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Wildfire on Vandenberg Air Force Base burns hundreds of acres

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , ,

The fire started Friday morning, November 25

Above: Air Tanker 103, an MD-87, drops on a wildfire on Vandenberg Air Force Base November 24, 2017. Photo by Vandenberg Fire Department.

(Originally published at 9:08 a.m. PST November 25, 2017)

A wildfire that was reported at about 9:30 a.m. Friday burned 380 acres on Vandenberg Air Force base in Southern California before the spread was stopped six hour later. Personnel in the area were evacuated and there were no reports of damaged structures. Firefighters from the U.S. Forest Service and Santa Barbara County assisted the Vandenberg Fire Department in attacking the blaze.

map Ensalados Fire Vandenberg Air Force Base
Map showing the approximate location of a fire on Vandenberg Air Force Base. The heat sources were detected by a satellite at 1:31 p.m. PST November 24, 2017. Map by Wildfire Today and NASA.

There was confusion about the name of the fire — it has been called Ensalada, Encelada, and Encelados, but it burned adjacent to Ensaladus Road. Information sources that usually provide reliable information on wildfires, such as InciWeb and the Southern California Coordination Center, did not provide information on their public websites, but the 30th Space Wing referred to it as “Encelados Fire”

Photo by Vandenberg Fire Department.
Ensalados Fire Vandenberg Air Force Base
Photo by Vandenberg Fire Department.
Ensalados Fire Vandenberg Air Force Base
Photo by Vandenberg Fire Department.

Check out the photo on the right below.

The Air Force has one firefighting dozer team

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , , 6 Comments on The Air Force has one firefighting dozer team
Vandenberg dozer
Senior Airmen Ronald Skala and Thomas Williams, 30th Civil Engineer Squadron heavy equipment operators, with a fire dozer, Sept. 21, 2015, Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The fire dozer team is on stand-by during wildfire season and during every launch, prepared to contain fires that start and prevent damage to base assets. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Kyla Gifford.)

The only firefighting dozer team in the U.S. Air Force is at Vandenberg Air Force Base in southern California. The 30th Civil Engineer Squadron heavy equipment operators’ fire dozer team consists of approximately ten Airmen and civilian workers. Their job is to support the firefighters by helping to limit damage and contain the spread of wildfires.

“Because of the sheer size of our equipment we can accomplish a lot within seconds,” said Staff Sgt. Mark Robertson,  a heavy equipment operator. “When we go out to a fire, those who have already responded breathe a sigh of relief because we can accomplish a huge amount of work in a short amount of time.”

When a fire breaks out, the base firefighters are the first to respond. When the fire is too difficult to control, the fire dozer team is called to assist.

“We are supporting the fire department, and will get their call if they need us,” said Raymond Boothe, 30th CES equipment supervisor. “We are not sitting around waiting for a call though — we are constantly working all over base, performing our job as heavy equipment operators.”

“Vandenberg is the only base in the Air Force that has a fire dozer team,” said Robertson. “So this is the only place in our career that we are going to get this kind of experience and training.”

Airmen also receive a Red Card certification, which states the holder has the experience and training necessary to fight wildfires. This certification is utilized by both state and federal fire agencies and is useful for civilian jobs across the nation.

Another significant component of the job is supporting the space mission. The fire dozer team is on stand-by during every launch, prepared to contain fires that start and prevent damage to base assets.