Wildland Fire Crew Updates 8/30/2021

• Penns Woods was mobilized 8/25 and was assigned to the Whelp Fire.
• Anthracite was demobilized on 8/22.
• Independence 2 is en route back to Pennsylvania and should be demobilized sometime this week. They were assigned to the Trestle Creek Fire.
• E-604 is on its 4th crew swap.
• E-603's crew was released from Montana and a crew swap is expected to occur tomorrow 8/30.

Wildland Fire Updates 8/12/2021

Good afternoon everyone! We have some more updates for you as well as some photos sent in from the Engine Crew Members on E-603.

• E-604 – Has recently made its third crew swap, and is currently on the Richard Springs Fire.  

• E-603 – Has been busy with several small Initial Attack fires in the CLO area of Montana.  That area just received some rain, and they are currently assigned to the Richard Springs Fire as well.  This crew will swap on Sunday.

• Independence 01 – Currently assigned to Trestle Creek, and has been for the past several days.  They are anticipated to be flying home on Saturday (8/14/2021).

• Anthracite – Still assigned to Harris Mountain.  That fire is mostly contained, and they will most likely be reassigned.

• Independence 02 – Flying out today (8/12/2021) to replace Independence 01.

• Blue IMT – Has since turned the Snake River Complex over to the local unit and has taken over Cougar Rock Complex.

All of the following photos are from E-603's crew, enjoy!

PA-PAS Liberty Update

 Good morning everyone! PA-PAS Liberty returned home safely this past Thursday (8/5/2021). With their return, they have provided quite a few (28 +/-) awesome photos to share with everyone. 

Take a couple of minutes and join us! All photos are from their assignment to the Harris Mountain Fire.

Morning briefing for fire managers consisting of more than 300 firefighters assigned to the Harris Mountain Fire.

Harris Mountain Daily Incident Action Plan.

Harris Mountain Wildfire map on July 25, 2021.

Harris Mountain Fire making a run on July 25, 2021.

Active fire and burnout to stop wildfire in cattle range.

Controlled and contained fire edge on July 26, 2021.

Cattle grazing at Willow Ranch as the Harris Mountain Fire threatens to consume the rangeland that feeds them.

Firefighting crews driving into the head of the oncoming wildfire storm as residents evacuate the area.

Burnt moonscapes of the 32,000 acre Harris Mountain Fire.

Sun obscured by the dense smoke of the wildfire.

A large helicopter with a several hundred gallon bucket of water that was dipped from the Missouri River in Montana to be dropped on the advancing wildfire.

Fireline was built around a ranch home to protect the structure.

Ranch home brushed and prepped by PA-PAS Liberty to save it from the head of the fire.

Harris Mountain Fire burning actively at night even.

PA-PAS Liberty installing a sprinkler system on the cedar shake roof of a home threatened by the wildfire.

Sprinkler system installed by the crew being checked to protect a log home from the wildfire.

A rustic cabin in the same family for 80 years, prepared for a wildfire by Liberty by brushing and installing a sprinkler system with water pumped from a nearby stream.

Liberty clearing a flammable woodpile away to protect a structure.

A 2500 gallon water tender filling a portable tank used to support hose lays to fight the fire.

Portable 1800 gallon water tanker being filled by the crew to feed a sprinkler system protecting homes.

Liberty crew building fireline around a log home to help protect it.

Completed fireline around the home

At night, firefighters sleep under the stars at a safe distance from the fire amongst distinct western night sounds of cows and coyotes.

Meals were provided in a to-go box around 8:30 pm at the end of each day and were eaten outside at picnic tables.

After long 16-hour workdays for 2 weeks, it is planned for the crews to be rotated out with a fresh incoming 20-person PA-DCNR crew. Returning home takes just one day though in about 8 hours of flights. Many firefighters, after a few day's rest, will be ready to return to fight more fires in the remaining weeks and months this year.

PA-PAS Independence Update

 Crew members from PA-PAS Independence have sent us some photos from their 5th day on the fire line (8/3/2021).

Laying a hose lay-out in Division Yankee, Pioneer Fire.

Last two photos are grid search and mop up in Yankee Division, Pioneer Fire.

Today (8/5/2021) PA-PAS Liberty will be returning to Harrisburg to be released to their home districts.

Wildland Fire Update (8/2/2021)

 Good morning! We have quite a few new photos to share with you, sent in from our Engine Crew Members on E-604. They are assigned to Poverty Flats outside of the Crow Reservation near Hardin, MT. They have been doing some burning, pump and roll, and other typical engine work.

They've even sent in a short video clip of a helicopter doing some bucket work!

Another of our engines, E-603, departed 7/29/2021 for Kalispell, MT.

Today (8/2/2021) we will be mobilizing the Anthracite crew to swap out with Liberty. Anthracite will be flying to Montana and is expected to leave early tomorrow morning. Liberty will be flying home sometime this week.

Wildland Fire Updates

Good morning everyone! We have a few updates for you, including some first-time news. Pull up a chair and a nice beverage and stay a minute as we fill you in.

 

Our first crew, Keystone, returned home Sunday (7/25/2021) around noon, and since they are home we can share with you this wonderful group photo that was taken while they were working on the Delta Lake Fire in the Superior National Forest.

"2-minutes, 20-seconds is all the time Division Supervisor, Steve Cameron had on the Delta Lake Fire to get these amazing crew photos before the air tanker turned around, scooped more water, and flew overhead! Yesterday, afternoon fuel moisture levels dropped and interior pockets of unburned fuel started to torch out, resulting in firefighters being pulled off the line as a safety precaution. Three tankers and two helicopters hit the fire hard to cool things off so crews could get back to the fireline." - U.S. Forest Service - Superior National Forest Facebook post (July 16, 2021).

 

Yesterday (7/26/2021) Independence mobilized at the Red Lion Hotel to get ready to leave this morning (7/27/2021) for Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. While they don't have a specific assignment yet, we expect them to get further reporting instructions en route.

 

Liberty has sent us some photos and updates to share with you.

In the above photos the crew is working on the Black Mountain Fire, 2 of the squads were assigned to replace bridge decking for fire access. The other squad was brushing the road. That day was a red flag day, so everyone was ready for initial attack. Everyone was doing well and they were being treated well. The crew was staying each night in dorms and eating meals at a local University.

In this photo, the crew was at the Black Mountain Fire, Dillon, MT. This was the end-of-shift debrief for July 23, 2021.

And now for something completely different!

The Bureau of Forestry's Type 3 Incident Management Team was requested and mobilized for a fire suppression assignment out of state for the first time. The request came directly from the state of Idaho. There are 11 resources in the team, and they are a mix of DCNR personnel and volunteers from across Pennsylvania. They departed Friday, July 23 for Coeur d'Alene, Idaho with the Command Trailer in tow. Yesterday (7/26/2021) while they were en route, they received instruction to report to the Snake River Complex. The Snake River Complex consists of three wildfires that merged together. The Shovel Creek, Captain John Creek, and Hoover Ridge fires, which were all started by lightning and discovered the morning of July 7, 2021, on the Idaho Department of Lands Craig Mountain Forest Protective District. These fires are in steep terrain and approximately 20-miles south of Lewiston, Idaho just past the Waha area in the Craig Mountains.

The IMT will be managing a Type III incident while on assignment. The knowledge and training that this team has are some of the major things that make this possible; they have experience in their roles from other assignments and they have National Wildfire Coordinating Group standard level training. 

The future for the IMT looks bright; if there is a need and we are able to fill it, we plan to be there to help out.