Nicholas Swagger & Robert Newey: Fuel Technician
Logistics of Wildfire/ Forest fire:
During a fire there are many things to consider. Some of those things are the weather conditions, size of the fire, having the proper attire, how much help is needed to put the fire out and having access to communication devices. Whether the fire is big or small, you will always need a sufficient amount of water.
Increments of Fuel:
There are so many different fuels that a fire consumes. Because not everything burns at the same rate, some things to consider are the fuel increments. The fuel categories are 1 hour: 0- quarter inch, 10 hours: quarter- 1 inch, 100 hours: 1 inch - 3 inches, and 1000 hours: logs or stumps. Dead fuel would be material that is wet and unable to catch fire.
In order to be a fuel technician, you have to have many qualifications. A red card identifies each position that allows you to be on the force and it is crucial to carry the red card with you at all times.
Many things to look for as a fuel technician are the animals that have migrated in and out of the area. Wolves, big horned sheep, and even some turkey have been spotted! A few other things to pay attention to are trees that need to be cut down. Although some would disagree, the ones that are no longer growing, suppressed trees, diseased trees that can be harmful, and also trees with genetics that foresters wouldn't like to see spreading throughout the forest are ones that would be more likely to be cut down.
Although logging isn't done by fuel technicians, it is all part of a large team trying to accomplish the same goal. There is a group decision that needs to be taken place by many team specialists such as soil scientists and botenists. As a logger, you have take into consideration the concerns everyone has and it many take a few years. There was so much to learn during this site visit, and I enjoyed listening to what each fuel technician had to say.
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