in Arizona on Saturday, June 10th. Twenty-four hours had passed when I heard the news last night of the crash from a friend who knows of my blog. Not knowing any details beyond what my friend told me, I went to Bill Gabbert's Fire Aviation site and saw his two articles, the first on July 10th reporting on the crash with information from the Bureau of Land Management in Arizona. He wrote a second article on July 11th with more information:

The Bureau of Land Management has released the names of the two men killed July 10 in the crash of an air attack aircraft in Arizona.

The incident occurred at about noon during initial attack efforts on the Cedar Basin Fire, which is 14 miles east of Wikieup in northwestern Arizona.

Pilot Matthew Miller, 48, and Air Tactical Group Supervisor Jeff Piechura, 62, were on board a Beechcraft King Air C-90 aircraft conducting visual reconnaissance and aviation command and control over the fire. Mr. Miller was a fire pilot with Falcon Executive Aviation, Inc. contracted by the U.S. Forest Service. Mr. Piechura was an employee with the Coronado National Forest. Their remains have been recovered from the accident site.

In addition to Bill's article on Fire Aviation cited above, I found this news release from the Bureau of Land Management in  Arizona on Facebook and a report from CBS in Phoenix Arizona.

My heartfelt prayers go out to Jeff and Matthew's families, friends, colleagues, and all who loved them. May Jeff and Matthew always fly in favorable winds.

2021 wildfire season: BLM Alaska Smokejumpers First Jump

Knowing that is summer in Alaska, I have been thinking about the wildland firefighters in Alaska. I know from my reading that smokejumpers play an important roll in fighting wildfires in Alaska. I wanted to find a way to share something about smokejumpers and/or other wildland firefighting in Alaska. It was not hard for me to come up with a couple of videos to share with you, both are from BLM (Bureau of Land Management) Alaska. I wanted to do something to give a shoutout to all the wildland firefighters in Alaska in the air and on the ground. Thanks for all you do to keep the people in your Alaska safe from wildfires.

The first video is a short video about the BLM Alaska Smokejumper's annual refresher training that all smokejumpers go through.

Direct link to video from BLMAlaska

In the last video you will see the BLM Alaska Smokejumpers preparing for their first jump of the season on May 24, 2021 to the Pilot Point Fire that burned near a remote village. Twelve BLM Alaska Smokejumpers were deployed to the fire, providing important initial attack with burn out operations with the help of at least retardant drop from an air tanker. The Pilot Point Fire  burned approximately 3,750 acres and was 100% contained on Friday night, May 28, 202. See these two articles about this fire from the Alaskanewssource on May 25th and May 29th

Direct link to video from BLM Alaska

Hurricane Hunters: early July 2021 edition

 I see this blog as sometimes delving into issues having to do with uses of aviation resources that are not specifically related to wildland firefighting. In prior years I have written about the use of NOAA and Air Force Reserve aircraft to hunt or fly into hurricanes, tropical storms. See for example this series that I wrote in 2015, some of the information in this 2015 series is dated but if you spend some time with those articles you can dive a little deeper into how Hurricane Hunter aircraft and crew do what they do. The two NOAA WP-3Ds have, to the best of my knowledge, been overhauled. Also, NOAA's hurricane hunters no longer fly out of Mac Dill, they fly out of Lakeland Linder Regional Airport in Lakeland, Florida. NOAA maintains and Aircraft Operations webpage that has more information on their program. 

I spent some time on Monday helping a friend find their way around the National Weather Service's hurricane watches and warnings. This got me thinking about the great work that the NOAA and Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft and crew do in flying hurricanes to gather data that provide current meteorological data on the hurricanes. So, I decided to devote today's article to an overview of Hurricane Hunters.

NOAA has two specially equipped Lockheed WP-3 Orion "Hurricane Hunter" aircraft that fly into hurricanes, Miss Piggy and Kermit. NOAA's G-IV Jet flying above and around the storm, for more information on these aircraft go here. In addition to NOAA's to Hurricane Hunters, the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron "Hurricane Hunters" are under the 403rd Air Force Reserve Wing. The 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron fly specially equipped WC-130J aircraft out of Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi. For more information see this factsheet.

I conclude by sharing two videos with you where you can get a brief over view about what the Hurricane Hunters do. The first video is a walk around of Kermit taken at the 2019 EAA AirVenture. You will learn about a little about how the NOAA Hurricane Hunters are used to obtain data directly from a hurricane or tropical storm.

Direct link to video on YouTube from EAA

The final video is footage from ViceNews of a Hurricane Hunter from the 53 Weather Reconnaissance Squadron and NOAA's Hurricane Hunters flying into Irma a category 5 hurricanes in 2017.

Direct link to video on Youtube from ViceNews

Happy summer holiday

This weekend has been a holiday weekend here in America as we celebrate Independence Day on July 4th.. I have been taking some time off to spend with my family. For those who celebrate, I thought you might enjoy This video from Airailimages of highlights of their videos along with some patriotic music. Allow about eight minutes.

2021 wildfire season: devastating wildfires hit Lytton, British Columbia

Like many of you, I had been hearing about the small town of Lytton in British Columbia, Canada for the last few days as its high temperatures gave this town the dubious honor of being the hotspot in North America. When I checked the newsfeed on my iPad this morning I saw an article reporting on wildfires that had destroyed most of the buildings in this small town. In reporting on these wildfires that hit Lytton, NPR reported a high temperature of 121F on June 29th, a day later the wildfires hit Lytton with all or most of the residents evacuating the evening of June 30th. Officials are still investigating these wildfires. IN addition to NPR, among the many media outlets reporting on the wildfires that hit Lytton are The Washington Post, and The Guardian. My heart goes out to the people of Lytton. As I write this, I am reminded that there may be more  Lytton's this wildfire season, just as there were towns severely impacted by other wildfires in recent years.

Direct link to video July 1st video report from CBC News

2021 wildfire season: severe drought conditions in western U.S.

I am sure that most of you are aware of the severe drought conditions in most of the western United States coupled with historic heat wave, some say the worst drought in at least 20 years in places. I am not here to report on these conditions as many media outlets and related news and wildland fire news on the internet are doing so. However, here are a couple of articles that I found today for you: ABC News and The Hill

I am here because all in the wildland firefighting community, whether you be on the ground or in the air, to know that I am paying attention. 

I am here because what I have read in the coverage of the severe drought in the western U.S. scares me as the summer wildfire season is well under way. 

I am here because I want to tell my wildland firefighter friends that I can not imagine what is like to fight a wildfire in extreme heat. 

I am here because it is my prayer that all of you who are wildland firefighters whether you are on the ground, in the air, and various and asundry support staff are safe. I care.

I believe that one picture is worth a thousand words. Here are three images of significant wildfire potential outlook for July, August, and September from Predictive Services at the National Interagency Fire Center and two images showing drought conditions, one is the most recent drought monitor is the seasonal drought outlook from the Climate Prediction Center. In all cases, I am sharing the most recent images. These sites are updated with new information as appropriate so if you are coming here sometime in the future what you see at these sites may be different.

2021 wildfire season: NJ Forest Fire Service sends engines to Minnesota (June 24th)

Every year the New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) will send engines with crew upon request to help wildland firefighters in other states. As I understand it, the NJFFS will accept a request for engines and crews when they know that there are resource available. This appeared to be the case when a request came in a few days ago from Minnesota for engines and crew. I first heard that the NJFFS had sent two type-6 engines and crew to Minnesota last Friday from this June 24th press release from the Minnesota Incident Command System shared by my friends at the NJFFS Section B10.

The NJFFS sent two engines with crew to Minnesota, Engines A5 and B10.

According to the Minnesota Incident Command System news release cited above, these two engines’’are part of NE region pre-position resource. They are currently in Hibbling, Minn for initial attack along with staging as an extended attack resources for other DNR areas in the Region.” At least 12 other States have recently sent resources and crew to Minnesota.

My understanding is that the crews are deployed for two weeks. The engines may stay longer with new crew assigned.

I am honored by the service done by these two NJFFS engines and crew to help out our friends in Minnesota as they work to keep their residents and businesses safe from wildfires. You honor New Jersey with your service I am very proud of you. Stay safe.

 

2021 wildfire season: NWS Incident Meteorologist deployments (June 24)

There are several NWS Incident Meteorologists (IMETs) that have been deployed to wildfires in the western U.S. within the last week, most of them in the last week. As of June 22nd, according to NWS IMET Operations, there were 11 IMETs and 2 IMET trainers deployed on fires.  Most deployments are for two weeks. I am listing the IMET deployments in the last week at the end of these paragraphs, thanks to the US National Weather Service IMET Program on Twitter. You may also find the NWS IMET Program on Facebook. This seemingly simple listing of IMET deployments takes a bit of time and comes with a lot of respect and love for the work that IMETs do to provide wildland firefighters the best possible weather forecasts so that they may be safe. IMETs save lives!

There are two sources you may go to in order to learn more about what IMETs, The first is  this great article from Weather Nation on The Role of Incident Meteorologists & Fire. Two a couple of weeks ago, I shared a YouTube video called "Forecast Earth, Forecast the Inferno." 

In regards to the links below, I have doubled checked them and they were working at the time I made the post. Any errors are my responsibility.

June 19th

• June 19th, NWS Wilmington NC IMET deployed to the Backbone Fire burning in the Coconino National Forest near Pine, AZ.

June 20th

• NWS Flagstaff IMET deployed to the Telegraph Fire burning in the Tonto National Forest near Phoenix, AZ.
• NWS Medford OR IMET deployed to the Cutoff Fire burning near Bonanza, OR.
• NWS Little Rock IMET deployed to Trail Canyon Fire burning near Red Mesa, CO.

June 21st

• NWS Jackson KY IMET deployed to the Oil Springs Fire burning near Grand Junction, CO.
• NWS Little Rock IMET deployed to the West Fire burning near Diamond Peak, CO.
• NWS Reno, NV IMET Trainee deployed to the Backbone Fire burning in the Coconino National Forest near Pine, AZ.
• NWS El Paso, TX IMET deployed to the Wyrick Fire burning in the Apache-Sitgraves National Forest near Heber, AZ.
• NWS Spokane, WA IMET deployed to the S-503 Fire burning near Pine Grove, OR.

June 22nd

• NWS Hanford IMET deployed to the Inyo Creek Fire burning in the Inyo National Forest near Lone Pine, CA.
• NWS Pocatello IMET deployed to the Rafael Fire burning in the Prescott National Forest near Perkinsville, AZ.

June 23rd

• NWS Bismark IMET deployed to the Sylvan Fire in the White River National Forest near Eagle, CO.

June 24th

• NWS Milwaukee IMET Trainee deployed to the Oil Springs Fire burning near Grand Junction, CO

About NOAA's satellites

When I wrote last week about how NOAA Satellites are used to detect wildfires, I knew that it was time for me to write a post introducing all of the satellites that NOAA owns and/or operates. Before I get to that, There are many countries that have satellites in orbit. NOAA’s National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) has an international and information service known as NOAA Satellite and Information Service International and Interagency Affairs Division. Their mission is to 

build relationships with government organizations around the world. … NESDIS and NOAA could not accomplish all they do without the scientific and data exchange with our partners build on years of cooperation and collaboration.

Some of their important collaborations with other governments for the use of satellite data include but are not limited to Europe, Japan, Taiwan, India, Korea, China, Australia, and Canada. You may read more about these country’s satellites on the NOAA Satellite and Information Service International and Interagency Affairs Division webpage 

NOAA currently owns and operates nine satellites. There are currently four GOES geostationary satellites, all are in geostationary orbit. GOES-16 (aka GOES-R is in orbit as GOES-East while GOES-17 (aka GOES-S) is in orbit as GOES-West. GOES-14 and 15 are spares. Polar orbiting satellites complete 14 orbits from north to south pole per day. The DSCOVR satellite is the Deep Space Climate Observatory, providing valuable information to forecasters for space weather such as solar winds and geomagnetic storms. For more information on these satellites (with some links you can follow for more information on individual satellites) go to NESDIS's currently flying page. You may also want to follow leads elsewhere on the NESDIS page and check out the videos on the NESDIS YouTube Channel (there are a lot of wonderful videos, some very short).

NOAA operates but does not own the following satellites:

• Suomi NPP 
• Jason-3: for more information go to these NOAA sites  here AND here 
• four DMSP satellites
• EWS-G1 satellite

I found this story map done by NOAA NESDIS on their home page (see link in first paragraph). It is a nice story map with maps, videos, pictures and other information. You will learn about the history of the development of satellites and how satellites are used today. I hope that the embed code that I used works for you, if not, you may find the story map at this link on storymaps.arcgis

Wish Desiree Horton the best after filing a gender discrimination lawsuit

 I know enough to know that even with the strides made for women in aviation, that female pilots in commercial aviation, the military, news helicopters, wildland firefighting, etc. are still outnumbered by men. I am glad for the strides made by women in recent years. While I have come to accept, albeit sadly, that I will never be a licensed pilot and unable to pilot a general aviation aircraft, I am supportive of women and girls in aviation.

I was fairly early in writing this blog on aerial wildland firefighting when a friend told me about Desiree Horton who at that time was flying a helicopter for one of the TV News stations in Los Angeles. I learned a few years later that she flew a helicopter for CAL FIRE and most recently for the Orange County Fire Authority. I understand that she has flown helicopters for over thirty years, While I do not know nor have I every corresponded with Desiree, I have always had a great deal of respect for her. I do not think that she is or was the only women who flew as a pilot or co-pilot of aircraft used to fight wildfires. By saying that her name has always stayed with me means no disrespect for any women who may currently be flying as a pilot or co-pilot in the wildland firefighting business. 

About 10 days ago, I read in Bill Gabbert’s Fire Aviation site that Desiree had been fired from the Orange County Fire Authority before her probationary period was up and she has filed a discrimination lawsuit. I have also seen this reported elsewhere on various southern California media, see for example this report from ABC7 in Los Angeles, California. 

Desiree, I am here, not to report on your gender discrimination lawsuit, I will let others that I have already mentioned in the preceding paragraph do that. Desiree, I am here to offer you my heartfelt support in her lawsuit. I hope that the outcome, whatever that may be, is what you want and is fair. I have heard you say in media clips that you want your job back, I hope that you get your wish. In the meantime, I wish you the best, Desiree, as you pursue other endeavors, hopefully this includes doing what you love, flying helicopters. 

NOAA satellites detect wildfires (June 17th)

 I have written about NOAA's GOES satellites in this blog including but not limited to how GOES  satellites can be used for wildfire detection (go here to read some of my posts). I just ran across a nice video, under two minutes from NOAA satellites about how NOAA's satellites, including but not limited to GOES 16 and 17 are used for wildfire detection. I knew that Bill Gabbert of Wildfire Today would post this video on his website, and he did on June 17th, you will want to read about this technology in his post. Nonetheless, as I have been interested in satellite technology, this was too good to pass up. So, I am sharing this video with you. When I wrote this post I knew that it is time to write another post about NOAA's satellites, I did so on June 23rd.

Direct link to video from NOAA Satellites on YouTube

About winter airtanker maintenance from, Coulson's Australia Division

 I know enough about aviation to know how important regular scheduled aircraft maintenance is. Airtankers and Helicopters are no exception. Wether it be scheduled maintenance that pulls the aircraft out of service for a day or two or longer maintenance that is done during the off season these maintenance procedures and the timing there of are usually mandated by the governing aviation association. If something goes wrong during the season, this is noted and the aircraft is taken out of service until it is fixed. I am not intending, nor am I qualified to write in any detail about aircraft maintenance. 

It is winter in the southern hemisphere and time for winter aircraft maintenance. I did enjoy this video from the NSW Rural Fire Service in Australia about the winter maintenance that Coulson is performing on their aircraft. While this video is about airtankers flying in Australia, I believe that the basic principals are the same as those done in the United States.

The video is a couple of minutes long with captions. Enjoy.

USDA on prescribed fire

 I post frequently about prescribed burns conducted by the New Jersey Forest Fire Service and do try to keep my eyes open for prescribed burns conducted by other agencies and/or in different parts of the United States. So when my friends at the NJ Forest Fire Service Section B10 shared a video from the Savannah River Site about prescribed burns by the USDA Forest Service, Savannah River, I wanted to share this with you. Allow about five minutes for the video.

Direct link to video from Savannah River Site

2021 wildfire season: Telegraph Fire (AZ)

 Yours truly got a new desktop computer the other day, an iMac. First one in a few years. So you know what I have been doing the last couple of days. Nonetheless, I spent some time this afternoon reading fire news and the Telegraph Fire currently burning near Phoenix Arizona caught my eye. At this writing the Telegraph Fire has burned 86,529 acres and evacuation orders are in place. Bill Gabbert of Wildfire Today wrote about this fire on July 8th with later updates. I found a couple of videos documenting this fire.

Direct link to video on YouTube

Direct link to video on YouTube

About IMETs and other fire weather services from the NWS

 Thanks to my friends at the US NWS IMET office who shared a great video called "Forecast Earth: Forecasting the Inferno" from the National Weather Service and the Weather Channel. In this 22 minute video you will learn about what IMETs do on a wildfire along with other ways that the National Weather Service helps wildland firefighters.

Before I get to the video, I took the opportunity to ask my friends at the NWS IMET office on Facebook how IMETs are deployed. First they confirmed my understanding that IMETs are not deployed to every wildfire going on to say that for they tend to be deployed to type 1 and type 2 wildifires. For more on the incident command system and how wildfires are classified go this document from the National Park Service. I asked for some clarity about how IMETs are deployed, this was their response:

Someone from the Incident Management Team fills out a form requesting an IMET by a certain day/time. This request goes to the local dispatch office, and eventually to the NWS person who works in the NIFC complex. That NWS person will contact the IMET and let them know that a request has come in (usually the closest available IMET to the incident). Then a name is placed, and the paperwork goes through the IMETs local dispatch office to close the loop and make sure they have all they need to get to the incident by the requested time.

IMETs save lives!

Enjoy this video, "Forecast Earth: Forecasting the Inferno"

Direct link to video uploaded by the US NWS IMET Account

RIP Tim Hart - Smokejumper

I have been following the injury and then the passing of Tim Hart, a smokejumper out of the West Yellowstone Smokejumper Base. Tim was injured in a hard landing on May 24th while jumping to the Eiks Fire in New Mexico. He passed away on June 3rd in El Paso. See Bill Gabbert's June 3, 2021 article for more information. 

I offer my condolences and prayers for Tim's family, friends, colleagues and all who loved him. 

Direct link to video from KVIA ABC7

Friday Fun: Miami FL Memorial Day airshow

Memorial Day has just passed and I am reminded that airshows have ramped up. So, I want to devote a Friday Fun post to highlights from the Miami Air & Sea Show held on Memorial Day weekend in Miami FL. Enjoy!

Direct link to video on Youtube uploaded by Frog Railfanning

2021 wildfire season: Killington VT and Clarksburg St Forest MA (May 2021)

 It is somewhat late in the game for me to write two wildfires that burned last month in Killington Vermont and the Clarksburg State Forest in Massachusetts. Both of these wildfires, which I will get to in a minute, were going on at about the same time that New Jersey had two back to back wildfires (May 16th to 18th). I do believe that I was aware of both of these wildfires from Mike Archers Wildfire News of the Day newsletter. Because I care about both Vermont and Massachusetts, I regret that I did not write about these two wildfires before now. I suppose that you can say better late than never. I was reminded about both of these wildfires thanks to a timely report from Vermont Public Radio that arrived in my e-mail last Friday, May 28th. 

The report from Vermont Public Radio (VPR) on May 28th summarized a wildfire in the Killington area of Vermont that started on or about May 15th, brought under some degree of control a couple days later only to rekindle on or about May 20th (see this May 20th report from WCAX) burning around 30 to 40 acres in steep and difficult to access to terrain. The Killington Fire was finally contained on May 23rd (Rutland Herald). I do not have intimate knowledge of wildfires in Vermont, but having spent summer vacations in Vermont for much of my adult life and writing this blog for 13 years now, I know that most wildfires in Vermont are a few acres at most and contained within a day. So a wildfire like the one that burned 30 to 40 acres in Killington is unusual. While I have only done one or two day hikes in the Killington area about 15 years ago, having driven the roads in and around Killington and seen the mountains, I can attest to the steep terrain. Portions of Vermont (and Massachusetts) were under drought warnings at the time these fires burned with drought conditions in Vermont extending back to May 2020. 

The VPR May 28th Report referred to a 900 acre wildfire that burned in northwestern Massachusetts in the Clarksburg State Forest in the Berkshires. This wildfire, dubbed the East Mountain Fire was the worse fire that Massachusetts has seen in over 20 years. See these reports from WAMC, and The Berkshire Eagle. According to Spectrum News 1, National Guard helicopters with buckets flew the fire in support of the firefighters on the ground. According to a report from WWLP, the fire was first reported on Friday, May 14th. According to the report from WAMC, on May 26th the fire was at 95 percent containment, burning in remote and difficult to access terrain.

Kudos to all the firefighters on the ground and in the air who worked on both of these wildfires. 

Memorial Day 2021

 Today I remember all those who gave their lives while serving and protecting the United States.

Direct link to video

Blackhawk UH-60 helicopter crash (May 25th) Leesburg FL

It is with great sadness that I somewhat belatedly write about the fatal crash of a Blackhawk UH-60 on May 25, 2021 in Leesburg FL. All four people on board died in the crash. According to this May 26th NPR report, the helicopter was owned by Leesburg based Brainerd Helicopters. She was on a training mission when she went down. Flags in Florida were lowered to half mast in honor of those who died in the crash. 

My heartfelt condolences go out to the family, friends, and all who loved the crew. My condolences to all at Brainerd. I know that the Blackhawk and crew are flying in favorable winds. 

2021 NJ wildfire season: Bass River Fire Tower’s role in Little Egg Harbor wildfire

One of the New Jersey Forest Fire Towers whose observer played a crucial role in spotting the Ballanger Fire that burned 617 acres on May 16th and 17th near Little Egg Harbor Township (Burlington and Ocean Counties), NJ was the Bass River Tower located in Bass River State Forest in the New Jersey Pinelands (aka the NJ Pine Barrens). According to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service (go here for link to the NJFFS page on fire towers), The Bass River Fire Tower (located in NJFFS Division B) was built in 1937 and is 80 feet tall. Before I get the important role of this fire tower in spotting the Ballanger Fire, a little history is in order.

Up until early 2020, the Bass River Fire Tower was surrounded on three sides by 80 to 100 foot tall White Pines, planted by the Civilian Conservation Corps. In recent years, these trees had grown to a height blocking the views from the cab of the fire tower in three directions (east, north and south). This made spotting some wildfires from this fire tower very difficult. A few years ago, the NJ Department of Environmental Protection -- the New Jersey Forest Fire Service is under the umbrella of the DEP -- started the process to get approvals to clear cut about 16 acres of tree around the fire tower to improve the view from the cab of the fire tower. Objections to clear cutting were raised by citizens, some local government officials, and some environmental organizations (including the Sierra Club) resulting in a delay in getting the necessary approvals. In 2019,  the Pinelands Commission approved the clear cutting plan and clear cutting operations began in January of 2020. You may read more about the clear cut on this January 2020 article in the Atlantic City Press (paywall with a couple of free views).

Once the clear cut was completed, sometime in 2020, there were good views in 360 degrees from the cab of the Bass River Fire Tower. The importance of this controversial clear cut was highlighted by the fact that the observer in the Bass River Fire Tower was able to spot the Ballanger Fire fairly quickly after the fire ignited on May 16th. There is a nice article from the by Douglas D. Melegari of the Pinebarrens Tribune about the role of the Bass River Fire Tower's observers on May 16th. He quotes Trevor Raynor, warden from NJFFS Section B:

In January of last year, the clear-cut finally took place, and the role the Bass River Fire Tower played in detecting the May 16 “Ballanger Fire” that consumed 617 acres of the Bass River State Forest in both Bass River and Little Egg Harbor townships, according to NJFFS Section B Firewarden Trevor Raynor, in response to a question posed by this newspaper during a May 18 NJFFS teleconference with the media, “was super important.”

 

“This fire tower was only a few miles away (from the blaze) and was able to detect this fire quickly and avert disaster, honestly,” Raynor said. “If we used any other system, or relied on 911 for this fire’s detection, by the time that this fire would have been detected and reported (to us) by 911 (dispatch), it would have been at the back of people’s houses, and then it would have been too late, and surely there would have been damage to homes.” 

 

 

2021 wildfire season: 7 acre brush fire -- San Diego County CA (May 22nd)

Thanks to my friends at NJFFS Section B10 for sharing a short video on May 23rd (videos updated daily) about a brush fire near the I-15 interstate in northern San Diego County, California. The brush fire, dubbed the Deer Fire, was first reported on May 22nd per this CAL FIRE San Diego Twitter post. Two S2-T tankers from Ramona Air Attack Base and about three helicopters responded to the wildfire to assist the firefighters on the ground in containing this fire. By late in the day on May 23rd, CAL FIRE San Diego reported that the Deer Fire was contained at 7.5 acres. The fire appeared to have started along the I-15. According to a report by CBS8 in San Diego (see the video that I embedded below), this brush fire may have started by a catalytic converter that came off a vehicle on the I-15, landing on the hill immediately adjoining the I-15.

I am always on the look out for videos showing air resources assisting wildland firefighters on the ground to fight a smaller brush fire. While this video is specific to California and the availability of CAL FIRE air resources, you can see what a difference a coordinated attack from the air and on the ground can make in keeping a brush fire on the smaller side. At the end of this video, you will learn about what California residents can do to protect their homes from wildfires. Again while specific to southern California, there are lessons here for all of us.

Direct link to video from CBS8 in San Diego

Coulson Aviation on night flying

Coulson Aviation has contracts  with the US Forest Service and internationally where they fly their fleet of aircraft to help the wildland firefighters on the ground. There fleet includes: 

• Chinook CH-47 Helitankers
• Blackhawk UH60 Helitankers
• 737 Fireliner
• C-130 Hercules
• Sikorsky S-61 Helicopters
• Sikorsky S-76 Helicopters

Coulson has a nice presence on Facebook where they post great photos and videos of their fleet in action as well as photos of their fleet being transported overseas. Today I come to you to share a one-minute video they recently shared on their Facebook page about their night time aerial suppression operations. (Coulson's Facebook page may be found here). Enjoy.

Kudos to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service for a job well done (May16-18 wildfires)

I want to give a shout out, as I can via this blog, to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service for your hard work fighting two wildfires in New Jersey the past three days, the Ballanger Fire and the Turkey Buzzard Fire, both are now contained with no property damage and no injuries reported. You stayed safe. Would if I could be in the fire area with a sign of thank-you and perhaps some goodies to express my gratitude for a job well done. But that is not possible, so this will have to do. Thankfully you contained both fires quickly so perhaps time away from your loved ones was minimal. I know that some of you are patrolling the area with the fires burned to do mop up duty and to be sure that the containment lines hold. While dry and with low relative humidity (for New Jersey), the winds are calm. That is a blessing. 

And while crews were working the Ballanger And Turkey Buzzard Fires, other NJFFS crews were and still are working other wildfires elsewhere in the State. 

As I can and as is appropriate, I am not shy in telling all how proud I am of all of you in the New Jersey Forest Fire Service, your contractors, mutual aid responders and various supporting agencies. It brought a tear to my eye to know that local fire companies were on the scene to provide assistance. 

In closing, I want to share a short video from CBS3 in Philadelphia reporting on both wildfires. The video report appears to have been made before the Turkey Buzzard Fire was contained.

Direct link to video from CBS3 in Philadelphia

2021 NJ wildfire season: wildfire in Brendon T Byrne State Forest (Burlington) Contained

Just now hearing that the Turkey Buzzard Fire that burned 407 acres in the Brendon T. Byrne State Forest in Burlington County, NJ has been contained. The Batona Trail in the fire area remains closed, roads are open. 

I want to give a shout out to the NJ Forest Fire Service for a job well done in fighting these two back to back wildfires. I am so very, very proud of you. You take good care of us in New Jersey.

2021 NJ wildfire season: Little Egg Harbor Twnshp Fire Contained

Yesterday I wrote about a wildfire in Little Egg Harbor Township, that my friends from NJFFS Section B10 call the Ballenger Fire. This fire is at 100% containment. No structures were damaged and no injuries were reported. Evacuations were voluntary, not mandatory.

Bill Gabbert of Wildfire Today wrote an article on this fire on May 17th including an excellent map of the fire and a list of resources. I would suggest that you look at Bill's article to look at his mapping of the fire.

2021 NJ wildfire season: wildfire in Brendon T Byrne State Forest (Burlington)

Thanks a good friend who gave me a heads up about a second wildfire in New Jersey. A wildfire, known as the Turkey Buzzard Fire, was reported at about 10:20 PM on Monday, May 17th in the Brendon T. Byrne State Forest in Pemberton NJ (Burlington County). It has burned about 407 acres, and according to a NJ Advance Media report (May 18th) is at approximately 50% containment. Portions of a popular hiking trail, the Batona Trail remain closed. This is the second wildfire in two days, the first one being the Ballanger Fire in Little Egg Harbor Township that is now at 100% containment. No structures have been damaged in either fire and no injuries have been reported.

I thank my friends from NJFFS Section B-10 for the names of these two wildfires. 

CBS3 in Philadelphia has a short report with a brief video on the wildfire in the Brendon T. Byrne State Forest. 

2021 NJ wildfire season: Little Egg Harbor Twnshp Fire Update

I would like to follow-up on the post I made earlier today on the wildfire in Little Egg Harbor Township -- known as the Ballanger Fire -- on the border of Ocean and Burlington Counties in New Jersey. Here is an evening update from the New Jersey Forest Fire Service. Residences are no longer threatened and all roads are open. A NJ Forest Fire Service helicopter flew over the fire, I do not know if it was an observation helicopter or if it made bucket drops. Thanks to my friends at NJFFS Section B10 for the name of this wildfire.

Corrected on May 18th to say that at the time I wrote the article I did not know if the helicopter was observation only or making bucket drops. I just read Bill Gabbert's May 17th article where he reported that the helicopter was making observation flights. Thank-you Bill!

2021 NJ wildfire season: Little Egg Harbor Twnshp (Ocean) wildfire

10:16 AM update Thanks to 6ABC (WPVI), I just now listened to the Press Conference (live) from the NJ Forest Fire Service. I amm not sure if 6ABC has had a chance to update their report yet, but I took notes. Thanks to the efforts of the wildland firefighters last night, the acreage burned has been decreased to 617 acres at about 40 percent containment. Route 9 is reopened but I believe that local roads may still be closed. Thirty houses are threatened, down from 75 last night. They are hopeful for higher containment later today.

At about 11:45 AM 6ABC (WPVI) has updated their story to include a video from the NJFFS 10 AM press conference, see the link above. It appears that they are updating this report as the day progresses. In addition, NJ Advance Media published a second article at about 11:40 AM. Since I was relying on my notes when I wrote the paragraph above, I am relieved that they too reported that Route 9 has reopened and that there are thirty houses that are threatened. I will continue to monitor news of the wildfire, as I can through the afternoon.

9:47 AM Thanks to a breaking news alert from NJ Advance Media that I received this morning (May 17th), I learned of a wildfire in Little Egg Harbor Township on the border of Burlington and Ocean Counties. This wildfire was first reported yesterday afternoon at about 4 PM by the Bass River Fire Tower. On Sunday night it was estimated to have burned about 70 acres, by this morning the estimate of burned acreage had grown to about 1,000 acres. Voluntary evacuations are in place and an evacuation center has been set up at a local school. The fire is burning east of the Garden State Parkway with sections of Route 9, a major thoroughfare in the area, reported as being closed. No injuries have been reported. The New Jersey Forest Fire Service and local fire companies are working the fire.

6ABC (WPVI) in Philadelphia has a report this morning with a video that I will try to embed below. As always, I am never quite sure how long this video will be accessible, but it should be accessible for a few days. Full report from 6ABC (May 17th, 7:39 AM) including video. The Atlantic City Press is also covering this fire, their May 17th article may be found here (may have a paywall).

More about NWS Incident Meteorologists

On May 3rd, I made my first post of 2021 on NWS Incident Meteorologists where I shared a very nice video about what Incident Meteorologists (IMETs) do. The video that I shared last week has good information and while it is a few years old by now, the information in the video reflects good science. Just the other day,  thanks to my friends from the NWS IMET office on Facebook, I learned about a nice video that is under three minutes from the US National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office in Burlington VT where two of their Meteorologists are IMETs.  I enjoyed this short video and I hope that you do as well. What follows is a link to the tweet from the NWS Burlington VT Weather Forecast Office with the video. If the full tweet with the video does not show up for you it is because you are using some sort of ad blocker. It is up to you whether or not you disable your tracker, if you do not want to disable your ad blocker or tracker,  click on the link in the second line and you should be directed to the Tweet.   IMETs save lives!

For today's #WeatherKnowledgeWednesday we are going to learn about the National Weather Service's Incident Meteorologist Program. @NWS_IMET_OPS pic.twitter.com/a2dbgADwl8

— NWS Burlington (@NWSBurlington) May 12, 2021

2021 wildfire season: Port St. Lucie Fl brushfire

 In my reading of wildfire activity in the United States the last couple of days, I have been focusing on what is happening on the east coast a 94 acre brush fire near the Spanish Lakes community in Port St. Lucie, Florida caught my eye. Partly because I am interested in the Florida environment but also because of the video that I share below with a discussion of one of the lightning strikes that started the fire. 

I will reflect on my thoughts about the video, but first a little about this brush fire in Port St. Lucie. According to this May 10th report from NBC 5 WPTV in West Palm Beach Florida: as of Monday afternoon the brush fire which was first reported on Sunday afternoon had burned 94 acres, three homes and two vehicles were damaged. Fortunately there were no injuries. Evacuations were in place on Sunday afternoon and evening for nearby residential communities. According the the Florida Forest Service - Active Wildfire Points Dashboard (see the screen shot), the brushfire burned a total of 104 acres and is contained.

Screen shot taken at 1120 AM on May 12, 2021 from this FL Forest Fire Service Dashboard

My friends from NJFFS Section B10 posts three or four videos of wildfire news from around the U.S. on their home page day. At times they also post wildfire videos from around the world. On May 10th, they shared to following video from WPBF 25 in West Palm Beach FL with a May 10th update about the Port St. Lucie brushfire. As I stated earlier, this brushfire was started by a lightning strike. I have have had lightning strike a tree on my property and am familiar with the scars that lightning causes. I am, of course, aware that lightning is one cause of brush and wildfires. Until now, I had not had the benefit of seeing a knowledgeable wildfire fighter show us ad explain how a lightning strike sparked a brushfire.

Direct link to video from WPBF 25

2021 wildfire season: National Guard UH60 Blackhawks assist in North Dakota wildfires

Direct link to video

One of the aerial assets that most States in the United States have to assist wildland firefighters on the ground when conditions warrant are the aerial assets of the National Guard or Reserve units located in their State. In many cases, the aerial asset is the UH60 Blackhawk Helicopter. I am not certain of how much water the bambi buckets on the Blackhawks can carry but I believe that it is at least 500 gallons, perhaps more. I know that my own state of New Jersey has a National Guard unit with Sikorsky UH60 Black Hawks that can be used to fight wildfires if requested.

Thanks to Mike Archer of the Wildfire News of the Day Newsletter for May 10th, I found a nice report from KFYR in Bismark, North Dakota of a behind the scenes look at preparing National Guard Blackhawks to work wildfires. North Dakota has had at least two instances this year where the North Dakota National Guard's Blackhawks have been deployed to fight wildfires. As always, I am never quite sure how long news organizations maintain the link to their reports but it should be up for awhile.

Blackhawks and other helicopters from the National Guard and other military reserve units are an invaluable resource to assist wildland firefighters when conditons warrant. While I do not believe that National Guard Blackhawks have been deployed in New Jersey to assist in wildland firefighting, I am very glad that they are around to assist should the need arise.

69 Bravo helitanker refill station (Topanga, CA)

I knew from videos that there was a helipad somewhere in LA County where helitankers could go to refill their belly tanks while working wildland fires. Thanks to my friends at Coulson Aviation, I learned of a video (embedded below) about 69 Bravo and the underlying technology. There are four pumpkins, each have a capacity of approximately 6,000 gallons, where the helitankers refill their belly tanks. What fascinated me is that the pumpkins refill automatically. 69 Bravo, opened in 2010. is possible because of the generosity of Simon T. There is a nice November 2019 LA Times article (paywall) on 69 Bravo which you may read for more information, here is an excerpt from that LA Times article explaining the importance of Bravo 69:

The base has been vital over the years for dousing fires in Calabasas, Monte Nido, Pacific Palisades, eastern Malibu and Topanga — areas frequently on high alert, given the narrow evacuation routes. The rugged canyons within a five-mile radius of the site are home to more than 11,000 structures, most of them residential, and more than 30,000 residents, according to a Times analysis of building footprints and population data.

The base is also used by medical helicopters and deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for other emergencies. A patrol vehicle remains there just in case.

And the site is a resource for fighting fires farther away, as drought and sanitation efforts, such as the covering of Santa Ynez Reservoir in Palisades Highlands, have made other water sources less accessible.

Here are two images from Google Earth. The first image shows the location of 69 Bravo and the second image is a close-up.

Added on May 9, 2021: I seemed to have missed the fact that the four pumpkins were upgraded from 6,000 gallons each to 8,000 gallons each.Thanks to Bill Gabbert of Fire Aviation for his fine reporting, in particular the article he wrote on May 8th about the upgrades at 69 Bravo.

Enjoy this five minute video from 69 Bravo where you will learn a little about the importance of the location of 69 Bravo, some of the technology, and some background information.

Direct link to video from 69Bravo

Matt, I post this in your memory. You would love this. May you fly in favorable winds.

Lets look at a SEAT in action

I am in the mood to get in the cockpit with a SEAT pilot. Enjoy this video where you will hear commentary about what is involved in flying a SEAT on a fire. Allow about 11 minutes to watch the video.

Direct link to video

2021 wildfire season: NWS Incident Meteorologist deployments (April 27th)

As I write this National Weather Service Incident Meteorologists (IMETs)are beginning to be deployed to wildfires. Already IMETs have been deployed to three incidents, all were deployed on April 27th:

• A meteorologist from the US NWS in Pueblo Colorado was deployed to the San Juan National Forest for the San Juan National Forest Prescribed Burn Program that is being conducted this spring.
• A meteorologist from the US NWS in El Paso, Texas was deployed to the Three Rivers Fire burning in the Lincoln National Forest near Alamogordo, NM (7,119 acres)
• A meteorologist from the US NWS in Flagstaff, Arizona was deployed to the Flag Fire near Kingman, AZ (1,265 acres)

I want to pause and offer a great article from the National Weather Service called "Eyes in the Sky: A Day in the Life of an Incident Meteorologist (IMET) on the Front Lines of a Wildfire." It is a short article. Long time readers may recognize the article as I have referred to it in prior years. Here is an excerpt.

IMETs are located in numerous NWS offices across the country. Once a large wildfire has started, an IMET is contacted and given orders to travel to the site of the fire as quickly as possible. Ken Simosko, an IMET with the NWS Bismarck Weather Forecast Office (WFO), has worked five fire incidents. “You have to be ready at a moment’s notice. I have my bag ready to go so that when I get the call, I can spend my time getting spun up on the history of the fire, its current and future situation. Usually an IMET is on scene within 24 hours to 48 hours of the initial call. This depends on the mode of travel [car or plane] and how far the IMET is from the wildland fire.”

At the fire site, the IMETs check in at the incident command center. This is usually located relatively near the active wildfire and is either part of a temporary tent or trailer camp that is set up for those who are working the event. “Depending on the size of the fire there can be hundreds of folks involved. Some people bring tents to sleep in. I usually bring a blow-up mattress and sleep in the back of my truck. The command center supplies food and brings in shower and bathroom facilities on a flatbed for all of us who are working the event,” says Simosko.

Each IMET deployment lasts around two weeks, or until the wildfire is considered contained. If a fire lasts more than two weeks, another IMET will be sent to relieve the one who has just completed their two weeks on-site. There is very little “down time” when working a wildfire.

Here is a nice short video that I have posted before. You will hear from NWS IMET Jeremy Wolf in a 2014 video.

Direct link to video on Youtube