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+--- Thread: Prescribed fire and initial attack fire Sacramento Refuge (CA) 2-25-14 (/showthread.php?tid=922)
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Prescribed fire and initial attack fire Sacramento Refuge (CA) 2-25-14 - Aaronw - 02-26-2014
Today my engine went to help out with a prescribed burn at the Sacramento Wildlife Refuge (US Fish & Wildlife Service) near Willows, CA. The refuge is just east of the Mendocino NF and is dispatched by the forests ECC, so we frequently share resources.
As we wrapped things up, the local fire department requested mutual aid for a fire about 10 miles north of our burn. As we were already there and this new fire threatened to burn onto the refuge we were invited to come along as an additional refuge engine.
The burn was quite interesting to me being quite different from the forest burns I'm used to. For one thing we were burning stuff surrounded by water, so instead of walking, we rode in an air boat. The firing method was the same though, drip torch plus an occasional bit of prop wash from the boat to get in going when it was reluctant to burn.
Prescribed fire and initial attack fire Sacramento Refuge (CA) 2-25-14 - Aaronw - 02-26-2014
Lighting technique was pretty standard, stick the drip torch in the tall grass and reeds.
Prescribed fire and initial attack fire Sacramento Refuge (CA) 2-25-14 - Aaronw - 02-26-2014
The straight arm technique required gets tiring very quickly. You trade the usual tired legs for tired arms.
Prescribed fire and initial attack fire Sacramento Refuge (CA) 2-25-14 - Aaronw - 02-26-2014
Finally some fire
Prescribed fire and initial attack fire Sacramento Refuge (CA) 2-25-14 - Aaronw - 02-26-2014
The obligatory smoke on the water comment
Prescribed fire and initial attack fire Sacramento Refuge (CA) 2-25-14 - Aaronw - 02-26-2014
The water was an excellent fire line, so the engines were primarily there just in case something spotted outside the planned burn unit. There was one section though that used more traditional hand ignition and engine support.
Fish & Wildlife engine 8432
Prescribed fire and initial attack fire Sacramento Refuge (CA) 2-25-14 - Aaronw - 02-26-2014
I was a bit surprised that what is basically big grass puts off such dark smoke.
Prescribed fire and initial attack fire Sacramento Refuge (CA) 2-25-14 - Aaronw - 02-26-2014
Fire
Prescribed fire and initial attack fire Sacramento Refuge (CA) 2-25-14 - Aaronw - 02-26-2014
Now I'm sure some of you in the south see this all the time, but this was new to me. I kept expecting to see alligators and cottonmouths (neither being native to California).
Prescribed fire and initial attack fire Sacramento Refuge (CA) 2-25-14 - Aaronw - 02-26-2014
More fire
Prescribed fire and initial attack fire Sacramento Refuge (CA) 2-25-14 - Aaronw - 02-26-2014
My engine, staying fairly clean (our job ended up basically getting boat rides and lighting fires).
Prescribed fire and initial attack fire Sacramento Refuge (CA) 2-25-14 - Aaronw - 02-26-2014
As we wrapped up the burn operations, we were released to go to a fire north of us.
I had an engine boss trainee today so got a perspective I haven't had in a long time, riding in the back seat.
Prescribed fire and initial attack fire Sacramento Refuge (CA) 2-25-14 - Aaronw - 02-26-2014
The refuge fire chief ended up being our division for the fire. He brought us to the head of the fire while other resources were working the flanks. Our plan was to follow the levies and find a spot where we could pinch the fire between the multiple bodies of standing water and burn out in front of the fire.
Prescribed fire and initial attack fire Sacramento Refuge (CA) 2-25-14 - Aaronw - 02-26-2014
Putting in a wet line in preparation for burning
Prescribed fire and initial attack fire Sacramento Refuge (CA) 2-25-14 - Aaronw - 02-26-2014
First attempt failed and we had to pull out losing a bit of hose.
Prescribed fire and initial attack fire Sacramento Refuge (CA) 2-25-14 - Aaronw - 02-26-2014
Plan B worked, by this time one of the local engines made it around to us, and was able to secure an anchor, we tied in with them bringing fire back along a levy road supported by a mobile attack from our engine.
Prescribed fire and initial attack fire Sacramento Refuge (CA) 2-25-14 - Aaronw - 02-26-2014
Some misc apparatus pics
One of the local gov engines, Willows Rural
Prescribed fire and initial attack fire Sacramento Refuge (CA) 2-25-14 - Aaronw - 02-26-2014
Our engine
Prescribed fire and initial attack fire Sacramento Refuge (CA) 2-25-14 - Aaronw - 02-26-2014
The refuge chief was kind enough to put all our dirty hose in the back of the truck so we could rehab back at their fire cache instead of in the mud.
Prescribed fire and initial attack fire Sacramento Refuge (CA) 2-25-14 - Aaronw - 02-26-2014
More apparatus