[Az-Geocaching] Prescott Fire: Caches affected or burned?

[Fred Coe]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Scott Wood" <wood@myblueheaven.com>
To: <listserv@azgeocaching.com>
Sent: Sunday, May 19, 2002 4:42 PM
Subject: Re: [Az-Geocaching] Prescott Fire: Caches affected or burned?
>
> I don't know if Fred has ever been there, but having a fire "crown" right
> above you is something that you will never forget.  I have had it happen
> twice.  Fortunately both times I was near a decent sized creek that we
> could take cover in.  Safety blankets are good for what they do, but
during
> a crown I will take water every time.
>
>
> Scott
> Team My Blue Heaven
> www.myblueheaven.com/geocache

Scott and all:

Been there, seen it, done that....

Wyoming 1979, on Elk Mountain (the one just south of I-80, and west of
Laramie--how many Elk Mountains are there in these United States anyway?),
on my second ever fire as part of a hand crew working in a transistion zone
between pine and spruce/fir had a crown fire put a bulge in our line.  We
had to retreat and regroup--once the wind event subsided it went back to
being a ground fire. I remember three things very clearly:  1) What am I
doing here-this is a hellva way to earn a living, 2)  Thank goodness for the
engine crews that were supporting us (they were providing a fog spray to
cool us down--there was a lot of burning material falling from the
sky--needles and small branches as the trees crowned), and 3) looking up,
through the smoke and flame to see the bottom of a honest, to God B-17 make
a drop of retardant to slow the fire until the hand crew (with me?!?) could
get the line in again.

Probably because I was experienced (?), the following encounters with crown
fires weren't as frightening, but still quite impressive.  Watching Santa
Ana driven fires in SoCal is just as, or even more impressive than a crown
fire. Watching these ground fires spread at rates of several hundred acres
per hour (in some case over 1,000 ac/hr) gives one a deep appreciation for
what the grunts do on the fireline.  I'm almost happy to be over 50 and not
doing that sort of thing anymore <grin>.  It is truely a game for the
young--I'll sit in fire camp and work on radios, or ride to mountain tops in
a helo to place the portable repeaters and otherwise help out as I can.  I
do wonder if I'm expected to use the shovel and pulaski I carry in my Forest
Service truck???

The fire shelter is a last resort item.  It might actually work in a fast
moving crown fire.  I'm happy I've never had to find out.  Another bit of
trivia (reinforced by my annual safety training two weeks ago), contrary to
the movies you don't want to soak your bandana in water and breath through
it.  Many deaths on wildfires come from breathing super-heated air and your
airway and lungs burn and swell shut, however you can handle hot, dry air
better than hot, moist air. If you deploy your shelter (and I don't plan on
getting in those situations--see the previous para), the protocol is to dig
a small hole/depression under you mouth/nose and breath through a dry
bandana.  The dry bandana will filter out much of the smoke particulates
almost as well as a moist one.  As Scott mentions a creek or stream is
great, if it has enough water in it to help.  However, I haven't seen many
that would help since I moved to Tucson.  Dry drainages on hillsides are not
good places to be--they form natural chimineys.  That's not the place I'd
want to be in a wildfire.

I appreciate the groups indulgence whilst Scott and I reflect on other times
and other places.  I guess I am growing old...

--Fred
Team Boulder Creek
Tucson