Another Season Ends

Another successful wildland season has come to an end for the Unified Fire Wildland Resources. Both crews and engines ended the summer with a tour to the Umpqua National Forest located north of Medford, Oregon. All were assigned to the Rattle Fire, a problematic incident that had been burning since mid July. With help from our excellent choice of tactics and of course, Mother Nature the fire slowed and nearly all resources were released.

The crews and engines returned home with just enough time to rehab gear, have our end of the season party and send everyone on their way.

Due to the hard work by everyone involved, 2008 was a safe and successful season for the UFA Wildland Division.

Tioga Fire, Inyo National Forest, CA

Salt Lake 1 and 2 are off to California again. This time to the Inyo National Forest to help support their initial attack activities. We have spent the last two days on the Tioga fire, a 22 acre, human caused fire next to Mono Lake, about 100 miles south of Carson City, NV.

Salt Lake 1, after working a night shift motored off to the one tenth acre Log Cabin Fire just around the bend from the Tioga.

Both fires are nearly wrapped up

Devil Fire

Salt Lake 1 and 2 jetted off to the Devil fire northwest of the Great Salt Lake on sunday night. We arrived home last night after three days of desert fun at the Bureau of Land Management's Rosebud Field Station. The fire burned 1588 acres the afternoon before we arrived, but once we arrived the wind-driven pj and sage had cooled off significantly. We put in saw line around a portion, and Shaun Mullins, as Dozer Boss - Trainee, helped put dozer line around the rest of the burn.

For more info, click on the title of this post, or go to www.utahfireinfo.gov

Spring Lake Fire

Immediately after declaring the City Creek Canyon Fire "controlled" Salt Lake 2 was dispatched to a new start in Utah County. The Spring Lake Fire, started by powerlines, was burning actively just outside of the town of Payson, Utah. When we arrived, 15 mph winds were pushing the fire towards the town. Working until 2:00 am, we were able to burn out a portion of roads outside of the town and help ferry the fire up into the hills.

After a few hours of sleep, we were right back at it, constructing direct handline up a ridgeline above the community. With the help of a fleet of heavy tankers and SEATs, we were able to make good progress.

As of monday afternoon, the fire is in a state that it can be turned back over from the Type 2 IMT to the local district.

To see some of the news coverage along with photos and video go to:
http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=3928344

City Creek Canyon Fire

City Creek Canyon Fire

Salt Lake 2 is currently wrapping up operations on the 130 acre City Creek Canyon Fire.

ICT4(t) Riley Pilgrim states that "it was a tough battle for the first day, but we've been able to get hand line around the whole fire and we will probably be able to put it in patrol status soon."

Salt Lake 2 arrived at nightfall on the first night of the incident where we proceeded to construct handline in conjunction with 10 smoke jumpers up the left flank of the fire. We completed about half of it the first night, then finished the entire flank by 1230 the next morning. The fire has a large amount of dirty oak underburn and we've been busy putting out "political" smokes in the fire's interior.

Goslin and Wilkins Peak Fires

Salt Lake 2 spent half a day on a 250 acre fire just north of Dutch John, Utah on July 25th. We were dispatched on the evening of the 24th and drove to Dutch John that night. The fire was wind driven through grass, sage, and pinyon-juniper. A finger had made a run up to a ridge which wasn't engine accessible, so they needed a crew to work the finger and a few spots. The crew put in saw line and worked 2 helicopters in tandem to knock out the remaining heat. By 1400 thunderstorms had moved into the area and rain and lightning forced us back to our vehicles. We "ping-ponged" down the dirt road, turned slippery by the rain, back to the main highway 191.

Almost released, we were reassigned last night to the Welkins Peak Fire about 6 miles south of Rock Springs, Wyoming.

We spent about three hours putting in saw line around another wind driven sage and pj fire.

This morning we're finishing saw line around the fire which is estimated at about 35 acres and preparing for another round of afternoon lightning storms.

As soon as Steve Davis, FFT1 (t), finishes GPSing the fire perimeter, we'll have an accurate acreage.

Canyon Complex Round 2 - Night Operations

Salt Lake 2 has returned from our second tour on the Canyon Complex in Northern California. We arrived on July 6th and were shipped out to the Frey Fire, 2.5 hours south of Quincy, California on the Plumas National Forest. Our first shift lasted 24 hours as the team shifted us over to the night shift where we spent the entire 14 day deployment.

Due to typically highter relative humidity, cooler temperature, and more favorable winds, night operations consisted largely of burning out indirect fireline that was constructed during the day shift. We succeeded in first connecting the South Fire to the Frey Fire with a 2.5 mile burnout, then began working on connecting the Scotch Fire to the South/Frey Fire with a 6 mile burnout. The latter operation was being completed as we turned wheels back towards Salt Lake City.

Other experiences of note: poison oak, CA con crews, warming fires 101, daytime shade sleeping, the great hoselay / line dig operation abandonment, and more.

The crew will take the 22nd and 23rd off then go back available on the 24th at 0600. Hopefully having readjusted our bodies to sleeping at night and being awake during the day.

Canyon Complex - Cold Fire

Salt Lake 2 is on the road heading back to Salt Lake City for 2 days of R & R after a 14 day tour. We finished the tour on the Cold Fire, part of the Canyon Complex based in Quincy, California. Resources are stretched so thin, with over 60 large fires in California, that the team has kept us attached to the incident while we travel home and take days off. We will be returning to Northern California on July 5th.

Nate Siemers is finishing a whirlwind CRWB - trainee assignment. The crew constructed a few miles of handline and sawline, conducted burnout operations, directed bulldozers, engines, and installed hoselays.

Riley Pilgrim spent three days acting as a Dozer Boss then the rest of the tour as a Task Force Leader trainee.

Jefferson Halladay, a UFA paramedic, accompanied us on this assignment. He was the first paramedic on scene of two medical emergencies. The first, a dehydration / exhaustion emergency, the second a bulldozer rollover. Edward Arriola commanded the emergency scene while Jefferson and our EMTs provided medical care. Edward facilitated an emergency helicopter hoist extrication of the patient off of the side of the mountain. The patient was then flown to the nearest trauma center with a number of potentially serious injuries.