News and opinion about wildland fire
Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories Wildfire1 Comment on Australians welcomed U.S. firefighters with cheers 
Australians cheered firefighters from the United States as they arrived at the Sydney airport.
Below, firefighters are interviewed, including Shawna Legarza Director of Fire and Aviation for the U.S. Forest Service.
Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Jim. Typos or errors, report them HERE.
Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories Wildfire1 Comment on Six bushfires merge in Australia to burn 1.5 million acres 
Six bushfires in two Australian states have merged, forming a huge blaze covering 1,532,484 acres (632,315 hectares) slightly smaller than the size of Delaware in the United States. The fires in Victoria and New South Wales met near Jingellic NSW between Canberra and Albury.
NAME HECTARES
Dunns Road, 316,754
Doubtful Gap Trail, 48,918
Adaminaby Complex, 28,640
Green Valley, Talmalmo, 233,390
Mount Youngal, 1,000
Pilot Lookout, 3,613
TOTAL: 632,315 hectares (1,532,484 acres)
Below is an excerpt from an article at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation updated Friday night local time:
Firefighters are bracing for a difficult night ahead amid the formation of a second “mega-blaze” and a southerly change sweeping up the New South Wales coast, bringing gusts of up to 90 kilometres per hour.
Emergency warnings were issued earlier for the Dunns Road fire burning near Ellerslie and Tarcutta in the Snowy Valleys, as well as the Green Valley Talmalmo fire and the adjoining East Ournie Creek fire, burning east of Albury.
All three fires have now joined to form the state’s second “mega-blaze” and now covers more than 640,000 hectares, straddling the New South Wales and Victorian borders.
However, these blazes had all been downgraded to watch and act overnight. In total, four fires were at watch and act level last night, including the Erskine Creek blaze burning south of Leura and Wentworth Falls in the Blue Mountains.
NSW Rural Fire Service Inspector Ben Shepherd said warnings for the blaze had been upgraded in anticipation of the southerly hitting the area around midnight and he warned residents to monitor conditions as the front moved through.
In a Facebook post, Blue Mountains Mayor Mark Greenhill told locals it had been a “hard day” for the region ahead of a “night of vigilance for us all”.
“We were worried it would be a hard day. That has been the case,” he wrote.
“We have had fire activity in the Grose Valley a few kilometres from Faulconbridge. This was air-attacked throughout the afternoon. Work will continue tomorrow.
“Crews are working hard to manage this activity. They will have a long night … I am sorry the news is not better but tonight is a night of vigilance for us all.”
NASA has released an animation showing smoke from the Australian fires reaching across the Pacific to South America.
NASA’s description of the video:
“The animation shows RGB color images from NASA’s Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument on NASA’s Aqua satellite for December 31, 2019 through January 5, 2020. A plume of brown smoke extends from the southeastern coast of Australia, over the Tasman Sea and beyond into the Pacific Ocean.
“The overlaid vertical cross sections show CALIPSO lidar observations for these same days. The bright colors indicate the presence of small particles (aerosols) and the white color indicates clouds. Visible in each of the cross sections near 40 degrees south is a thick layer of smoke from the fires at altitudes above 9 miles (14.5 km). The dark shading below these layers is due to the absence of lidar signals below the opaque smoke layers. These layers contain very small particles and have optical properties similar to smoke.
“The sequence of CALIPSO and MODIS tracks in the animation indicates the continued transport of the smoke layer to the east. As of Jan. 5, 2020, smoke was detected more than 4,000 miles from the source.
“Credit: NASA Langley/Roman Kowch”
Wildland firefighters are not alone in their high rate of suicide.
From Fedsmith.com January 8, 2019:
Suicides accounted for 28% of the 124 Federal employee job-related deaths in 2018.
In contrast, suicides accounted for only 5% of the 4,779 private industry employees who died on the job in 2018.
It is OK to ask someone if they are thinking about suicide. Some people think this will spur suicide attempts but this is not accurate. Encouraging them to talk could be the first step leading them to safety.
Help is available for those feeling really depressed or suicidal.
Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Jim. Typos or errors, report them HERE.
They will depart around January 16
Australia has ramped up their requests for firefighting help from the United States. So far during their 2019-2020 southern hemisphere bushfire season Australia has only requested individuals to serve in specific management or specialist positions on bushfires, except for one 20-person crew that left for Australia a few days ago.
But now according to the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Australia has asked for “several Type 1 Incident Management Teams” (IMTs).
The logistics and determination of which IMTs will go is being worked out now, with an estimated departure date around January 16, 2020. The basic configuration for Type 1 IMTs is 58 members including 14 trainees, while a “short” Type 1 team has 26 including 6 trainees. We have learned that early indications are that instead of multiple 58-person teams going to Australia, three 10-person teams will respond, but this could change before they are actually mobilized. Maybe they will come up with a new term for 10-person teams.
IMTs are organized in advance to staff the overhead or management structure needed for running a planned or unplanned incident. The organization is based on the Incident Command System, with every position on the team having a title and a position description. Specific training is required for each job.
A Type 1 IMT is the highest level team, comprised of individuals with advanced degrees, so to speak, within their particular area of expertise. In the United States rosters are set in the winter or spring for the following summer fire season. There is always some churn between seasons, but many serve for multiple years. The team concept helps to build relationships, trust, and efficiency — the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts. Everyone understands their role and they know what to expect from their co-workers.
IMTs that are primarily used on fires are rarely needed between January and April, however that can vary depending on the geographic location. Since this is the time of the year when IMTs might be undergoing change, with some ending their appointment to the team and their replacements not yet having been selected, it could be a challenge reconstructing them. Other complicating factors could also play a role, such as the requirement for passports and being available for an unexpected assignment about twice as long as the typical 2-week mobilization on an incident in the U.S.
But if the teams are stripped down to just 10 people each, it simplifies the process.
Based on requests from the Australian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council, the U.S. has intermittently deployed more than 159 wildland USFS and DOI fire personnel throughout December and early January. The U.S. firefighters are filling critical wildfire and aviation management roles in New South Wales and Victoria.
The U.S., Australia, and New Zealand have been exchanging fire assistance for more than 15 years. Until the December deployments the last time the U.S sent firefighters to Australia was in 2010. In August of 2018, 138 Australian and New Zealand wildfire management personnel were sent to the U.S. for almost 30 days to assist with wildfire suppression efforts in Washington, Oregon, and California. The Australian and New Zealand personnel filled critical needs during the peak of the western fire season for mid-level fireline management, heavy equipment, helicopter operations, and structure protection.
The ability for the U.S. to send firefighters to assist Australia and New Zealand is authorized in a formal agreement under the Emergency Wildfire Suppression Act. According to information from NIFC, “The agreement only permits the United States to send federal employees to Australia, which means that legally, the National Interagency Fire Center cannot mobilize non-federal employees, such as state and local firefighters, to Australia.”
Fire has had major impacts on Kangaroo Island’s wildlife, killing thousands of koalas
As the lightning-caused Ravine Fire on Kangaroo Island off the coast of South Australia continues to grow to the east new evacuations have been ordered. In anticipation of high fire danger on Thursday the South Australian Country Fire Service has taken the unusual step of calling on police to help evacuate the town of Vivonne Bay on the south side of the island. There are concerns that the fire could cross control lines and burn into areas with heavy fuel loading near the town of 400 residents.
The weather forecast on Thursday calls for winds east to northeasterly 25 to 35 km/h increasing to 40 km/h before shifting westerly 20 to 30 km/h in the late afternoon.
The 164,000-hectare (405,000-acre) fire has had a major impact on the wildlife while burning over a third of the island. It has been called a Noah’s Ark since it supports species that are not found in large numbers in other locations.
Several organizations on the island are caring for koalas that have been injured in the fire. About 50 have been brought to the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park, but at least one-third had to be euthanized due to extreme burns. The Guardian reports that Sam Mitchell, co-owner of the park, estimates that of the estimated 50,000 koalas on the island “probably more than half” would have perished in the fires, but it was “a guessing game”.
There is also concern about other species including the Kangaroo Island dunnart, glossy black-cockatoo, wallabies, pygmy possums, and the rare green carpenter bee.
Heartbreaking images of Kangaroo Island, before fire and after fire. ? pic.twitter.com/Oq6XtfRzh9
— Mustaqim Jiwa (@_serbanputih) January 8, 2020
‘Two young people have rescued several koalas from forest fires in Kangaroo Island, Australia
This species, one of the most affected by fires, could enter the list of extinct animals in several places. ‘ (IG-graciasdiostv) ??♂️?? pic.twitter.com/br5VjE6T2j— Yougle Fact (@YougleFact) January 8, 2020
Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories Uncategorized10 Comments on Fighting a wildfire with liquid nitrogen? Poll: tell us your opinion
At Wildfire Today we have written about many out-of-the-box proposals for suppressing wildfires. Now a new method (to me anyway) is being proposed.
Kenn Roberts wrote to us from Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada suggesting that liquid nitrogen could be used to help control the bushfires in Australia.
There are two ways the application of liquid nitrogen could retard the growth of a fire.
One, the stuff is very cold. It has a boiling point of -320° F. 
Below that it is a liquid. Warmer than that it is a gas.
Two, if it is present in enough quantities it can displace oxygen. Either of those would remove one leg of the heat/fuel/oxygen fire triangle.
Liquid nitrogen is heavier than air and will initially stay near the ground or sink to lower levels. After the gas warms to the ambient temperature it becomes slightly lighter than air and will rise.
There are videos online (of course) of people playing with liquid nitrogen. A couple of them are by TheBackyardScientist who puts out flames from a tiny “flame thrower” like in the photo at the top of this article, and a burning flammable liquid on the surface of a swimming pool.
So obviously in a small controlled environment liquid nitrogen which has boiled and produced gaseous nitrogen can under some circumstances put out a fire. However (you knew there was going to be a “however”) adapting that concept on a very large scale to suppress a wildfire would prove to be challenging at best.
Mr. Roberts says nitrogen could be used by firefighters on the ground “to dispense liquid nitrogen and/or use equipment to propel liquid nitrogen into hard to get to areas.” And, he explained, “it can be carried in the direction of the wind.”
Used from the air, he said, “Heli/ fixed wing can drop liquid nitrogen canisters directly on fire, in the path of fire, or use to be carried with the wind behind the fire.”
Dewar flasks can store liquid nitrogen for a matter for hours or up to a few weeks.
Putting aside the ability of nitrogen to suppress a wildfire, there are practical, logistical, and safety issues to consider. Whatever container is dropped from an aircraft to deliver nitrogen to a fire, it could only be deployed in an area devoid of anything or anybody that could be harmed by the objects falling from the sky. In addition to physical damage from the falling Dewar flasks, if the gas spreads to an inhabited area the displacement of oxygen could be a concern, perhaps even resulting in death. Also the effects on animals and other environmental factors would have to be considered. And like the proposal for aircraft to drop boxes of retardant on a fire, the containers, debris, or equipment would have to be removed.
Mr. Roberts submitted his liquid nitrogen concept to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Curtis Brown, Staff Chief for Research and Development, wrote back to him on December 10, 2019. Here is an excerpt from the letter:
A great deal of thought and consideration went into reviewing your liquid nitrogen technology proposal. After careful review of the proposal, it was determined that CAL FIRE will not be able to pursue this project. While your idea is intriguing, CAL FIRE does not have the resources or budget to pursue the implementation of the application. The hazards of working around nitrogen is a fundamental safety concern and your proposal lacks details regarding how to safely administer this technology.
Undeterred, Mr. Roberts said he plans to conduct a demonstration for structural firefighting in Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada.
Here are some wacky ideas for putting out wildfires. All were tagged Lame-Ass Idea:
What do you think? Should we file the liquid nitrogen proposal in the Lame-Ass Idea category? To vote below, click on one of the two choices, then click on the hard to see “VOTE” button which is above “View Results”.
Is fighting wildfires with liquid nitrogen a Lame-Ass Idea?
Total Voters: 130
Loading ...The poll will close March 7, 2020.
