Please see the attached Wildfire Crew
Update for 8-10-17. Yesterday proved to be a challenging, but rewarding
day for the crew, as they faced very active fire behavior along their division
south of Clinton. They worked with crews from Australia, New Zealand and
Ottawa to keep the fire in check and continue to protect the village of
Clinton. The crew is healthy and yesterdays challenge with their new
friends from Australia and New Zealand made for a good energizing experience.
Massachusetts Dept of Conservation and Recreation
Out of State Wildland Fire Mobilization Briefing
Friday 8-8-17
There is currently 1 mobilization ongoing from Massachusetts
to British Columbia, Canada.
Massachusetts Wildfire Crew- MA#1- Wildfire Hand Crew
20 Person Hand crew: 14 DCR, 2 DFW, 4 New Hampshire (NHS)
Crew Boss: Alan Smith, NHS (State)
Roy
Liard, MAS-DCR (Crew Boss Trainee)
Assignment: NE Compact Assistance to BC Canada
Location: ELEPHANT HILL FIRE
Size: 117,170
hectares: 292,925 Acres estimated
Containment: 30%
estimated
Total Personnel : 580 Firefighters 92 Support Staff
26
Helicopters 105 Pieces
of Heavy Equipment
Weather: Sunny,
widespread smoke, 86°F, 15% Relative Humidity with NW 6 mi/h winds. **Fire
Managers are concerned for a predicted wind event on Friday.
Incident Information: Fire was discovered on July 6th. Fire
fighters, heavy equipment, helicopters, and water bomber air tankers continue
their efforts focusing on homes and infrastructure. Unpredictable winds and
extremely dry conditions are creating some volatile fire behavior and
challenging firefighting efforts. A number of communities remain threatened. Over 600 personnel including night shifts are
working to ensure firefighter safety, ensuring public safety and protecting
homes and infrastructure.
Crew Information: International Effort: MAS#1 with NH firefighters combined efforts
yesterday with crews from Australia, New Zealand and Ottawa to keep the fire in
check along their Division Dozer line perimeter under very active fire behavior
conditions. Crew leadership reports that
all 4 country’s worked very well together to keep the fire in check and from
threatening the village of Clinton. By all accounts, overhead staff is happy with
their work, especially bringing burnout experience to the assignment.
The crew was
mobilized on 8-3-17 and mustered at Hopkinton State Park Headquarters where
gear was checked, weighed and prepared for transportation to Quebec City,
Canada. The Mobilization is facilitated
through the Northeast Forest Fire Compact, of which Massachusetts, New
Hampshire and Quebec have been strong participating member for over 60
years.
Current Fire Situation:
There are over 126 large fire burning within the interior portion of BC
totaling over 1 million acres. Fire
activity is being driven by extremely dry fuel conditions resulting from little
to no precipitation over the last few months combined with abnormally high
temperatures reaching the upper 90’s this past week. Little to no precipitation is expected over
the next 2 weeks.
_________________
Please see the attached Wildfire Crew Update for 8-8-17. The crew is doing very well, and melding into the British Columbia fire management system. They are working the West Division of the Fire outside the village of Clinton, which has been evacuated. Due to their assignment location, the crew was moved to a camp in Clinton, closer to their assignment. Everyone is healthy, doing good work and representing us very well.
Massachusetts Dept of Conservation and Recreation
Out of State Wildland Fire Mobilization Briefing
Friday 8-8-17
There is currently 1 mobilization ongoing from Massachusetts
to British Columbia, Canada.
Massachusetts Wildfire Crew- MA#1- Wildfire Hand Crew
20 Person Hand crew: 14 DCR, 2 DFW, 4 New Hampshire (NHS)
Crew Boss: Alan Smith, NHS (State)
Roy
Liard, MAS-DCR (Crew Boss Trainee)
Assignment: NE Compact Assistance to BC Canada
Location: ELEPHANT HILL FIRE
Size: 117,170
hectares: 292,925 Acres estimated
Containment: 30%
estimated
Total Personnel : 580 Firefighters 92 Support Staff
22
Helicopters 105 Pieces
of Heavy Equipment
Weather: Sunny, widespread smoke, 86°F, 15% Relative Humidity with NW 6
mi/h winds. There’s so much smoke, the sun never comes out.
Incident Information: Fire was discovered on July 6th. Fire fighters, heavy equipment, helicopters, and water bomber air tankers continue their efforts focusing on homes and infrastructure. Unpredictable winds and extremely dry conditions are creating some volatile fire behavior and challenging firefighting efforts. Numerous homes are threatened within the area and evacuations are in effect. Over 600 personnel including night shifts are working to ensure firefighter safety, ensuring public safety and protecting homes and infrastructure.
Crew Information: MAS#1 is
working on a Division outside of Clinton, securing control lines with hose
lines and burnout operations. The crew the 99 Mile Fire Camp and to Clinton’s Fire Camp. The village is still
evacuated and the only store open in town is the Shell gas station. The crew has done well working into a system with some differences to operations typically found on U.S. Federal assignments. By all accounts, overhead staff is happy with their work, especially bringing burnout experience to the assignment.
The crew was
mobilized on 8-3-17 and mustered at Hopkinton State Park Headquarters where
gear was checked, weighed and prepared for transportation to Quebec City,
Canada. The Mobilization is facilitated
through the Northeast Forest Fire Compact, of which Massachusetts, New
Hampshire and Quebec have been strong participating member for over 60
years.
Current Fire Situation: There are over 110 large fire burning within
the interior portion of BC totaling over 1 million acres. Fire activity is being driven by extremely
dry fuel conditions resulting from little to no precipitation over the last few
months combined with abnormally high temperatures reaching the upper 90’s this
past week. Little to no precipitation is
expected over the next 2 weeks.
______________
Massachusetts Dept of Conservation and Recreation
Out of State Wildland Fire Mobilization Briefing
Friday 8-6-1
There is currently 1 mobilization ongoing from Massachusetts
to British Columbia, Canada.
Massachusetts Wildfire Crew- MA#1- Wildfire Hand Crew
20 Person Hand crew: 14 DCR, 2 DFW, 4 New Hampshire (NHS)
Crew Boss: Alan
Smith, NHS (State)
Roy
Liard, MAS-DCR (Crew Boss Trainee)
Assignment: NE Compact Assistance to BC Canada
Location: ELEPHANT HILL FIRE
Size: 110,236.0
hectares: 272,399 Acres estimated
Containment: 30%
estimated
Total Personnel : 600
Incident
Information: Fire was discovered on
July 6th. Fire fighters, heavy equipment, helicopters, and water bomber air tankers continue their efforts focusing on homes and infrastructure. Unpredictable winds and extremely dry conditions are creating some volatile fire behavior and challenging firefighting efforts. The fire perimeter to the north has crossed the Bonaparte River. Guard lines (fire lines) have been constructed along the north flank and controlled burns took place Friday afternoon. Numerous homes are threatened within the area and evacuations are in effect. Over 600 personnel including night shifts are working to ensure firefighter safety, ensuring public safety and protecting homes and infrastructure.
Crew Information: MAS#1 went through a mandatory provincial briefing on fire operations on Saturday and were assigned to the Elephant Hill Fire and the 99 Mile Fire Camp. The crew is set up in camp and working on the fire today, assigned to the North Branch of the fire plumbing in water systems, securing dozer lines, and preparing for potential burn out operations.
The crew was
mobilized on 8-3-17 and mustered at Hopkinton State Park Headquarters where
gear was checked, weighed and prepared for transportation to Quebec City,
Canada. The Mobilization is facilitated
through the Northeast Forest Fire Compact, of which Massachusetts, New
Hampshire and Quebec have been strong participating member for over 60
years.
Current Fire Situation: There are over 110 large fire burning within
the interior portion of BC totaling over 1 million acres. Fire activity is being driven by extremely
dry fuel conditions resulting from little to no precipitation over the last few
months combined with abnormally high temperatures reaching the upper 90’s this
past week. Little to no precipitation is
expected over the next 2 weeks.
____________________________
ORIGINAL POST
FYI. The Wildfire Crew is well on their way to British Columbia for a two week assignment with two crews from Quebec to assist with heavy wildfire activity throughout the interior portion of the province. Massachusetts firefighters are comprised of 14 from Mass DCR and 2 from Mass DFW. Crew leadership reports the crew has performed excellent through the first phase of the mobilization. They are energized and excited to get assigned to one of the 110 large fires currently burning and represent Massachusetts, the United States and the Northeast Forest Fire Compact in the highest regard.
Massachusetts Dept of Conservation and Recreation
Out of State Wildland Fire Mobilization Briefing
Friday
8-4-17
There is currently 1 mobilization ongoing from Massachusetts
to British Columbia, Canada.
Massachusetts Wildfire Crew- MA#1- Wildfire Hand Crew
20 Person Hand crew: 14 DCR, 2 DFW, 4 New Hampshire (NHS)
Crew Boss: Alan Smith, NHS (State)
Roy
Liard, MAS-DCR (Crew BossTrainee)
Assignment: NE Compact Assistance to BC Canada
Location: Interior BC (No specific Fire
Assigned yet)
Size:
Containment:
Total Personnel :
Incident Information:
The
MAS#1 Crew was mobilized on 8-3-17 and mustered at Hopkinton State Park
Headquarters where gear was checked, weighed and prepared for transportation to
Quebec City, Canada. Crew loaded a bus
at 0900. First stop was New Hampshire to
pick up 4 NHS firefighters, including the qualified crew boss to make up a full
20 person handcrew (standard size). Crew successfully crossed the border with no issues and arrived in
Quebec, where they have linked up with the Quebec SOPFEU Forest Fire
Agency. They will link up with 2 Quebec
Wildfire Handcrews for the final flight to British Columbia this morning. A Quebec Liaison will be assigned to MAS#1
for the duration of the assignment.
Destination is Prince George, where
there is a large fire camp to support crews. They will be embedded and in briefed on the British Columbia fire system
and the fire issues facing then over the next 14 days.
The
Mobilization is facilitated through the Northeast Forest Fire Compact, of which
Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Quebec have been strong participating member
for over 60 years.
Current Situation: There are over 110 large fire burning within
the interior portion of BC totaling over 1 million acres. Resources from Mexico have also been tapped
through an international agreement. Fire
activity is being driven by extremely dry fuel conditions resulting from little
to no precipitation over the last few months combined with abnormally high
temperatures reaching the upper 90’s this past week. Little to no precipitation is expected over
the next 2 weeks.