Six of the eight firefighters that were struck by lightning in North Carolina on June 28 have been released from the hospital. More about their status HERE. We initially reported on the story HERE. There are too many firefighters being struck by lightning. Here is where we reported on the Flathead Hot Shots that were struck on May 29.
Author: Bill
Update on Evergreen's 747 air tanker
I made some inquiries and found out the status of Evergreen’s 747 air tanker. They are still in contract negotiations with the U. S. Forest Service and will soon submit to them a proposal. They are confident that they will have a contract soon thereafter. The aircraft will carry 20,000 gallons and can cruise at mach .85, or 600 mph.
Here is a 22-second video of the 747 dropping water.
A comparison of retardant capacities of air tankers, in gallons.
Type 1: >3,000
747: 20,000
DC-10: 12,000
Martin Mars: 7,200
KC-97: 4,000
C-130A: 3,000
DC-7: 3,000
P3A: 3,000
Type 2: >1,800
DC-6: 2,450
P2V: 2,450
DC-4: 2,000-2,200
SP-2H: 2,000
PB4Y2: 2,000
Type 3: >800
S-2 Turbine: 1,200
S-2: 800
Air Tractor: 800
Type 4: >100
Dromader: 500
Pierce Turbo Thrush: 450
Marsh Turbo Thrush: 380
Funeral services for firefighter killed in helicopter crash
Earlier Wildfire Today covered the fatality of the firefighter, Michael MacDonald, who died Sunday in the crash of the two medical helicopters in Flagstaff. MacDonald, 26, was a member of the Chief Mountain Hot Shot crew. He and his crew were working on the Walla Valley fire in Grand Canyon National Park when had an allergic reaction to medication while being treated at a clinic for a spider bite. He was being transported by a private air ambulance helicopter to a hospital in Flagstaff, Arizona when the crash happened.
The funeral services will be at the Browning High School, 112 1st Ave. SW, Browning, MT July 5 at 2:00 pm.
The lineup for participating fire apparatus will be at noon. Fire agencies wishing to send a vehicle should contact Dustin at 406-450-4273 or Mike at 406-868-8626
Click HERE for a map of the area.
South Canyon fire, 1994
July 6 is the 14th anniversary of the South Canyon fire near Grand Junction, CO.
From the IAWF Wildland Fire Event Calendar:
On the afternoon of July 6, 1994, the South Canyon fire spotted across the drainage and beneath firefighters, moving onto steep slopes and into dense, highly flammable Gambel oak. Within seconds, a wall of flame raced up the hill toward the firefighters on the west flank fireline.
Failing to outrun the flames, 12 firefighters perished. Two helitack crew members on top of the ridge also died when they tried to outrun the fire to the northwest. The remaining 35 firefighters survived by escaping out the east drainage or by seeking a safety area and deploying their fire shelters.
For more information, the Lessons Learned Center has the investigation report. It is a large file, about 4 MB.
Report on fireground noise and digital radios
Fairfax, Va., June 30, 2008… The International Association of Fire Chiefs Digital Project Working Group today released its Interim Report and Recommendations: Fireground Noise and Digital Radio Transmissions. This report culminates a year’s work with public-safety organizations, manufacturers and the laboratory services of the federal government to determine the extent of radio transmission problems associated with fireground noise.
To review the report, go to DPWG Interim Report on the IAFC website. Two important companion reports also are posted on the site: the IAFC Portable Radio Best Practices presentation; and the National Telecommunications & Information Administration report, Intelligibility of Selected Radio Systems in the Presence of Fireground Noise: Test Plan and Results.
The intent of the IAFC interim report is to alert the fire service that noise on the fireground can interfere with intelligible radio communications. The report is organized into sections that provide background on the issue, the steps the Digital Project Working Group took to investigate the problem in an objective laboratory setting, the results of the testing and corresponding analysis and recommendations, and best operational practices.
Firefighters' liability
The Bozeman Daily Chronicle has a lengthy article about the modern-day realities of fighting fire in our liability-ridden, wildland-urban interface choked climate today. Here is a brief excerpt.
Dick Mangan has fought fires around the country for 40 years and can wear a number of hats: operations chief, planning chief and safety officer.
He’s also past president of the International Association of Wildland Fire, a professional association with thousands of members. He knows his business.
But these days, when he goes on a fire, his wife issues a warning.
“My wife tells me, ‘Don’t do something stupid. I don’t want to lose the house,’” he said.
Like many fires bosses, Mangan has a new concern: personal and legal liability if something goes wrong and lives or property are lost.
The issue got serious in 2006, when Ellreese Daniels was charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter and three other felonies, five years after four people under his command died in the Thirtymile fire in Washington.
The charges were later reduced and Daniels has pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of making false statements to investigators. His sentencing is scheduled for July 23.
But the event cast a pall in command tents at fire camps across the nation.
“It puts a very, very dark cloud over everybody in the fire community,” said Mangan, of Missoula.
Photo of Dick Mangan, by Bill Gabbert, at the 2006 Wildland Fire Safety Summit, Pasadena, CA, put on by the International Association of Wildland Fire
