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Fighting a forest fire takes some doing. It means equipment. Pumps, pulaskis, dozers.
But equipment alone wonít put out a fire like this. It takes man. Man and his ability
to make the right decision at the right time. His ability to manage other men.
Iím Len Krout. The sector boss of Division Two. First Iíve got a lot of listening to
do. Briefings are more than just cut and dry details. Weíve got to clearly understand
the strategy plan for controlling the fire and the tactics weíll use on the division.
We wanna see if we can develop any more ëcopter sites in the division, Iíll expect you to
keep going all the time as soon as you get a little line built ahead and keep burning
up. Get your crewbosses to keep pushing their crews, particularly your mill crew Chuck,
cuz theyíre quite a bit less experienced than the loggers and they need closer supervision.
If we can get them all to go like these interagen crews, thatís what, thatís what weíre after.
These crews will produce, but they must have good direction, and thatís our responsibility,
keep the direction flowing. So theyíll know whatís to be done and what we want done.
From division briefing to sector briefing. I pass along my plan to my three crewbosses;
Brody, Jacobs and Cramer. Be on the lookout for good helispot locations. The sooner we
get them built the better. ìAre we gunna have any water source down below, so we can
use that on our handline to fill those backpack bags?î ìYou bet Tom, thereís a good chance
for water. Thatís another thing. This morning make sure your crews take backpack bags along
with tools. Weíll need it on that burnout on that lower part, because it could spot
on us there, more so than up above. Division bosses has asked for all burnouts
to be completed by 1200. My crew bosses are top notch men. Weíve worked together before.
We covered the plans of the day and how our sector will fit into the overall strategy.
Figure on double tooling. Make up your own saw teams from your own crews. Take fusees
along. Be sure to check in with me before any major burnouts so we can clear it with
the division boss. One other thing. I want you to take responsible members of your crew
and assign them to search outside the fireline for spotting. Now on the upper sector, above
the bluff, weíre gunna have a dozer in there. Fred this is gunna be your area.
The terrain and fuel types vary, so each of my crew faces a different problem. At 0500,
we leave camp. Destination; Rough Ridge. Crews safety is a must. Jacobís men know
how to handle tools. As his men go in the fireline, they keep an eye out for fallen
snags, rolling rocks, and keep a safe distance. As for me, Iíve got plenty on my mind. Build
the shortest line. Check on escape routes. Locate, build helispots. And what about our
deadline? Can we complete the burnout by noon? Always the nagging question every sector boss
has. What have I missed? You keep you overhead notebook handy, you can check yourself out.
When in doubt, check it out. Jacobís crew is moving right along. Good handline, just
wide enough and down to mineral soil. A little creek, not on the map. Pays to scout
around. Thereís enough water here to put in a pump. And we need all the help we can
get. You know before you really know your sector, it sure takes a lot of hiking and
a lot more to stay on top. Radio traffic. ìSay Iíve located a small
intermittent creek, about half mile west of the ranch. We can use a 1 inch pump pretty
nicely. Iíd like to have one delivered to h2 helispot in our sector. Over
10-4, Iíll get it ordered for you. Over. On top of the bluff, Brody points out another
good site for a helispot, well clear of trees, good visibility, safe approach and take off
paths. It will take equipment to build this helispot. An alert sector boss makes sure
the order goes through right away. When you have steep terrain, you need cup trenches
to catch rolling embers. Pumps here. This means water to hold the
line, and later on, water for mop-up. Whenever we approach the helicopter, our men know they
must strap on their hats or else clamp them close to their body. In fact helicopter safety
is a subject in itself. We donít always need fusees and driptorches, sometimes you improvise.
In fact whenever you donít have just the tool you like, use some ingenuity, make do
with what you have. Firesí still blowing. Burnout by noon remains
the key factor. Now, where do we stand with burnout? Along the road, done. Along the tractor
line, nearly done. Along the hand line, weíre ready as soon as the pump show is ready. Okay,
sumpís going in. Once again, the men take advantage of every opportunity and improvise.
Snags gotta come down. You know when you get right down to it, sector boss has gotta have
eyes in the back of his head. Line scout comes through with new intelligence. From a helicopter
heís seen that our division is getting the line tied together, but thereís some spotting
over the line. Just up ahead on my sector. Looks like Iíve got the critical sector.
Spot fires get outta hand, call for outside help. ìNow this is Kroutî, this is Floyd,
ìwell I believe weíve got some pretty serious spotting here, well itís about, over the
line uphill from the draw. Weíre going to need a retardant drop, above 200 yards below
the helispot. Iím moving the crew up now, Floyd.
10-4, I can see the smoke up and Iíll call ya on the ETA for the plane when I find out;
Over. 10-4 Loud and clear
ìClear out men!î The men are told to clear the immediate target area just in case a treetop
or limb breaks loose. Whatís more, retardant dispersal is unpredictable and the sheer density
of the material is a man killer.î We donít want any casualties. Meanwhile
I tie in with the adjoining sector to find out how Donovanís line is coming along. Heís
got the same problem with brush and snags, but looks like weíll connect up on schedule.
Tractor show finishing up. Water bars in. Burnout line, complete. Our sectorís through
with the cats. Theyíre going over to Donovan in sector D. Equipment costs money. We keep
it working. Finishes the job in one sector, gets a new assignment. Man power can be deployed
the same way, but first clear it with the division boss.
Donovan clear More footwork. A Sectorboss makes sure mopup
begins on each position of the line as soon as possible. And heís gotta keep checking
with all his crewbosses and check back with Brody. Okay so far, keeping the pickup crew
*** now, thatís a headache. Your men are just gardening with their water, I tell
Cramer. You know how to do it, why donít you show them. Kramer has a knack of showing
a man how to dig in. The point of mopup is to do it thoroughly
and do it right the first time. The crew canít keg up or slow down. The message to Brody
about marking spotfires, meeting night shift relief and transportation back to camp. And
thereís at least dozen and a half things for me to work out with my relief. Map revisions,
problem areas, site for spike camp, surplus equipment, getting all this info to the division
boss. Day like this has 48 hours. Whatís the secret of running a good sector? There
is no secret. Follow the book. Use your eyes. Use your head. Keep at your men. Inspire their
confidence. Walk your legs off and donít run out of steam. Develop sense #6. Then youíve
got it made. And oh, uh, make sure you put the fire out. Make doubly sure.