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Author: Bill Gabbert
After working full time in wildland fire for 33 years, he continues to learn, and strives to be a Student of Fire. View all posts by Bill Gabbert
THANKS Stephen, that’s just priceless. 🙂
Just came across this old post. This unfortunately is also a sign of the times. As a retired CalFire ATGS I can say that retardant is being way over used. I am not alone in this opinion. Pilots as well as other active duty and retired firefighters share my concerns. Although I would have to admit that these opinions are in the minority.
What a good reason to check and verify your station data. I was the Fire Behavior Analyst on both the Rocky and Jerusalem fires (and the guy cleaning the site in the picture here). The previous day they had put a single blade dozerline around the site. The following day, the air tankers were trying to defend a structure near the site, and connecting some roads and dozerlines together. I dont think they meant to paint the site, but it happened. Going back and reviewing the weather data, later on that day, showed a spike in precipitation and dramatic drop in battery power (solar panels were covered) as well as solar radiation.The rainbucket screen was solid, as was the retardant that had fallen into the tip gauge. Fire crews went out to the site the next day and washed the remaining retardant off. By doing so, the temp went down, and the RH spiked. What a great training learning opportunity. Remember, if the data doesnt look right when your reviewing it, something funny might be going on with your site. Go for a drive and visually inspect the unit, you might find something interesting.