Wildfire Today

Forest Service has 18 large air tankers this year under contract

Bill GabbertMarch 9, 2021March 10, 2021Uncategorizedair tanker, contract, UTF31 Comments

The schedule calls for most of them to begin in April and May

The U.S. Forest Service has 18 large air tankers on exclusive use (EU) contracts this year.

In 2020 the agency started out with 13 on contract in April and May but by June 24 had added 11 on modified call when needed (CWN) contracts for a total of 24. Modular Airborne FireFighting Systems C-130 aircraft from the National Guard and Air Force Reserve were deployed from July 23 until October 4 in 2020, usually two at a time.

This year the 18 EU large air tankers are being supplied by five vendors:

Six, Aero Flite (RJ85)
Four, Erickson Aero Tanker (MD87)
Four, Neptune Aviation (BAe-146)
Two, Coulson Aviation (C-130)
Two, 10 Tanker (DC-10)

The dates they will first be on duty could change if the Forest Service decides they need to come on early, but the scheduled 160-day “mandatory availability periods” (MAP) which are different for every air tanker specify that two will begin in March (11^th and 17^th) and most of the rest will start in April and May. The MAPs end August 18 through November 20 for the 18 aircraft, but those dates could be extended if necessary.

DC-10 air tanker Central Fire — Air Tanker 914, a DC-10, drops retardant on the Central Fire in Arizona, June 20, 2020. Photo by JDH Images.

The 2020 fire season started with much less activity than average (see the chart below) but when hundreds of fires began burning millions of acres in the West in mid-August, the number of large air tankers on contract was less than was actually needed. September 19 saw 32,727 fire personnel deployed, the highest number since August 24, 2015 when 32,300 were assigned. Many fires during that six-week period had numerous requests for ground and aviation firefighting resources that were unable to be filled when the fires were discovered. This allowed some of the blazes to grow virtually unchecked for days — or longer. In 2020, 34.3 percent of the requests for large air tankers were either cancelled or unable to be filled.

Since 2001 the four years with the highest number of total fire detections in Washington, Oregon, and California have all occurred since 2015, according to satellite data processed by the New York Times in September of last year.

Fire detections West Coast Oregon Washington California New York Times — Published September 24, 2020 by the New York Times.

Number of USFS Large Air Tankers on Exclusive Use contracts. — Size of USFS Large Air Tanker Fleet

Firefighters in New Jersey are taking advantage of good weather to conduct prescribed burns

Bill GabbertMarch 7, 2021March 8, 2021Prescribed FireNew Jersey, prescribed fire1 Comment

The New Jersey Forest Fire Service hopes to treat 30,000 acres this year

New Jersey Forest Fire Service prescribed fire — Prescribed fire conducted March 6, 2021 by the New Jersey Forest Fire Service. NJFFS photo by James Douglass.

Due to much of the state being covered in snow during the month of February and with a goal of completing prescribed burns by March 15 looming, New Jersey Forest Fire Service crews are working hard to make up for lost time. Their crews started burning last week during the first good weather window of 2021, with a 9,000-acre goal for the weekend. The agency considers the prescribed burning program to be one of its primary tools to reduce hazardous fuels that that can increase the intensity of wildfires.

These photos were taken March 6 by James Douglass at a 2,300-acre prescribed burn at the Warren Grove Gunnery Range in the heart of the Pine Barrens of New Jersey.

This year the NJFFS anticipates conducting prescribed burns on at least 30,000 acres depending on weather conditions. Most burns occur on state-owned property such as state forests, parks, wildlife management areas, and other government lands. The Forest Fire Service also assists private landowners and nonprofit organizations to meet their management objectives through prescribed burning.

In 2020, the Forest Fire Service completed burns on 18,854 acres of state-owned lands, 5,006 acres of other government-owned land, and 2,268 acres of privately owned property, for a total of 26,128 acres.

Backing away from a grass fire

Bill GabbertMarch 7, 2021Wildfireclose call, Nebraska3 Comments

Nebraska State Trooper's dash cam fire — Screengrab from Nebraska State Trooper’s dash cam, March 4, 2021

On March 4 the dash cam in a Nebraska State Trooper’s vehicle recorded some interesting footage from the shoulder of Interstate 80 near Gothenburg as a wildfire approached.

This is the time of year we start to see grassfires across Nebraska.

This dash video from today near Gothenburg shows how quickly these fires can move.

Thankfully the trooper was aware of his surroundings, while moving traffic into the outer lane, and was able to get away. pic.twitter.com/iHPKnEYxfP

— Nebraska State Patrol (@NEStatePatrol) March 4, 2021

Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Bob.

Agate Bed Fire burns 2,000+ acres in Western South Dakota

Bill GabbertMarch 7, 2021WildfireSouth Dakota7 Comments

The blaze was driven by winds gusting above 30 mph

Firefighter attacks the Agate Bed Fire March 6, 2021 near Fairburn, South Dakota. Fairburn VFD photo.

Firefighters from multiple counties stopped a fire east of the Black Hills in South Dakota Saturday after it had burned 2,000 to 3,000 acres during Red Flag Warning conditions.

The fire was approximately 9 miles east of Fairburn on the Buffalo Gap National Grassland.

“The majority of fire was in a wilderness study area, which complicated suppression efforts,” said Jim Strain, Assistant Chief of the Fairburn Volunteer Fire Department.

Saturday afternoon the wind was blasting, with sustained speeds of 15 to 25 mph with gusts above 30 mph while the relative humidity was in the high teens and the temperature in the high 60s — difficult conditions for firefighters. After dark the wind slowed, 5 to 10 mph but with occasional gusts of 15 to 25 mph. Sunday afternoon it increased to 15 mph and 25 mph gusts, along with 27 percent relative humidity.

Map, Agate Bed Fire South Dakota — Map showing the location of the Agate Bed Fire March 6, 2021 approximately 9 miles east of Fairburn, South Dakota. The red dots represent heat detected by a satellite. Heat on about two-thirds of the fire, which was mostly grass, cooled before the satellite overflight and was not detected.

Black Hills National Forest conducts 380-acre prescribed fire

Bill GabbertMarch 6, 2021March 7, 2021Prescribed Fireprescribed fire, South Dakota1 Comment

Red Flag Warning in effect for the area Saturday

Victoria Prescribed Fire, Black Hills National Forest. USFS photo by Matt Daigle.

The Black Hills National Forest conducted a 380-acre prescribed fire Wednesday through Friday of this week approximately 5 miles southwest of Rapid City, SD.

Today, Saturday March 6, a Red Flag Warning is in effect for the area.

“Warm temperatures and dry fuels, combined with very low humidity and gusty south to southwest winds, will result in extreme fire danger across the area,” the National Weather Service said in an advisory Saturday.

The forecast for Saturday predicts 17 to 24 mph winds out of the southeast and a minimum relative humidity of 11 percent. The strong winds are expected to continue Saturday night shifting to come from the west and then the northwest, with the RH ranging from 24 to 48 percent.

Red Flag Warning Black Hills, March 6, 2021.

The photos below were posted by Great Plains Fire Information Friday March 5, 2021.

Sharing a clip of Victoria Rx happening this week SW of Rapid City, SD on the Black Hills National Forest. https://t.co/DbOYlmZDYY pic.twitter.com/frNS5Pmayd

— Black Hills NF (@BlackHillsNF) March 4, 2021

Specially treated wire mesh could protect power poles from wildfire

Bill GabbertMarch 4, 2021March 5, 2021Uncategorizedpower line4 Comments

Originally published at 5:49 p.m. MDT March 4, 2021

Wire mesh treated with an intumescent graphite coating may be able to prevent a wooden power pole from being consumed in a wildfire. It could also be effective on a railroad bridge or under the eaves of a house.

When subjected to heat, an intumescent rapidly expands and can fill in the gaps in the wire mesh to form a barrier between the fire and the wood. Before the fire, the mesh allows air flow, preventing a buildup of moisture that could lead to wood damage.

I first learned about the product when seeing a report that NVEnergy installed it last month on 170 power poles as a pilot program in Nevada, looking at it as a way to protect equipment in the event of a wildland fire. The company installed it at either a 6 or 20-foot height, depending on the surrounding vegetation.

In September, 2019 we wrote about a fire resistant paint that was applied by the Idaho National Laboratory on 3,000 power poles. They prioritized poles receiving the paint based on service area, fire risk, and vegetation density. Every pole painted in the latex-based fire retardant paint survived the 2019 Sheep Fire. Even poles that had not been repainted since their initial coat in 2012 and 2013 survived.

Updated at 11:47 a.m. MDT March 5, 2021

A big thank you to Robert Tissell who pointed out in a comment on this article that the TV show “This Old House” showed vents being installed in a home in Paradise, California that use the same process. Vulcan Vents says they are “manufactured out of high grade aluminum honeycomb and coated with an intumescent coating made by Firefree Coatings. The intumescent coating is designed to quickly swell up and close off when exposed to high heat. The expanded material also acts as an insulator to heat, fire and embers.”

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