These May 26 images from the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-2 satellite were processed by Jess Clark of the Forest Service Geospatial Technology and Applications Center. They highlight the northern portion of the Chuckegg Creek Fire in Northern Alberta that has burned 130,000 hectares (321,000 acres).
In an article yesterday, May 27, we posted a low-resolution satellite image of the fire in which we pointed out shadows cast by towering pyrocumulus clouds over areas that were burning intensely. These photos that Mr. Clark sent are more zoomed in and have higher resolution.
Satellite photo of the Chuckegg Creek Fire May 26, 2019 processed by Jess Clark, USFS. Visible bands. Click to enlarge.
The photo we posted yesterday and the one above utilize the bands of light that are visible to the naked eye and are what you would see if you were flying over the fire 50 miles above the ground.
The false color image below uses bands that minimized the appearance of smoke, enhanced water vapor in the pyrocumulus, and highlighted heat from the fire.
Satellite photo of the Chuckegg Creek Fire May 26, 2019 processed by Jess Clark, USFS. Enhancing water vapor, heat, and minimizing smoke. Click to enlarge.
Mr. Clark explained the utility of these images:
“This really highlights just how important multispectral imaging is for those of us interested in seeing fire effects and extent on the ground. The National Infrared Operations Program (NIROPS) maps fire extent on a tactical basis with much higher resolution aerial imagery, but there are occasions when this space-based data helps corroborate or clarify the data NIROPS interpreters couldn’t see. Our main use of imagery like what I’ve attached is for severity mapping after the fire’s out to aid emergency response teams (BAER) in their mitigation planning efforts. It’s also used by the silviculture folks as they plan reforestation efforts, if appropriate.”
At the Fuels and Fire Behavior conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico last month I ran into Richard McCrea and asked him to contribute to our 12 Questions series in which we ask seasoned wildland firefighters about their careers.
Mr. McCrea is a former Helena Hotshot and was Fire Management Officer at three Bureau of Indian Affairs agencies: Rocky Boys Agency in Montana, Olympic Peninsula Agency in Washington, and Northern Pueblos Agency in New Mexico. His fire qualifications included Division Supervisor, Fire Behavior Analyst, Burn Boss Type 2, and Incident Commander Type 3. When he retired he was the National Fire Planner at NIFC with the BIA. Now he is a consultant with Wildland Fire Associates.
When you think of an excellent leader in the fire service, who comes to mind first? Why?
The person that comes to mind is Homer Courville, from Pablo, Montana. Homer was a smokejumper out of the Forest Service’s Northern Region, Region 1. Homer’s family lived a few blocks from away from our house. All the neighborhood kids knew Homer was a smokejumper, jumped out of Ford Trimotors, looked as strong as a bull moose, and he was much admired.
What is one piece of advice you would give to someone before their first assignment as an Incident Commander?
Take good care of the folks that work for you. Everyone goes home. The trees will grow back.
If someone is planning a prescribed fire, what is one thing that you hope they will pay particular attention to?
Pay attention to the weather forecast, in detail. Track the fire danger indices. If your baseball cap blows off, when you get out of the pickup, it’s probably too windy to burn.
One of the more common errors in judgment you have seen on fires?
Not having a good anchor for the fire line and not mopping up and patrolling to secure the scene.
One thing that you know now that you wish you had known early in your career?
Keep a journal every day.
The stupidest mistake you have seen on a fire?
I was witness to a burnout in grassy fuels, on a steep mountain slope, which was ignited starting at the bottom of the canyon. Needless to say the fire quickly ran up to the top of the ridge and jumped the fire line. The ignition crew knew it was wrong but were ordered by overhead to “do it anyway”. We all stood in the black and watched the blaze roar over the mountain.
Your most memorable fire?
The Yellowstone Fires of 1988. I was on the Huck Fire, as a Division Supervisor, in a spike camp on Pilgrim Creek, several miles from the nearest road. I had one or two crews assigned to me to hold miles and miles of fire line, and no air support. Every several days we would get a wind event, and much of our fire line was breached. It was like 1910 all over again and you had to keep your wits and be a good woodsman. Every afternoon there were huge smoke columns that erupted to the north. One memorable day I hiked alone, back over a high ridge to contact the next division, only to find out that division was abandoned. On that same hike I stopped to adjust my pack and heard something behind me and turned around to see a cow moose and her calf, a scant 100 feet way, but they didn’t bother me, and I retreated.
The funniest thing you have seen on a fire?
I woke up one morning in camp and there was a large shovel box on the ground about 50 feet away. A head suddenly popped up out of the box; a fire fighter had slept in that cardboard hooch to stay warm.
The first very large fire you were on?
Marble Cone Fire, 1977, Ventana Wilderness, California, with the Helena Hotshots for 30 days.
Pine Knot Job Corps Center in Kentucky trained enrollees to assist at wildfires and prescribed fires
Job Corps Camp Crew.
The U.S. Forest Service and the Department of Labor (DOL) have confirmed in a Forest Service internal newsletter and a DOL news release that the Forest Service intends to close 9 Job Corps Civilian Conservation Centers and transfer the remaining 16 centers operated by the Forest Service to the Department of Labor.
It appears that the concept of closing the centers and laying off over 1,000 FS employees originated with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, although it is not clear if it was conceived at a higher level.
In testimony before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Related Agencies on May 2, 2019, Chairman Roy Blunt said to Secretary of Labor Rene Acosta, “…There were a couple of USDA run programs in the country. I have been told they are no longer interested in running those programs.”
Mr. Acosta responded: “USDA has indicated they have concerns as to the effectiveness of those programs. If they do withdraw we would look Job Corps by Job Corps and determine whether to close that center, consolidate it, or convert it into something different.”
The DOL says the administration intends to replace the government employees that are running the remaining 16 centers with contractors. Sources within the Job Corps have told us that after the changes take place the centers will no longer have programs to train the participants in wildland firefighting, prescribed fire, or logistical support for large incidents. This and the conversion to contractor run facilities, according to reports from inside the Job Corps, will result in more than 1,000 FS employees being laid off. We have had inquiries in with the FS and DOL since May 25, asking for more details, but it can be difficult getting responses from government agencies on a holiday weekend.
Firefighting is not the only trade being taught in the centers. Participants in the tuition-free training and education programs can also receive training and earn certificates in a variety of trades, including culinary arts, welding, forestry, health care, information technology, advanced manufacturing, accounting, automotive repair, heavy equipment operation, truck driving, construction, and seamanship.
The Forest Service published a summary for the year 2016 of the accomplishments at the 22 centers that participated in the forestry and firefighting genre. (download the report; very large 14 MB pdf file). It shows that combined, they provided help on 412 assignments involving 1,971 participant assignments (many had more than one), for a total of 368,998 hours.
Below are some details from the report of how one center that is slated by the Administration to be closed, the Pine Knot center in the Daniel Boone National Forest in Kentucky, assisted the Forest Service and other agencies. The text is pasted below, and page 8 about Pine Knot from the report follows the text.
“Pine Knot Job Corps Shines During the 2016 Fire Season
Jamie Tyson, Job Corps Forest Area Fire Management Officer, Daniel Boone National Forest-Pine Knot Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center
“Reflecting their solid training and professionalism, Pine Knot Job Corps Civilian Conservation Students (JCCCC) students worked 13,129 hours on 40 assignments during the 2016 fire season.
“Upon becoming red-carded, Pine Knot Job Corps students are available to support the efforts of the Daniel Boone National Forest and national forests nationwide through a multitude of avenues.
“To support wildland suppression efforts, Pine Knot Job Corps students may participate in camp crew, Firefighter Type 2 (FFT2) and FFT2 Initial Attack (IA) crew assignments, as well as various module or engine configurations. Students are also utilized extensively to assist in completion of national forest priority projects and targets on the Daniel Boone National Forest, especially those pertaining to fuels, stream restoration, trail maintenance, and hazard tree removal.
“At the highest point, nearly 1,000 fire personnel were on the scene to battle the West Mims Fire, ignited by a lightning strike and reported on April 6, 2017, on the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. Behind the scenes are camp crews that provide critical support to wildland firefighting efforts. The West Mims Fire incident managers recognized the Pine Knot Job Corps camp crew as the “unsung heroes” on the fire.”
The Chuckegg Creek Fire has burned more than a quarter-million acres
The Chuckegg Creek Fire, looking west along highway 58, west of High Level, Alberta on Saturday evening, May 25, 2019. (photograph by Chris Schwarz/Government of Alberta).
(Originally published at 10:15 a.m. MDT May 27, 2019)
The Chuckegg Creek Fire in northern Alberta has burned more than a quarter-million acres just west of the town of High Level. Alberta Wildfire announced Sunday that they estimate it has grown to 107,000 hectares, or 264,000 acres. (UPDATE at 2:38 p.m. MDT May 27: Alberta Fire now says the fire has burned 127,000 hectares [314,000 acres – almost one-third of a million].)
(To see all of the articles on Wildfire Today about the Chuckegg Creek Fire, including the most recent, click here.)
Dry conditions and the lack of recent precipitation has caused the blaze to grow significantly on Sunday. Pushed by a wind out of the west, large pyrocumulus clouds formed over the fire north of Highway 58 casting shadows that could be seen in the satellite photo below.
Satellite photo of the Chuckegg Creek Fire near High Level, Alberta May 26, 2019. The arrows point to a shadow caused by high, towering pyrocumulus clouds caused by intense burning. The red dots represent heat.Map showing heat detected by a satellite on the Chuckegg Creek Fire near High Level, Alberta during the seven days prior to May 27, 2019.
The weather forecast for Monday calls for moderate south and southeast winds which should cause most of the spread to be on the west and northwest sides, but Tuesday and Wednesday should bring stronger winds out of the west and northwest along with humidities in the 20s. The high temperature will be 91F (33C) on Tuesday. If the fuels north of highway 58 and northwest of High Level are conducive to burning, the fire could grow closer to the town under those conditions.
Weather forecast for High Level, Alberta, Tuesday May 28, 2019. Temperature shown in Centigrade.
Below are excerpts from a Sunday evening update by Alberta Wildfire:
Today’s weather conditions led to increased wildfire activity. Extreme fire behaviour was observed on the north and west sides of the fire, away from the town. The weather also created challenges along the established fire guard. Wildfire and Structural firefighters were active on controlling hotspots along the fire perimeter in the priority areas around High Level. Airtankers worked today to drop fire retardant to reinforce the fire guard that heavy equipment and firefighters placed to protect the community and infrastructure.
The weather forecast tomorrow expects a cold front to arrive, bringing dry conditions and variable winds. This forecast will produce extreme fire behaviour conditions again tomorrow for firefighters.
Heavy equipment continues to work along the northeast side of the fire and make good progress on this section of the fire perimeter.
Firefighters have completed a successful controlled burn technique to create a containment boundary along highway 35 south of High Level, highway 58 west of High Level and the fire perimeter, as weather conditions allowed firefighters to do so.
Alberta Wildfire firefighters in conjunction with municipal firefighters, along with air support from helicopters and air tankers continue to work hard to contain the fire. The main area of spread remains away from town. There have been no homes or businesses damaged to date but the threat remains.
The High Level Fire Department and other municipal firefighters have set up sprinklers on the southwest and northwest side of town. In addition, structural protection has been completed on Mackenzie County homes southeast of High Level, Tolko and Norbord.
Structural firefighters have also been taking preventive measures on homes. This includes removing debris from yards, removing patio furniture from decks and other flammable material.
There are 194 structural firefighters that continue to establish and maintain structural protection on homes in the Town of High Level and on other critical values at risk within Mackenzie County. Alberta Wildfire has 400,firefighters along with 28 helicopters on this fire. There are more resources arriving daily.
Atco has restored power supply and is supporting normal operations to Mackenzie County, Town of High Level, La Crete, Fort Vermilion & Dene Tha’ First Nation. Atco has secured large-scale backup generators that can be drawn on to provide power to communities, if needed.
A firefighter ignites the American Elk prescribed fire in Wind Cave National Park, October 20, 2010. Photo by Bill Gabbert.
When land managers talk about “fuel management”, not everyone knows what they mean. This video can help clarify the term.
It was produced by Northern Arizona University, Wildland Fire Education and Training Collaborative, Joint Fire Science Program, and Southwest Fire Science Consortium.
“We’re really fortunate on the Colville National Forest to have a Job Corps so close by. They are just an incredible asset.”
“We’re really fortunate on the Colville National Forest to have a Job Corps so close by. They are just an incredible asset. What we saw the Job Corps do today was actual firefighting when we need it most in the summer time when our normal crews are stretched fairly thin. It’s nice to have a skill set that we know is tested because they’re on the forest, we’ve seen their work, they’re a proven product. “
In light of the Administration’s decision to shut down 9 Job Corps Civilian Conservation Centers operated by the U.S. Forest Service and transfer the remaining 16 to the Department of Labor we did a little research and found a video (below) produced by the Forest Service that goes to great lengths to praise the Job Corps and extol the benefits received by agency.
The images in this article are screengrabs from the video and the captions are transcriptions of the audio by the FS employees pictured. Unfortunately the video did not give the names of anyone shown.
“In my opinion our mission is to help the Forest Service with their mission, whether we’re doing welding for gate closures, or building picnic tables, or cleaning a campground. We remove hazard trees from the campground. We thin the forest and get them into the right mix of trees and density that they should be. It’s just a perfect relationship.”(From Bill Gabbert: After this video was produced one of the Centers was transferred to the Department of Labor, reducing the total to 25.)
Map of the 25 Job Corps Centers operated by the U.S. Forest Service. As of May 25, 2019 nine are slated to be closed and the others transferred to the Department of Labor.
