Man against fire

foreign [Music] along the Atlantic coast three wildfires each in a different part of the country all of different Origins of different sides each requiring different tactics but they all have one thing in common they challenge man [Music] a man against fire [Music] thank you following from Middleport Ranger Station go ahead Oak spotted in Pool Lake area near Devil's flat 10-4 I'll notify the smoke Chopper base right away okay we're on our way foreign [Music] smoke jumpers rugged and ready when a fire breaks out in Back Country here are the men who fight the flame and they've got to reach remote places safe [Music] foreign [Music] smoke jumping is a skill that's not easily won far from it weeks of intensive training under demanding leadership toughen a man for the job [Music] his diploma The Real McCoy the only quick roads to the fire below are by air hence smoke jumpers hopefully getting to the fire before it becomes too big there are hundreds of these dedicated stalwart men stationed in the Western United States guardians of our forests can they handle the fire a few minutes will tell [Applause] we can handle it pause out 10-4 and good luck returning to base man against fire add blazing Timber to mid-summer heat and you're at the hinges of hell but Wildfire can often Be Tamed before it gets out of hand luck has something to do with it land lies flat wind is down and man has a fighting chance to beat the devil to the draw but more than luck skill the skill a smoke jumper brings to the job mastering a fire demands more than muscle it takes a technique and talent all its own speed and thoroughness that's how man works best against fire and yes one extra point for stamina the fire might look like it's out but every fireman knows Embers can't be trusted until they're dead out the night long vigil gives them the answer [Music] morning July 18th jumpers Chaney and Hawes report Wildfire at Devil's Flats dead out Earnest men saw their Duty and a forest lives on Forest where Timberlands continue to grow Waters Trickle and cascade Wildlife runs free and nests High [Music] yes a forest lives on thanks to determined courageous men who put out a fire in good time but the mysteries of fire still frustrate man lifting the lid of mystery are Forest Service fire research scientists [Music] equipped fire Laboratories to study fuel pine needles Forest debris how does fuel respond to its environment what is its chemistry what makes it flammable [Music] fuel is a complicated business so is the research in developing a true understanding of it what about firefighting chemicals how can chemicals be used best to slow down or stop fire in forest fuels the performance of different chemicals is determined in fire laboratory experiments how does fire spread in a combustion laboratory fires are used to determine the mechanisms and rate of fire spread from laboratory scale to field scale violence of the mass fire system is studied and Its Behavior is measured and analyzed through research the forest comes to the lab and the laboratory goes to the forest but lightning the major cause of forest fires in the West fire scientists have developed instruments to identify fire setting lightning strikes special weather modification techniques are being tested someday man may be able to prevent lightning-cause fires wherever a man needs help in his Battle of the flame a research project is in the works while the eyes of research looked to the sky for new answers Skywatch goes on looking for new fires searching for the first sign of smoke wherever there's smoke there's fire yes but sometimes it's legitimate and under control a campfire debris burning but the one down there in Melton branch is it legitimate or is it Wildfire making from a Tango signal to lot 77 south of Arkansas a Tango from Macon how many units do you think you'll need two units eight Tango out ten four k1b 803 [Music] Wildfire has its source in many and Evil the careless smoker a faulty power line or someone starts a fire and leaves it visitors to the forest here for good hunting until look over here Dad I wonder what he's up to the second smoke so close to the first the pilot has ring into one day Tango is it arson another signal too quarter mile down the road a Tango out ten four k-1b 803 out thank you here [Music] making 60 from eight Tango take your next left ten for making 60 out they Tango out trucks and tractors are Guided by the pilot this minimizes the time it takes equipment to reach the scene of the wildfire foreign Citizen and the Machinery to capture an arsonist is sparked Georgia tagged 2-3 Robert 1875 vehicle headed west on Melton Road subject suspected of starting fires repeat be on the lookout for a green 1959 Chevrolet pickup truck Georgia tagged 2-3 Robert won the 1959 Chevrolet pickup truck Georgia tag 2-3 Robert 1875 a third smoke Three Fires along the same road and they have the shore pattern of the arsonist third signal two half mile down the road for second fire these are being deliberately set going down for closer looks they don't go out 10-4 k1b 803 out the pilot zones in on the arsonist and points the finger making from eight Tango Green Chevrolet pickup leaving third far contact our fire investigator to Melton Road 10-4 investigation and enforcement work side by side with Fire Control [Music] beginning of the end now in sight for the arsonist the pilot is still another responsibility to direct his attention to the Three Fires which have become one to destroy a forest its resources the life savings of homeowners even human life a senseless act demands sensible action the battle against Wildfire is on [Applause] keep wearing the line out behind the tractor waging the battle takes cooperation units and men from the township the state Private Industry and County they all have a stake they all pitch in [Applause] fact the two from Fire Boss don't you're lying till you meet Melton Road foreign just ahead of you take the right side what makes an arsonist behave the way he does the thrill of striking a match spectacle of firemen and a challenging battle sometimes a grudge a desire to get even who can say for sure find a Milton Road now completed 10 -4 looks like we've got it under control [Music] foreign the motives are many that's why the statistic arsonists start one-third of our nation's fires a big problem today fire researchers study human behavior to find the answers in the fight of man against firebug cooperation from forest visitors is a big help too a mighty big help [Music] sometimes Wildfire especially in the West truly lives up to its name this one's been licking at the Eastern slopes of the Cascades for well under 24 Hours by midday high winds turn fire against man he's gone over the hill on the East Plain we bought a hand call for help men respond from over a dozen states veteran Indian Crews leave the Southwest to fight a fire 1300 miles to the north fire that also needs fresh suppression Crews man experienced in fire management and material by the tons to back them up I'm Doug Maxwell Fire Boss on my way to take over down there and it's a tough one by now called Canyon Creek Fire already 10 000 Acres of blackened Timber three miles out I look over my responsibility when where will we stop it It's Gonna Take No hour strategy the strategy will work out here in the Fire camp first off I'm briefed I learned the number of men already out on the line what equipment's up front and that Moore's on the way a campaign fire is just like War and War as we all know grin okay what's the weather picture based on this afternoon's condition and tomorrow's forecast my plans Chief brings the fire map up to date it tells me at a glance the present fire Edge and where it'll be by morning my line boss and I agree by midnight the fire should begin to calm down now if we can just build our control lines in the morning and connect them before 3 pm the heat of the day we stand a good chance of gaining the upper hand if we can hold the lines this is a long thin strip as I said the fire is a mighty big one so we gotta split it up into two zones each Zone has its own boss and I keep close contact with both of them camps button equipment's got to be kept sharp in tune ready to go back out on the line [Applause] the today's frozen meals a few hands can turn out a barrel full of dinners in no time important for the men to have their child piping hot refrigerator cold roadblocks will tell the public the bad news Recreation areas are closed maybe burn out Nightfall the work goes on so does the fire good quiet down all a wind or a low humidity keep it spreading all night zone two meets at 9 pm the zone is divided into three parts divisions divisions one and two were hand line shows division three is a tractor show now completing the line between divisions two and three by noon and holding that line during the heat of the day that's gonna be the big job well we're in luck the Canyon Creek Fire calms down but our work doesn't 4 AM big day lies ahead I hold a morning briefing idea behind it is to communicate to every level in other words if we don't all get the message we're in trouble can't afford to miss a trick what's the revised weather forecast wind speed direction the humidity where are the hot spots going to be will all our forces be in the right place at the right time and I can't stress safety for our crews too much we don't want a casualty list yes our objective goes pretty much without saying put the fire out quick as we can the point is we must all see eye to eye on how to do it best not enough men in zone two more tractors than hoes for Zone one we thrash it all out until the plan feels solid to everybody around the table men of forest service and other Federal organizations local County State total cooperation [Music] at dawn the men move out loggers mail Crews volunteers people from town military man you name it and they take with them today's training and Technology yes technology for instance the details of a fire are hard to see at night or through thick smoke used to be a problem but isn't anymore [Music] fire research has developed an Airborne electronic scanning system it can detect small fires and map big ones it electronically senses details of the fire the fire's location size its perimeter its direction of spread seconds later a photo of these fire details is airdropped and headquarters gets the picture the big picture actually in this area reinforcements continue pouring in it's a mighty Battle of men and machines battle that can take many directions and does [Applause] fire line gets hacked out for some of these men their baptism of Fire this cup trench will catch rolling Embers cool them down more men to fill the division's needs bad news winds up to 15 mile an hour now the peak gusts of 25 that could mean trouble might have to change our strategy one thing's for sure we must widen the line and clear out the fuel firefighting needs water needs equipment [Music] we use fire retardant chemicals too to help the men in their battle helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft knock down hot spots with retardant drops [Music] it's 3 P.M now heat of the day a few hours ago at noon time the fire was driving hard on division three harder than we predicted pick up in the Wind made the Flames spread faster so now we do have to change our tactics no use given up we'll concentrate on hot spots and try to hang on to our lines [Music] pressing our men pressing them hard [Music] now it's a case of redirecting our crews and being sure to hold the line well I've got to talk over the changes with the boss of division three [Music] yeah we agree on the new tactics thank you the chips are down men of division three try to hold up their end of the exhausting battle [Applause] helicopters on West Central Canyon Creek Fire claims a community along with its playground thank you [Music] [Applause] the new strategy works at last we strangle the fire they've got control now but we've got to be sure snuff out and mopper and as quickly as we mobilize for a campaign fire we demobilize to a skeleton crew meanwhile it's time for me to move on report that we're on our way the blood and sweat and grief of some thousand men the strategy they did the job koe 823 from Fire Boss Maxwell leaving Canyon Creek you know it's good to see green again foreign