2023 Wildfire Season: NWS Incident Meteorologist (IMET) deployments (August 29th)

There have been several deployments of NWS Incident Meteorologists since August 25th. In the list of deployments, the first link in each deployment is to the US NWS IMET listing on Facebook and the second link is to InciWeb, or if there is no InciWeb information for the fire to another agency (if available).

IMET deployments on Friday, August 25th

• Ridge Creek Fire in the Idaho Panhandle National Forests near Hayden, Idaho. See the Ridge Creek Fire on InciWeb
• Valentine Fire in the Tonto National Forest near Young Arizona. See the Valentine Fire on InciWeb.
• An IMET Trainee was deployed to the 2023 SRF Lightning Complex in the Six Rivers National Forest near Hoopa, California. See the 2023 SRF Lightning Complex on InciWeb.
• Tiger Island Fire near DeRidder, Louisiana. See the August 29th update for the Tiger Island Fire (31,242 acres)  from the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry No information on InciWeb.

IMET deployment on Saturday, August 26th

• Bedrock Fire in the Williamette National Forest near Vida, Oregon. See the Bedrock Fire on InciWeb
• Camp Creek Fire in the Mt. Hood National Forest near Sandy, Oregon. See the Camp Creek Fire on InciWeb.

IMET deployment on Sunday, August 27th to the Tyee Ridge Complex near Sutherlin, Oregon. See the Tyee Ridge Complex on InciWeb.

IMET deployment on Monday, August 28th to the  East Fork Fire in the Kootenai National Forest near Trego, Montana. See the East Fork Fire on InciWeb.

IMET deployments on Tuesday, August 29th

• Happy Camp Complex in the Klamath National Forest near Yreka, California. See the Happy Camp Complex on InciWeb
• Petes Lake Fire in the Willamette National Forest near Three Rivers, Oregon. No information available on InciWeb. See the August 29th Evening update from Central Oregon Fire Info
• South Fork Complex in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest near Hayfork, California. See the South Fork Complex on InciWeb.

IMETs save lives! Any errors in these listings are mine.

US Forest Service Awards New Airtanker Contract

I am sure that some of you already know that the US Forest Service awarded five companies a potential of a 10 year contract worth $7.2 billion, especially those of you who follow Fire Aviation as I do. Specifically. Kelly Andersson has written two articles about these contracts, the first was on August 14th announcing the five companies that got the awards, I'll get to that in a minute and a second article on August 17th  where he followed up with some questions that he and his readers had and the answers from  public affairs specialists that NIFC referred him to. I hope that you will read this coverage, especially the Q&A post on August 17th. I am going to summarize to the best of my ability.

Five companies were awarded contracts with a guaranteed minimum of $10,000 (not $10 million) over the ten years of the contract:

• 10 Tanker Air Carrier, LLC
• Aero Air, LLC
• Aero Flite Inc
• Coulson Aviation USA Inc
• Neptune Aviation

As I understand the $7.2 billion figure will give them flexibility in having the necessary number of airtankers in this year and subsequent years to meet the demand for airtankers. At the time that Kelly wrote the August 17th article the Forest Service had contracted with 25 airtankers, a number that is likely to change as time goes on. Finally, there is no limit to the number of airtankers that can be contracted for each year, the only limit is the total amount of the contract, $7.2 billion.

Kudos to Kelly Andersson of Fire Aviation for providing us with this information and for his efforts in contacting a public affairs specialist who answered his questions.

Friday Fun: Sixty-seven year old Turbine Otter Seaplane

 Just the thing for some Friday Aviation Fun. I was poking around YouTube for a fun aviation video and found this cool video of a beautiful De Havilland Canada Vazar Turbine Otter Seaplane from wcolby.

I am across the country from Seattle but I am loving this Otter Seaplane and wish that I could see her up close and personal. But that will have to wait. This Otter Seaplane is from Kenmore Air.

Direct link to video from wcolby on YouTube

Firefighting Helicopter near miss with a drone in Texas

Direct link to video from KBTX News on YouTube

This story from KBTX News illustrates the dangers in flying drones in fire zones. Last Friday a helicopter was flying a small fire in Caldwell County Texas when a drone came within several feet of colliding with the helicopter. The helicopter pilot had no way of knowing that the drone was near by. Please, no drones in fire zones. Thanks to Mike Archer from Wildfire News of the Day for pointing me to this article in his August 23 Wildfire News of the Day e-mail (go here for more information and to subscribe). 

Updated on August 25th: I only just saw a very good article by Kelly Anderson of Fire Aviation written on August 23rd titled 'PLEASE ground your drone, PLEASE'. He writes about the near miss of a drone and helicopter in Caldwell County Texas and about the importance of grounding drones over a wildfire.

2023 New Jersey Wildfire Season: Dragway Wildfire (Wharton State Forest) Aug 22nd update

August 22nd, 8:45 PM

The Dragway Wildfire has burned 1,700 acres and is at 95 percent containment. Jackson Road remains closed because of smoke impacts and weakened trees from the wildfire. NJ Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) crews will remain on site to monitor containment lines and ensure safety to the public as long as necessary. Click on more to see the complete post from the NJFFS as well as some fire photos. Nice job NJFFS crews! 

August 22nd 4:40 PM

Direct link to video from CBS Philadelphia on YouTube

This update from the NJ Forest Fire Service (shared below) about progress made on fighting the Dragway Wildfire is current as about 4:40 on August 22nd. I believe that the last update was at about 11:30 AM on August 22nd.

2023 New Jersey Wildfire Season: Dragway Wildfire (Wharton State Forest) Aug 21st update

August 21st, 9:30 PM update

This just in. Scroll down for earlier updates from the NJ Forest Fire Service and a video from Fox 29 Philadelphia.

August 21st, 9 PM

As you can see from the NJFFS update below, the Dragway Wildfire has grown to 1,200 acres and is at 40% containment. Jackson Road continues to be closed and no structures are threatened. 

  

Here is an early evening report on August 21st on the Dragway Wildfire from Fox 29 in Philadelphia.

Direct link to video from Fox29 Philadelphia on YouTube

August 21st, 11:15 AM

Last night, August 20th, I posted about the Dragway Fire that is burning in the Wharton State Forest, go here to see that post. As I write this, according to the latest update (embedded below) from the NJ State Forest Fire Service, the Dragway Wildfire has burned 600 acres and is 10 percent contained. Jackson Road will be closed at 11:30 AM. With the additional acres burned, the Dragway Wildfire is now in Camden and Burlington Counties.

2023 New Jersey Wildfire Season: Dragway Wildfire, Wharton State Forest, Camden County

Thanks to my good friend at the NJ Forest Fire Service Section B10 website for telling me about the Dragway Wildfire. The Dragway Wildfire was reported late on the afternoon of August 20th. At the time I write this post, the Dragway Wildfire has burned 100 acres and is not contained. No structures are threatened and there are no road closures. New Jersey Forest Fire crews are currently working to build containment lines. 

Update: August 20th, 10:21 PM

NOAA Incident Meteorologist Deployments as of mid-August 2023

As I write about the deployments of NWS Incident Meteorologists (IMET) to wildfires, and other missions as appropriate, I am always curious about the number of IMET deployments year to date. Every so often the US National Weather Service IMET (office) posts this information and I am always on the lookout for this information. As I was checking the US NWS IMET Facebook page late last night, I saw that they had made a post with this information on or about August 16th. I am embedding their post below. While they had 20 qualified IMETs and 2 trainees deployed at the time the IMET office posted on Facebook, I suspect that these numbers have changed, perhaps increasing? I saw this because at the time I write this I have noted several more deployments since they posted their year to date number for 2023. 

IMETs save lives!

New Jersey Forest Fire Service: Catfish Fire Tower

Back when my knees were in better shape I did a lot of day hiking in and near the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area on sections of the Appalachian Trail as well as other trails. One of my favorite trails was the loop up to the Catfish Fire Tower is a moderate hike up the ridge via a loop trail, go here to access a trail map and description of the trails. The ridge is beautiful and I recommend the hike to the Catfish Fire Tower (aka Fire Lookout Towers) and beyond. While it has been years since I hiked that trail, I have clear memories of seeing the Fire Tower from the trail. It is awesome.

The Catfish Fire Tower is one of several Fire Towers operated by the NJ Forest Fire Service to detect wildfires. You can see from the NJFFS map of NJ Forest Fire Service Lookout Tower Locations that all three NJFFS Divisions are well represented by Fire Lookout Towers.

Obtained on August 16, 2023 from https://www.nj.gov/dep/parksandforests/fire/docs/towerlocations.pdf

What NOAA Incident Meteorologists Do: A NOAA Photostory (Sept 2022)

 I check the NWS Incident Meteorologist Facebook page every day or so to see where IMETs are deployed and to get other news about IMETs. I am always interested in stories about what IMETs do so when I saw a reference to a September 2022 NOAA Photostory on what Incident Meteorologists (IMETs) do, I knew that I wanted to share the story with you. It is well worth checking out this photostory. You will see a couple of YouTube videos about IMETs in the photostory, one on protective gear and the second on using balloons for upper air weather observations. The photostory is divided into sections, each with a picture, you will learn about:

• Goal: keep firefighters safe
• Long days and nights (16 hour days
• Wildfire i
• Gearing up (protective gear)
• Clearing a path
• Communications is key
• Wildfires blaze across the West (late summer 2022)
• Wildfire impacts go beyond acres burned
• A team effort
• Eyes on the sky for firefighters on the ground
• Going forward

2023 Wildfire Season: Update on Maui Wildfires (August 11)

Direct link to video from The Washington Post on Youtube

I wrote about the wildfires in Maui on August 10th, and I continue to follow these fires. I found an update on the current status of the fires in Maui courtesy of the good reporting of CNN:

• current death toll is 55, numbers expected to climb when emergency workers go into burnt structures.
• Thousands of people are evacuated from their homes and businesses, including both residents and tourists.
• The historic town of Lhaina on Maui is "all gone" per the Maui County Mayor.
• The wildfire that devastated Lhaina is currently at 80 percent containment
• Power outages and disruptions in communications are continuing.

This just in (August 11th, 4:40 PM) On a slightly busier than normal afternoon I just checked in with Wildfire Today to see what they posted today. In today's post on WildfireToday, August 11th, 'Opinion: Maui fire shows that Hawaii paradise was a dream', Wildfire Today references an opinion piece by Naka Nathaniel, an opinion columnist for Honolulu Civil Beat, linking to an opinion piece he wrote on CNN. I found Nathaniel's piece very illuminating and I learned something, I hope that you take a few moments to read it.

I found an excellent video from Fox Weather (uploaded on or about August 10th) discussing the meteorological factors that contributed to the wildfires. There is also some footage of photos before and after the wildfire. 

Direct link to video from Fox Weather on YouTube

2023 Wildfire Season: Maui (Hawaii) Wildfires

 I first knew of the wildfires in Maui from coverage in both the New York Times and the Washington Post, both of which I subscribe to but their articles are behind a paywall and while I can get gift articles from both newspapers for free access. But the free access is good for only ten days so this is not appropriate for my blog. I did link to today's coverage from both the New York Times and the Washington Post, but am uncertain if you will be able to access the articles, but out of appreciation for the fine coverage of both newspapers, I have to try.

Fortunately, Wildfire Today has provided excellent coverage in an article they posted on August 9th (with videos and links to media reports) where they report on an untold number of businesses and residences being burned, the western portion of Maui being closed to traffic, power outages, and people jumping in the ocean to get away from the flames. You may want to check out the coverage from Wildfire Today. Among the media reports cited by Wildfire Today is coverage from CNN, I found an updated article in this morning's news feed from CNN, you may find it here (with a video and a map). 

The coverage I referenced earlier from the New York Times and the Washington Post reports that (at least) 36 people have died in the wildfires. 

Here is an earlier video report on August 9 from MLive with some very impressive fire footage. 

Direct link to video from MLive on YouTube

Here is some helicopter footage of the Maui Fires.

Direct link to video from 11Alive on YouTube

Flying a drone in a wildfire zone means firefighting aircraft are grounded

It has been awhile since I have written about the dangers of drones over wildfire zones. So, I am here to remind everyone that if you have a drone, please do not fly it over a wildfires of any size. If you fly your drone, all firefighting aircraft are grounded and it may be illegal. to do so. I want to thank my friend at the NJ Forest Fire Service Section B10 for the inspiration to write about the danger of drones over wildfire zones. 

From the New Jersey Forest Fire Service

From the Forest Service - Interagency Fire Center

Direct link to video from the Forest Service - Interagency Fire Center on YouTube

Wildland Firefighter death on August 4th near Powers Oregon

 Over the weekend, I checked out WildfireToday where I first learned of the tragic death of 21 year old Benjamin Charles Sapper in a vehicle accident while he was on duty on August 4th near Powers, Oregon, Wildfire Today wrote about the loss of Benjamin in an August 6th post. He was traveling with his fire crew when the accident happened. Benjamin was from Boulder, Colorado and had recently graduated from college this year. He was a first-year wildland firefighter. Antonia Velez of 9News out of Denver,  Colorado wrote a nice article on August 6th about Benjamin (with video).

I offer my condolences and prayers for Benjamin's family friends, colleagues and all who loved Benjamin. May he rest in peace.

Three firefighters who died in mid-air crash in Carbazon CA identified

obtained from @CAL_FIRE (X, formerly known as Twitter on Aug 7 at 3 PM

Earlier this morning, I wrote about the mid-air collision of two helicopters early in the evening of August 6, 2023. You may find my earlier post here.

In a recent tweet on X (formerly Twitter), CAL FIRE released the names of the deceased, but you will probably need a Twitter account to see the tweet, CAL FIRE's tweet may be found here. Fortunately, I just saw an article  on CBS Los Angeles identifying the namse of the deceased:

• CAL Fire Assistant Chief Josh Bischof
• CAL Fire Fire Captain Tim Rodriquez
• Exclusive Use Helicopter Pilot Tony Sousa

I offer my heartfelt condolences and prayers to the families, colleagues, CAL FIRE, friends, and all who loved the deceased. May you rest in peace and always fly in favorable winds.

Three firefighters dead in mid-air collision over Cabazon Fire in Riverside County, CA

I am very saddened to learn of the mid-air collision of two helicopters over the Cabazon Brush Fire in Riverside California early in the evening of August 6th. I learned of this mid-air collision from my friends at NJ Forest Fire Service Section B10 who post wildfire videos each day. According to the KCAL News video report that I embedded, three occupants on board a contract Bell Helicopter that was reported to be doing observation over the fire died, names have not been released: CAL Fire Division Chief, CAL Fire Air Captain, and the pilot of the Bell. The other helicopter involved in the mid-air is a Sikorsky SkyCrane that may have been dropping water on the fire, the SkyCrane landed and the two occupants survived. A report from CBS News in Los Angeles (with the video I embedded) may be found here. In addition, you will want to check out Fire Aviation's coverage of the mid-air posted on August 7th.

I offer my prayers to the families, colleagues, friend, CAL Fire, and all who loved those who died in the crash, may they always fly in favorable winds. I also offer my prayers for the two occupants of the Sikorsky SkyCrane who survived the crash.

Direct link to video from KCAL News on YouTube

2023 Wildfire Season: NWS Incident Meteorologist (IMET) deployments (August 4th)

There have been several deployments of NWS Incident Meteorologists since July 31st. In the list of deployments, the first link in each deployment is to the US NWS IMET listing on Facebook and the second link is to InciWeb.

IMET deployments on Monday, July 31st

• Flat Fire in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest near Agness, Oregon. See the Flat Fire on InciWeb.
• Colt Fire in the the Lolo National Forest near Seeley Lake, Montana. See the Colt Fire on InciWeb.
• Eagle Bluff Fire near Oroville, Washington. See the Eagle Bluff Fire on InciWeb.
• Hayden Fire near Leadore, Idaho. See the Hayden Fire on InciWeb.

IMET deployments on Tuesday, August 1

• Big Knife Fire near Arlee, Montana. See the Big Knife Fire on InciWeb.
• Elkhorn Fire near Warren, Idaho. See the Elkhorn Fire on InciWeb.
• The York Fire is burning in the Las Vegas Nevada Mojave National Preserve, 47 miles NW of Needles, California. See the York Fire on InciWeb.

IMET deployment on Wednesday, August 2 to the Dry Lake Fire in the San Juan National Forest near Bayfild, Colorado. At the time I write this I could not find an InciWeb listing for this fire.

IMET deployments on Thursday, August 3

• An IMET trainee was deployed to the Dry Lake Fire in the San Juan National Forest near Bayfild, Colorado. At the time I write this I could not find an InciWeb listing for this fire.
• Big Knife Fire near Arlee, Montana. See the Big Knife Fire on InciWeb.

IMETs save lives! Any errors in these listings are mine.

2023 Wildfire Season: NJ Forest Fire Service Crew in New Mexico

I recently wrote that the New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) sent a 20-person type 2 initial attack crew to New Mexico to assist in fighting wildfires in New Mexico, see my July 28th post. By now the crew is in New Mexico working wildfires, I don't exactly know where, that does not matter. What matters is that this crew, from NJFFS Division A (northern New Jersey) is providing important service helping New Mexico during this part of their wildfire season. You honor New Jersey with their service, stay safe.

Fourth Wildland Firefighter Died in Canada

 On July 17th I wrote about two wildland firefighters who died in Canada. On July 21st I had the sad task of writing about a third wildland firefighter who died in Canada. Yesterday I learned of a fourth wildland firefighter who died in Canada. The 25-year old male firefighter from Ontario died in British Columbia when the truck he was driving overturned, see this June 29th article on Fire Aviation. In addition you may also want to see a July 31st article from Firehouse News. I learned of the Firehouse News article from Mike Archer's Wildfire News of the Day newsletter on July 31st. Thanks to Firehouse News and the NJ Forest Fire Service Section B10 for the video that I share below. I offer my prayers to the family, friends and all who loved these deceased wildland firefighters.

Direct link to video from CBC News on YouTube

2023 Wildfire Season: New Jersey Forest Fire Service Sent Crew to New Mexico

On July 3rd I wrote that the New Jersey Forest Fire Service sent two engines with five crew to southern California. I am not quite certain if the two engines are still in southern California. On or about July 24th the New Jersey Forest Fire Service deployed a 20-person type 2 initial attack hand crew to New Mexico. All crew members from the July 3rd and later deployments to southern California and the 20-person hand crew just deployed to New Mexico honor New Jersey with your service. You are taking time away from your families and life in New Jersey to help fight wildfires. Stay safe.

2023 Wildfire Season: NWS Incident Meteorologist (IMET) deployments (July 26th)

Direct link to video from ABC15 Arizona on YouTube

I have been following the National Weather Incident Meteorologists on Facebook for a few years now. To the best of my knowledge you do not need a Facebook account to access their site (but you may be prompted for an account which you should be able to bypass by clicking the "X). During wildfire season they post deployments of NWS Incident Meteorologists (IMETs) to wildfires for what is typically a two week deployment. The also post news of IMETs who have completed their IMET training, IMET retirements, and occasional posts about what IMETs do along. 

For the last few weeks, I have noted the deployments of IMETs to various wildfires, on their Facebook page but I think that I have missed some, happens.  I am not going even try to list them all. To give you a sampling of IMET deployments I will list deployments since Sunday, June 23rd. For each deployment the first link is to the NWS IMET Facbook post referencing the specific deployment. The second link is the wildfire on Inciweb. My notes are in italics.

• There was one Incident Meteorologist (IMET) deployed on Sunday, July 23rd to the Grapevine Fire near Prescott Valley, Arizona, see the Grapevine Fire on Inciweb. 
• On Monday, July 24th, one IMET was deployed to the Golden Fire near Bonanza, Oregon. For more information see the Golden Fire on Inciweb.
• A second IMET was deployed on Monday July 24th, specifically one IMET Trainee was deployed to the Colt Fire in the Lolo National Forest near Seeley Lake Montana. For more information see the Colt Fire on Inciweb. Note, when an IMET Trainee is deployed to a fire there is already an IMET on the fire to provide the training.
• There was a third IMET deployed on Monday, July 24th, this IMET was deployed to the Bedrock Fire in the Willamette National Forest in Oregon. For more information see the Bedrock Fire on Inciweb.
• As I write this there was only one IMET deployed on Tuesday, July 25th. The IMET deployment was to the Diamond Fire in the Tonto National Forest in Arizona. For more information see the Diamond Fire on Inciweb. Note as I write this there are two Diamond Fires on Inciweb, the one I linked to is the one in the Tonto National Forest

IMETS save lives! Any errors are in these listings are mine.

Hurricane Hunters: About a NOAA Hurricane Hunter flight through Hurricane Ian

 I don't mind saying that I have a great deal of respect for the NOAA and the US Air Force crews that fly into hurricanes to gather important scientific data on hurricanes in order to provide the latest data to aid forcasters at the National Hurricane Center provide up to date forecasts. Because I have been thinking recently about the dangerous conditions facing crews of Hurricane Hunter aircraft I wanted to find a relevant to share with you. I found one, listen to NOAA Aerospace Engineer Nick Underwood's experience on a NOAA Hurricane Hunter flying into Hurricane Ian in the fall of 2022. The video is courtesy of CNN whose reporter, Erin Burnett, interviewed Mr. Underwood.

Direct link to video from CNN on YouTube

A third wildland firefighter (flying a helicopter) died in Canada this week

In Canada's worse wildfire season in history, another firefighter died this week fighting wildfires. A 41 year helicopter died near Peace River Alberta while doing bucket work on a wildfire on Wednesday evening, July 19th. Rescue crews performed CPR to no avail, the pilot died at the scene. The pilot was the only occupant of the helicopter. This is the third death of a Canadian wildland firefighter this year, the third in about a week. A sad shot out to my friends at the NJ Forest Fire Service Section B10 who shared this video on their webpage this morning. May he fly in favorable tail winds, I offer my prayers to his family, friends, colleagues and all who loved him.

Added on July 31st, Fire Aviation published an article on this line of duty death on  July 21st, go here to read the article, identifying the deceased pilot as 41-year old Ryan Gould of Whitecourt, Alberta

Direct link to video from CityNews on YouTube

NJ Forest Fire Service Helps Clean-up after June 16th Landslides in Warren County NJ

Direct link to video from CBS NewYork on YouTube

Heavy rain in a section of Warren County NJ on Sunday afternoon June 16th resulted in a landslide on US Rte 46 along with road flooding and mudslides in nearby Belvidere, NJ. As I write a stretch of US Rte 46 in Warren County NJ remains closed. New Jersey Advance Media has been reporting on these landslides and floods in Warren County, NJ, see their July 18th article for more information specific to the landslides and mudslides. New Jersey Advance Media reported on homes in Belvidere NJ that are uninhabitable following the June 16th storm. I got information on the location of the road closures (both lanes) of US Rte 46 in Warren County from the July 18th article on New Jersey Advance Media so I could save a map from Google Earth for you; the highway is closed from Upper Serapta Road to Route 519/Hope Bridgeville Rd. Note that US Rte runs along the Delaware River just north of Upper Serapta Road to the I-80 interchage.

Clean-up from the landslides and mudslides is still ongoing as I write this. The New Jersey Forest Fire Service has deployed some of their firefighters to help with this clean-up.

Two wildland firefighters died in Canada

 I am saddened to read about not one but two wildland firefighters who died recently fighting wildfires in Canada. A male firefighter, not identified, died on Saturday fighting a wildfire in the Northwest Territories. On Thursday, 19-year old Devyn Gale died while she was fighting a wildfire in British Columbia, Wildfire Today wrote a July 15th article about Devyn's death, May both firefighters rest in peace and I offer my prayers and condolences for their families, friends, colleagues and all who loved them.

Updated on July 18th, 12:11 PM EDT: Sometime after I posted this article yesterday morning, Wildfire Today posted an article reporting on the death of the wildland firefighter who died fighting a wildfire in the Northwest Territories. To the best of my knowledge at the time I write this update, the identity of the firefighter has not been released.

Direct link to video from CBC Vancouver

Direct link to video from CBC News: The National

Funerals for Newark NJ Firefighters

Newark NJ Firefighters Augusto "Augie" Acabou and Wayne "Bear" Brooks, Jr. died in the line of duty on July 5th fighting a fire in a container ship in Port Newark, see my July 6th post for more information. On July 13th, Augusto Acabou was honored at funeral services.

Direct link to video from CBS New York on YouTube

The funeral for Wayne "Bear" Brooks, Jr. was this morning, July 14.

Direct link to video from CBS New York on YouTube

2023 Wildfire Season: South Africa Sends Firefighters to Canada

Following up on the article I posted on July 10th on a Vermont Forester Helping Fight Fires in Quebec, I just found a nice video from the AP Archives that starts out with South African firefighters who are or were deployed to Canada before moving some images of these wildfires, a soundbite from a one women who lost her home in the Canadian Wildfires, and a soundbite from a Canadian Firefighter. If you go directly to the Video on YouTube from the AP Archives and click on show more you will see a description of what is in the video.

I continue to pray for all affected by these wildfires and all those firefighters from Canada and around the world working these wildfires.

2023 Wildfire Season: Vermont Forester Deployment to Quebec

I knew from social media that some northeastern states had deployed firefighters to Canada to assist in fighting the massive wildfires in Canada, but I did not know specific details until I saw a recent report on Vermont Public (Radio) with an interview of a Vermont Forester, Choloe Sardonis, who recently spent two weeks as a part of a team from the Northeastern Forest Fire Protection Compact deployed to Quebec. She joined firefighters from New York, New Hampshire, and Maine on a two week deployment to Maniwaki, Quebec. Before I get to the interview from Vermont Public, I want to share a little about the Northeastern Forest Fire Protection Commission.

Here is an overview of the Northeastern Forest Fire Protection Compact: 

The Northeastern Forest Fire Protection Commission (commonly called the Northeast Compact) is the pioneer forest fire protection compact in the United States. Its mandate is to provide the means for its U.S. member states and Canadian provinces to cope with fires that might be beyond the capabilities of a single member through information, technology and resource sharing (mutual aid) activities.

Several U.S. States, Canadian Provinces, Federal Agencies and one US. City are members of this compact, see this NFFPC webpage for more information:

• State of Connecticut
• State of Maine
• State of Massachusetts
• State of New Hampshire
• State of New York
• State of Rhode Island
• State of Vermont
• New York City (in the State of New York)
• Federal Agencies in the NFFPP include the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. National Park Service
• Province of New Brunswick (Canada)
• Province of Newfoundland and Labrador (Canada)
• Province of Nova Scotia (Canada)
• Province of Prince Edward Island (Canada
• Province of Quebec (Canada)

Two Teams from the NFFPC are currently deployed to Quebec, information about current and recent deployments by the NFFPC may be found here. Allow just under seven minutes to listen to the interview.

Interview of Vermont Forester Chloe Sardonia by Jenn Jarecki of Vermont Public (Thursday, July 6, 2023) Allow just under seven minutes to listen to the interview.

Newark NJ firefighters died fighting a fire on a ship in Port Newark

Direct link to video from Eyewitness News 7 New York on YouTube

New Jersey Advance Media July 6th article identifying the firefighters who died and reporting on the fire.

Rest in Peace Augusto "Augie" Acabou and Wayne "Bear" Brooks, Jr. Your sacrifice will not be forgotten. I offer my sincere condolences and prayers to your families, friends, and fellow firefighters and all who love you.

About five Firefighter from Newark and Elizabeth were injured in the fire, I offer my prayers for their healing. 

As I write this roughly 36 hours after the blaze broke out on the container ship in Port Newark, the fire is still ongoing.

2023 Wildfire Season: US Forest Service Airtankers on Contract

I want to write about the US Forest Service Airtankers on contract with the US Forest Fire Service in 2023. I am only able to do this because of the work of Fire Aviation in their June 2, 2023 article (which may be updated as time goes on). What I write here is current on July 5th and I am copying some information from my Airtankers 101 page. I refer you to the June 2, 2023 Fire Aviation article for more thorough information and a chart listing the tankers on contract. To sum up:

The US Forest Service has twelve air tankers on Exclusive Use Contracts with an estimated 160 days of mandatory availability ranging from a start date of March 16 to May 27 2023. Estimated ending dates of the mandatory availability period range from September 17 to November 30, 2023

• 1 DC-10 tankers (10 Tanker)
• 1 B737 (Coulson)
• 2 MD-87 tankers (Aero Air)
• 4 RJ85 tankers (Aero Flite)
• 4 BAe tankers (Neptune Aviation)

Call When Needed Activations: 

• 1 DC-10 tanker (10 Tanker), mandatory availability ends on October 3, 2023
• 2 CL-415 scoopers from Aero Flite mandatory availability ends on September 23, 2023

Here is some information I have on my Airtankers 101 page with a little more information about the contractor and their airtankers on USFS contract.

Contractors with large and very large airtankers and Scoopers that have contracts with the US Forest Fire Service in 2023. Some contractors have other types of tankers in their fleet. 

• 10 Tanker DC-10 tankers has four DC-10 tankers as of July 2023 that carry 9,400 gallons of retardant each, go to this 10 Tanker page to download a fact sheet with more information
• Coulson Aircrane, Coulson has a Facebook Page. Among the aircraft they fly on fires is the C-130Q, 4,000 gallons and a 737 Fireliner (I believe but am not certain it carries 4,000 gallons) You can read about the Coulson fleet here.
• Aero Flite Inc. has RJ-85 tankers. Each tanker can carry 3,000 gallons of retardant. Aero Flite also has CL-415 scoopers that can carry 1,621 gallons of water and 90 gallons of foam
• Aero Air, LLC. Aero Air flies the MD-87 airtanker Aero Air wholly owns Ericsson Aero Tanker. Ericsson Aero Tankers has MD-87 tankers with a capacity of 3,000 gallons of retardant.
• Neptune Aviation has a fleet of nine BAe-146 tankers each can carry 3,000 gallons of retardant.

 

A little Housekeeping

A couple of points of housekeeping I want to bring to your attention.

1. Believe it or not, I do try to minimize my use of sharing (embedding or direct links) to social media such as Twitter and Facebook. However, sometimes I get the best information from government agencies on their social media accounts, sometimes their social media accounts are the only way to get this information. Recent changes to Twitter mean that I may still be able to embed twitter content but a Twitter account is required to access that content directly. I used to rely on Twitter when their content was freely available with out an account because some accounts on Facebook require a password. I am hoping that I will still be able to embed content from Twitter, but if that is not possible I will deal with that if and when it happens.

2. I let more than two and a half years go by without updating my Airtankers 101 page, I have made what I hope some significant updates today with more to come as I try to find current information for you.

3. I have updated the links on three other pages: 

• Aviation Info and Links 
• Looking for Info on a Wildland Fire.
• Favorite Links page.

Thanks to all of you for your patience and for following my blog. I appreciate all of you.

Happy 4th of July

 

Here in the United States we are celebrating our Independence Day on the 4th of July. As I write this, I am thinking of all wildland firefighters and other first responders who are on call today or working an active wildfire to keep us safe. I wish all a happy and safe 4th of July.

2023 Wildfire Season: New Jersey Forest Fire Service Sending engines and crew to CA

Direct link to video from CBS Philadelphia on YouTube

Every year the New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) sends engines and crews to help fight wildfires in other states. I am very thankful for when I hear that NJFFS are deployed out of state. The other day I learned that the NJFFS has sent two engines with five crew members to southern California to help fight wildfires in that region. I am especially appreciative of this as I have some family and friends in southern California. As I understand it the engines and crew left on Saturday, July 1st for southern California. Thank-you NJFFS crew for helping out in southern California and taking time away from your families during a holiday weekend. Stay safe.

Dramatic rescue by NJ State Police Helicopter in Passaic River

A NJ State Police Helicopter rescued two firefighters in the Passaic River, near a dam on the river on the edge of the Passaic Falls. The firefighters were in their boat trying to rescue three contractors working on trees near the river, the contractors got out but the firefighter's boat became stranded. There was a little drama, someone was lowered from the helicopter and brought up one firefighter. But rescuing the second firefighter was a little more difficult requiring the helicopter to make two more passes before the second firefighter was rescued. For those who are so inclined, CBS New York posted a 20 minute video showing the rescue as it happened. I am sharing a two minute report about the rescue also from CBS New York. I learned of this dramatic rescue from friends with the New Jersey Forest Fire Service Section B10 who shared the longer video the other day. North Jersey dot com has a June 29th article (with videos and pictures) about this rescue that may be found here.

Direct link to video from CBS New York on YouTube

2023 Wildfire Season: Canada's Worst Fireseason Ever

 I was interested in the very bad wildfire season in Canada, so I wrote this on June 26th. I was not sure if or how I should follow up until I went to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service Section B10 webpage where they post videos relating to wildland firefighting and related issues each day. Today I saw a video report on YouTube from the Canadian Broadcast Service, CBC News uploaded on or about June 27th reporting that this is the worst wildfire season ever in Canada. I share this here, and my heart goes out to Canada, firefighters and citizens, as they deal with these massive wildfires.

Direct link to video from CBC News on YouTube

2023 Wildfire Season: Massive Wildfires in Canada Continue

Obtained on June 26, 2023 from https://cwfis.cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/maps/fm3?type=tri&year=2023&month=6&day=26

About once or twice a week I see an article about the wildfires burning in Canada, today I saw this article from the Express and Star reporting on wildfire smoke from Canada drifting towards the United Kingdom. I was curious both about the extent of these wildfires, so I went to the Canadian Wildfire Information System. They have lots of information so if you are curious about a larger view of the current wildfire situation in Canada this is one site where you may go. I suspect that each Province has their own forest fire website and I will leave you to your own devices to find those sites if you are interested.  Anyway, I found a hotspot map on the Canadian Wildfire Information System website dated today, June 26th which I shared above with a link. 

I was curious about some numbers for the wildfires that have burned in Canada this year. I found a report, dated June 21st (what you see may be different if you access the report later). These reports appear to be updated weekly and you may find three months worth of archived reports in the appropriate link. According to the June 21st report there have been 2,765 wildfires year to date burning 5,958,026 hectares (14,722,603 acres). The ten year year to date average is 2,068 wildfires burning 393.746 hectares (979,968 acres). The Canadian Interagency Fire Center (CIFFC) -- similar to the Inciweb Incident Management System in the U.S. -- has  a clickable map that you may access.

Having seen reports of wildfire crew deployments to Canada from various States in the United States as well as countries from around the world, I was curious to see a listing of deployments to Canada. The June 21st report from the Canadian Wildfire Information System provided this information:

At the time of this report, aircraft, personnel, and equipment have been mobilized to Alberta, Quebec, Nova Scotia, Northwest Territories, and CIFFC from across Canada. There are American, Australian, New Zealand, South African, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Mexican, Chilean, and Costa Rican personnel active in Canada, with additional personnel from Australia, and New Zealand, Mexico, and the United States anticipated.

Friday Fun: DC-10 Tanker 911 visits LAX

 For Friday Fun, I am embedding a video from LA Flights, according to their YouTube channel they have been engaged in plane spotting at Los Angeles International Airport for at least 15 years. Recently they spotted Tanker 911, a DC-10 tanker from 10 Tanker. I was not aware of the age of this DC-10, she is 48 years old. I enjoyed this video and their commentary as they spotted Tanker 911, they seemed to be excited at seeing her. The video is a little over seven minutes long.

Direct link to video from LA Flights on YouTube

2023 New Jersey Wildfire Season: Two Recent Wildfires in Burlington County Caused by Lightning

 

Direct link to video from CBS Philadelphia on YouTube

As most of you know, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service along with other State and Federal Wildfire agencies and the like conduct investigations into the causes of wildfires. The New Jersey Forest Fire Service recently concluded investigations into the causes of two recent wildfires in Burlington County, the Flatiron Wildfire that burned 220 acres in Medford Township in early June and the Acorn Hill Wildfire that burned 246 acres in the Brendon J. Byrne State Forest on June 19th and 20th. Both of these wildfires were caused by lightning, according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Services (see below),  wildfires caused by lightning are uncommon in New Jersey. 

New Jersey Advance Media reports on these two wildfires sparked by lightning in a June 21st article.

2023 New Jersey Wildfire Season: Acorn Hill Wildfire (Burlington County) is Contained

Yesterday evening, June 19th, I wrote about the Acorn Hill Wildfire burning in the Brendon J. Byrne State Forest in Burlington County, New Jersey. Good news, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service reported earlier this morning that this 246 acre fire is at 100 percent containment (fire line completed around the fire). News 12 New Jersey filed a report a short time ago that may be found on this web page. CBS Philadelphia recently updated their reporting on this fire, I found their report here.

2023 New Jersey Wildfire Season: Acorn Hill Wildfire (Burlington County, Brendon J. Byrne State Forest)

June 19, 6:30 PM

Direct link to video from CBS Philadelphia on YouTube

Here we go again. There is another major wildfire burning in New Jersey. The Acorn Hill Wildfire was reported this afternoon near Coopers Rd. in the Brendon J. Byrne State Forest. At the time that I am writing this at 6:30 PM, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) is reporting that the 200 acre wildfire is at 60 percent containment. NJFSS crews are doing backfiring operations.

As you can see from the short video that I embedded to start off this post, CBS Philadelphia is covering the Acorn Hill Fire, their lates report may be found here. I learned about this wildfire from my friends at NJFFS Section B10 just after I read about the wildfire on NJ Advance Media in an article written a couple of hours ago (when I accessed this article it was not behind a paywall). Another media outlet covering this fire is News 12 New Jersey, their article may be found on this webpage.

Juneteenth: Blacks in Aviation

I wanted to do something aviation related to honor Juneteenth that we are commemorating today in the United States. I went to YouTube and found a four-minute video honoring some (but perhaps not all) Black Aviators from the AOPA in honor of Black History Month in 2017. 

Direct link to video from the AOPA on YouTube

Friday Fun: Flying the Fire Boss

 For Friday Fun, this is an eighteen minute video from the AOPA's Air Safety Institute about flying an Air Tractor Fire Boss. I am not a pilot, but I did learn a lot from this video. I hope you enjoy it. 

What NWS Incident Meteorologists (IMETs) from an IMET

One of the wildfire social media sites that I check out periodically is the Facebook page of the US National Weather Service IMET, they also have a page on Twitter, NWS IMET Operations. The US National Weather Service (NWS) has a nice Fire Weather webpage with links to fire weather information including National Weather Service fire weather outlooks, a forecast map and link to other fire information. 

The video that I embedded above is from ABC15 Arizona about a Meteorologist in the NWS Flagstaff Weather Forecast office, Rickey, who is an IMET, "predicting weather: a day in the life of an incident meteorologist."

The IMET office posts about IMET deployments and other related news on these social media pages. I am not aware of any IMET deployments, but it is always possible that I have missed something. The NWS has a nice article called "Eyes on the Sky: A Day in the Life of an Incident Meteorologist (IMET) on the Front Lines of a Wildfire." This article has been around for a couple of years or so, and I find it very useful as a refresher about what IMETs do, here is an excerpt introducing what IMETs do and why:

Meteorologists from NWS work on the front lines to support agencies who prevent and fight wildfires, collaborating closely with state and local fire control agencies, as well as the Forest Service and other federal agencies.

Wildfires are not weather. However, weather conditions influence how easily a fire may start, how quickly it spreads and where the fire (and smoke) will move. Lightning strikes in dry areas are a common cause of these fires.

Incident Meteorologists (IMETs) help keep the fire crews safe by enabling responders to plan operations taking into account one of the most variable aspects of the incident — the weather. They are NWS Forecasters who have been specially trained and certified to provide weather support at a fire location.

IMETs keep firefighters safe by interpreting weather information, assessing its effect on the fire and communicating it to fire crews. Once on-site, IMETs become key members of the incident command teams and provide continuous meteorological support for the duration of the incident.

I want to emphasize that IMETs are a national resource, working across the entire United States. While many IMET deployments are to wildfires, IMETs also support other emergencies. I am comforted knowing that IMETs will be deployed to wildfires in the eastern U.S. should the need arise. IMETs can be deployed to other countries, e.g. three years ago IMETs were deployed to Australia to help with with their summer wildfire season.

Thanks to all IMETs for all you do to keep all safe on wildfires. IMETs save lives.

2023 New Jersey Wildfire Season: City Line and Buzby Boggs Wildfires Contained

I have been following two major wildfires that burned in Burlington County over the weekend, the Buzby Boggs and the City Line Wildfires. See for example my posts of June 10th and my post of June 11th for earlier updates on these wildfires. The City Line Wildfire was reported on the afternoon of June 9th and the Buzby Boggs Wildfire was reported later that night, see my June 9th post where I first reported on these wildfires.

The good news is the New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS)  crews with the assistance of local fire companies, police departments, other first responders and the assistance of the community providing food and drinks have contained both fires. Someone in the know commented to me last week that working these wildfires is a team effort. I have seen that effort as reported  by following NJFFS press conferences and media briefings and local press coverage for these and other Wildfires. I have seen that NJFFS staff and fire fighters are always quick to acknowledge and thank local fire companies assisting in structure protection and other assistance, police departments for traffic control among other things, first aid squads who are on sight just in case, and other first responders I am not naming. In addition the NJFFS always acknowledges the support of local residents near the wildfires for providing food, drinks, and a place to cool off during the hot weather or warm up during cool weather. Thanks to all for your service and keeping us safe.

For both wildfires, As stated in the status updates that I embedded here, New Jersey Forest Fire Service crews "will remain on scene and continue to monitor control lines and address areas of concern until significant precipitation occurs to ensure public safety." If you click more on both of the status updates you can see some photos from each fire.

The City Line Wildfire burned 850 acres and is at 100 percent containment.

The Buzby Boggs Wildfire is also at 100 percent containment having burned 700 acres.

2023 New Jersey Wildfire Season: City Line and Buzby Boggs Wildfires (Burlington County), June 11th

June 11th, 12:35 PM

The New Jersey Forest Fire Services assisted by local fire companies and other first responders continue to fight the City Line and Buzby Boggs Wildfires in Burlington County, see my June 10th post for earlier updates on both wildfires. CBS Philadelphia has a report on these wildfires late last night that may be found here.

New Jersey Forest Fire Crews (NJFFS) continue to work the City Line Wildfire, the status is unchanged from last night (850 acres burned at 90 percent containment.

The efforts of the NJFFS assisted by mutual aid has resulted in an increase in containment of the Buzby Boggs Wildfire to 90 percent containment this morning, up from 65 percent containment yesterday night.