doug_e

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Posts posted by doug_e

  1. Posted

    I guess this was timely...

    This just in from North Bergen NJ's multi-alarm brush fire...

    1600hrs- CMD reporting a "3-block long" area burning. S/C NJSP Aviation for bucket-drops. Also S/C North Hudson Regional FD for thier reserve tanker.

    See the details on the Regional IA...

  3. Posted

    This is the first Red Flag I can remember.

    We very, very rarely get wildland fires. Out on Long Island in the pine barrens they had a good one a few years back. That was the only time I've seen air drops utilized. As for staging there is no formal arrangement in Westchester County to address that need and I don't know of anything being planned for this occurance. There are, however, inter-department agreements between neighboring departments to coordinate resources such as engines and tankers. The county governmental level only "assists" the local departments with mutual aid coordination needs. They aren't mandated to provide more than that.

    Ordinarily our Spring seasons are wetter leading into humid Summers. This area of NY is generally humid due to the proximity to the ocean. We are really a coastal region in terms of climate. Droughts usually don't last for more than a half a year.

    A few years back we had a "forest fire" at a military base here in Westchester. It was started by a practice artillery shell. Got goin' pretty good and burnt up a sizable amount of real estate, maybe 200 to 300 acres. A general call went out for bodies to help stamp it out. But as I said before it isn't something we run across often. If we lose a acre or two that's a lot.

  5. Posted

    The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for this area. This is not something that normally occurs in our area.

    A Red Flag event is defined as an event where ten-hour fuel stick moisture* must be 8% or less, along with afternoon relative humidity levels 25% or below, and 20-foot winds are expected to exceed 15 mph. All three requirements must be met.

    *Fuel sticks are used to assess woody fuel moisture. Fuel sticks are wooden dowels that act as surrogates for woody plants. Two sets of standard 10-hr fuel sticks and a calibrated scale are placed at a sampling station. Fuel sticks are used to assess woody fuel moisture. Fuel sticks are wooden dowels that act as surrogates for woody plants. Data collected is used to determine relationships between woody fuel moisture and weather varibles. Ten-hour fuel moisture sticks are dowels that are 18.5" in length and 0.5" in diameter. A 100-hr fuel moisture stick will also be placed at the sampling station. The 100-hour stick is 18.5" in length and 1.5" in diameter.

    Stay on your toes, as an IC do not allow your vehicle to become blocked in by additional resources. Make a mental note of the prevailing weather conditions, e.g, wind direction and speed, temperature, time of day, etc., as part of your initial size-up at all calls. Fire brands can quickly turn your 10-75 into a major conflagration. Be prepared to call additional units as a fire patrols to contain spot fires caused by brands.

    In daylight hours personnel hydration is of utmost importance. Get additional drinking water sources deployed early on. Avoid drinking from fire hoses.

    Get out of your turnouts ASAP. It is totally acceptable to fight wildland fires in long pants, tee shirts, and work shoes. Traversing the woods in full PPE will exhaust your resources very quickly.

    Establish your accountability procedures immediately upon arrival and size-up. Enforce working in teams of at least 2. Each team should have a radio.

    Good luck and be safe....

    RED FLAG WARNING...

    NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE UPTON NY

    524 AM EDT WED APR 20 2005

    CTZ005-006-NJZ002>006-011-NYZ067>077-201530-BERGEN NJ-BRONX NY-EASTERN PASSAIC NJ-ESSEX NJ-HUDSON NJ- KINGS (BROOKLYN) NY-NASSAU NY-NEW YORK (MANHATTAN) NY- NORTHERN FAIRFIELD CT-NORTHERN NEW HAVEN CT-NORTHERN WESTCHESTER NY- ORANGE NY-PUTNAM NY-QUEENS NY-RICHMOND (STATEN IS.) NY-ROCKLAND NY-SOUTHERN WESTCHESTER NY-UNION NJ-WESTERN PASSAIC NJ-524 AM EDT WED APR 20 2005

    ...A RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 6 PM EDT THIS EVENING...

    THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN UPTON NY HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG WARNING.

    THE COMBINATION OF GUSTY WINDS...A LACK OF RAINFALL AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES WILL TEAM UP TO CREATE A HIGH FIRE DANGER FOR THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS MUCH OF THE TRI-STATE REGION.

    THE AREA HAS NOT SEEN ANY RAINFALL IN OVER 10 DAYS AND FOREST UNDERSTORIES HAVE BECOME VERY DRY. SOUTHWEST WINDS OF 15 TO 25 MPH ARE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON. ALL OF THESE CONDITIONS ARE CONDUCIVE TO FIRE IGNITION AND A RAPID SPREAD OF ANY FIRES THAT DO START.

    RESIDENTS ARE URGED TO USE EXTREME CAUTION WHILE OUTDOORS TODAY. PLEASE BE AWARE THAT JUST THE SMALLEST SPARK COULD IGNITE A WILDLAND FIRE WITH POTENTIAL DIRE CIRCUMSTANCES.

    STAY TUNED TO NOAA ALL HAZARDS RADIO OR VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT WEATHER.GOV/OKX FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES.

    $$

  6. Posted

    Fire Weather Watches and Red Flag Warnings

    Fire Weather Watches are used to alert users of the possible development of a Red Flag event in the near future. This period covers from 12 to 72 hours in advance of the event. A Red Flag event is defined as an event where ten-hour fuel stick moisture must be 8% or less, along with afternoon relative humidity levels 25% or below, and 20-foot winds are expected to exceed 15 mph. All three requirements must be met.

    Red Flag Warning are issued to warn an impending or ongoing Red Flag event. A Red Flag Warning will be issued immediately when Red Flag conditions are met. Otherwise, it will be issued for impending Red Flag conditions when there is a high degree of confidence that conditions will develop and the forecast time of onset for the event is less than four hours.

  7. Posted

    It's gettin' worse by the day....

    FIRE WEATHER WATCH

    NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE UPTON NY

    312 PM EDT TUE APR 19 2005

    ...FIRE WEATHER WATCH IN EFFECT FOR WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON FOR THE ENTIRE TRI-STATE REGION...

    THE COMBINATION OF GUSTY WINDS...A LACK OF RAINFALL AND LOW RELATIVE

    HUMIDITIES WILL TEAM UP TO CREATE A HIGH FIRE DANGER FOR WEDNESDAY

    AFTERNOON ACROSS MUCH OF THE TRI-STATE REGION.

    THE AREA HAS NOT SEEN ANY RAINFALL IN OVER 10 DAYS NOW...AND THE LACK

    OF RAINFALL AND THE RECENT LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES HAVE CAUSED FOREST

    UNDERSTORIES TO BECOME VERY DRY. WEST TO SOUTHWEST WINDS OF 15 TO 25

    MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 30 MPH ARE EXPECTED WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON.

    ALL OF THESE CONDITIONS ARE CONDUCIVE TO FIRE IGNITION AND A RAPID

    SPREAD OF ANY FIRES THAT DO START.

    IF CURRENT FORECASTS DO NOT CHANGE SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE NEXT 12 TO 24

    HOURS...A RED FLAG WARNING WOULD BE ISSUED EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING.

    LOCAL RESIDENTS ARE URGED TO USE EXTREME CAUTION WHILE OUTDOORS

    WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. PLEASE BE AWARE THAT JUST THE SMALLEST SPARK

    COULD IGNITE A WILDLAND FIRE WITH POTENTIAL DIRE CIRCUMSTANCES.

    $$

    REYNOLDS

  9. Posted

    I've been lurking around the internet for years now and haven't found another place quite like this. Coupled with the fact that it is in my home area, what more could I ask for.

    Well maybe a streaming video link of incidents as they unfold.... :-k

    Tremendous job!!! It has become part of my daily routine. If I want to know anything that's going on around here, it's usually on the boards.

  10. Posted

    SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT

    NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE UPTON NY

    402 AM EDT MON APR 18 2005

    BERGEN NJ-UNION NJ-WESTERN PASSAIC NJ-EASTERN PASSAIC NJ-ESSEX NJ-HUDSON NJ

    KINGS (BROOKLYN)NY-BRONX NY-NEW YORK (MANHATTAN) NY-QUEENS NY-RICHMOND (STATEN IS.) NY

    NORTHERN WESTCHESTER NY-SOUTHERN WESTCHESTER NY-NASSAU NY-NORTHEAST SUFFOLK NY-NORTHWEST SUFFOLK NYSOUTHEAST SUFFOLK NY-SOUTHWEST SUFFOLK NY-ORANGE NY-PUTNAM NY-ROCKLAND NY

    NORTHERN FAIRFIELD CT-NORTHERN MIDDLESEX CT-NORTHERN NEW HAVEN CT-NORTHERN NEW LONDON CT-SOUTHERN FAIRFIELD CT-SOUTHERN MIDDLESEX CT-SOUTHERN NEW HAVEN CT-SOUTHERN NEW LONDON CT

    ...INCREASED FIRE DANGER ACROSS THE REGION WILL LIKELY CONTINUE

    THROUGH MIDWEEK...

    THE TRI-STATE REGION HAS NOT SEEN ANY RAIN FOR THE PAST NINE DAYS

    AND NONE OF ANY CONSEQUENCE IS EXPECTED FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS.

    THIS FACT WHEN CONSIDERED ALONG WITH LOW HUMIDITY LEVELS...HAS

    PRODUCED SOME EXTREMELY DRY CONDITIONS WHICH ARE CONDUCIVE TO FIRE

    IGNITION. THE THREAT OF BRUSH FIRES ACROSS THE TRI-STATE REGION HAS

    BEEN HIGH FOR SEVERAL DAYS NOW AND WILL CONTINUE AT ELEVATED LEVELS

    UNTIL WE CAN GET SOME WETTING RAINS TO DEFUSE THE SITUATION.

    LOCAL RESIDENTS ARE URGED TO USE EXTREME CAUTION WHILE OUTDOORS.

    PLEASE TO AWARE THAT JUST THE SMALLEST SPARK COULD IGNITE A FIRE

    WITH DIRE CIRCUMSTANCES.

  14. Posted

    HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK

    NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE UPTON NY

    450 AM EDT WED APR 13 2005

    CTZ005>012-NJZ002>006-011-NYZ067>081-140949-

    BERGEN NJ-BRONX NY-EASTERN PASSAIC NJ-ESSEX NJ-HUDSON NJ-

    KINGS (BROOKLYN) NY-NASSAU NY-NEW YORK (MANHATTAN) NY-

    NORTHEAST SUFFOLK NY-NORTHERN FAIRFIELD CT-NORTHERN MIDDLESEX CT-

    NORTHERN NEW HAVEN CT-NORTHERN NEW LONDON CT-NORTHERN WESTCHESTER NY-

    NORTHWEST SUFFOLK NY-ORANGE NY-PUTNAM NY-QUEENS NY-

    RICHMOND (STATEN IS.) NY-ROCKLAND NY-SOUTHEAST SUFFOLK NY-

    SOUTHERN FAIRFIELD CT-SOUTHERN MIDDLESEX CT-SOUTHERN NEW HAVEN CT-

    SOUTHERN NEW LONDON CT-SOUTHERN WESTCHESTER NY-SOUTHWEST SUFFOLK NY-

    UNION NJ-WESTERN PASSAIC NJ-

    450 AM EDT WED APR 13 2005

    THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST NEW YORK...

    NORTHEAST NEW JERSEY AND SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT.

    .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT...

    A MODERATE THREAT FOR WILDLAND/BRUSH FIRES EXISTS TODAY. RELATIVE

    HUMIDITIES WILL BE AT OR BELOW 40 PERCENT FOR A GOOD PART OF TODAY.

    WINDS WILL REMAIN WELL UNDER 25 MPH HOWEVER.

    .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...

    A MODERATE THREAT FOR WILDLAND/BRUSH FIRES WILL EXIST THROUGH MOST OF

    THE PERIOD AS DRY RELATIVE HUMIDITIES ARE EXPECTED FOR THE MOST

    PART...AND NO WETTING RAINS IN THE FORECAST. WINDS WILL INCREASE AND

    PERHAPS GUST TO 25 MPH ON FRIDAY...HEIGHTENING THE THREAT.

    .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

    SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TODAY.

    $$

    $$

  21. Posted

    Hear, hear x635.....

    As one who was fortunate enough to recieve only a wake-up call from my ticker, I couldn't agree more. I'm not in real bad shape though I'm not winning any beauty contest either.

    Anyone in emergency services is cheating at solitare if they aren't paying attention to what their body is telling them. From my own experience I knew for months that things weren't right. I just ignored them, stupidly hoping they'd go away. Because I was just too lazy to change my lifestyle. Right up to the time I climbed into the bed at the ER I was in denial.

    It's the denial that's killing us.

  22. Posted

    Also, ALS... I agree whole heartedly with your sentiments. There is certainly no room for the yahoo / cowboy unprofessionalism of making it burn real nice.

    This is serious stuff and the senior people in charge need to dilute all the testosterone. Because it's the testosterone that gets people hurt every time.

    Think back to most times you've seen people injured and more often than not the root cause was just that, testosterone.

  23. Posted

    Thanks to all who contributed to this thread. Very informative.

    In my community, as in many others in Westchester, the trend is towards demolishing existing structures to build larger homes. In the near future I am making a proposal to our zoning board that would require property owners to provide the FD one week to use the structure for drill purposes as a condition of the permit for demolition. We are loosing a wealth of training opportunities by not taking advantage of this resource.

    As far as live burns go, I'm in favor of using them as a training tool. Nothing exactly simulates the real conditions we will encounter except live burning. I've heard all of the arguments against this type of training and I just don't agree. I believe the benefits out weigh the risks we'd encounter in a controlled burn. Assuming we use our heads. However, it's not for every drill. As with any instruction it should be worked into a curriculum that evolves to the point where the live burn is meaningful. It is an educational tool and should be used as you would any other tool.

    On the lighter side I remember watching the FDMV do a live burn about 40 years ago that got away from them and went to a third alarm. Which for the FDMV at that time was huge! It was a 4 brick 30X60 with the top three floors gone through the roof. Quite a drill. Too much accelerant used. :oops:

    Again, thanks for the info . . .