News and opinion about wildland fire
The prescribed fire in southern California we told you about yesterday can still be watched in near-real time on web cams. The U.S. Forest Service is conducting the project near the San Diego State University Observatory on Mt. Laguna east of San Diego (my old stomping grounds).
You can watch the progress of the burn in near-real time via the HPWREN web camera site. The still photos, updated frequently, are available on two cameras, looking north and west.
British Columbia wildland fire personnel are coming back to work for the season and one of the first things Type 1 firefighters do is take the Canadian fitness test. The WFX-FIT, which first saw widespread use in 2012, is described as “a valid job-related physical performance standard used to determine whether an individual possesses the physical capabilities necessary to meet the rigorous demands encountered while fighting wildland fires.”
The components of the WFX-FIT, after pre-participation screening are:
Firefighters must complete all of the tasks within 14:20 or 17:15 minutes, depending on the province and the location (in or out of the province) of the assignment.
We wrote more about the Canadian fitness test last year.
The photos were provided by the British Columbia Wildfire Service.
The Cleveland National Forest is conducting a prescribed fire near the San Diego State University Observatory on Mt. Laguna east of San Diego (my old stomping grounds). You can watch the progress of the burn in near-real time via the HPWREN web camera site. The still photos, updated frequently, are available on two cameras, looking north and west.
Mike Morgan named the next Director of the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control
Chief Morgan’s first fire service position was as a volunteer with the Rifle Colorado Fire Department in 1986. Five years later he became their first full-time employee. Today he is the chief of Colorado River Fire Rescue which was formed in 2014 when the Burning Mountains Fire Protection District and Rifle Fire Protection District merged.
The department’s web site lists 37 full time firefighters, 22 part time, and 15 volunteers in addition to an administrative staff.
Chief Morgan has been very active in the Colorado State Fire Chiefs (CSFC) association. When he was president of the group in 2013 they issued a nine-page position paper with recommendations for the Interim Committee on Wildfire Matters. At the time the state was reorganizing their fire organization. The CSFC’s top four recommendations were:
Chief Morgan believes the Division of Fire Prevention and Control is the focal point for Colorado’s fire prevention and suppression efforts, and should find new and innovative ways to serve its customers. When asked what his desire is for his new position, he said, “to represent all of Colorado’s fire service, large and small, and to unify our voice to protect the residents, visitors, and responders of our great state”.
If the videos Colorado River Fire Rescue has posted online are any indication, Chief Morgan runs a department that is not afraid of having a lighthearted social media presence.
In some of the videos, firefighters mouth the words to well-known songs, including Adele’s Hello. In another the Chief pins a badge on a firefighter after he supposedly rescues a cat in a tree.
Chief Morgan will assume his new responsibilities following a formal Transfer of Command Ceremony on April 22, 2016.
The National Interagency Fire Center has released a video summary of the 2015 wildfire season. It is designated as one of the films that are part of the official wildland fire refresher for this year — one of the 11 that we are aware of.
Threatened structures near State Veterans Home.
A fire in Hot Springs, South Dakota today burned two to three acres on the northwest side of town near the State Veterans Home. It was a chilly day with temperatures in the 40s, but the wind measured at the Elk Mountain Weather station north of town was out of the northwest at 13 mph gusting to 28. In spite of the wind firefighters stopped the fire, which was named Water Tower, before it reached structures. Participating departments included Hot Springs, Minnekahta, Veterans Administration, State of South Dakota, and the U.S. Forest Service.
