sleepless night

[Don McDowell]

I Have at least 30' of open or green area between the brush and my buildings. I'm looking at portable fire/foam systems right now. 3 fires in the last 3 years keeps me a little on edge (4 in the last 10 years, one very big one). None have gotten closer then 1/2 mile, which is way the hell too close.

Yup having your own fire fighting system is a good idea. Often times if you have a fire on your property , you can suppress it before the yellow shirts get there if you have something to dowse the flames.

[Lumpy Grits]

We have had two big fires, very close to hear over the last couple of years. Watched a 747 drop about 1/4-1/3 mile from our house. He cleared our roof at 300' maybe, under max power. Have sprinklers on my roof and can keep my property wet. Lost much sleep also.
Gary

[Gussy]

We have had two big fires, very close to hear over the last couple of years. Watched a 747 drop about 1/4-1/3 mile from our house. He cleared our roof at 300' maybe, under max power. Have sprinklers on my roof and can keep my property wet. Lost much sleep also.
Gary

Those big birds can really lay down a crap load of retardant can't they ?? Had one here when we had a big fire 10 years ago.

[Fogman01]

On many occasions if the FS would get us in early on some of these 'start ups' we could knock them out quickly! But I believe the general consensus is they'd rather move in 2000 ground troopers and bulldozers to justify their budget!!

Bill Clinton cut their budget drastically in the 90's and they have never recovered. Evidently the trillion dollars we have spent on helping pedophiles and poppy growers in Afghanistan is more important than buying the correct firefighting aircraft to protect our own citizens here. The last job I had before retiring was at USNORTHCOM working with the MAFFS, DOD, and the FS. I was trying to get the MAFFS C-130s to be able to respond to a first use "immediate response" call instead of sitting on the ramp within sight of the fire burning up Colorado Springs and being called as a last resort. That's what happened in the 2012 Waldo Canyon fire. But the next year (I had retired) MAFFS and active duty Chinook helos with water buckets were used right away on the Black Forest Fire. So some improvement on "sooner rather than later".
The FS doctrine is to let the fire burn unless it threatens structures. Then they "shape" the fire to avoid the structures. A fire 'under control' does not mean a fire put out. They do this to allow the dead material from the "Smoky the Bear" days to be burned away and a healthier forest results. That's the theory any way. As soon as the wind changes the theory literally goes up in smoke.
I hope you all are OK. I evacuated my Mom from the Waldo Canyon fire and then the next year evacuated us from the Black Forest fire. Not fun and plenty scary. A few years ago my friend in Durango saved his parents house from the Missionary Ridge fire by using his hay field's 4" sprinkler system to water the house and surrounding property. It worked - an oasis in the midst of charred trees.
Beware the electrical requirements of running any pumps or sprinkler system. The power companies will shut off power and gas to mandatory evac designated areas to prevent further fire danger from damaged lines. That was a problem in the Black Forest fire - the local fire fighters were great but when their water trucks ran out of water they found the wells in the nearby houses were without electricity and couldn't supply additional water. They had to go several miles back to refill their water trucks. In the mean time calls to your Gov might "encourage" him to call up Nat'l Guard resources to use sooner rather than later especially on state and private land. The Guard has a lot of firefighting capability. Have your local firefighters train with the FS so they can become qualified incident commanders and call in air strikes early on other than FS land. You are right to do what you can to take care of your own.

[alfajim]

Here in the north SF bay area (San Rafael) I have noticed when we get a fire close within 1/2 hr or less I see either water bucket choppers or most times a pair of C-2 tankers. I don't know if the FS policy is different here or CAL Fire has more push but they never let a fire go long with out air drops. I'm sure it is because of the large house congestion.
It is real comforting to see them.

Jim

[Fogman01]

CAL Fire has really good and well established use agreements with DOD active duty helos and the California Nat'l Guard MAFFS. You are right - they want fires near the houses out. FS has made overall progress with acquiring their tanker fleet but still has a ways to go.

[alfajim]

CAL Fire has really good and well established use agreements with DOD active duty helos and the California Nat'l Guard MAFFS. You are right - they want fires near the houses out. FS has made overall progress with acquiring their tanker fleet but still has a ways to go.

A few years ago we all got a real treat there was a fire up the hill behind the big church off A st and 5th and the helo came in dropped water and was using the canal to refill he'd drop in about half mile to the east and fill flying to the west towards the road and a huge crowd made many trips was cool as he would pull out and drip all over the spectators with hard right turn.

Jim