International Firefighters’ Day was established in 1999 to honor the lives of five firefighters who died in a wildfire in Linton, Victoria, Australia, on December 2, 1998 – Garry Vredeveldt, Chris Evans, Stuart Davidson, Jason Thomas, and Matthew Armstrong.
May 4 has been selected as a day to recognize the service and sacrifice that all firefighters around the world make daily. Here at Wildfire Today we especially appreciate wildland firefighters, tactical athletes who take on vegetation fires from the air, from engines, and those on foot using hand tools while carrying 45 pounds of gear.
We also need to recognize the others who work at logistics, dispatch, warehouses, and tanker bases. Just as important are the families of these men and women who temporarily lose their spouse, son, or daughter for weeks at a time during the fire season. Too often there is an empty seat at anniversaries, birthdays, soccer games, and summer vacations.
Thank a firefighter today.
Back then, El Cariso used a bow bar on their Homelites when in brush. Did anyone else use it? Does any crew use it today? What came first in the line, brush hook or bow saw?
Before I was a sawyer on El Cariso in 1970 I spent a summer on the Mendocino NF working on a Timber Stand Improvement crew. We used Homelite Super XL chainsaws to thin young stands of Douglas Fir. The bow bar worked really well on those small trees which needed no undercut. I just pushed the front of the bar into the tree, assisted by the dog on the lower-front of the bar.
When I got on El Cariso there were no bow bars on the crew and thinking it would be good for cutting brush, I talked Supt. Ron Campbell into getting me one, hoping it might work better than the 18″ or 24″ straight bar. It did cut through the brush easily and quickly and without having to bend over as much, but some of the cut brush fell inside the bar’s loop, so you had to drag that around or stop and pull it out by hand. I abandoned the bow bar. Some of the sawyers on the crew continued to use them occasionally.
About the brush hook… sometimes we did have one out in front of the lead saw. It could give the sawyer easier access.
Cool, but when is International Forestry Technician Day?
May the 4th be with you!