Firefighter Blog

Direct from firefighters who battled the current blazes in Idaho the guys at Fusee hold nothing back as they discuss the Cascade Complex Wildfire, the ICP burn-by (burn over) and the efforts to save the small community of Yellow Pine.

The essential point made in the Idaho fires related series of blog posts is why put firefighters at risk to save cabins and homesteads of those that subvert (snub) defensive space ordinances.

Some excerps from their series of posts on the Idaho wildfires of 2007 (to date);

"Everyone tasked with fighting these fires reaches three basic conclusions:

1. Once these big fires become established, no amount of firefighting will stop them 'until the snows fly'.
2. We are fighting these fires because some people live in these woods, and nobody wants to be the person who burned them out, and,
3. After 50 years of saving Yellowpine, we could have paid Big Sur land prices to buy out each and every hermit between Yellowstone and Oregon, and still come out ahead."

And..

"Most of the characters that I met in Yellowpine look like they would be happy living in the 19th century. That's fine with me, but we should recall that the West of the 1800s had no organized wildland fire suppression, and that frontier towns burned to the ground on a fairly regular basis. As much as I would hate to deprive Yellowpine's residents of an authentic historic experience (wildfire burning their town), I am even less excited about putting wildland firefighters in there to chase spotfires through hazmat shacks, ammo caches, and tire fires as the big one rolls in. [for photos of Yellowpine, click here]

Now don't get me wrong: I have nothing against people living in the hills, being off-the-grid, or collecting a personal treasure-trove of 'might-come-in-handy-someday' car parts, old trucks, snowmachines, old barrels of acid, or junk lumber. The personal junkyard is a Western Institution, and I would be a hypocrite to advocate for its abolition; just don't expect me to put my ass between your junkpile and a running wildfire."

Hear hear, take a few minutes to read this well presented material. Bookmark them and consult their work often, I will. It's refreshing to hear the guys from the trenches speaking the truth.

Don't just stop at the blog, Fusee's mission statement says it all;

"FUSEE promotes safe, ethical, and ecological wildland fire management. We inform and empower fire management workers and their citizen supporters to become torchbearers for a new paradigm in fire management." Fusee.org

Labels: 2007 fire season, Cascade Complex, Firefighter Blogs

Wildlandfire.com admin. posted the text of the official report of the Cascade Complex ICP burn over on August 12. It's a great read, what it says in part;

"On the afternoon of August 12th 2007, two individuals funded through a wildland fire resource order were moving roll-on garbage dumpsters from a spike camp. The couple was involved in a motor vehicle accident within the closure area of the Cascade Wildland Fire Complex. The accident disabled their vehicle and apparently resulted in non-life threatening injuries to both occupants. Following the accident the individuals left their vehicle and began hiking towards the Cascade Complex Incident Command Post. During or shortly before this time, the road they were on was closed due to fire activity. While hiking along the closed road, the individuals were overrun by the wildland fire. The individuals took shelter from the fire in or near a culvert. It does not appear that either individual was injured by the fire. Several hours later the couple was discovered along the same road by other contractors who then transported them out of the fire area........

For reasons unknown at this time, the facts surrounding this entrapment were not reported to the Washington Office until September 13, 2007.

On August 13th the Cascade Complex Incident Command Team implemented a Stay-In-Place plan as the Cascade wildland fire burned around their Incident Command Post. The Stay-In-Place plan, the decision to implement the plan and the decision to remain in place for several days following the event resulted in several unintended consequences including the fact that numerous individuals were subjected to elevated levels smoke and carbon monoxide resulting in acute respiratory symptoms and illness."

You can see the offending smoke and action about the camp as the fire made its run in this PDF photo essay compiled by the Great Basin National Incident Command Team there at the time.
You can see the non fire personnel with paper air filters over their mouth sitting in the middle of the camp in one image.

I find it interesting this report is not posted on Inciweb, but that would only happen if the incident command team places it there. I sense a bit of a "circling the wagons" defense developing here. These command teams don't want to shed a negative light on one another and since the fire is two months old up to 5 teams have rotated through.

By not reporting the accident and entrapment that led to the two contractors nearly becoming ash they opened the door to other questions about safety by Occupational Safety and Health Program Manager Randy Draeger and his people.

I don't pretend to know if they could have evacuated the camp support personnel safely but those folks should have been afforded a ticket by helicopter or truck to a main road at least.

I've followed the Cascade Complex Fire since late July and even called it "The Full Forest Employment Fire of 2007."

Not too sure I'm wrong.

On August 17 the fire had nearly 1,150 firefighters assigned to the (then) 155,000 acre blaze. The fire was 16% contained and the costs were $13.5 million to date.
Today the fire is 28% containment, 950 firefighters are assigned, the acreage is 299,000 and the costs to date are over $50 million.

The same evacuations are in place for some of these small communities like Yellow Pine and Johnson Creek.

Here is transcript of the Incident 209 sent to me this morning;

Remarks:
"Johnson Creek, Yellow Pine and Warm Lake residences are now in a Level II evacuation. Power lines to Johnson Creek and Yellow Pine are still shut down due to fire spread. Ditch Creek Bridge was burned and is still unsafe to cross. Coordination with East Zone continues for actions in and around Yellow Pine. The Salmon-Challis N.F. will take management action on areas east of the Middle Fork, in coordination with the Cascade Complex, but will still be reported on Cascades 209. Updated acres include: Monumental – 299,932. Acreage summaries are based on "administered forest" boundaries: Boise National Forest 205,011 Payette National Forest 34,223 Salmon-Challis National Forest 60,698 Private 272. No acre change due to trouble with the IR flight on 9/16 with only Middle Fork done. IR request on 9/17 is in areas of Curtis Creek and Yellow Pine."

Finally and most important is 12 more firefighters have been injured since August 17. This "managed" fire approach is not only costly in dollars but risky to the health of firefighters and affected communities.
In light of the revelations outlined in the report above, the injuries to 16 firefighters, the extended evacuation orders and health concerns for outlying communities I hope the Forest Service big shots in Washington commission a team to pick this one to pieces for the benefit of firefighters that follow.

Labels: Cascade Complex

The Cascade Complex wildfire had been burning since July 17. The fire has now burned close to 300,000 acres. The fire is burning in parts of the Boise, Payette, Salmon-Challis National Forests.

Acreage to date per Inciweb is as follows;

"Updated acres include: Monumental - 286,205. Acre summaries are based on "administered forest" boundaries: Boise National Forest 197,037 Payette National Forest 32,277, Salmon Challis National Forest 56,670, Private 221.."

30% containment, yes, after 2 months it's 1/3 contained. They should just rename this fire "The Forest Service Full Employment Act Fire Of 2007".

Think I'm wrong? From the Incident 209 yesterday we read this;
"Given the current constraints, when will the chosen management strategy succeed?

The current strategy is open-ended, some containment objectives are being achieved and threats point protection targets are being reduced but full containment is not the current strategy. The current strategy will likely not change until a season slowing event is reached."

That means SNOW. This sucker will burn until it snows!

However once you read on and see the fuels involved it makes some sense.

"Fuels/Materials Involved: Heavy Logging Slash"

So this is a managed fire feeding off the transgressions of the logging industry. Nearly 1,000 firefighters and nearly $50 million spent so far to clean up the slash left by loggers.

We should note that 15 firefighters have been hurt to varying degree over the last 2 months.

I recall a fire we responded to in a virgin redwood grove in the Santa Cruz Mountains. We accessed the fire smoldering in a logger slash pile and I have to tell you the scene was out of a science fiction post nuclear war film. I can't figure out how the logging crew left such a mess.
There were craters and mud bogs, stumps and slash everywhere. This had to be the work of wood poachers. We shocked some pot farmers ferrying 55 gallon water barrels to their gardens and I asked them who created this mess and they were no help. They were polite because they were scared someone in a uniform was so close to their hidden operation. Surely they didn't want tree cops snooping around after my crew left so they were mum, but they knew.

Bottom line is loggers often leave a mess and the forests involved in the Cascade Fire sound like they are getting cleaned up. Sounds strange but thinking of it this way helps to rationalize the $50 million price tag.
No price can rationalize the 15 injuries though. Maybe the Whalen ICT, with help from forest managers can trace back the responsible lumber companies for some help in suppression costs. Concentrated logging slash/trash is unnatural.

How many of these 15 injured firefighters were hurt because of the unpredictable fire activity contributed by these piles in the forest?

Surely though all 286,000 acres is not slash, maybe they should put this one out before the first snow.

A commenter below asked what defines slash! Here you go.

Labels: 2007 fire season, Cascade Complex

The Zaca Fire to date has consumed 240,000 acres and has cost taxpayers $100 million.

The Cascade Complex Fire has eaten 225,000 acres at a cost of $35 million.

Both fires are more than one month old with containment dates extending into September.

Both fires were mainly confined to Federal lands. Zaca in the Los Padres National Forest, San Rafael Wilderness and Dick Smith Wilderness, while the Cascade Complex burned Boise National Forest, Payette and Salmon-Challis National Forests.

At one point there were 3,200 firefighter and support personnel on the Zaca Fire. Total personnel on the Cascade Complex never exceeded 1,200.

Forty firefighters have been injured to date on the Zaca Fire while nine firefighter injuries have been reported on the Cascade Complex Fire.

If Fed heads ever get around to investigating this disparity their discussions might center on decisions made once the Zaca Fire entered the San Rafael Wilderness.

The results of those decisions was enormous, not the least of which nearly the whole of two national wilderness areas burned.

Labels: 2007 fire season, Cascade Complex, Zaca Fire

Yesterday I noted the run on the Cascade Fire incident command post (ICP). Here is a series of images taken from the Cascade Complex pages at Inciweb.

Labels: 2007 fire season, Cascade Complex

Labels: 2007 fire season, Cascade Complex

This a fire to keep an eye on.

For updated information on the Cascade Complex Fire visit Inciweb. Check out some amazing images shot by Incident team members here.

Below is the raw incident data from 1830 hours yesterday;


From the Cascade Fire ICS- 209 form: (via email)

Major problems and concerns (control problems, social/political/economic concerns or impacts, etc.) Relate critical resources needs identified above to the Incident Action Plan.

The Monumental Fire has merged with the Sandy Fire and is showing growth into the Frank Church Wilderness to the south and east of the Sandy Fire. Consistently, during all operational periods, fires have exhibited very active to extreme fire behavior with plume dominated influences during extreme fire growth. Existing hot perimeters around Cascade ICP remains a concern. (my bold emphasis) Division M still poses a threat to the Warm Lake Residential Recreation Area. Due to extreme growth a defensive strategy is in place for multiple improvements ahead of both the Monumental/Sandy and North Fork Fires. Evacuations and new road closures are in effect and the Warm Lake Highway and South Fork Road remains closed. Evacuations in the Warm Lake area remain in effect.

Remarks:

Remarks: The significant increase in overall acres in yesterdays operational period is due to the merging of the Monumental Fire and Sandy Fire. IR priority is the Monumental/Sandy and North Fork Fires, particularly the north ends. IR has not been received for the Monument/Sandy fire east side where improvements are threatened. Monumental 72,759 ac 10% contained, North Fork Fire 36,779 ac 11% contained, Sandy Fire 18,082 ac 27% contained. Whiskey and Tyndall Fires have been consumed by the Monumental/Sandy Fire. Strong inversions continue to delay air operations on both the Monumental and North Fork fires.

Actions planned for next operational period:

Continued structure protection with contingency groups and engagement in defensive mode operations around ICP, Warm Lake, and north of Warm Lake Highway. Establish direct line south from Warm Lake Highway at Trail Creek over Kline Mt. to the NW corner of Warm Lake to protect structures at the west shore of Warm Lake and Kinney Point. Hold burnout along Forest Road 437 and 447 from the Sandy Fire perimeter to Landmark to keep the fire from spreading north in Johnson Creek and threatening additional structures in Johnson Creek. Protect Landmark Guard Station and Deadwood Outfitters. Check southerly spread west of the Deadwood River to mitigate future threats to Elk Creek Guard Station. Assess Pistol Creek Airstrip for protection needs."

Local media coverage of the fires' assault on the incident base.



Size/Area
Involved
127,620 ACRES
7: Start Date Time
07/17/2007 1700
% Contained
or MMA
16 Percent
Estimated Costs
to Date
$13,695,816
Injuries
to Date:
4
Expected Containment
Date:
(NONE GIVEN)
Committed Resources:
1,187

*Note: NorthTree Fire Intl. is providing mobile mapping services on the Landmark Complex.*

A tour of the Landmark Fire, East Zone and Cascade Complexes can be downloaded at
http://www.northtreefire.com/intel/fires/idaho/Landmark.kmz

Google Earth virtual tours of the 2007 Idaho Wildfires and more can be found at http://www.northtreefire.com/gis/virtual.php

Labels: 2007 fire season, Cascade Complex