Sept 2, 2016 - Delilah Lookout

Title:  September 2, 2016 - Delilah Lookout
Hike Info : Description :  Background : Menu : Extra Photo's

Burnt Forest from Rough Fire

Hike Info:

Type:  Lookout

Description:

This is a typical day in a fire lookout, at least our experience. Calm and peaceful is good; exciting tends to say there are things which we do not care to have going. Times are expressed in military time.

• 0730 Left home in Fresno right on time. But need to stop and get gas.

Road in to Delilah

• 0845 A bit later than I should be here. On the dirt road to Delilah, back end of truck is fishtailing-there is no weight back there. Driving slower. Get in later than expected.

• 0930 In cab, 80' off the ground.
• 0931 Go In-Service both to Porterville(PV) and Sierra National Forest (SNF)
• 0940 Taking Delilah weather. I am 20 minutes late on this. It should be done by 0920
• 0946 Buck Rock Lookout (BR) In-Service and notes Sentinel Fire has lots of smoke, reducing viability in his area. From Delilah, we do not see it, not it's effects.
• 0951 Starring first scan. While I looked around when I first came in, this is the first time I get to examine my area in detail.
• 1000 PV gives fire weather and staffing
• 1017-1023 continue scanning

  

  Gary at the Osborne Fire Finder

• 1024 talk with BR to confirm about where the Sentinel fire is and where the smoke is going. The bottom line is that it is beyond several ridges where I cannot see it.
• 1030-41 Scan
• 1049-1100 Scan
• 1101 SNF morning checkin
• 1115-1129 Scan
• 1130-1145 clean windows
• 1150-1211 Scan. But interrupted by listening to BR and Prevention-31 talk about campfires around Big Meadow, Horse Corral, and Buck Rock campgrounds
• A weather front is coming in on the West. Wind is picking up, maybe to 10mph. A slight sway to the tower.
• More cleaning windows
• 1225-1241 Scan
• Lunch
• 1255 Wendy called. I may need to stay to 1900 because of Labor Day weekend. It is time for extra precautions.
• 1300 Delilah weathe
• 1313-1327 scan
  1346-1356 scan
  Finish cleaning windows1415-1425 Scan
  1445-1500 Scan
  Wendy called and said PV requested we stay in service until 1900. Ok
  

  

  End of a Day

  1535-1555 Scan
  1600  SNF is being alerted to an incident outside of my area called the Gap Incident.
  1604 PV fire weather and danger rating
  1610 SNF lookout check in
  1620-1634 Scan
  1640 SNF Triangle Incident, 5 miles from Signal Lookout at 255.5 degrees. Vegetation fire. This is up near Mariposa-outside of my area.
  1645-1702 Scan
  
  • Distraction: hawk soaring on the wind.
  1716-2729 Scan1735-1750 Scan
  1754 SNF evening check out. Delilah in service till 1900
  1803-1816 Scan
  Starting to cleanup lookout
  Lowered and fold flag
  1843-1855 Final Scan
  
  • Closing up
  1900 Out of service to both PV and SNF
  2035 Back home in Fresno

Delilah Lookout

Background

Delilah Weather Can be found by searching for: nr6g-12 - this is a RAWS site. Some places which you might find it is at:

• FindU
• APRS

Some of the lingo:

• Scan. When we are in a tower, there are two types of smoke scans we look for. The first is that even if we are doing something else, such as monitoring the radio, identifying landmarks and the like, our eyes are going over the terrian to see if there is signs of a smoke. The second we try to do three times an hour. That is taking our binoculars and go over everything we can see section by section. This will take between 10-20 minutes each time. Each 20-30degree angle you look over from top to bottom, making a telemark type of pattern till you reach the end of the section, then it is on to the next section. What we look for is smoke, not fire. Smoke you can see a lot more and earlier than a fire.
• Smoke.  Different types of smoke and how it drifts tells what kind of fire it is-dark usually means man-made materials burning while lighter may say it is vegetation or trees which are burning. A straight column says that no winds are present while a chopped off top says there is an inversion layer.
• ERC-energy release component
• BI-burn index

Extra Photo's

Finger Rock and Mt Hoffman from North Side

Mt Hoffman and Finger Rock from South (Delilah)

Loper Peak: From the North(top) and Delilah from South (bottom)