Local Lingo: Fire Categories

August 16, 2012 ~ JodiLea

I am (slowly) learning the local ways around my new home and the firefighting terms used lately. I thought I would share this article with you so we all can understand the Ramsey Fire updates as they are posted at The Pine Tree … I will be looking for them throughout the day, for the obvious reason. I will not be posting each update on this blog, however, if you are interested in Arnold, or it’s surrounding communities in the Sierra Nevada foothills, John Hamilton will keep y’all up to date. Just click HERE and bookmark it.

A Bit of Fire Lingo for You (Posted by: John_Hamilton on 08/16/2012 09:08 AM)
Ganns Meadow, CA…With the Ramsey Fire there has been quite a bit of interest in the how the USFS categorizes fires. This was sent to us and contains some great information. A single tree would be a Type 5 incident – a truck goes out and monitors or puts it out. Type three teams will have some air support, maybe a hot shot crew or two (Type 1 ‘Elite’ firefighters) , some engines and maybe one or two Type 2 hand crews (less skilled than Hot Shot crews, but still skilled). The Forest has evaluated the local weather, fire behavior and resources at risk in the local area and determined a Type II Incident Management Team is in order. When the Forest “threw the switch” for a Type II team, trailers for offices, a portable mess hall, supplies for a supply cache, porta potties, hand washing units and other necessary items for a “Project Fire” were mobilized. A special group of “Overhead” management staff have also been called, people who’ve spent their careers working to fill jobs on Incident Management teams.

The team will be communicating with the ‘North Operations Center’ (North Ops) in Redding as they evaluate the fire further and begin requesting fire fighters from across the country. They will divide the fire into Divisions or Branches and members of the Team will be assigned to manage each Division of the fire.

The big fire is being broken down into management units and each unit will be staffed with necessary resources to meet the management objectives of the Forest. Since this is human caused, it will be full suppression – the fire will be surrounded with fire line, crews will try keeping the fire inside the line, and when it cools off, the fire will be mopped up 200 – 250 feet inside the line by those Type 2 and Type 3 crews, it will be contained a portion at a time, and finally controlled.

If the fire turns into a Type I incident, that is a big one. The Type I team manages one or more Type 2 teams and all the complexity around a very large fire, the politicians showing up, vastly expanded media coverage, etc. If the fire goes Type I, pay very close attention to the news, wind directions, weather and your property.

Type 2 & Type I teams have Public Information Officers running an information “Trap Line,” a 24 -48 hour update of fire info to local media, posting maps and press releases in local businesses, arranging public meetings, making the world safe for dignitaries, managing TV and news reporters, etc. Find out where the trap line businesses are, and you will get the most up to date info possible, short of a Twitter feed, Inciweb is your next best source.

Ramsey Fire Morning Update…1,150 Acres, 30% Contained, One Way Traffic Control on Hwy 4 Through Fire Area

Posted by: John_Hamilton on 08/16/2012 08:54 AM

Ganns Meadow, CA…Today fire crews will continue with fire suppression efforts. Fire crews will be working on preparing an area along the southwestern edge of the fire near the Stanislaus River for planned burnout operation tonight and tomorrow morning depending on fire conditions. The burnout operation is being planned to help secure containment line along an area that is unsafe for fire crews to work in, due to steep terrain and standing dead trees. Steep terrain and limited access along the Stanislaus River is a major concern and are making direct line construction along the fire unsafe for crews.

Purple Haze ?

August 14, 2012 ~ JodiLea ~ 1 Comment

I woke up early Monday, with nausea and a pounding headache. A smokey haze surrounded our house. It had infiltrated through our open windows during the night and the smell was unmistakable. Vaguely like campfire, with a sickening aftertaste.

Purple Haze

There were no flames to be seen, and no helicopters or small planes buzzing overhead. This assures me that the fire itself was not too close. But it’s a huge fire, if it’s haze wafted over to us and still smells so strong.

For the first time since living here, I closed all the windows and turned on the air conditioning. I set the thermostat to 84 degrees, and already it was blowing cool air at 6:00 AM because it was 85 degrees in the house, . A downside of having good insulation?

Anyway, I wanted to find out more of what was going on. I call it “staying informed”, but hubby says I’m nosy. Either way, I went to the local on-line newspaper, The Pine Tree, and poked around awhile.

I found this interesting fire update article that I wanted to share with y’all. The outstanding photos show the helicopters, jumpers, and air tankers working at the scene of the fire.

Fire Update…Ramsey Still at 250 Acres, 20% Containment, Moderately Active

Posted by: John_Hamilton of The Pine Tree on 08/12/2012 07:22 PM

Cottage Springs, CA…We just checked in with the USFS Dispatch Center in Sonora for the latest on the Ramsey fire as they get the last loads of retardant dropped to shore up the lines for the night. The fire is still being held in the 250 acre range but it is nibbling at the retardant lines and trying to break through. The risk is that with the lack of air drops that it could break through some lines overnight. Since it is down in the canyon an inversion factor can come into effect according to the USFS. This is where even as the temps cool out of the canyon the temps can remain high down in the canyon and keep the fire active. Air Attack 440 from Columbia will resume flight over the fire at 8am in the morning. Helicopters and Air Tankers will resume efforts shortly after. On the fire are 8 engines, 5 hand crews, 1 dozer, plus a water tender and other misc personnel overnight.

We would like to thank James J. Shinnick & Bill Minkel for the latest photos!

Don’t you just love how the reporter writes like he’s chatting with you personally?

Wait! Aren’t these the Olympic Games-

August 13, 2012 ~ JodiLea ~ 3 Comments

And not high school sports?… A Fallen Hurdle

I was speechless (and you know how rare that is…) when I read Steven Atwood‘s article supporting Lolo Jones.

I have taped the Olympic Games since they started. Because hubby & I are trying to settle in to our new home, we have not been watching “live” or seen most of the events yet. I had no clue about Lolo’s publicity (most would call it media bashing), until now.

I am so confused.

To my knowledge, our country (and the media) is diplomatic towards athletes competing for other countries. So now are we making fun of our very own? Why are we tearing apart athletes that don’t crank out medals for the USA? These men and women are already crushed about this. They don’t need to read about how or why they “failed”. Failed? They made it to the OLYMPICS for crying out loud. Have you, ever? In my book they have already made this country proud. And you shouldn’t try to take that away from them.

Shame on you!

I have some breaking news for the American press – Athletes are human beings too. They make mistakes, they have good and bad days, and even if they have a Gold medal they are nowhere even close to perfect. Let’s say your middle-school English teacher got on the evening news and exposed your literary flaws and horrible spelling to the world? At one point she says, ” <your name here> was so awful at writing I thought English was a second language to him/her.”

Now people are laughing. They aren’t thinking “Wow! Look how much he/she worked to overcome illiteracy”. Of course the morning newspaper spreads the story, and your family members all over the country are now reading this. Colleagues give you a bunch of crap about it to amuse themselves, and the New York Times is digging up all kinds of skeletons in your backyard.

How are YOU feeling about now? Abused? Unappreciated? Wanting to bash the media – with a club?

Oops! Sorry about this rant, but I spontaneously combusted this morning – it could be the 103F temperatures we are having, or maybe this subject is too close to my heart. I ran track in high school. And, I loved running the hurdles. I sailed over them gracefully during practice, but would choke during the event. Coach explained to me that because I was so nervous, and my muscles so tight that I had to struggle to get over a hurdle and it destroyed my rhythm.

I had no idea the muscles he was talking about were my vaginal muscles. I would have blushed for the rest of the school year had I known. Good thing I was naïve, as well as a virgin…

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photo credit: aurelie_solenne via photo pin cc