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Wildfire Today

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Interview with a lead plane pilot in Chile

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , ,

In case you missed it, here is the interview we conducted with veteran lead plane pilot Jamie Tackman in January after he had been working with the 19,200-gallon 747 Supertanker in Chile.

After 17 years as a ground based wildland firefighter in the United States, with much as it as a smokejumper, Jamie transitioned to the air, becoming a lead plane pilot. He has worked off and on with the 747 air tankers since Evergreen converted the first one. Now retired from the U.S. Forest Service, he traveled to Chile to provide lead plane services for the huge aircraft operated by Global SuperTankers. This time he had a different role, or at least a different platform, flying ahead of the air tanker as usual but in an aircraft flown by military pilots.

Bill Gabbert interviewed Jamie, who began by describing the situation. Chile has no infrastructure for supervising, using, or refilling large or very large air tankers and they were unfamiliar with the concept of lead planes. In spite of these challenges the personnel working with the 747 and the other aircraft developed procedures to fight the fires from the air, while the local firefighters improvised a system on the ground for refilling the 747 and the IL-76 with water.

747 Supertanker in Santiago, Chile,
The 747 Supertanker being reloaded in Santiago, Chile, January 28, 2017. Photo by Bill Gabbert.

“Vegetation” involved in fire on roof of Las Vegas hotel

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags ,

A fire on the roof of the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas created quite a show for people who came to watch the fancy water fountain display Thursday night. The Las Vegas Review-Journal wrote that styrofoam facades burned, but it appears that real or fake vegetation on the roof may have also been involved.

Firefighters were able to knock down the wind-driven fire about 25 minutes after it was first reported.

At least there was a wet line on one flank of the fire:

This reminds us of a similar fire on another hotel roof in Vegas in 2015. Here is a screenshot of part of that article:

Cosmopolitan Hotel Fire egas, 2015
Cosmopolitan Hotel Fire, Las Vegas, 2015.

Smoke map, April 13, 2017

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags

Residents in the Northern and Central Plains have been experiencing vegetation fire smoke today. Much of it has come from agricultural or prescribed burning in Missouri and the Flint Hills of Kansas. The map above, an experimental product from NOAA’s Earth Central Research Laboratory, shows the estimate of where the smoke would be at 8 p.m. MDT on April 13.

The map below shows the locations of fires, wild or prescribed, and AirNow’s estimate of a smoke plume.

air now smoke fires map

Robert Baird named California Regional Fire Director for USFS

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags

The U.S. Forest Service has selected Robert Baird as the next Fire Director for the agency’s Pacific Southwest Region, Region 5, which is comprised of California and Hawaii. Mr. Baird’s experience in the USFS began in November, 2011 shortly after he left the U.S. Marine Corp after serving there for 25 years. At that time he was appointed to the position of Deputy Director of Fire and Aviation Management in Washington, D.C. for the U.S. Forest Service.

In 2014 Mr. Baird was chosen to be the Forest Supervisor of the Los Padres National Forest in southern California.

“I’m very pleased to welcome Bob Baird as our Regional Director for Fire and Aviation Management,” said Randy Moore, regional forester. “Bob has demonstrated expertise in managing large, complex organizations and he has developed innovative strategies to build partnerships and coalitions. Bob’s leadership background and experience are a perfect fit for this key position. We look forward to a challenging, but successful fire season with Bob at the helm.”

“I couldn’t be more proud of this opportunity,” said Mr. Baird. “I’ve had the great pleasure of serving both at the forest level and at the Washington office level, and this regional position will tie those experiences together.

Mr. Baird is expected to report May 15.