#structureprotection

[coasttomountain]

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This is the next video from the Valley Fire in Northern California, 2015. I’ve posted a couple of these "front lines" videos just to show a sense of what it’s like (minus the smoke, noise, heat, etc). The current round of fires in Northern California are much worse than shown here. In this video we were assigned to protect a church in the middle of town. By this time the water system had failed and we had about 500 gallons of tank water only. This is an example of having to let every house around burn in order to protect an important structure (the church could serve as a shelter/community center in the recovery). Every house around us burned as we watched and kept the fire from the church. Not shown in this video is the thousands of rounds of ammunition and fireworks going off in in the house next door. (I keep a digital camera in my radio harness. It never interferes with my job). #valleyfire #structureprotection #firedepartment #wildlandfire #fire (at Middletown, California)

[coasttomountain]

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Given the recent wave of fires in Northern California I thought I’d share a couple of videos from the front lines two years ago (with some explanation of what’s going on). This was the Valley Fire, in Middletown, CA. We were one of the first strike teams to arrive as the fire began to burn through town. In the first video, my engine company is doing structure protection on the house shown. We tried to save the house next door as well, but the fire was progressing too rapidly. In this video I’m taking shelter behind a garden shed as the 500 gallon propane tank is venting. The heat and noise was intense. (Put on your headphones and turn the volume up to max, then go stand inside your oven to appreciate it fully). We had two lines stretched to protect the house. The idea is that we use the minimum water we can and “steer” the fire around houses as is approaches. We let the fire burn all the fuel right up to the house, put it out, suppress any embers, and move on to the next house. Water supply is always an issue. The town’s water system went down quickly and we relied on water tenders (pulling water from swimming pools). There just isn't enough water or people to put the fires out at this stage. We do what we can in those moments and move on to the next assignment. Catastrophic fires like this develop so quickly, that there is little we can do except protect people, animals, and save houses where we can. Despite losing dozens of houses in town, we made stands where we could, saving one house and the one next door. Little by little, we were able to keep the fire from wiping out the downtown. (I keep a digital camera in my radio harness. It never interferes with my job). #valleyfire #structureprotection #firedepartment #wildlandfire #fire (at Middletown, California)

[bomberodesigns]

From @brandonbarsugliphotography #bomberodesigns ・・・ Pallet Fire in Fontana. #fire #firefighter #firefighters #firefighterlife #pallet #palletfire #structure #structureprotection #firehose