As you might expect this story hits close to home...much more than I expected. I hope as you read here or hear the news on TV you will find a moment to think of or pray for the brave fire fighters who gave their lives defending others, and for their families and colleagues. I felt I needed to say something.
Ironically late last night I was putting on the post below about the safety issues the Cape Vincent FD will be faced with if 100's of 500 ft. wind turbines are sited in CV and adjacent towns. And land fire could also be a threat as a result in dry conditions as a result of a turbine fire. It was late and before I turned in for the evening and I checked my emails and cell voice mail.
I was not surprised to see the notification that my AZ SAR team had once again been requested to assist with another AZ wild land fire. It's a common call in the later spring and early summer in AZ for us. Before I usually leave for Cape Vincent I catch the beginning of the AZ fire season calls. Both my email and phone had messages to my SAR team if available we would be responding the following day to the Yarnell Fire to assist.
I assumed this would be our usual wild land fire call to help evacuate people from homes in the path of the fire or to man road blocks. As a SAR team we do not directly fight the fires. We are not trained to do that, although we have some wild land fire fighters who have now become SAR volunteers. We evacuate people in the path, run road blocks, or anything else needed in the fire effort to back the fire crews and managers, except be on the direct fire line. We get close at times but mostly on the perimeter. We do, however, get an annual training on wild land fire safety from well seasoned wild land fire professionals just in case we get caught or trapped by a fire. By this morning several friends here in CV asked me what had happened in the AZ fire which I had not heard yet other than through our team call out system which I still get even when I am here..
Today I called AZ to hear the horrible and sad news that some on our team were actually called to assist with the recovery of the remains of the deceased fire fighters.
In AZ this season, and especially with the heat wave they are experiencing, we don't think in terms of will a fire occur, it's simply a matter of how many, where and how bad will it be. I just didn't know how bad this one would be.
"Hotshot" wild land fire fighters are the elite Top Guns of this trade. Highly trained, highly physically fit, and experienced, and often young, and ready to respond anywhere in the U.S. they are needed. I have seen the Prescott AZ area Hotshot crew trucks in Flagstaff when there is a big wild land fire near by or when we assist on a fire. I stand in awe of what they do. Just to give you a small, example the regular wild land fire fighters physical fitness pack test is...
Carry a 45 lb. pack for three miles in 45 minutes. I gained a tremendous respect for these people when I did it once, not to be a fire fighter, but as a possible test for SAR, but it nearly killed me!!!. I was nearly 50 and probably shouldn't have done it.
The Hotshots often carry more equipment weight than 45 lbs and in rugged dangerous terrain in hot temps. facing dangerous fire conditions.
Big wild land fires can be real scary unpredictable monsters. From a distance I have seen massive walls of flames leap skyward or even horizontally 100's of feet in seconds. The men and women who fight these fires do a tremendous and extremely orchestrated job trying to control them. The organization put in place to manage large wild land fires is nothing short of a war effort, and amazing to be part of. The Incident Command System used for all kinds of emergencies, disasters and events, and even by the military was basically invented by wild land fire managers and fighters from experiences leaned from fighting huge wild land fires. But often in terrible "red flag" conditions like exist in the SW right now with high winds, excessive heat, and tinder dry fuels, even the fire fighters and managers will admit to the reality that sometimes the monster only gets contained when nature finally lends a hand, like rain, less wind or burning into favorable terrain.
You can get a bit of a feel for the magnitude and danger and terrible power of these fires from the media, but it's hard to truly comprehend the true raw natural power unless you see one close up...it is frightening, and makes you feel very small and insignificant. Yet these Hotshot crews walk right up to it to fight it.
In N. AZ we live in apprehension of these types of fires as temps heat up. The smell of smoke always gets your attention! Other places have earthquakes, floods or tornados etc... we have fires. As a result my wife and I have a very very special appreciation for the humid, wet, bright green NNY environment surrounded by so many expanses of fresh water.
The men and women who fight these monster fires on that front line live on an special edge many of us will never understand and sometimes they give everything to protect us...like this time!
Let me make it clear that the pictures you see below are NOT from the Yarnell fire...they are not to be copied or distributed in any manner...thank you.
They are from other past wild land fires in N. AZ where our SAR team has been involved in evacuating people from their homes.
In smoky conditions we took a wrong turn trying
to evacuate homes. Too close to the fire front and
we were fortunately able to retreat without incident.
personnel form a plan for us to
evacuate homes in front of a wild land fire.
A wild land fire front in the extensive N. AZ ponderosa pine forest.
Winds change and the fire gets too close. We get escorted
out of the area by our Forest Service escort. Hotshots
can be seen in the left and right of the picture in yellow
Nomex fire retardant shirts. When we respond to assist
in evacuating homes even we are required to wear clothing
like cotton or Nomex that won't melt like nylon or other synthetics.
As I said, I hope you will take a quiet moment to honor the memories of the 19 Hotshots who gave their lives, and for their families.
I hope you will also take a moment of thought for the people who removed the deceased heroes from this horrific accident and will bring them to rest. Our team was only apart of that effort. It will be many days and nights before they will sleep well or their lives will get back to normal. But they will never forget it.
I know this for fact.
Thanks,
Art Pundt
Flagstaff, AZ
Cape Vincent, NY
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