Wildfire Today

News and opinion about wildland fire

Wildfire Today

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.

Wildfire briefing, April 9, 2014

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , , , ,

MAFFS training in California

The California Channel Islands Air National Guard Station at Port Hueneme is conducting annual refresher and certification training this week for their crews that staff the C-130 aircraft used as air tankers when outfitted with the transportable Modular Airborne FireFighting System (MAFFS).

The Wyoming and North Carolina National Guard MAFFS units will train in Cheyenne, Wyoming beginning April 28, while the Colorado Springs Air Force Reserve unit will hold their training the week of May 16.

The four military units that host MAFFS crews have a total of eight C-130 aircraft that can be activated when what remains of the federal air tanker fleet is committed to going fires or initial attack.

Michigan man dies of injuries suffered while burning brush

A 70-year old man died after he was badly burned in a brush fire near Hart, Michigan on Monday, April 8. From mlive.com:

Roger D. Kludy, 70, died at the hospital, according to Oceana County Sheriff’s Lt. Craig Mast. There was little information known about the incident early Tuesday morning, Mast said. But authorities believe Kludy was burning brush on Adams Road Monday afternoon when something went awry and Kludy suffered severe burns. Michigan State Police is handling the investigation, Mast said.

South Carolina brush fire burns or damages 13 structures

A brush fire near Greer, South Carolina that started from a lit cigarette, caused damage estimated at $1.8 million on Wednesday, April 2. The fire destroyed three units in a condominium and a single family dwelling. Nine other structures were damaged.

Training residents to spot wildfires

“Woods Watch” training is being offered Friday to residents in Flagstaff, Arizona. According to the AP, in the one-hour course participants will learn how to properly report incidents that could start wildfires, such as people sneaking into closed areas and disregarding fire restrictions.

Incident Management Teams meet in Cheyenne

Incident Management Teams from the Rocky Mountain Region are holding their annual meeting in Cheyenne, Wyoming this week to review standard operating procedures, discuss new policies, and get to know each other before the wildland fire season begins. About 250 team members will attend from Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming.

Docu-series: “Years of Living Dangerously”

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags 1 Comment on Docu-series: “Years of Living Dangerously”
Years of living dangerously
Arnold Schwarzenegger talks with a hotshot crew. Showtime photo.

Showtime is producing a docu-series about climate change, called Years of Living Dangerously. They describe it like this:

This groundbreaking documentary event series explores the human impact of climate change. From the damage wrought by Hurricane Sandy to the upheaval caused by drought in the Middle East, YEARS OF LIVING DANGEROUSLY combines the blockbuster storytelling styles of top Hollywood movie makers with the reporting expertise of Hollywood’s brightest stars and today’s most respected journalists.

The first episode, hosted by Harrison Ford, is available on YouTube, below.

The second, titled End of the Woods will air Sunday, April 20 at 10 p.m. ET and features host Arnold Schwarzenegger, also a producer of the series, who embeds with a hotshot crew. Some people say Mr. Schwarzenegger was very supportive of firefighters when he served as the “Governator” of California. About his time as governor, he said, “I went to the front lines and evacuation centers, talking to firefighters, and became very passionate about it,” explaining why he chose the topic.

(I’m sure some of our readers can identify the hotshot crew in the photo above.)

Processing data to develop situational awareness

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories Uncategorized1 Comment on Processing data to develop situational awareness
Rick Bondar and Hal Mortier on the Red Top Fire
Rick Bondar and Hal Mortier, members of the El Cariso Hotshots, on the Red Top Fire, Mendocino National Forest, 1972. Photo by Bill Gabbert.

A website specializing in situational awareness for first responders, Situational Awareness Matters, has an interesting article about how the brain processes information from various senses to develop what it perceives to be the current environment. Below is an excerpt which follows a paragraph about what wildland firefighters call their “slide file”, memories of past experiences that can be called upon to understand what is going on currently, and used to predict what will occur in the near future:

…No one sets out to misunderstand what is happening while working in a high-risk, high consequence environment. Yet it happens… A lot! Can someone look at something and not understand what they’re seeing? Yes! Can someone hear something and not understand what they hearing? Yes! It doesn’t take a stressful environment for this to happen. But stress, coupled with the perception of consequence, compounded by the compression of time and a sense of urgency to act can accelerate your need to comprehend. This speeding up can lead the brain to take shortcuts.

These shortcuts, termed “Heuristics” are the brain’s way of trying to help you survive in a perceived hostile situation by taking limited amounts of information and, for lack of a better metaphor, jumping to conclusions. The good news is your brain is pretty good at this task. If it weren’t, we’d probably be extinct as a species. The more stress you’re under, the more heuristics may guide your assessment of the situation and influence your decision making. The problem is, while your brain is very good at making quick assessments and applying these “rules of thumb” to guide your decision making, it is not flawless. It compares current inputs to past experiences and, with lightening speed, guides you to comprehension. When it’s right, you accurately comprehend. When it’s wrong, you misunderstand. The problem is, you may not know whether you comprehend or not until after your decision is made and the outcome is revealed…

That excerpt is from Part Three of a three-part series. More information can be found in Parts One and Two.
Thanks and a hat tip go out to Barbara.

Firefighters: four recommendations for eating, drinking, and working out

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , , 3 Comments on Firefighters: four recommendations for eating, drinking, and working out

wildfire

Dr. Brent Ruby is a professor at the University of Montana who studies extreme physiology, including how wildland firefighting impacts the body. In 2011 we wrote an article titled The myth of drinking water which included the results of some of Dr. Ruby’s research, as well as his thoughts about the firefighter hyperthemia fatality on the CR 337 fire in Texas.

Men’s Journal has an interesting article featuring Dr. Ruby and some of his recommendations for firefighters. Below is an excerpt:

****

“Workouts should mirror job demands.

Rather than banging out a 10k in featherweight running sneakers every morning, crewmembers should go for long hikes on steep trails wearing a heavy backpack and clunky boots. “Hiking with a heavy load – that’s job-specific aerobic training.”

Eat constantly.

Ruby has found that to be safely working at peak condition, they should consume 4,500 calories a day with a number of “eating episodes.” If what’s supposed to be an eight-hour shift turns into a 12-hour shift, Hotshots should have easy access to quality calories. “They need an elaborate food plan that accommodates unpredictable shifts. We envision giving them ownership of the menu, where they can mix and match 12 items,” he says.

Aim for variety in calories.

Ruby suggests packing a high-quality red meat for protein; several types of fresh fruit; carbs in the form of oats and rice; carrots and broccoli for diversity; and loads of dried fruits and nuts. “They need foods that satisfies and doesn’t leave them focusing on how hungry they still are,” Ruby says. “Their job is fire suppression. As soon as they’re distracted from fire suppression, other risks crop up.”

Drink water – and lots of it.

The best way to think about hydration, according to Ruby, is in terms of “water turnover” over a 24 hour period, or how much water you take in and dump out through sweat and urine. On average, the water turnover for Hotshots is 7 to 9.5 liters a day. “You have to make sure you’re taking in somewhere in that range – probably a liter more than you’re putting out,” he says. Being sufficiently hydrated alone, however, isn’t going to stop you from overheating in a high-stress situation, warns Ruby.”

Red Flag Warnings, April 9, 2014

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags

wildfire Red Flag Warning, April 9, 2014

Much of the center of the United States is under a Red Flag Warning today. Ralph Moul of the Nebraska State Fire Marshal’s office said it is the first time in his 37 years as a firefighter that he has seen all 93 counties in the state under a Red Flag Warning.

In addition to Nebraska, the other states affected are New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas Missouri, South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa.

The Red Flag Warning map was current as of 10:05 a.m. MDT on Wednesday. Red Flag Warnings can change throughout the day as the National Weather Service offices around the country update and revise their forecasts. For the most current data, visit this NWS site.

Laguna Hotshots on NBC News

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags 3 Comments on Laguna Hotshots on NBC News


The Laguna Hot Shots and their Superintendent Jim Houston appear briefly in the video story above, which is Part 1 of an NBC News series about climate change. One of the main points in the first video is that soot from forest fires contributes to air pollution that settles on arctic ice, causing it to darken, absorb more solar heat, and melt more quickly.

In Part 2 below, Superintendent Houston talks briefly about the 19 members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots that died last year, not long after the Laguna Hotshots worked with them on another fire.

I was a member of the Laguna Hotshots for two years, beginning the year it was created in 1974 at Mt. Laguna, California.