Tag: West Wing

For throwback Thursday, the topic is less than full suppression fires. The second half of this article first published on Wildfire Today in 2009 is about an episode of The West Wing from 2001.

Here’s what we wrote 9 years ago:

Too often we hear sentiments like:

Government can’t SOLVE problems, government IS the problem!

So it was very refreshing to read an excellent editorial in the Missoulian which supports a decision made by government officials. In this case, it was a decision not to attempt to aggressively suppress the Kootenai Creek fire in the Bitteroot National Forest in Montana.

From the Missoulian:

When a fire in Kootenai Creek blazed to life more than two months ago, Bitterroot National Forest officials warned it would likely burn through the summer.Kootenai Creek fire, Sept. 26, 2009

They explained, and news outlets including the Missoulian reported, that they would be keeping a close eye on the fire, and if it grew to threaten private property they would be ready to jump on it. They also explained that it was too dangerous – and ineffective – to send in firefighting crews or fire retardant-bombing aircraft so long as the flames clung to the side of a rough canyon.

So, while many Bitterroot Valley residents have had to live with the smoke and smolder since mid-July, they could do so knowing that the lives of firefighters were not being risked unnecessarily – and that forest managers were not throwing away massive amounts of taxpayer money to fight a fire that threatened no homes.

And once the Kootenai fire moved too close for comfort to private lands near Stevensville, they could see for themselves that firefighting crews moved quickly to box it in.

Nevertheless, the front-row lesson in fire management has left some Bitterroot residents feeling burned. Some of these folks would have liked to see fire management officials order the fire out right away. They seem to think it should never have been allowed to burn so long, or to come so close to private property.A resident near the Kootenai Creek fire thanks firefighters

They should take care to remember that firefighters did jump on a number of small fires in the area – and extinguish them just as quickly as they sprang up. The Kootenai fire too was tackled as soon as it had reached more open terrain. It has been, and will likely continue to be, managed exactly according to plan, and the people managing this fire deserve praise for their handling of it. They are, after all, experienced experts in fire management and know best which fires to tackle and which to leave alone.

They also understand that it is not worth one firefighter’s life to save someone’s property.

Every summer serves as a reminder that we in western Montana are living in a fire-dependent ecosystem. If you choose to live in the forest, fire is a risk you run. In fact, this summer Gov. Brian Schweitzer has taken pains to let all Montanans know that those who reside in the urban-wildland interface must take steps to mitigate their risk of fire damage, and not just assume that government agencies will ride to the rescue.

Despite some wet weather earlier this summer, September is shaping up to be dry and windy enough to encourage additional fire activity. The cooler weather will help, but it alone won’t put out any fires.

Next time a fire flares up – and there always is a next time when you live in western Montana – and fire managers tell us what they are planning to do, we should all listen.

Thank you, editorial staff of the Missoulian.

It reminds me of an episode on The West Wing in 2001 called “Ways and Means“.
Part of the plot involves a “fire use” fire in Yellowstone National Park that is not being aggressively suppressed. The Governor of Wyoming is incensed that the National Park Service is not putting out the fire and strongly argues with President Josiah Edward “Jed” Bartlet to put it out immediately. But Bartlet consults with personnel in the Department of Interior and decides that the National Park Service is right.

Here is an excerpt from the script of the show. “Leo McGarry” is President Bartlet’s Chief of Staff. He walks into an office and sees the President:

LEO
Good evening.

BARTLET
The governor of Wyoming was an inch and a half away from calling me a pyromaniac tonight.

LEO (sarcastically)
That’s surprising ’cause we really had respect from him before.

BARTLET
I’m saying somewhere out there is a registered voter who’s thinking, ‘You know, I thought I really liked this Bartlet fellow, but now that I see he’s in favor of fire…’

LEO
He thinks it’s gonna adversely affect tourism.

BARTLET
It’s the end of the season and the fire isn’t anywhere near tourists. Letting this fire burn is good for the environment. You know how I know?

LEO
How?

BARTLET
Because smart people told me.

I miss The West Wing.

Thanks Dick