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USFS accepting comments on draft EIS for use of fire retardant

Bill GabbertMay 15, 2011October 12, 2022Uncategorizedair tanker, FSEEE, Photo by Bill G

fire retardant dropping — Photo by Bill Gabbert

The U. S. Forest Service is accepting public comments on a draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) they just completed on the use of fire retardant. The DEIS was written in response to a July, 2010 decision by U. S. District Court Judge Donald Molloy in a lawsuit filed in 2008 by the Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics.

The FSEEE claims that the use of retardant damages aquatic resources and terrestrial ecosystems. In October 2010 the organization stated their opinion on the effectiveness of retardant on fires.

There is no evidence that aerially-applied chemical fire retardant is effective in meeting any wildland firefighting objectives. For example, there are no studies or data that evaluate home losses to wildland fire as a result of etardant use vs. non-use. There are no studies or data that evaluate firefighter injuries or fatalities as a result of retardant use vs. non-use. There are no studies or data that evaluate the proportion of fire retardant drops that actually influence a fire’s ultimate disposition, as opposed to those drops that prove irrelevant to the fire’s fate, e.g., are dropped outside the fire’s final perimeter. Although retardant slows the rate at which fire spreads through some flammable materials in laboratory conditions, that’s a far cry from retardant affecting fire outcomes in the real world of wildland firefighting.

The DEIS is available online for review and comment. The USFS will consider public remarks submitted during the comment period in the development of the final environmental impact statement expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2011.

The Forest Service will host several community listening sessions:

May 24, Ocala, Fla.
May 26, Missoula, MT
June 7, Santa Barbara, Calif.
June 9, Wenatchee, Wash.
June 15, Tucson, Ariz.
June 16, National Community Listening Session via webinar

More information about the listening sessions, including times and locations.

Black lining machine used in Nebraska

Bill GabbertMarch 25, 2011August 25, 2019UncategorizedPhoto by Bill G, prescribed fire11 Comments

Note: scroll down to see an update to this article.

Wildfire Today first wrote about the Blacklining Machine in January, 2008 when it was being tested by the US Fish and Wildlife Service in South Dakota. A month later they approved it to be used on prescribed fires.

The device, pulled behind a tractor over a grassy prairie, uses propane burners under a metal structure to burn a five-foot wide black line, an area of burned vegetation, on the edge of a planned prescribed fire. Water spray nozzles, 16 of them, wet down the edges as the unit moves forward at about one mile an hour. In association with an adjacent mowed line, this can serve as a barrier to the prescribed fire spreading beyond the planned perimeter.

On Thursday the USF&WS demonstrated it at the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge in northern Nebraska. The Norfolk Daily News covered the event, but they got a little confused about the number and placement of the water nozzles and propane burners.

I’ve never seen one in action, but it may put in black line more quickly, with fewer people and with less risk of escape than conventional methods. It no doubt works best on an area with gentle terrain, grass fuels, and few rocks. But it’s probably fun to play with.

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UPDATE March 27, 2011

It occurs to me from reading the comments that some people are not familiar with the concept of blacklining a prescribed fire prior to the main ignition of the project. Depending on the tactics and the wind direction, the process of igniting along the perimeter can be a rather slow and tedious process until you get 5 to 30 feet of burned area, or black, adjacent to the perimeter. If the project is small and you have plenty of time and resources this may not be an issue. But if your project is large and you would like to minimize the number of operational periods devoted to igniting it, blacklining days or weeks before the burn can save you a lot of time. And you can have a broader prescription for blacklining than the main burn, making it possible to black line on days that would not be suitable for the larger project.

Dillon Prescribed fire Blacklining 10-10-2002 — Blacklining the Dillon Prescribed Fire, Badlands National Park, Oct. 10, 2002. Photo by Bill Gabbert

The Dillon Prescribed Fire shown above, was 3,132 acres. By blacklining the perimeter in advance, we were able to ignite the entire project in one day, while reducing the chances of an escape.

Blacklining can be especially useful prior to aerial ignition, as was the case on the Dillon project above. In some areas access on the Dillon was very difficult due to badlands. In those areas, instead of using engines and a water tender for support during blacklining, we used ATV’s with water tanks.

Thanks Judy

New requirements could be expensive for operators of firefighting helicopters

Bill GabbertMarch 19, 2011August 25, 2019Uncategorizedhelicopter, Photo by Bill G2 Comments

Helicopter Dippin — A Type 3 helicopter dipping from a portable tank on the Fossil 2 fire, South Dakota, August 11, 2009. Photo by Bill Gabbert

Some new requirements for Call When Needed (CWN) helicopters that are hired for temporary firefighting duty may be expensive for some contractors. In order to qualify for a U. S. Forest Service CWN contract, the new specifications require each Type 3 CWN helicopter, such as a Bell 206, to have wire-cutting kits (designed to help protect the aircraft if it runs into power lines), strobe lights, a heated defroster unit, and a specific type of cargo hook. The changes are supposed to enhance safety and promote standardization. According to contractors quoted in an article in the Washington Examiner, it could cost from $10,000 to $50,000 for each helicopter.

This could be a tough decision for a CWN operator to make. If they spend the money, they may or may not get called to perform any work for the USFS, since CWN resources are only used if the existing full time exclusive use aircraft are not sufficient to handle the work load.

At what temperature does a forest fire burn?

Bill GabbertFebruary 26, 2011March 23, 2019UncategorizedPhoto by Bill G

In an article we quoted earlier, a reporter wrote that forest fires burn at 4,000°F. We didn’t want you to be left with that impression, so here is more accurate information provided by Natural Resources Canada:

An average surface fire on the forest floor might have flames reaching 1 metre in height and can reach temperatures of 800°C (1,472°F) or more. Under extreme conditions a fire can give off 10,000 kilowatts or more per metre of fire front. This would mean flame heights of 50 metres or more and flame temperatures exceeding 1200°C (2,192°F).

The flash point, or the temperature at which wood will burst into flame, is 572°F, according to HowStuffWorks.

American Elk prescribed fire; Photo by Bill Gabbert — Photo by Bill Gabbert

And if you want to talk about high temperatures, the surface of the sun is 6,000°C (11,000°F). The cooler dark-colored sunspots are only 4,000°C (7,000°F). The core of the sun is a little warmer: 15,000,000°C (27,000,000°F).

New supplemental training video for fire shelters being produced

Bill GabbertFebruary 1, 2011November 12, 2013Uncategorizedfire shelter, Photo by Bill G, South Dakota1 Comment

Alabaugh fire near hot springs sd — Alabaugh Fire, photo by Bill Gabbert

The Missoula Technology Development Center is producing a new supplemental training video for the use of fire shelters. Tentatively titled “Fire Shelter Deployments — Lessons Learned”, it will be a collection of stories of recent fire shelter deployments. One of those stories will be the Alabaugh Fire, of July 7, 2007, near Hot Springs, South Dakota in which two firefighters shared one shelter as they were burned over.

The Alabaugh fire has become rather infamous, and has been featured in the 2008 wildland fire refresher training, a staff ride, and a recently released book “Cascade of Flames”.

Some of the 65 photos we took during the early stages of the fire will be incorporated into the new training video when it is released in the next two to three months.

Chief Ron Coleman looks back 35 years at 2,400-acre fire

Bill GabbertJanuary 21, 2011September 12, 2012UncategorizedPhoto by Bill G3 Comments

Chief Ron Coleman facilitating the International Association of Wildland Fire’s Wildland Fire Policy Summit, Feb. 12, 2002. Photo by Bill Gabbert

It was 35 years ago today that a wildfire in southern California burned from Camp Pendleton into the city of San Clemente, burning 2,400 acres, destroying 16 homes and damaging 144 others. Ron Coleman, who began his fire career with the U. S. Forest Service, was the San Clemente Fire Chief at the time and later became California’s State Fire Marshall, president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, and well-known author and consultant. Soon after the fire, San Clemente passed the nation’s first ordinance requiring fire sprinklers in all new homes.

The Orange County Register has an interview with Chief Coleman on the anniversary of the January 21, 1976 fire. Here is an excerpt.

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We asked Coleman to look back 35 years:

Q. Did the 1976 fire help change the fire service?

A. It helped to change the fire service throughout California. The day the fire occurred in San Clemente, we had a large number of wildfires burning throughout the state. The mobilization efforts were huge. As a result of fires in the ’70s, FIRESCOPE (Firefighting Resources of California Organized for Potential Emergencies) was created. FIRESCOPE has been directing policy and procedure on mutual aid ever since.

Q. Did code changes result?

A. There were no direct code changes as a result of that specific fire. However, beginning in 1973, up until the time I left San Clemente in ’84, there was a continued emphasis on fire-code development to build a safer community. San Clemente was on the leading edge of many fire-code developments that are now in international codes.

Q. What is San Clemente’s distinction in the fire service?

A. We created the first residential sprinkler ordinance. That concept has been embraced by the International Code Council and has resulted in a new paradigm for fire protection.

Q. Have others picked up on what San Clemente did?

A. At one point when I was state fire marshal, we identified in excess of 700 ordinances nationwide before the concept was introduced into the International Code Council. The Orange County Fire Authority is a leading contributor to that concept.

Q. If the fire happened today, what might be different?

A. The very area where we staged our initial lines of defense is covered with homes today, and the ridgeline where we had our backs to the wall is now in the middle of all that development. The outer fringes of San Clemente still face a threat. But more modern building and fire codes have altered the nature of that exposure. Another fire could occur. … Having said that, we have stronger codes and a highly developed mutual-aid system. The next fire is likely to have a different outcome.

Q. What did you do before you arrived in San Clemente?

A. I had served as the operations chief in the Costa Mesa Fire Department. Prior to that, I had been a wildland firefighter in the U.S. Forest Service. My introduction to California was San Clemente. I graduated from 2nd ITR at Camp Pendleton in October 1957. I took a bus into San Clemente and walked all the way down to the pier. From the end of the pier, I looked back into San Clemente and all I could see were palm trees, white houses and red roofs. I made a decision right then that I was never going back to Oklahoma.

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