Wildfire Today

How to build fancy campfires

Bill GabbertFebruary 9, 2017Uncategorizedcampfire

Wildland firefighters don’t work night shifts as much as we used to, but many of us have experienced a long night when there is not much mopup left to be done and it’s 2 a.m. The temperature is in the 40s or 50s, and the chill starts to creep into our sweat-soaked clothes. We might have thrown some unburned branches onto a smouldering hot spot and encouraged them into flames, seeking a little warmth.

That’s about the simplest campfire there is. But maybe you should step up your game.

Rakovalkea long-log fire. Illustration by Robert Prince.

Field and Stream has an article describing 10 fancy campfires. This is not your typical missive about how to START a fire with tinder, kindling, and one match. We’ll assume you know that basic stuff. These fires all have a specific purpose, such as burning all night, signaling for help, sheltering the fire from wind, streamlining ignition with duct tape, and building a fire under a tarp.

Do you have hours to kill and need to stay warm? Impress your colleagues with one of these.

Prescribed fire in the Everglades

Bill GabbertFebruary 9, 2017February 8, 2017UncategorizedEverglades, Florida, prescribed fire

Sometimes bigger is better…. Everglades National Park encompasses an ecosystem of over 1.5 million acres. Those acres, many of which are fire adapted, require treatment with fire on a 3-7 year return interval. To do this successfully we often have to think "big box". This week and next we are utilizing fire to reduce fuel loading and knock back exotic plant species across 100,000 acres of coastal prairie lands from Everglades City to Flamingo. Within days of burning we will start to see a healthier and more robust ecosystem bounce back.

A video posted by Michael Gue (@young_men_and_fire) on Feb 8, 2017 at 7:46pm PST

Legislation introduced to establish a national firefighter cancer registry

Bill GabbertFebruary 8, 2017March 25, 2019Uncategorizedcancer, cancer registry, firefighter health, legislation, smoke & health3 Comments

A bipartisan group of 76 Congressional Representatives have signed on as sponsors for legislation that would establish a national cancer registry for firefighters diagnosed with this deadly disease. The bill is titled Firefighter Cancer Registry Act of 2017. (UPDATE March 25, 2019. A version of the legislation was signed into law. The Centers for Disease Control has more information. We expect to write more about this later, in articles tagged “cancer registry“.)

Most firefighters know others in their profession who have suffered from and in some cases died of various forms of cancer.

The British Columbia government recognizes at least nine “presumptive cancers” among firefighters, including leukemia, testicular cancer, lung cancer, brain cancer, bladder cancer, ureter cancer, colorectal cancer, and non-Hodgkins’s lymphoma.

According to Congressmen Bill Pascrell of New Jersey and Chris Collins of New York:

…The creation of this registry would enable researchers to study the relationship between firefighters’ exposure to dangerous fumes and harmful toxins and the increased risk for several major cancers. In the future, this information could also allow for better protective equipment and prevention techniques to be developed.

“Public servants like our firefighters put their lives on the line every day for us,” said Congressman Chris Collins. “Unfortunately, firefighters see a higher rate of cancer than the rest of the public. This legislation will provide the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) the tools they need to improve their data collection capabilities on volunteer, paid-on-call, and career firefighters. We hope that by creating a voluntary ‘Firefighter Registry’ that includes the many variables that occur over a firefighter’s career, the CDC will be able to better study this deadly trend. In the future, this information can be used to provide better safeguards and protocols for these brave men and women.”

Federal wildland fire agencies revise and replace agreement with Australia

Bill GabbertFebruary 7, 2017February 7, 2017UncategorizedAustralia

U.S. firefighters in Australia — U.S. firefighters in Victoria, Australia, February, 2009. Photo by Wol Worrell.

The United States Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture have renewed an international arrangement with Australia to continue a partnership that provides mutual assistance for wildland fire preparedness, suppression and post-fire recovery.

These agreements have existed for years but language was added during this revision to enhance prevention and presuppression activities. Here is how the National Wildfire Coordinating Group defines presuppression:

Activities in advance of fire occurrence to ensure effective suppression action. Includes planning the organization, recruiting and training, procuring equipment and supplies, maintaining fire equipment and fire control improvements, and negotiating cooperative and/or mutual aid agreements.

U.S. Embassy Canberra Chargé d’Affaires James Carouso and Emergency Management Australia Director-General Mark Crosweller signed the renewal of the Wildland Fire Management Arrangement January 23, 2017 in Australia. The arrangement builds on 15 years of close collaboration between firefighters, and allows for the sharing of personnel, research, and technology to boost the mutual wildland fire management capabilities.

Since the U.S. and Australia have opposite fire seasons, and because these countries use interchangeable methods and doctrine, a mutually beneficial mechanism was established in 2002 for quickly sharing trained personnel and critical resources.

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

Typos or errors, report them HERE.

The desert changes one year after the Powerline Fire in Big Bend NP

Bill GabbertFebruary 7, 2017UncategorizedPowerline Fire, Texas

Above: Charred Pitaya cactus in Big Bend National Park during the Powerline Fire, February 2, 2017. NPS photo.

A year ago the Powerline Fire burned 1,792-acres near the headquarters of Big Bend National Park in south Texas. Since then a tireless camera has been taking photos of a particular area. When they are put together in a time-lapse fashion the resurgence of the vegetation is enough to convince anyone to stop using the word “destroyed” when describing the effects of a wildfire.

I almost decided not to post the video below because unfortunately the resolution of the photos is very, very poor, but check it out for yourself.

One year since #PowerlineFireBigBend, the desert has transformed after timely summer rains. Info: https://t.co/y7yQQ0MTUb #WildlandFire pic.twitter.com/OsdwBY4tFP

— Big Bend NPS (@BigBendNPS) February 7, 2017

Aerial photos of wildfires in Chile

Bill GabbertFebruary 4, 2017February 3, 2017UncategorizedChile, fires, Matanzas, wildfires

These photos were taken by the crew of the 747 Supertanker that is working out of Santiago, Chile. All of the pictures were shot at a fire south of Matanzas that burned about 19,000 hectares.

A Russian-made IL-76 air tanker takes off at Santiago, Chile. Photo by crew of the 747.

An IL-76 makes a drop on a wildfire south of Matanzas, Chile, February 1, 2017. Photo by the crew of Global Supertanker.

A Chilean military CASA lead plane flies ahead of the 747 Supertanker. Photo by crew of the 747.

The photo below is not exactly an aerial photo, except it was taken from the cockpit of the 747 Supertanker, which is pretty far above the ground even when parked on the ramp!

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