Fires in FL

[kenny thomas]

For those who live in Florida one of our fire crews with 5 F450 engines in on the Espanola fire west of Palm Coast FL. They said the fire blew up today and they could not do anything with it. Palm Coast burned in 1985 and 1998 and hope they can save it this time. I know hooknline is south of there but if anyone is near there and see them say hi. They are a good but crazy bunch.I will probably be there in 10 days or less.

 

[Jogeephus]

When you come this way you'll be passing by the house. If you want, look me up and I'll treat you to lunch or something.

 

[LRTX1]

Palm Coast is about an hour East from me. Been breathing the smoke off and on for a while now it seems. Hope they get some rain to help your boys out over there.

 

[kenny thomas]

Might have to stop there from what I hear. Looks like you are dry too. I will let you know when I am coming.
LTRX1 they are staying in Bunnell but will work anywhere they are needed. Hope you don't need them. Are you in the area where all the ferns are grown. We were on a big fire there also in 1998.

 

[LRTX1]

Bunnell, lots of swamp around there. When the swamps catch fire they are hard to put out. I'm right near Gainesville off I-75. We got a little rain Sunday and some more tonight, maybe that will keep you boys away from us for a while. All them gnats in Bunnell going to drive yall nuts.

I think you are talking of the ferns around Pomona Park, Satsuma, Crecent City area. Thats still East of the St Johns river.

 

[kenny thomas]

Yes he mentioned that the gnats were trying to carry them off. Looks like the smoke would take care of them but I guess it just makes them mad.

 

[LRTX1]

Kenny,

Those '98 fires were bad. That was when the weather quit being normal around here. 4 months prior to the '98 fires we had cows swimming in pastures. The creek on our place was higher than my father had ever seen, by July me and Dad walked in that creek and never got our feet wet. Dad had never seen the creek dry like that before either.

 

[Jogeephus]

Kenny, maybe you can tell me if this makes any sense to you. Our Forestry Commission has shifted personel around to help with the fires near the swamp. One thing they did was move some people from one unit over two counties to man our county unit but they didn't bring any equipment. Our guys took all the equipment and went one county over to fight the fire. At night our guys drive east (away from home) about the same distance if not further and stay in hotels. The guys that are manning our county drive back toward their home but stop halfway and stay in hotels in a larger town when about 15 more miles they would be home or they could simply stayed in the motel three miles from the unit. Not as plush but very acceptable. We had a fire this week from a lightning strike and they had to call in a tractor from another county cause all our stuff was gone. Of course it took a long time for it to get here and the poor fella was unfamiliar with the county so he got lost and couldn't seem to find the fire. I would think the smoke would have been a clue but ... and since they replaced the block system with GPS cordinates reading a map isn't really encouraged. By the time he got there the fire had already burned down a garage and several vehicles.

I've had my doubts about some of the restructuring measures the commission has done over the last couple of years to trim fat without actually trimming anything that truly matters and see now that maybe its going to hurt when it really matters the most. I also wonder if some of this personel placement isn't divised more from an accounting view to reap the most money in disaster funds. If this is the case it may look good on paper but its apparantly a real flop in the field.

 

[LRTX1]

Jogee,

It is a mixed up world we live in, common sense is a thing of the past.

Did yall get into any of that rain last night?

 

[kenny thomas]

Jo it is not just your state. A lot of the same thing going on. Every time I go on detail I see lots of waste and then they say they are broke. If you want to see waste work with FEMA one time. It does not seem to matter any more if there is someone there to cover a county anymore. I work three counties and none of them are the one I live in. Their truck and their gas so?

 

[Angus Cowman]

KT
I seen on the news lastnite that there is over 1.2 million acres on fire right now and there has been over 4.4 burned this yr nationwide

that is alot of land burned up

 

[Jogeephus]

Did yall get into any of that rain last night?

Yes, it was wonderful. I put fertilizer on some hay fields expecting it to come and an hour after I had finished it came. Finally something seems to working right.

If you want to see waste work with FEMA one time.

I can't help but think this orchestration isn't somehow connected to some federal guideline regarding reimbursement through disaster money. Its pretty obvious they are forcing people to stay a certain distance from their homes even though it makes little or no sense. I've seen this sort of thing before in the past but nothing on this scale. Its as if they have refined their game to make the most out of each disaster.

 

[Anonymous]

The areas burned nationwide so far this year equal the size of the state of delaware..or so I heard. NBC national had a film crew out at the Osteen fire yesterday. That one is contained, but being only 6 miles from it we get lots of smoke. We got some more good rain last night, but lots of lightning with it too. I didn't see if the espinola fire got rain or not. This year is already drier than it was in 98, but if these rains continue I think we'll be in good shape.

 

[kenny thomas]

Jo, I think you are right. I was told a few years ago that we needed to make 30 air drops on a fire that I would not have made any on. High dollar but then FEMA took over the costs.
hooknline, I tried to call our crew about 7 tonight but could not get them. Don't know if that is bad or they have sneaked off to Datona Beach. :lol2: Glad some of you are getting some rain though. Might be that I may have to go to TX instead but we usually keep crews there a little while after they are really needed.

 

[Jogeephus]

Kenny I guess you've heard about the two fire fighters who lost their lives Monday when they were engulfed in flames. I spoke to some people on the inside about what was going on and apparantly the GA fires have been contained for some time and they have instructed the firefighters not to mention this on Facebook or anything like that since they don't want the FEMA money to stop. Two of the people I know have been sitting by a lake staring at irrigation pumps for days with acres and acres of black all around them as if there was actually something left to burn. Another person I talked to plowed one night and spent the next several days sitting in a hotel room doing nothing. If what I'm hearing is true I think its a shame that politics and milking the system seems to be more important than the safety of the firefighters and the public at large. And based on the words of a pretty high and tenured person, you might want to think twice about coming down this way cause not only is there a fire storm but there is also a huge political storm that you may not want to get involved in. Stay safe and watch your back.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43476345/ns/weather/

 

[kenny thomas]

I have read about the firefighters. It was on a small fire also according to the initial report.
I have been to some of fires like you talk about in GA but I hate them. Shoot in 2008 the Bugaboo started in GA and burned into FL burning about 450,000 acres. By the time I got there all we done was drive the fireline and put out a few hotspots. We worked night shift and had 35 miles of line to patrol.
I talked to our guys today and the fire we are going to is 5100 acres but is in a swamp also but he said they have reburns in some areas every day. Hope it will be in good shape by the time I get there.
I am a lot more satisified doing initial attack but my thoughts of putting them out small might be frowned upon. I have been at this a long time and know how to keep my nose clean on the political side. At the same time requests are coming in every day for more dozers for TX, GA, and FL. Told them today to just let me go run a dozer and they said no.

 

[Jogeephus]

I'm sure you know how to stay out of the politcal side but what I meant was I'd hate to see you get down there and need help only to have the help sitting around a lake doing nothing but twiddling their thumbs or watching tv. Apparantly they are trying to milk this thing and that's why they have the people sitting in the hotels at these odd places around us. Yes, the fire that killed the two guys was a jump from a larger contained fire and it was only 12 acres. The two guys ran from the fire. I'm familiar with the understory in that area and know its so heavy and dense there is no running much less walking in it. Last week four tractors (450's and 550's) went in single file around one fire and they barely even scratched the dirt with their plows. That stuff is he77. Fifteen years ago I swore if I ever made it out of one place I'd never go back. I've been offered some pretty good money to do so but I've kept my promise cause there isn't enough money for me to walk through any of those he77 holes again. You just be careful. Looks like a high is going to be in the gulf and with some upper winds the chance of rain in that area is looking promising.

 

[kenny thomas]

New fire in NC we could go to. Another swamp fire. 18,000 acres in two days. Now that is the kind I like to get after.
Gonna need a hurricane to take care of all the south and east coast fires.

I have ran a dozer in that area of Florida also. Push until you could no longer see in front or out each side from the brush and vines. Back up push those to the side and start again. Not a place to try and get in front of a fast moving fire. Oh and the areas that you can take a dozer across once but the second time it sinks. Yes, been there done that. I have ran a dozer in a lot of places all over the US and south Georgia and Florida are the only places that really scares me.
Guess that is some of the reason I am a Strike Team Leader but still like running the equipment a lot better.

 

[Anonymous]

Well wherever you end up watch your back and stay safe

 

[kenny thomas]

Just sent you a PM. I actually will be a strike team leader so it takes most of the physical work out of it. Just the mental part and making the decisions and keeping up with the crews and engines. Still on the fire line though. I have decided that if I ever get to where I cannot go on the line I will quit going. Don't like the command center work.