September 18, 2007
Butler II Fire, Snow Possible Later In Week
I finally found a scanner link to air and ground nets for the Butler 2 Fire. Containment is at 53% and revised acreage is around 14,000. 2,400 firefighters are assigned but the main actors on this show is air attack and their cast.
These experienced pilots worked together to choke out the fire before it could stuff Fawnskin. Make no mistake, Fawnskin would have been barbecued had it not been for the directed attack by air tankers and helicopters.
Listening to the (amazingly addictive) scanner traffic you hear the dozer operators piping in once in awhile, detectable by the clatter of their diesel engine and steel tracks. This is a familiar and welcomed sound if you are a ground slug. They generally work on slopes under 60 degrees. Hand crews cut line on the steeper slopes.
Bulldozer operators don't get a ton of credit by media but they are possibly the smartest guys on the fire line. They cut where necessary relying on intuition, mostly work alone and give the best bang for the buck than any other piece of equipment in the forest. Unsung heroes for sure. Also if a dozer is on a fire they are working! You don't catch them breaking off for a coffee fire.
Watching the evening news from Los Angeles two channels focused on one of the Fawnskin restaurants where the workers have been feeding idle (bored) structure protection engine crews free of charge day and night as a sign of appreciation.
The restaurant profiled is;
These experienced pilots worked together to choke out the fire before it could stuff Fawnskin. Make no mistake, Fawnskin would have been barbecued had it not been for the directed attack by air tankers and helicopters.
Listening to the (amazingly addictive) scanner traffic you hear the dozer operators piping in once in awhile, detectable by the clatter of their diesel engine and steel tracks. This is a familiar and welcomed sound if you are a ground slug. They generally work on slopes under 60 degrees. Hand crews cut line on the steeper slopes.
Bulldozer operators don't get a ton of credit by media but they are possibly the smartest guys on the fire line. They cut where necessary relying on intuition, mostly work alone and give the best bang for the buck than any other piece of equipment in the forest. Unsung heroes for sure. Also if a dozer is on a fire they are working! You don't catch them breaking off for a coffee fire.
Watching the evening news from Los Angeles two channels focused on one of the Fawnskin restaurants where the workers have been feeding idle (bored) structure protection engine crews free of charge day and night as a sign of appreciation.
The restaurant profiled is;
39226 North Shore Dr, Fawnskin, CA
(909) 866-5879
If I am ever in Fawnskin they have my business!
If I am ever in Fawnskin they have my business!
Labels: 2007 fire season, Butler 2 Fire, Butler II Fire
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I have always loved chasing firetrucks (from a very safe distance of course). Can you hear these conversations online? God Bless all the firefighters. You are angels in really cool trucks!
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