Wildfire Today

The culture of volunteer firefighters in Chile

Bill GabbertFebruary 1, 2017February 1, 2017UncategorizedChile, volunteers3 Comments

Bomberos firefighters Santiago airport 747 supertanker — Bomberos (firefighters) that were supplying water for the 747 Supertanker at the Santiago, Chile airport January 26, 2017, pause to honor a fellow firefighter who was killed while fighting a fire. Photo by Bill Gabbert.

A few days ago “cspen” contributed a comment below an article we wrote on January 27 about volunteer firefighters, Bomberos in Spanish, setting up and operating a complex high-volume system for loading 19,200 gallons of water into the SuperTanker every time it pulled in to reload. In case you missed it, here it is again.

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“The tradition of the volunteer fire fighters in Chile is a very old one. To become a volunteer firefighter there is a waiting list in every single town and city across Chile, and it often takes years to get an open slot, typically another member must sponsor the person applying. It is seen as more important and patriotic than volunteering to join the military. It is for life. Even old firefighters that are no longer able to fight fires, still show-up for training and other activities, or help with administration. Often until they die.

At the core, is a sort of belief that fighting fires and rescuing people is such an honor, and so important, that a paid, “professional” group, of fire fighters would not take it so seriously (correct or mistaken). It is not something that can be trusted to the vagaries of government ministers, budget cuts, and so on.

That said, the volunteer departments equipment is mostly provided by the government. Simply the firefighters receive donations in yearly fund raising drives, that they divided between them and is viewed as a thank you for their service through-out the year.

They do receive professional level training. Experts from the around the World are brought in to for training. Firefighters join specialized brigades such as dealing with chemical hazards, high-rise rescues, and so on.

This is not just a bunch of guys standing on the street corner they pick-up, and hand them a garden hose.”

Arsonist on horseback in Chile

Bill GabbertFebruary 1, 2017February 3, 2017Uncategorizedarson, Chile3 Comments

Chile arson — In this low-res screenshot from the video the rider gets on his horse after starting a fire. The white smoke is just to the right of the horse’s right-rear leg. It is slightly easier to see in the video.

This video, shot February 3, 2016, shows evidence of intentionally set wildfires in southern Chile. In addition to the pattern of ignitions for several fires that indicate the work of an arsonist, you can actually see a horseback rider igniting fires.

When the black and white images appear, it indicates the camera operator has switched from regular video to infrared, which detects heat. The white areas are the hottest.

In recent days there has been much discussion in Chile about the cause of some of the scores of blazes in the country. At least 43 people have been arrested for allegedly starting fires. More than 400,000 hectares (almost a million acres) have burned and 11 people have been killed, including 4 firefighters and one air tanker pilot.

Again, this video is from a year ago.

map Chile arson — The red pointer marks the location of one of the scenes in the video, southeast of Conception.

Seasonal wildland firefighters exempt from Trump’s hiring freeze

Bill GabbertFebruary 1, 2017August 25, 2019Uncategorized1 Comment

A sawyer bucks a log on the North Pole Fire March 10, 2015 west of Custer, SD.

After being in limbo since the federal hiring freeze was enacted on January 22, the land management agencies now know that they can still hire the tens of thousands of firefighters and park rangers that protect and manage our national forests, parks, reservations, and refuges.

A memo was issued January 31 by the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Personnel Management that listed positions exempt from the freeze. Seasonal employees and short-term temporary employees “necessary to meet traditionally recurring seasonal workloads” can still be hired. In addition, term and temporary appointments of existing Federal employees may be extended up to the maximum allowable time limit.

There is also an exemption that allows the head of an agency to hire employees that are necessary to “meet national security responsibilities” or to “meet public safety responsibilities (including essential activities to the extent that they protect life and property)”.

An interesting article by Rocky Barker in the Idaho Statesman covered the effects of the freeze on federal land management agencies. It was published January 30 before the exemption memo was released the following day.

Chile receives international aid for wildfire crisis

Bill GabbertJanuary 31, 2017February 1, 2017Uncategorized4 Comments

Above: Firefighters from Venezuela arrive at Santiago, Chile January 29 2017. Photo by Bill Gabbert.

(UPDATED at 1645 Chile time January 31, 2017, to include additional funds provided to Chile by the United States.)

At least nine countries are sending various forms of aid to Chile to help deal with what President Michelle Bachelet has called the worst forest disaster in Chile’s history.

As of January 30 there were at least 58 active wildfires that have burned 1,047 homes and killed 11 people, including four firefighters and the pilot of a single engine air tanker.

sat map wildfire Chile — NASA satellite photo showing smoke from wildfires in southern Chile on January 31, 2017. The red dots represent heat.

Spain, France, and Portugal have each sent over 50 firefighters, while Venezuela, Colombia, and Mexico have also mobilized firefighters to Chile.

Brazil is contributing the use of a C-130 with a slip-in Modular Airborne FireFighting System (MAFFS), and the Russian IL-76 air tanker arrived on January 30.

The United States sent four wildfire specialists from the U.S. Forest Service and also activated five local consultants in Chile to liaise with national authorities and help coordinate response activities. USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) committed $100,000 to Caritas, a local non-governmental organization associated with the Catholic Church, for the regional procurement and delivery of firefighting equipment.

On Tuesday afternoon the U.S. Embassy in Chile announced that an additional $740,000 is being provided. The U.S. Agency for International Development, through its office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA), will donate $500,000 to support the humanitarian needs of communities affected by the wildfires and $200,000 USD worth of personal protective equipment to those fighting the fires. Additionally, $20,000 USD will be donated to Caritas for tools needed to build firebreaks.

This disaster assistance comes in addition to a donation of $20,000 USD made to the non-profit ADRA, for personal hygiene kits which were recently distributed to affected residents of Santa Olga, a town that was completely destroyed by the fires.

A grandson of the founder of WalMart, Ben Walton with his wife Lucy Ana, are funding through the family’s foundation system the initial deployment and use of the privately owned 747 SuperTanker out of Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA. Other non-governmental organizations have expressed interest in helping to provide additional financing for the aircraft in Chile.

beautiful footage of @GlobalSuperTank #supertanker in #Chile thanks to @lucyanaah pic.twitter.com/aUJFmYxfIT

— Jorge Daccarett (@j_daccarett) January 28, 2017

Ahora Noticias is reporting that the government of Chile has contracted for four firefighting helicopters to be brought in on an Antonov freighter aircraft. The aircraft are expected to be one K-MAX and three Bell 205’s. There may also be some large Air-Crane helicopters arriving to assist the firefighters on the ground.

Last week President Bachelet declared a state of emergency which authorizes additional authority for the military. We explored the possibility of driving several hours away to report on the fire activity, but were told by local fire personnel that we would encounter numerous checkpoints that could make travel difficult.

Photos of firefighting aircraft in Chile

Bill GabbertJanuary 30, 2017February 1, 2017Uncategorizedair tanker, Chile1 Comment

Above: personnel with the 747 SuperTanker crew pose with a member of the Chilean Air Force (in dark green jumpsuit).

In case you have not been following Fire Aviation and the stories about the 747 SuperTanker being mobilized to help manage the wildfires in Chile, here are some photos. More information is at FireAviation.com.

IL-76 russian air tanker — The Russian IL-76 Taxiing past the 747 SuperTanker. Photo by Bill Gabbert.

Continue reading “Photos of firefighting aircraft in Chile”

Creating Defensible Space Around Utility Poles

BillJanuary 30, 2017UncategorizedArizona, defensible space, power line

Above: The power pole hazard mitigation crew’s sawyer flush cuts a palo verde stump.

By Tom Story

“As Arizona’s largest utility, there are fire risks we have to manage,” said Wade Ward, Fire Mitigation Specialist for Arizona Public Service (APS). “The primary goal of fire mitigation is to prevent fire from ever happening. The second is to provide safe and reliable electricity to the communities APS serves. Just as important is the ability to provide for firefighter safety around our system in the event of a fire”, Mr. Ward continued. “With five thousand miles of transmission and twenty-eight thousand miles of distribution it is hard not to have our system affected by wildland fire. When this happens, APS’s priority is providing a safe environment for crews to work in”.

defensible space power poles — In Cave Creek, AZ; Wade Ward, Fire Mitigation Specialist for Arizona Public Service, sizes up a palo verde tree slated for removal as part of the APS Defensible Space Around Poles program.

Mr. Ward knows fire (he joined APS after his fire career at the Prescott Fire Department) and he has seen factors like drought, climate change and forest management set the stage for larger and more powerful wildland fires. “It is becoming more evident that due to extended drought over the past decade forest and vegetation ecosystems have been stressed from the lack of regular moisture compounded by shorter drier winters and longer warmer summers,” Mr. Ward said.

APS sends out inspectors to identify hazardous vegetation in violation of its safety and reliability clearance standards as well as violations of the National Fire Code and the Urban Wildland Interface Code (which state that a utility with equipment attached to the pole must clear all vegetation 10 feet in all directions including 10 feet from the ground). The area around the pole is cleared by work crews to create defensible space. “There are approximately 70 thousand poles within our system that we will have on a three year return cycle to maintain Defensible Space Around Poles (DSAP)” said Mr. Ward.

The clearing is being done using manual methods (including chain saws, string trimmers and other hand tools) and where approved is followed by the application of herbicide in compliance with Environmental Protection Agency’s Integrated Vegetation Management practices. APS has prioritized the treatment of subject poles by utilizing data derived from a risk assessment done across the state. Mr. Ward continued; “It is a part of our core values at APS Forestry to manage vegetation and the environment by balancing benefits to create healthy forests and safe reliable energy”.

Mr. Ward finished his remarks noting, “In 2016 we created 110 acres of defensible space around the state of Arizona. One pole at a time”.