Fires

Dear People,

It's definitely field fire season.  That means that there are going to be a lot of afternoon calls from now on.

And field fires are often hard work.

I think they're more work than house fires.  Because with a house fire, I'm a lot of external support.

I change air packs.

I get chain saws, pike poles, axes, and other equipment for the guys working on ventilation.  Which is what these guys are doing.

I fill air tanks with breathing air so they can go back into the smoke.

 I get water and Gatorade so they stay hydrated.






And basically just get anything else they might need.

On a field fire, though, it's a bunch of quick hard work.
  This is our Wildfire.  It was made by 1st Attack Engineering, and is specially designed to aid in fighting field fires.  Just behind the cab are two jump seats (they're made out of race car seats) that the two firefighters buckle in to.  They each have a nozzle attached to a hose that only extends about 3 feet from the truck.  There's also a hose reel on each side that will stretch about 50 feet from the truck.

  This is Jeff.  He's the guy that builds them.  He looks scary, but he's kinda like another dad to me.  He's a really neat guy.

  This is just a little fire.  Looks nasty, but it's not too bad.  With our truck, putting out this little guy isn't bad at all.

  Even this one still isn't too bad.

But when you come up on this, it's a little frightening.  At least Mr. Tractor still has some time to get moving before the fire gets to him.  Because if not, he'd be a crispy critter.

So: basically, use your heads.  Don't be stupid.  Burn stuff when it's not windy.  Don't burn 80 bajillion piles at once.  And don't leave while stuff's still on fire.

Be cautious and warn your parents to do the same.

Sincerely,
Me. =)