December 30, 2005
Texas And Oklahoma Fires Continue
"In terms of the outlook, there is no significant precipitation in sight,.." Reuters
This is beginning to remind me of California in the summer. The differences between fighting wildfires in California and Texas or Oklahoma are significant. When an engine company is toned out from a California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection fire station the captain or engineer has behind him a full compliment of firefighting tools at the click of his/her mic.
Within minutes air support, hand crews, bulldozers and overhead can be summoned for aid. The same can be said for Los Angeles County, Kern county, Ventura County and Santa Barbara County.
In most cases now it's an unfair fight, most potentially devastating fires are snuffed before they reach more than a few acres. Not to say some don't get away but for the most part the fire is extinguished quickly and expertly.
Our brothers and sisters in Texas and Oklahoma by contrast do not enjoy for the most part the breadth of resources at their disposal that their California cousins do.
I suspect some of these rural professional and volunteer stations are facing these fires with very little in the way of support behind them.
If this is true as I suspect it is these firefighters are placed in a very tough position. These fires are primarily wind driven events. Without the resources available to perform basic flank attacks they are forced to move ahead of the fire and evacuate residents and set up for structure protection. Even then with no dozer or air support and an inability to set effective backfires due to the high winds, there is little they can do.
My hat is off and boy do I wish I were there. Good luck guys, this is throwback firefighting where you have to think on your toes and where everybody is IC on their side of the fire.
This is beginning to remind me of California in the summer. The differences between fighting wildfires in California and Texas or Oklahoma are significant. When an engine company is toned out from a California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection fire station the captain or engineer has behind him a full compliment of firefighting tools at the click of his/her mic.
Within minutes air support, hand crews, bulldozers and overhead can be summoned for aid. The same can be said for Los Angeles County, Kern county, Ventura County and Santa Barbara County.
In most cases now it's an unfair fight, most potentially devastating fires are snuffed before they reach more than a few acres. Not to say some don't get away but for the most part the fire is extinguished quickly and expertly.
Our brothers and sisters in Texas and Oklahoma by contrast do not enjoy for the most part the breadth of resources at their disposal that their California cousins do.
I suspect some of these rural professional and volunteer stations are facing these fires with very little in the way of support behind them.
If this is true as I suspect it is these firefighters are placed in a very tough position. These fires are primarily wind driven events. Without the resources available to perform basic flank attacks they are forced to move ahead of the fire and evacuate residents and set up for structure protection. Even then with no dozer or air support and an inability to set effective backfires due to the high winds, there is little they can do.
My hat is off and boy do I wish I were there. Good luck guys, this is throwback firefighting where you have to think on your toes and where everybody is IC on their side of the fire.
