quote:

Originally posted by FN in MT:
The Sprague Creek fire apparently BURNT the historic Sperry Chalet at Glacier National Park today. I am literally sick to my stomach over the loss of that beautiful and historic piece of the Park. They had measures in place but they were inadequate.

I know these fires can be unpredictable but losing the Chalet is unforgivable. Whoever was in charge of the defense of the Chalet should be fired.....But of course they wont be.

The sacred cow for most failures with the Forest Service is SAFETY. It's always safety. Sure, we need to keep the firefighters safe.....BUT they also have a job to do. A job they are being very well paid, to perform.

I should stop typing. I'm so fucking outraged over this, I better quit while I'm ahead.

Fucking weather, God damned fires!

You've ever been on a fire, risking your life, when others died? I have several times, including the single largest loss of firefighter life in wildland fires in modern times. They died because they were moving to structures protection. Wasn't worth their life at all.

Safety is paramount. No structure is worth a fucking life. Be outraged all you want. Then put your life on the line and weigh it against your outrage. I have for a lot of years. I'm doing it right now, and frankly, you can keep your outrage.

quote:

Originally posted by sns3guppy:

quote:

Originally posted by FN in MT:
The Sprague Creek fire apparently BURNT the historic Sperry Chalet at Glacier National Park today. I am literally sick to my stomach over the loss of that beautiful and historic piece of the Park. They had measures in place but they were inadequate.

I know these fires can be unpredictable but losing the Chalet is unforgivable. Whoever was in charge of the defense of the Chalet should be fired.....But of course they wont be.

The sacred cow for most failures with the Forest Service is SAFETY. It's always safety. Sure, we need to keep the firefighters safe.....BUT they also have a job to do. A job they are being very well paid, to perform.

I should stop typing. I'm so fucking outraged over this, I better quit while I'm ahead.

Fucking weather, God damned fires!

You've ever been on a fire, risking your life, when others died? I have several times, including the single largest loss of firefighter life in wildland fires in modern times. They died because they were moving to structures protection. Wasn't worth their life at all.

Safety is paramount. No structure is worth a fucking life. Be outraged all you want. Then put your life on the line and weigh it against your outrage. I have for a lot of years. I'm doing it right now, and frankly, you can keep your outrage.

I've been around danger and death as well. So get off your high horse. I did the Police job for thirty two years. So don't insult me. Any loss of life be it firefighter or cop is unfortunate.

The last I will post on this subject.

Do be safe and I wish You the best of luck this fire season. I do regret having upset You.

We are both entitled to our opinions.

FN in MT

quote:

Originally posted by sns3guppy:

quote:

Originally posted by FN in MT:
The Sprague Creek fire apparently BURNT the historic Sperry Chalet at Glacier National Park today. I am literally sick to my stomach over the loss of that beautiful and historic piece of the Park. They had measures in place but they were inadequate.

I know these fires can be unpredictable but losing the Chalet is unforgivable. Whoever was in charge of the defense of the Chalet should be fired.....But of course they wont be.

The sacred cow for most failures with the Forest Service is SAFETY. It's always safety. Sure, we need to keep the firefighters safe.....BUT they also have a job to do. A job they are being very well paid, to perform.

I should stop typing. I'm so fucking outraged over this, I better quit while I'm ahead.

Fucking weather, God damned fires!

You've ever been on a fire, risking your life, when others died? I have several times, including the single largest loss of firefighter life in wildland fires in modern times. They died because they were moving to structures protection. Wasn't worth their life at all.

Safety is paramount. No structure is worth a fucking life. Be outraged all you want. Then put your life on the line and weigh it against your outrage. I have for a lot of years. I'm doing it right now, and frankly, you can keep your outrage.

Dude, you're mucking with the G!

I've been staring at beetle-killed forests on the other side of my windshield for going on 20 years in western Montana. It's been primed to explode for that long, and nothing short of clear cutting the entire northern Rockies (an impossible task) was going to stop it.
And what doesn't burn this year will burn next year.

My prayers and thoughts to all of you in Montana clear across from the other side of the country. Not a damn thing in the news about Montana. All about Texas. I can't do a thing for you guys except pray for you and hope it's gets better soon.

quote:

Originally posted by FN in MT:
The Sprague Creek fire apparently BURNT the historic Sperry Chalet at Glacier National Park today. I am literally sick to my stomach over the loss of that beautiful and historic piece of the Park. They had measures in place but they were inadequate.

I know these fires can be unpredictable but losing the Chalet is unforgivable. Whoever was in charge of the defense of the Chalet should be fired.....But of course they wont be.

The sacred cow for most failures with the Forest Service is SAFETY. It's always safety. Sure, we need to keep the firefighters safe.....BUT they also have a job to do. A job they are being very well paid, to perform.

I should stop typing. I'm so fucking outraged over this, I better quit while I'm ahead.

Fucking weather, God damned fires!

Seriously? Going to blame that on the firefighters?! Come on now. Maybe they could have wrapped it in foil as they've done to the Mount Brown Lookout, but I know for a fact they were trying quite hard to prevent it. It's not exactly the easiest place to get equipment to, and they can't control the weather yet...

Thanks guys for all the positive thoughts and prayers. Lets just keep things positive here. No body is blaming firefighters. The system yes for sure. But that is a topic for the off season maybe.

And guppy if you have something to contribute great, if you just feel the need to post something to drag others down and try to elevate yourself, do it elsewhere please.

quote:

Originally posted by old rugged cross:
Thanks guys for all the positive thoughts and prayers. Lets just keep things positive here. No body is blaming firefighters. The system yes for sure. But that is a topic for the off season maybe.

And guppy if you have something to contribute great, if you just feel the need to post something to drag others down and try to elevate yourself, do it elsewhere please.

Drag someone down. I am putting my life and my aircraft at risk to fight those fires, right here, right now. Drag you down? So sorry to burden your day.

Then again, I'm doing something constructive about it, actively, daily. Those who sit here and run their keyboards anout the lack of effort, the waste, the failures to protect, are doing the dragging down.

Yes, it can get a lot worse. We've already had deaths on your forests this year. We don't need more. Sorry about your lodge. I didnt do it.

In the mean time, stop whining that not enough is being done, or pick up a fucking pulaski and scrape to mineral earth. It's unimpressive to hear people whining that though lives are being given to protect, not enough is being done.

I was in a hotel one morning, on the heels of a blow up that took lives on the fire. The hotel was fill of evacuees. I was surrounded, crowded by angry homeowners, all shoving and demanding to know why I wasnt doing more. They had been told resources werent being used. Aircraft sitting. Troops waiting. Mismanagement. Not a word of what they thought they know was true. They didnt care.

I told them that from my first-hand experience on that fire, as the first resource on that fire (and in the end, the last off), everything possible was being done. All resources committed. People were dying to protect them, literally. I didnt ask them why they failed to build defensible space around their homes, clear trash, brush, prepare. There was no point.

Fires move with far more energybthan a nuclear bomb. Despite what the movies may lead you to believe, they exceed the capability of any resource mankind can field, to extinguish. They take, they eat, they consume, they destroy. And yes, the fire environment is very different than it was years ago. I was fighting it then, too. A lot has changed, from equipment to the urban interface in wildlands (people among the trees).

Gotta love the critics, but it's quite ironic that some of you are doing all the criticizing and yet say my thoughts are dragging you down. Montana and the northern Rockies are sitting at Preparedness Level Five. That means all resources committed.

The comments regarding tanker cost And "waste"are an excellent display of gross ignorance. Well done to some of you, sorry to those of you who are suffering. Those who are providing aid can only do so much. This is not prescribed fire. It's a response to an a tive, and very real threat, and its not the only one going on. Harvy is already pulling resources, as are other demands.

I was on a fire just a few days ago in which burn victims were being air evac'd as we arrived on scene, and we hit it hard, and fast. A structure had already burned, we stopped it before it took another. We dont get to choose when it stops; we only get to apply the best tactics, equipment, personnel, and resources we can, while we can. I deeply resent an implication that the effort to fight that fire, and it's a genuine fight, is a waste, or an effort to moneygrab. Bullshit. Apparently some wont be satisfied with loss of life. What more do you want?

You son, are confused at best. And maybe disturbed. You need to take a deep breath and start over. Really.

This thread was started as a prayer request!

hang in there - we had some serious wildfires here - one stopped just a few miles from my house

and I know what kind of effort goes into this - I was a volunteer fire fighter in my old town of Truro for about 4 years as part of a school program and went to a couple of brush and forest fires myself...if I knew then what I know now I'd have been a lot more careful instead of running off into the boonies with an Indian tank on my back - but then again, this was the late 70's

This was taken a few nights ago:

(Lake McDonald, Glacier National Park with the Sprague fire in the background)


Prayers for all

Looks like the one that got Sperry.

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:
Looks like the one that got Sperry.

Yes that is the same fire. Quite the scene.

That's messed up, Gustofer. Fairly sophisticated for scammers. I hope they catch 'em.

Your fires and some in Canada are making it so hazy in Iowa it's like looking at the sun with eclipse glasses on. Stay safe.

Not great quality, but a couple of pics of the progress of our fire.

Thursday evening at around 250 acres:



Yesterday afternoon at around 4000 acres:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97-sDsDfWYA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DDjb_ubQnc

Start at about the ten minute mark on this one

Wow, that lower pic is the definition of dry tinder, Gustofer! Horrible.

Prayers to all. It just goes to show that we are all Mother Nature's bich

Great videos there. That was one hell of a blow-up. Hopefully they can keep it from getting out on the flat here and taking off.