2017 wildfire season highlights: Dragon Fighters

The Dragon Fighters is a contract wildland fire module. While I think that this video may have been for promotional purposes. I enjoyed the season highlights, shots of helicopters, as well as shots of wildlife the crew encountered. In 2017 they fought fires in Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, and South Dakota.


direct link to video on youtube

IMETs in Action: September 24th

We are into fall wildfire season continues in many parts of the United States. This means that US National Weather Service (NWS) Incident Meteorologists (IMETs) are continuing to be deployed to wildfires to provide onsite weather and tactical support. Here IMET deployments to wildfires over the last ten days.

• September 14th, US NWS Flagstaff Arizona IMET deployed to Silver Creek Fire near Kremmling, Colorado (18,444 acres at 50 percent containment).
• September 14th, US NWS Western Region HQ IMET deployed to Pole Creek Fire near Nephi, Utah (101,423 acres at 41 percent containment.
• September 15th, US NWS Missoula Montana IMET deployed to Bald Mountain Fire near Mona, Utah (18,596 acres at 33 percent containment.
• September 17th, US NWS Southern Region HQ IMET deployed to Roosevelt Fire near Jackson, Wyoming.
• September 17th, US NWS North Platte Nebraska IMET deployed to Ryan Fire near Walden Colorado (19,328 acres, no containment)
• September 21st, US NWS Aberdeen South Dakota IMET on site at Marten Creek Fire near Afton Wyoming (6,300 acres at 20 percent containment).
• September 21st, US NWS Riverton Wyoming IMET trainee deployed to Roosevelt Fire near Jackson, Wyoming.
• September 21st, US NWS Jacksonville Florida IMET deployed to Bald Mountain Fire near Mona, Utah (18,596 acres at 33 percent containment.
• September 21st, US NWS Western Region HQ IMET trainee onsite at Pole Creek Fire near Nephi, Utah Pole Creek Fire near Nephi, Utah (101,423 acres at 41 percent containment.
• September 24th, US NWS Pocatello Idaho IMET deployed to Mirror Lake Complex near Karnas, Utah (1,200 acres at 17 percent containment).

IMETs save lives! Thank-you IMETs for all you are doing to keep firefighters working on fires safe.

2018 California Wildfires: fighting fire from a fire work train

I have always liked trains, and I was intrigued when I first came across a video a few years ago about how a train was used to fight wildfires. I did not know know the time period when the video was shot, but I loved the video so I shared it on October 31, 2014  along with links to other information on trains used to fight wildfires posted by Bill Gabbert of Wildfire Today on August 24, 2010.

Just today, thanks to my friends at the B10 NJ Wildland Fire Page who shared a very cool video of a fire work train used on the Delta Fire on their Fire Videos of the Week Page on September 15th. I just had to share with you. Stay safe and enjoy.


Direct link to video by Dan Ryant

NJ Forest Fire Service 2018 engine deployments: NJFFS engines demobilized, other eastern crews deployments

The four type-4 engines, A-45, T-9, A-29 and T-5, and their support vehicles were demobilized from their respective assignments in Nevada and California on or about September 15th (see this Facebook post from the NJFFS A2 Firefighters Association). I am very proud of all the NJFFS crew who staffed these engines and support vehicles helping fight various wildfires in California and Nevada. Perhaps as I post this they are home and back with their families?

While all NJFFS crews and engines are currently demobilized and (soon to be) back home in New Jersey, other crews and engines from the eastern area continue to be deployed in the western United States helping fight various wildfires. According to the Resources Summary from the Eastern Area Coordination Center for September 18th (updated daily while crews deployed, current summary found here there crews and engines from several eastern states deployed out west. Here is a summary of deployments outside of the eastern area:

Fire Crews
Potomac River #1 (West Virginia) working in Oregon.
PAS #8 (Pennsylvania) working in California.
Noreast Agency #3 (dispatched out of the NECC in New Hampshire) working in Colorado.

Modules, aka wildland fire modules
MNCC Interagency #3 (home unit in Minnesota) working in Colorado.
Great Lakes Interagency (home unit in Michigan) working in Idaho.
WIC #5 (home unit in Wisconsin) working in Oregon.

Engines (to read about the different types of wildland fire engines go to this wikipedia article)
One type-4 engine from Michigan deployed to California.
Three type-6 engines from Michigan deployed to Colorado, Washington and Oregon
Two type-6 engines from Maine deployed to California.
Five type-6 engines from Minnesota deployed to Montana (2), Oregon (2) and Colorado.
Two type-6 engines from Missouri deployed to Oregon.
Six type-6 engines from Wisconsin deployed to California (2), Montana (3), and Nevada.
One type-4 engine from Wisconsin deployed to Idaho.
One type-3 engine from Connecticut deployed to California.
One type-6 engine from Ohio deployed to Oregon.

Thanks to all of the crews mentioned here and their support teams for helping to fight wildfires in the western U.S.

2018 Hurricane Season: military aviation helping in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence (9/17/18)

In the aftermath of the devastating flooding rains in North and South Carolina and into Virginia, the Coast Guard has been hard at work on the ground, and as conditions permit, using helicopters to help flood victims. Here is some footage.


Direct link to video from okrajoe


Direct link to video from okrajoe


Direct link to video from ABC7 Sarasota


Direct link to video from US Department of Defense

2018 Hurricane Season: extra weather balloon launches for Hurricane Florence

I have blogged about the upper air data gathered by the National Weather Service (NWS) from weather balloons known as the upper air observation program. There are about 90 NWS Weather Forecast Offices (WFO) that join other sites around the world in the upper air observation program by launching weather balloons with a radiosonde with sensors that record some weather data as the balloon ascends into the upper atmosphere. These "weather balloons" are launched per international agreement at the same time, at midnight and noon UTC. One of the important uses of this upper air data is that it is fed into the weather models that the NWS meteorologists and meteorologists from around the world use to come up with their weather forecasts.

I have written elsewhere about how NWS incident meteorologists will sometimes launch balloons for upper air observations to aid their fire weather forecasting.The data gathered by these balloon launches is also used by the National Hurricane Center in their hurricane forecast models.

Every so often when a large storm is threatening the U.S. the National Weather Service adds two extra weather balloon launches at 6AM and 6PM UTC, making for four balloon launches six hours apart. This was done in January 2016 for a large snow storm/blizzard that hit the east coast, see my January 2016 post on weather balloons. This week, many NWS WFOs in the upper air observation program, most but not all in the eastern half of the country, launched two additional weather balloons (one every six hours) to provide additional data for the NHC hurricane models. The NWS WFO Buffalo NY has a nice twitter post explaining balloon launches, with some nice graphics and photos.

I have two videos to share with you on upper air balloon launches. One shows a fairly typical balloon launch on a day that is not too windy.


Direct link to video from the City of Tampa

The second video is very short video from the NWS WFO Newport/Morehead NC, shared on their facebook page, go here to see the short video. The balloon launch was on or about September 13th. Note that because of the windy conditions, two people are holding on to the balloon as they exit the upper air building prior to launching the balloon.

I understand from a friend at the NWS WFO Norman Oklahoma that WFOs in Texas and Oklahoma stopped launching the two extra balloons as of today, September 14th, but WFOs to the east are continuing with the two extra balloon launches.

2018 hurricane season: hurricane hunters continue to fly Hurricane Florence

Direct link to video


Direct link to video

As Hurricane Florence continues to make its way towards the southeast coast of the United States NOAA's hurricane hunters as well as those from the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron continue to fly missions into and over Hurricane Florence. Aircraft reconnaissance plans of the day into hurricanes are available from this page from the National Hurricane Center. More information on hurricane hunter missions in the atlantic basin may be found on the tropical atlantic webpage. If you want to learn more about hurricane hunters, I wrote about NOAA's hurricane hunters in a series in June 2015 (the NOAA hurricane hunter known as Kermit is now refurbished). In May 2015 I wrote a series on the hurricane hunters of the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron.

Here are the reconnaissance missions into Florence planned for Thursday, September 13th. Teal refers to C-130s from the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron.

2018 Hurricane Season: Hurricane Hunters flying Hurricane Florence

Updated on December 20, 2020: the video that I had originally shared here was from USA Today and is no longer available.

I expect that many of you in the United States know that Hurricane Florence is in the western atlantic making its way to a possible land fall in the southeastern United States as a category 4 hurricane sometime Thursday night into Friday.

According to the plan of the day from the National Hurricane Center for September 10, 2018, see below, there are four Hurricane Hunter flights into Florence. Teal refers to C-130s from the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron. NOAA 49 is NOAA's Gulfstream IV high altitude research aircraft.

I have a very high level of respect for all who crew the Hurricane Hunters. What you do is very dangerous. You do this to provide data to the NHC for their forecasts. The NHC forecasts in turn are used by the National Weather Service Weather Forecast Offices as they issue products to warn their residents of upcoming impacts of a hurricane or tropical storm. The impacts of a hurricane or tropical storm may be felt many miles for the center of storm. Stay safe and please heed any evacuations.

Carr Fire: one month later

The Carr Fire (link no longer available) was contained on August 30th at 229,651 acres. 1,091 residences, 503 outbuildings and 22 commercial structures were destroyed. Words escape me . . .

Rest in Peace:

Don Ray Smith, 81, volunteer bulldozer operator
Jeremy Stoke, 37, fire inspector, Redding Fire Department
Melody Bledsoe and her two grandchidren, Amy Roberts (4) and James Roberts (5)
An unidentified person (as of August 25th)
Jairus Ayeta, 21, PG&E apprentice lineman
Andrew Brake, 40, CAL FIRE mechanic

Thanks to all the firefighters on the ground and in the air, and their support crews.

Updated on December 20, 2020: the video that I shared when I first posted this article is no longer available. The link to information about the Carr Fire is no longer available.

NJ Forest Fire Service 2018 engine deployments (Sept. 5th): update

It has been several days since I posted my last update on the New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) type-4 engines deployed in the western U.S. It is time to provide an update on where these engines are.

Engines A-45 and T-9 had been assigned to the Stone Fire (California) last week, they were demobilized from that fire, on or about August 28th with a possible crew rotation, see an August 28th post on Facebook from the NJFFS A2 Firefighters Association. The Stone Fire is now at 100 percent containment, having burned 39,387 acres.

Meanwhile Engines A-29 and T-5 were demobilized from the County Line Fire near Carlin Nevada, for more information see my August 27th post. According to the NJFFS A2 Firefighters Association in an August 31st Facebook Post, crew rotation occurred on August 31st with engines A-29 and T-5 being assigned to the Great Basis Task Force.

I was wondering where these four NJFFS engines are currently assigned. I got my answer from my friends at the NJFFS A2 Firefighters Association in their September 4th update on their Facebook Page. Engines A-45 and T-9 are currently assigned to the Hirz fire, 18 miles northeast of Redding CA (46,051 acres burned at 70 percent containment. Meanwhile, engines A-29 and T-5 (part of Great Basin Task Force 18) are working the Gance Fire in northern Elko County, Nevada (4,500 acres burned, containment unknown).

I continue to be very proud of the good work the NJFFS crews have done helping out our friends in California and the Great Basin fight wildfires. Some of you returned home in time to spend part of the holiday weekend with your family and friends in New Jersey. Others were fighting wildfires. Thank-you for your service and your sacrifice. Stay safe.

Flying over the Delaware River

Here is another fun video uploaded by flyinphilsphotos of a flight over the Delaware River from Frenchtown to Milford NJ. Thanks to my pilot friends who take me flying, I have been on such a flight several times, but I'm not so good at taking videos from the right seat. The Delaware is a great and easy river to fly over.


Direct link to video from flyinphilsphotos on Youtube

2018 Atlantic City Airshow

On this Labor Day weekend I hope that you enjoy this 35 minute video from the 2018 Atlantic City Airshow that took place last weekend. In the meantime be safe and enjoy.


Direct link to video

IMETs in Action: What they do and August 27th through 29th Deployments

I like to post periodically about the great work that National Weather Service Incident Meteorologists (IMETs) do, see for example my August 10th post.

I have shared the video below before, but it bears repeating. Hear NWS Incident Meteorologist Jeremy Wolfe discuss what he does on a wildfire assignment.



direct link to video

For more on IMETs do, check out my post of July 21, 2017 on IMET training, my post of post August 15, 2016 about how IMETs use weather balloons. For a general overview of what IMETs do, see this article, Eyes on the Sky: A Day in the Life of an Incident Meteorologist. Safety is the number one mission of an IMET, see this August 18th post by the US National Weather Service IMET Facebook Page

Recent IMET balloon launch
US NWS Glasgow, Montana IMET and US NWS Anchorage, Alaska IMET write up with photos about balloon launch on the Goldstone Fire in Montana, video of balloon launch (As I write this the Gladstone Fire has burned 9,337 acres and is at 22 percent containment).

Now I want to share some IMET deployments since August 27th as posted on the US National Weather Service IMET Facebook Page.

August 27th Deployments

• US NWS Grand Junction Colorado IMET to the Wapiti Fire near Stanley, Oregon (5,490 acres, 13 percent containment)
• US NWS Fort Worth Texas IMET to the Rabbit Foot Fire near Salmon, Idaho (35,271 acres, 10 percent containment).

August 28th and 29th Deployments

• US NWS Ohio River Forecast Center IMET to the Crescent Mountain Fire near Winthrop, Washington (43,484 acres, 35 percent containment).
• US NWS North Platte Nebraska IMET to the Britania Mountain Fire near Wheatland, Wyoming (no fire information available on inciweb)
• US NWS Marquette, Michigan IMET trainee to the Klondike Fire near Selma Oregon (98,539 acres, 40 percent containment). US NWS Western Region HQ was deployed to the Klondike Fire on August 15th, I assume s/he is still there, or else another IMET in their place. IMET trainees work under an IMET.

NJ Forest Fire Service 2018 engine deployments (Aug 27th): update

The two New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) Type-4 engines, B45 and T9 continue to be assigned to the Stone Fire where they are engaged in mop-up,  patrol containment lines, and suppressing spot fires. The Stone Fire has burned 39,387 acres and is at 72 percent containment as I write this. My friends at the NJFFS A2 Firefighters Association Facebook Page have posted two updates on their Facebook page that you might be interested, an update from earlier this morning, August 27th and on August 24th they shared some photos and a video of the Stone Fire, the camp, and a nice shot of a nearby train. Photos and video courtesy of Kenny Lunden Jr.

Meanwhile, NJFFS type-4 engines, A29 and T5, were demobilized from the Sheep Creek Fire on Sunday, August 26th and reassigned to initial attack at the County Line Fire (5 miles south of Carlin, Nevada). As I write this, the County Line Fire has burned 12,833 acres and is at 50 percent containment. See this August 26th update from the NJFFS A2 Firefighters Association for more information on this deployment.

On August 27th, the Sheep Creek Fire had burned 59,789 acres and was at 100 percent containment.

2018 Hurricane Season: Hurricane Lane

As Hurricane Lane heads towards the Hawaiian Islands, see this public advisory (#40A) from the Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC)  with sustained winds of 105 mph (category 2 on the Saffir-Simpson Scale, my prayers are with the Hawaiian Islands. I found out the last Hurricane Hunter reconnaissance flight was on Wednesday August 22 local time (mission 12 into Lane, AF 307), see this page showing reconnaissance missions into Hurricane Lane from tropicaleastpacfic and an archive of 2018 hurricane hunter flights may be found here. Mission 12 was the last reconnaissance flight into Lane, the last flight into Lane was the Gulfstream (G-IV), NOAA 9, mission 13. This was in order to have enough lead time to safely evacuate all personnel, aircraft and equipment, see this notice for more information. AF307 is a C130 from the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron. What the men and women who crew the various hurricane hunter aircraft is very dangerous, they do this to protect us. I can not adequately say how proud all those who crew the various hurricane hunter aircraft, and their support team on the ground. I am very proud of them.

August 25, 2018 12:30 EDT update: Lane has been downgraded to a tropical storm, see this August 24th update from the US National Weather Service Honolulu & Central Pacific Hurricane Center Facebook Page. Alternatively, you can go to the latest public advisory (#45) from the CPHC

I don't have a video of a hurricane hunter reconnaissance mission into Lane to share with you, but I did find one from July 18th from U.S. Military Generation of a flight of a C130 from the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron flying into tropical storm Chris.


Direct link to video on Youtube

NJ Forest Fire Service 2018 engine deployments (Aug 22th): new assignments

Thanks to my friends at the NJFFS A2 Firefighters Association Facebook Page who have been posting updates on where the four New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) type-4 engines are currently deployed along with pictures and fire summaries.

On Monday August 20th, the NJFFS A2 Firefighters Association shared that the two engines (A29 and T5) that are assigned to Elko District of the Bureau of Land Management where assigned to the Sheep Creek Fire about 15 miles northeast of Battle Mountain, Nevada (go here for the August 20th Facebook Post from the NJFFS A2 Firefighters Association). According to their August 22nd post, the Sheep Creek Fire is at 59,789 acres with 70 percent containment. The inciweb incident page for the Sheep Creek Fire may be found here with some photos, a map and other information. According to an update on the Sheep Creek Fire available on their inciweb page there are three helicopters work the fire. The Elko Daily Free Press ---- thanks NJFFS A2 Firefighters Assoc for the link to the article -- has a nice article about the Sheep Creek Fire, burning in Landers County, published on August 21st.

On Monday August 20th I shared some photos taken by one of the crew of the two NJFFS service engines (B45 and T9) that were then deployed as a part of strike team on the Carr Fire. According to the NJFFS A2 Firefighters Association in an August 21st Facebook post engines B45 and T9 were released from the Carr Fire and deployed to the Stone Fire, and they posted an update on August 22nd about the Stone Fire. There is an inciweb page for the Stone Fire, as of today's update on inciweb, the Stone Fire has burned 29,504 acres at 20 percent containment with four helicopters working the fire and air tankers as needed.

I continue to be so very proud of the engine crews and their support vehicles for all the good work they are doing helping with the wildfires out west. Stay safe.

NJ Forest Fire Service 2018 engine deployment (Aug 20th): Carr Fire

Two type-4 engines from the New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) continue to be assigned to the Carr Fire (near Redding and Shasta/Trinity California). As I write this the Carr Fire, burning in and near the National Park Service Whiskeytown National Recreation area. As I write this the Carr Fire has burned 229,651 acres and is at 88 percent containment. According to post on Facebook from the NJFFS A2 Firefighters Association on August 19th, the two NJFFS type-4 engines are a part of strike team with engine crews from: New Jersey, Oregon, Arizona, Michigan, Colorado, and a firefighter from New Zealand.  I thank all of the members of this strike team for the work you are doing fighting the Carr Fire. 

My friend, Ed Seifert from the New Jersey Forest Fire Service for sending me several great photos from the NJFFS engine crew. All the photos are courtesy of Kenny Lunden.  I believe that the photos were taken on or about August 18th. These are great photos and will take you inside and up close to the Carr Fire as seen by the NJFFS engine crews. Thanks to Kenny for the great photos. Thank-you Ed Seifert from sending me these photos so that I can share them with you here.

I am so very proud of the whole strike team with a special shout out to the the NJFFS wildland firefighters from New Jersey. Thank-you for your service and stay safe.

NJ Forest Fire Service 2018 engines deployed (Aug 17th)

As I write this post, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) continues to have four type-4 engines and two support vehicles deployed out west.

NJFFS engines A29 and T5 along with car 37 are assigned to the Wells Fire Station in the Elko District of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). I understand from a post that the NJFFS A2 Firefighters Association made on their Facebook Page on August 16th that these two engines were deployed to the Thousand Springs Fire north of Wells, Nevada on August 15th along with an airtanker. As of yesterday afternoon, the Thousand Springs Fire had burned 31.99 acres. Containment information is not known. More photos are available at an August 15th Facebook post by the NJFFS A2 Firefighters Association.

I understand that NJFFS engines B45 and T9 continue to be assigned to the Carr Fire (217,598 acres burned at 75 percent containment) burning near Redding California.

Thank-you to all of the NJFFS crew of the engines and support vehicles working out west. Stay safe. We appreciate what you are doing to help crew out west fight wildfires.

2018 California Wildfires: firefighter fatalities

I suspect that many of you know that as of the date I am writing this post that six firefighters have died fighting wildfires in California so far this fire season.


Transcript available here.

The identity of the sixth fire fighter was not known at the time of the NPR report, he was later identified as Matthew Burchett (42) from Utah, a battalion chief with the Draper City Fire Department, see this August 14th report from KQED for more information.

Please pause for a moment and offer your thoughts, meditations, prayers, and reflections for the following firefighters and their family, friends, colleagues and all who love them.

• Braden Varney, killed in the Ferguson Fire.
• Brian Hughes, killed in the Ferguson Fire.
• Andrew Brake, killed in auto accident on way to Carr Fire.
• Don Ray Smith, killed in the Carr Fire.
• Jeremy Stoke, killed in the Carr Fire.
• Matthew Burchett, killed in the Mendocino Complex Fire.

May your rest in peace Braden, Brian, Andrew, Don, Jeremy, and Matthew. Your service and sacrifice won't be forgotten. I pray especially for all of your loved ones who are mourning your passing.

NJ Forest Fire Service 2018 NJS #2 crew is home & engines still deployed (August 13)

The 20 person crew from the New Jersey Forest Fire Service (NJFFS) that was deployed to the Red Canyon Fire in Colorado ended ended their service on or about August 11th and flew home on Sunday (see this post on the NJFFS A2 Firefighters Association Facebook Page. Before flying home, the crew visited the Storm King Mountain Memorial site where 14 firefighters died on Storm King Mountain fighting the South Canyon Fire in 1994 (see the post from the NJFFS A2 Firefighters Association Facebook Page on August 11th for some photos). Thank-you for your service on the Red Canyon Fire. Enjoy a well deserved rest and time with your friends and family.

The NJFFS type 4 engines and two support cars continue to be deployed out west. Engines A29 and T5 along with car 37 continue to be available for initial attack out of Wells Fire Station in the BLM Elko Nevada District. The arrived at the Wells Fire Station on or about August 4th, I understand from the NJFFS A2 Firefighters Association Facebook page (go here and here) that the two engines were deployed to work initial attack this morning on an 1/10th of an acre fire in the Elko district along with an air attack plane, putting the fire out an hour or so after they were deployed to the fire. This is just the incident that I know about, I expect that they have worked initial attack since they arrived at Wells Fire Station last week. Thank-you for your service.

Engines B45 and T9 and an unknown support car continue to work the Carr Fire near Redding California (202,976 acres at 61 percent containment). They arrived at the Carr Fire on or about July 30th. Thank-you for your service.