Gary-Summer: September 12, 2017 - Delilah Lookout, the Fire Edition

Tuesday, September 12, 2017

September 12, 2017 - Delilah Lookout, the Fire Edition

Title: September 12, 2017 - Delilah Lookout, the Fire Edition
Hike Info : Description : Trail Lessons :Extra Photo's : Animals

Hike Info:

Type: Lookout

Description:

Today is like any other lookout day. We hit the road at 0715 to arrive at Delilah by 0900. We see the token bovine along the way, which looks us over and allows us to pass. Then there is a car on the side of the road with a female and two males. Sherri asks if they need any help. They do not seem to be very appreciative of any offer or inquiry, so we move on. Sherri see what looks like a goshawk which she has me slow down for a picture. Then we encounter an RV that is parked within the Forest Service boundaries with no sign of anybody in there.

We make it to Delilah a few minutes before 0900. Not much to lug up the 80’ to the cab since we are staying just the day. Our day starts out as normal: take the weather, do scan, go into service, … One thing out of the ordinary is the Battalion Chief 31 (BC31) calls to alert us that there has been some lightning strikes in the area: McKenzie Ridge, Sampson Flat, Davis Flat and Clover Meadow Spring. We will be keeping extra vigil on those areas-all within 4 miles of us. One thing with the weather last night, the air is clearest than we have had all this year. We can see 20 miles to the north and 14 to the south. Only towards Park Ridge is there a haze.

And so we settle down to do our work. About noon time I start wondering a couple of thoughts. First, today’s blog entry may be really, really short. There is only so many times which I can write, “we did a scan, we took the weather, we listened to the radio.” This is the majority of our time in the lookout. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy being up here where we may have a visitor every two or three days. But I am not a good writer and it would require more talent to put down any introspection I may have. The other thought is are we doing any good being up here? Sort of the take off on the tree falling in the forest thoughts. If there is no fires to spot, am I really a fire lookout?

All of these thoughts is getting me tired, so Sherri takes over for a little while and I lay down and read. Sherri went out and did a scan. When she came back in, she said that she heard a helicopter. At Delilah, this counts as excitement. So I grab my binoculars and started walking around the catwalk, all the way to the end, looking for where the sound came from. After a few minutes, I gave up looking for the source of the sound. Probably came from Trimmer Springs, but who knows. As long as I am out, I am looking over our territory.

When I reach the north east corner of the catwalk, there is a smoke. SHERRI! THERE IS A SMOKE! She responds immediately, I SEE! Sherri springs into action and I make sure of what we are seeing before entering the cab. She has the firefinder already lined up and has the paperwork ready. I start to go through the numbers: azimuth 61o30’, distance: 3 miles; legal: T13S, R27E, Section 6, SE; jurisdiction: Sequoia National Forest; describing the smoke and now it is show time. Also we noted that it was a mile northeast of Davis Flat.

Oh I hope we are doing this right is what is in my thoughts (I think Sherri was thinking this as well). At 1439, Sherri and I make our first smoke report from a fire lookout. EVER! Four years of looking around and we have the first report on a fire. We radio in Porterville and they process the information we give them, as well as a fire danger card and response levels. Then Porterville consults their staffing list and starts the process of calling out resources to fight the fire. This included the battalion chief, a patrol from Sierra National Forest, an engine from them and Sequoia’s Patrol 33. Porterville reports that this incident will be called the Davis Fire. Park Ridge Lookout confirms the sighting almost immediately after we our report and adds a cross azimuth.

Being the first time to this rodeo, I was wondering what else to do. I did look on the map to identify the trail which seemed to be just below the fire. This is trail 27E04. So that gets radio’d in as well. We start hearing the chatter on the radio about how to get into the area. While I knew that Davis Road was closed due to last Winter’s storms, I did not know what kind of damage. Evidently, major damage, like a landslide just about where the fire was. That is why the battalion chief had questioned me a bit earlier about exactly where the fire was.

Around 1505 excitement starts. We see a single plane fly overhead and look around. Then a second one comes in. And then a VLAT-a Very Large Air Tanker-comes rumbling up the Kings River. There is nothing which prepared me for the immensity of this plane. I think its body could fit 4 or 5 of the fuselages of the other planes inside of it and still have room to play tennis.

VLAT

Watching these planes go about their business is fascinating. Once the VLAT comes into play, they form a dance routine. One of the spotter planes makes a pass by the fire, The VLAT falls into position behind him. Then they circle around and line up in the position where they wanted to lay down the fire retardant. They do this another time and I start wondering, what is wrong? And then the show happens. They line up again and come in low and this orangish pink phosphorus retardant drops from the VLAT. Not on the fire, but to the south of it on the uphill side where the fire is moving. Later on we realize this is the side which could cause the problems and they were working on stopping it.

I will admit, there was a part of us which was playing tourist during this time. Eyes wide open, in awe of what was going on. But we were being kept busy enough. If there was one fire, could there be more? So we were going along looking and making sure nothing else was started. Also Sherri had the where-with-all to take weather in case the incident commander wanted to know the humidity or wind or temperature Also there was the radio to keep up on.

Fire Fighters climbing towards Davis Fire

Then someplace between 1600 and 1630 the ground troops come in. Sierra’s fire fighters arrive and sets up there. Then Sequoia’s come in. Over the next hour about 10-15 fire fighters made the climb up to the fire. Most of these stayed overnight to cut down trees which would fall down and dig fire lines.

As much as we seem like we are all along, we are in contact with various people. First, there is Porterville-Sequoia National Forest’s communication center. Then both Kathy and Wendy were very interested in our well being and were we handling things OK or were we being overwhelmed. It is always good to have that support there in case we needed it. BC31, Steve, would call us to gather information, we could tell him if we were running into issues. Incident Commander for the Davis Incident would check in to see where the fire started and what the weather was.

VLAT Dropping retardant

Patrol 33, Nora, was a big help. She was our “cheat” code which made us look like we knew what we were doing. It seemed like she was giving us the answers to the quiz. Somebody would ask about lightning. P33 already had warned us that question would be coming up. Somebody says they needs us to rely a message. P33 warned us that their radio communications would be pretty bad down at Davis Flat area. What is the best route into Davis Flat, considering there had been a mudslide closing the road? P33 had already primed us. Thank you Nora!

"Normal sized tanker dropping retardant

Sherri starts to see lightning a little after 1800. So that gets radio’d in. Kathy had told us that Marty would be coming in to replace us this evening. Around 1845 we see his friendly head pop in. So we go over the situation with him and do a radio introduction to both the Incident Commander and P33. This is also his introduction, like ours, to the fire incident waltz. We hope we are leaving things in good shape for him. By the time we left Delilah, there had been 30-40 flashes from two different cells, but all north of the Kings River.

A little after 2015 we leave the lookout. Sherri and I talk for awhile on the way down Delilah Road. But just one more little thing to give us something to talk about. We top one of the rises on Delilah Road, there is a little black ball with a white strip running down the road. I slow down, with Sherri’s encouragement, as I am thinking it would be pretty bad driving all the way to Fresno with skunk smell on the car. I gave him plenty of chances to move off the side of the road and disappear. But no, this little critter is like a squirrel-runs down the track of the road at least for ¾ of a mile. Finally I lost him when I waited behind a rise in the road. We ended up getting home to Fresno a few minutes after 2200. Tired, but pleased with ourselves.