Putting the wet stuff on the red stuff with aircraft

It now seems that the heat wave affecting Virginia has broken and with that some rain is beginning to occur in places which are a welcomed sight for firefighters, farmers and all of Virginians. However with the rains there have been a few scattered storm related problems. Power outages continue to be a major issue.

Power Outages as of 1900 9 July:

Isolated severe thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening of 8 July and 9 July caused additional power outages across Virginia. Dominion Power had completed all power restoration from the 29 June storm. 

Statewide                                                                    9,014 (-4,031 since Sit Rep #15)

Dominion                                                                    3,629 (-2,916)

·         Southeastern Virginia                                                         1,877

·         Northern Virginia                                                             750

·         Shenandoah Valley/Western Piedmont                 592

·         With respect to 8 July storms, power restoration projected to be completed on 10 July

APCO                                                                           5,385 (-1,115)

·         Amherst County                                                     2,880

Since there is no real new news about wildfire activity

 in Virginia I thought I would talk about water. No not the

 water that is currently falling from the sky but about the

 water that is delivered on a wildfire from a variety of aircraft.

 I hope you find this info interesting and informative.

Aerial Firefighting Tutorial

Introduction
The use of aircraft to drop fire retardant, foam, or water to suppress wildfires is an essential wildland firefighting tool. The speed, mobility and retardant delivery capability of aerial firefighting aircraft make them very effective resources in support of firefighters on the ground. The variety of aircraft available within U. S. aviation assets provides an appropriate firefighting capability for nearly every wildland fire situation, from wilderness to the urban interface.

Aircraft
There are three primary kinds of aerial firefighting aircraft available within the U. S.

    
• Multi-Engine Airtankers: 

Multi-engine airtankers are comprised of ex-military and retired commercial transport aircraft. They carry from 1800-3,600 gallons of retardant. The speed, range, and retardant delivery capability of these large capacity airtankers make them very effective in both initial attack and large fire support. These airtankers typically make retardant drops from a height of 150 to 200 feet above vegetation and terrain, at airspeeds from 125 to 150 knots. Large fixed-wing airtankers have complex, computer controlled retardant dispersal systems capable of both precise incremental drops and long trailing drops one-fourth of a mile or more in length. Retardant flow rates can also be controlled to vary the retardant coverage level dispersed as required by the intensity of the fire behavior and vegetative fuel type.

• Helicopters: 

 
 

 

Small, medium and large helicopters carry from 100 to 3,000 gallons of water, foam, or retardant in either buckets slung beneath the aircraft, or in fixed-tanks. Large helitankers can be very cost effective, making rapid multiple drops of 2,000 gallons or more on escaping wildfires by refilling at nearby water sources or at portable retardant bases. The internally mounted retardant tanks for the larger helicopters are also computer controlled, which allow them to drop precise incremental patterns or long trailing lines as required by the fire situation. This is particularly important in urban/ wildland fire interface situations near water sources where they can bring to bear rapid revisit times and precise retardant dropping accuracy. Small and medium helicopters are most effective in the direct support of firefighters on the ground, making precision drops on specific targets.

• Single Engine Airtankers (SEATS): 

These small, fixed-wing aircraft carry from 400-800 gallons of foam or fire retardant. SEATS can operate from remote airstrips and open fields or closed roads, reloading at portable retardant bases. SEATS are predominantly modified agricultural aircraft; however, the 800-gallon Air Tractor 802 is designed specifically for wildland firefighting. SEATS are most effective in the initial attack of small wildfires within 50 miles of a reload base where turn-around times are short and repeated drops can be made quickly.

And now for some Water Trivia

 

• although three percent of the Earth’s water is fresh, only one percent is available for human consumption. In fact, if all the world’s water were fit into a gallon jug, the fresh water available for human use would equal only about one tablespoon.
• 80 percent of the Earth’s surface is water—it acts as an insulator and helps regulate global temperature.
• water is the only substance found on Earth naturally in three forms—water can be solid, liquid, or gas.
• the average person uses well over 133 gallons of water per day.
• Structural firefighters estimate to protect a Single-family dwelling takes about 5,000 gallons of water.
  
  
  

Trivia Challenge

1. How long can a human survive without water?
a. one day
b. one week
c. one month
d. two months

2. How much does one gallon of water weigh?
a. 3.52 pounds
b. 15.62 pounds
c. 8.34 pounds
d. 11.25 pounds

3. On average, how much water is used to hand wash a sink full of dishes?
a. 10 gallons
b. 20 gallons
c. 30 gallons
d. 50 gallons

4. Approximately how many gallons of water does it take to make four new tires?
a. 2,000
b. 1,000
c. 1,600
d. 150

5. Approximately how many gallons of water does it take to manufacture a new car?
a. 3,000
b. 9,000
c. 20,000
d. 39,000

6. In the United States, from what material were the first water pipes made?
a. metal
b. rubber
c. fire-charred logs
d. clay

Trivia Challenge - Answers

1. b
2. c
3. c
4. b
5. a
6. c

HOW MUCH WATER We talked about various aircraft delivering between 100 and 3,000 gallons of water/retardant but just how much is 1,000 gallons? can you visualize?

Here are a few ways to help...

One acre foot equals 326,700 gallons of water. Picture a football field (approximately one acre) covered one- foot deep in water.

An olympic sized swimming pool holds about 660,000 gallons.

Increase in wildfire activity and an update on Neighbor Mtn and Point 2

In addition to the 2 fires below (the Neighbor Mountain and Point 2) the state had 33 fires for 177 acres over the weekend. Several place received rain withe the storms but many areas received little or no rain, just heavy winds and lightning. 19 of the 33 fires reported were lightning fires.

Neighbor Mountain Fire Incident Update

Monday, July 2, 2012

Information: 404-354-5027 or 404-354-5118

Increased smoke is expected from the Neighbor Mountain Fire.

Overview:

precipitation from the recent storm, but has again begun to increase due to drying conditions. This will result in

increased smoke.

The fire has been burning since June 26, 2012. Fire activity was reduced as a result of

Size:

Shenandoah National Park.

Estimated at 1125 acres as of 4:00 p.m. on 7/01/12, and is still entirely within the boundaries of

Containment:

20% at 4:00 p.m. on 7/01/12. No estimated date of containment.

Fire Conditions:

lines. The forest is a mix of hardwoods, mountain laurel, blueberry and leaf litter.

The fire is burning in steep, rocky terrain and moving slowly downhill toward containment

Today’s Strategy:

Construction of indirect lines is to be completed today.

Crews will continue to build and strengthen lines with direct attack as conditions permit.

Current Resources:

a unified command with the National Park Service and the Virginia Dept. of Forestry to manage the fire.

Resources assigned to the fire include personnel from the National Park Service, USDA Forest Service, US

Fish and Wildlife Service, Virginia Department of Forestry, Mississippi Forestry Commission, and many other

cooperating agencies. There are 237 personnel working on the incident.

The Southern Area Red Team, as a Type 2 incident management team has established

Threats:

No immediate threats to structures.

Fire Closures:



Cutoff, Knob Mountain, Neighbor Mountain, Jeremys Run. Byrd’s Nest #4 Shelter.

The following trails are closed: Appalachian Trail between Elkwallow and Beahms Gap, Knob Mountain



Visitor facilities, Skyline Drive, local highways and amenities all remain open.

Incident Information Sources:

communities – neighbormtnfire@gmail.com. Current information will be available on the park twitter and

facebook sites – http://www.facebook.com/shenandoahnps and

Fire details can also be found on

POINT 2 FIRE

Incident Overview

The Point 2 Wildland Fire is located entirely on national forest lands on Massanutten Mountain between Veach Gap and Sherman Gap in the counties of Warren and Shenandoah. The fire poses a potential threat to homes and private land on the east and west sides. The public is always advised to prepare for a worse case scenario.
Residents should be prepared for smoky or hazy conditions in towns or on road ways. The fire will continue to grow on its own due to hot, dry weather and dry soil conditions.
The terrain is steep, rocky and remote making access to the fire extremely challenging.
Because of the active fire behavior, the following trails are closed until further notice:
The Massanutten National Recreation (#408) from Shawl Gap to Veach Gap. The Tuscarora Trail (#405.1) is closed from Shawl Gap to Panhandle Road (SR 613).
Sherman Gap (#403) and Veach Gap (#484) Trails are also closed. The Little Crease Trail Shelter is also closed to all public use.
The number one priority is public and firefighter safety.
Please use caution with all campfires. Be advised that fireworks are prohibited on national forest lands.

Basic Information

Incident Type	Wildfire
Cause	Lightning
Date of Origin	Monday June 25th, 2012 approx. 01:30 PM
Location	George Washington & Jefferson National Forests, Lee Ranger District: Massanutten Mountain
Incident Commander	Oscar Montijo/ Jay Collet

Current Situation

Total Personnel	218
Size	890 acres
Percent Contained	30%
Fuels Involved	Predominately hardwood with some areas of pine and understory brush.
Fire Behavior	Backing and flanking during the burn out operation. Fire continues to burn into the deep duff layer on the dryer ridges.
Significant Events	Fire continues to spread east and south along the ridge tops. Began aerial burnout operation on the east side.

Outlook

Planned Actions	Plans for Monday 7/2/12: Firefighters will continue to construct, hold and inprove control lines with bulldozers and hand tools. Assess opportunities to burn out as needed. Complete burn out operations on the east side of the fire. Helicopters will drop water to slow down the fire spread, bring supplies to firefighters and provide aerial ignition for burnout. The public can expect to see smoke on Monday as the fire continues to spread toward control lines and burn out operations are used to burn remaining fuels on the west side. Fire crews will be on the fire Sunday night.
Growth Potential	There is medium growth potential due to heavy, dry fuels, the steep rugged terrain, difficult access and weather conditions.
Terrain Difficulty	Terrain is extremely steep, rocky and rugged making access to the fire challenging for firefighters.
Remarks	Residents should be prepared for smoky or hazy conditions in towns and on roadways. Please use caution with all campfires. Be advised that fireworks are prohibited on national forest lands. Homeowners are encouraged to visit www.firewise.org for information on how to make their homes more defensible from wildfires. #1 priority is public and firefighter safety. The fire received 0.2 inches of rain on Friday night from a line of severe thunderstorms that moved through the area last night. There are numerous power outages and trees down in the vicinity of the fire and the ICP.

Current Weather

Wind Conditions	17 mph NW
Temperature	94 degrees
Humidity	29%

Incident Management has set up an email account for communication with thehttp://twitter.com/ShenandoahNPS.www.inciweb.gov, search Neighbor Mountain Fire