Wildfire Today

News and opinion about wildland fire

Wildfire Today

Year: 2022

Highlights from the 1977 CDF Fire Control Handbook

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , , , 9 Comments on Highlights from the 1977 CDF Fire Control Handbook

Looking back 45 years at large fire organization charts, “support teams”, and hair requirements in California

CDF Fire Control Handbook, 1977
Cover of the 1977 California Department of Forestry Fire Control Handbook.

Chief John Hawkins shared with us a copy of the California Department of Forestry’s Fire Control Handbook, 1977 edition. The agency was known as CDF before they became the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, CAL FIRE.

It is a .pdf copy of Handbook 5600 with a few amendments around 1979 and 1980 to address the agency’s limited trial of the Incident Command System (ICS) in their Region VI starting in 1978, and the planned California-wide implementation of the ICS in 1983. The entire document can be downloaded here  (large 10.2 Mb file).

Firefighters of a certain age will most likely enjoy skimming through the pages of this 45-year old document.

CDF 1977 Fire Control Handbook
From page 51 in the CDF 1977 Fire Control Handbook, amended December, 1980.

The 324-page book contains many operational guides, as well as information about aviation, safety, pre-attack planning, “support teams”, and flood control operations. Much of it is timeless, but there have also been many changes. It is interesting to compare the 45-year old policies with current procedures.

But going back even further, let’s take a look at fire organizations before ICS began to be adopted in the 1980s:

forest fire organization, forest service, 1953
Two-Sector Fire. From Principles of Organization for Forest Fire Suppression, US Forest Service, 1953.
Organization on the, Battlement Creek Fire, July 1976
Organization on the Battlement Creek Fire, July, 1976. From the report.

My career was with the US Forest Service and National Park Service. The CDF organization from the Fire Control Handbook has at least one feature unfamiliar to me, the “Attack” function, which was called the Line Function by the USFS. It is now labeled “Operations” in the ICS. In the USFS it was led by a Line Boss in the pre-ICS days. “Service” became Logistics, and in the Planning section the Maps and Records Officer was replaced by two units, Resources Unit and Situation Unit. Sectors became Divisions, and a new position was inserted between the Planning Section Chief and Division Boss: Branch Director. There were numerous changes in Service/Logistics.

CDF Fire Organization Structure, 1979
CDF Fire Organization Structure, 1979.

And then there is the current Incident Command System structure; keep in mind, you only fill the positions that are needed.

Continue reading “Highlights from the 1977 CDF Fire Control Handbook”

Legislation allows wildfire training and employment of Alaskans in rural areas

Author BillPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , , 2 Comments on Legislation allows wildfire training and employment of Alaskans in rural areas

Can include fuel reduction projects

Native Alaska Firefighters – On The Fireline – Cooling Off – In Training in McGrath Photos by Mike McMillan/AK Division of Forestry

By Alaska Fire Public Information Officers

Alaska’s “emergency firefighter act” – House Bill 209 – signed into law June 20, 2022, by Governor Mike Dunleavy enables the Division of Forestry and Fire Protection to train and employ wildland firefighters and project crews in rural areas.

Native Alaskan wildfire crews have historically been a vital part of village life and culture in Alaska, offering temporary employment to several hundred emergency firefighters (EFFs) throughout the summer months. But in recent years, limited opportunities for village fire crews and rural firefighters has been discouraging.

Alaska EFF wildland firefighters
Emergency Firefighter (EFF) Candidates Celebrate the End of their first Training Week at McGrath DOF in 2022. Photo: Gene Boyd/Alaska Division of Forestry

The purpose of the recent legislation is to alleviate many of the economic and logistical barriers to retaining rural firefighting crews throughout wildfire season – running from April to August. House Bill 209 empowers the Division of Forestry to utilize firefighters in non-emergency capacities – namely fuel reduction projects. Tree cutting, brush clearing, debris removal and pile burning helps crews learn valuable firefighting skills, building cohesion while earning a steady income.

“We want to keep people working in their communities,” said Andres Orozco, Helitak Operations Foreman at McGrath Forestry. “Our goal is to create reliable employment by investing in and building our workforce with well-trained, hard-working firefighters.” Andres predicts McGrath Forestry will train 20-30 new firefighters by year’s end – a number he hopes will double in 2023.

First annual National Wildland Firefighter Day

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags 21 Comments on First annual National Wildland Firefighter Day

National Wildland Firefighter Day

Each year we experience more extreme and longer wildland fires, and the wildland firefighting community rises to the challenge to protect life, property, and natural and cultural resources. On July 2, for National Wildland Firefighter Day we show appreciation and recognize the hard work and dedication of every wildland fire responder. Thank you also to the supporting families and friends of wildland fire responders who make it possible for responders to be away for weeks or months at a time.

President Biden issued a statement this morning about the commemoration:

Today, on the first annual National Wildland Firefighter Day, I join Americans across the country in expressing deep gratitude for our wildland firefighters who heroically protect our communities and natural resources from wildfires.

Recognizing their service and sacrifice on this day is especially important because we continue to ask more of them year after year. In the past year and a half, I’ve met firefighters in Idaho, California, Colorado, and New Mexico who work night and day to keep people safe, all while fires are getting larger, more intense, and more difficult to control because of climate change, the accumulation of hazardous fuels in our forests, and evolving land development patterns.

Firefighters can spend months away from their loved ones, courageously working to save lives, homes, schools, businesses, natural resources, and wilderness areas.  Beyond fighting fires, these dedicated women and men also work year-round to protect us from wildfires before they start by doing the important fuels management work needed to reduce the likelihood of catastrophic fire. This work is tough and extremely dangerous.

That’s why my Administration continues to make supporting this workforce a top priority.  Building on what I initiated last year, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law authorized historic new initiatives and resources for wildland firefighters that we are implementing now. This includes a substantial pay increase, new programs to support wildland firefighter mental and physical health, and the creation of a wildland firefighter job series that will improve recruitment, retention, and opportunities for professional growth.

We are also building our firefighting workforce, including converting more temporary firefighting positions to permanent jobs.  And we’re further supporting our brave firefighters by doing everything we can to help reduce the risk of catastrophic fires, including proposing a nearly 60 percent increase in hazardous fuels management funds in my Fiscal Year 2023 Budget Request, and investing another $2.5 billion in this work over the next five years through my Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

National Wildland Firefighter Day will occur annually during the previously established wildland firefighter Week of Remembrance.  I’ve attended too many memorial services for the fallen, including almost nine years to the day, *honoring 19 Granite Mountain Hotshot firefighters who died fighting the Yarnell Hill Fire in Arizona.  They were some of the strongest, most disciplined, tenacious, physically fit firefighters in the world.  So, this week we will also reflect on those firefighters who have fallen in the line of duty and renew our commitment to wildland firefighter safety.  We pause to remember them, commemorate their selfless service, and thank their loved ones for their service and many sacrifices.

May God bless firefighters and their families across our Nation.

National Wildland Firefighter Day logo

*Link to coverage of the memorial service for the Granite Mountain Hotshots added by Wildfire Today.

Prediction issued for this summer’s wildfire potential

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , 4 Comments on Prediction issued for this summer’s wildfire potential

July wildfire outlook weather fuels

The forecast for wildland fire potential issued July 1 by the National Interagency Fire Center predicts that in July it will increase to higher than “normal” this summer in Alaska, Texas, Northern California, and the eastern portions of Washington and Oregon. In August added to the list will be parts of Montana, the Black Hills, and the Northern Plains. Hawaii will be above normal for the next four months.

The fire potential text and maps from NIFC shown here represent the cumulative forecasts of the ten Geographic Area Predictive Services Units and the National Predictive Services Unit. Additional graphics are included from other sources.

Below:

  • Excerpts from the NIFC narrative report for the next four months;
  • Additional NIFC monthly graphical outlooks;
  • NOAA’s three-month temperature and precipitation forecasts;
  • Drought Monitor;
  • Keetch-Byram Drought Index;
  • Soil moisture.

“Most of the West, Plains, and Texas remain in drought, with areas of extreme to exceptional drought across the southwestern US. Drought developed across southwest Alaska and expanded or increased in severity across the Southeast and Hawai’i. Temperatures were above normal across the southern tier of the US and the Plains, with near to below normal temperatures across the northwestern US and the Northeast.

“Climate outlooks indicate below normal precipitation is likely across much of the Plains through the central Rockies into the Inland Pacific Northwest, with above normal temperatures likely across most of the contiguous US (CONUS) through summer. A robust North American Monsoon is expected to continue through July into August across the Southwest and portions of the broader Four Corners region. Alaska is likely to remain warm, with near normal precipitation likely through summer.

“Above normal significant fire potential is forecast for the southern Plains through October, spreading across Texas, the Lower to Mid-Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio Valleys by fall. Much of the central and northern High Plains, including the Black Hills, are likely to have above normal potential through summer. The Southwest, southern Great Basin, and Colorado Rockies have returned to near normal potential.

“Southwest, south-central, and Interior Alaska will have above normal significant fire potential through August, although portions of southwest Alaska will likely return to near normal potential during August. Much of the Sierra and Coast Ranges in California will have above normal significant potential by August, continuing through September. Offshore wind prone areas in California will likely retain above normal potential in October as well. Along and east of the Cascades into much of the western and northern Great Basin is expected to have above normal potential this summer due to above normal fine fuel loading and long-term drought, with southwest Oregon likely to have increasing potential by August. Leeward sides of the Hawai’ian Islands will have above normal potential through October due to ongoing drought and likely enhanced trade winds.”

August wildfire outlook weather fuels September wildfire outlook weather fuels October wildfire outlook weather fuels

90-day temp & precip outlook Drought Monitor, June 28, 2022 KBDI June 30, 2022 Soil moisture, June 30, 2022

With near-record setting wildfire activity, Alaska moves to Preparedness Level 5

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags ,

This weekend temperatures in the state could be 20 degrees above average

Alaska daily cumulative acres burned, by year
Alaska daily cumulative acres burned, by year. The black line is 2022.  Accessed June 29, 2022. University of Alaska Fairbanks.

With near record-setting wildfire activity early in Alaska’s fire season and a looming heat wave, on Thursday the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center moved to wildland fire Planning Level 5, the highest level. Currently there are multiple large fires that require incident management teams in several areas simultaneously. PL5 status means most of the initial and extended attack firefighting resources are committed to new and existing fires. Nationally the PL is 2, according to the National Interagency Coordination Center, but each geographic area establishes their own based on local conditions.

current fires, July 1, 2022 map fires
Red areas represent current fires, July 1, 2022

There are currently 160 fires in Alaska, and 17 are staffed. With the predicted hot dry weather, lightning, and Red Flag warnings, the fire risk is very high. In addition, fire smoke is at health advisory levels in parts of the state.

Red Flag Warnings, Alaska, July 1, 2022 fires
Red Flag Warnings, Alaska, July 1, 2022

More than 1,646,895 acres have burned so far this season. Since mid-June the cumulative acres burned to date has been hovering at record levels or above. As of June 29 the only year with more acres burned to date was 2015. The average total burned each year in Alaska from 1992 through 2021 was 1,192,909 acres.

Alaska heat wave, AccuWeather

Forecasters say a heat dome will settle over Alaska Friday through Monday that will challenge daily record high temperatures. Fairbanks is expected to hit an abnormally high 85 on Friday. That would be three degrees below the July 1 temperature record of 88, which was set just last year.

The abnormal heat will pile on to already abnormally dry vegetation, or as known to firefighters, fuels. In Anchorage, just 7 percent of the city’s normal June rainfall fell, while Fairbanks saw 36 percent of its typical June rainfall totals.

Rices Fire prompts evacuations in Nevada County in Northern California

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories WildfireTags , 2 Comments on Rices Fire prompts evacuations in Nevada County in Northern California

Updated at 5:18 p.m. PDT June 29, 2022

Map of the Rices Fire, by FIRIS, at ~9 a.m. June 29, 2022
Map showing the progression of the Rices Fire, by FIRIS, at ~9 a.m. June 29, 2022

At 1 p.m. Wednesday cameras pointed at the Rices Fire show that it is not putting up much smoke.

Rices Fire 1:02 p.m June 29, 2022
Rices Fire as seen from the Barr Ranch camera, looking north at 1:02 p.m June 29, 2022.

Mapping at mid-morning on Wednesday found it had burned 820 acres.

Updated at 9:07 a.m. PDT June 29, 2022

Rices Fire map
Rices Fire map, estimated perimeter, June 28, 2022.

Updated at 8:03 a.m. PDT June 29, 2022

Rices Fire, 7:29 a.m. June 29
Rices Fire, as seen from the Barr Ranch camera looking north at 7:29 a.m. June 29, 2022.

The spread of the Rices Fire in Northern California north of Bridgeport west of French Corral slowed overnight. The latest size estimate from CAL FIRE is 769 acres.

Tuesday night the relative humidity went up to 36 percent after reaching 6 percent Tuesday afternoon. Very early Wednesday morning the wind was from the northeast at 4 mph gusting to 10.

The spot weather forecast for Wednesday issued Tuesday afternoon, predicted 91 degrees, east winds 3 to 7 mph shifting to the southwest at 5 to 8 mph after 9 to 10 a.m., with 10 percent relative humidity. Without strong winds this is not considered extreme conditions, but with ultra low humidity and fuel moistures there will still be considerable resistance to control.

8:15 p.m. PDT June 28, 2022

A wildfire in Nevada County in Northern California is prompting evacuations near Birchville. Since it started at about 2 p.m. Tuesday it had burned approximately 520 acres by 6:30 p.m. It was reported near Rices Crossing and Cranston Roads and is believed to have originated from a structure fire that spread into vegetation.

Evacuation information is at CommunityZonehaven.com.

Rices Fire
Rices Fire, as seen from the Barr Ranch camera, looking north at 7:54 p.m. June 28 2022.

A nearby weather station Tuesday afternoon recorded a high of 100 degrees recorded, relative humidity as low as 6 percent with 6 mph southwest winds gusting to 15 mph. The forecast for Wednesday calls for 91 degrees, east winds 3 to 7 mph shifting to the southwest at 5 to 8 mph after 9 to 10 am., with 10 percent relative humidity.

We will post more information as it becomes available.

map Location of the Rices Fire, June 28, 2022.
Approximate location of the Rices Fire, June 28, 2022.
Rices Fire, satellite photo map, 7:31 p.m. PDT June 28, 2022
Rices Fire, satellite photo, 7:31 p.m. PDT June 28, 2022