Chief One, Initial Attack

 This story depicts initial attack and how we size up a fire for resource ordering. Sizing up a fire includes the following: size (acres) of the fire, where is the fire, are there values at risk (homes, structures, infrastructure such as power lines, cell towers, etc.).

Jesse McCarty wrote this while on assignment with the SW Oregon Wildfire Information Center where he spent seven days working virtually to support information dissemination efforts for SW Oregon wildfires. He was reassigned to a fire emerging on his home unit.

Let me tell you a story,  . . .

There I was, sitting in my office with a fresh cup of coffee in hand. It’s probably around 11 am and I hear a smoke report come over the radio. As a brand new FMO (Fire Management Officer) on a small forest, I was still feeling my way around the area, but recognize the location. This small forest doesn’t usually get many fires, but when we do, they tend to get big. Figured it would be a good place to cut my teeth leading the local fire organization for the first time.

I pick up the mic, “ Chief 1 in route.” I’m heading to this smoke report expecting to see a dust devil whipping up an old dirt road or some farmer’s field. It’s late August, and it’s been kind of dry, but we just got some rain two days ago, so the old clay-base roads are still a bit slippery. When I arrive, I realize I need to start reviewing my initial attack safety checklist. The power line along this old road has been busted by a fallen tree and the charged lines are throwing sparks all over the place. The fire is in the grass but is moving too fast for just me to catch and is headed towards timber. “Owl Dispatch, Chief 1. Stand by for emergency traffic.” I take a deep breath. I’ve done this hundreds of times, but always pause to collect my thoughts prior to pushing that mic. Funny things can come out of people’s mouths when your adrenaline is pumping.

“Chief 1, go ahead.” She sounds ready. “Smoke report is accurate. Fire is burning in heavy grass, headed toward timber. Location is Gulo district, in Darby Creek off road 524 down one mile from junction of the 399 road. Fire is approximately a half acre in size, the potential for spread is high, and I will be theIC (Incident Commander). Break.” Wonder if Jobe is on his way. As engine captain of Engine 651, he has good intuition and I expect him to be on scene anytime. He might be the closest, since he and his crew were doing some pre-commercial thinning work just seven miles away. “Weather is clear, winds 3-5 out of the southwest. Repeater Stubbs works best out here. There are values at risk, two houses just over the ridge about two miles away. Origin of the fire is downed power lines. Request Chelan Power Company to cut power to this area and address broken power lines. Additional resources needed. Requesting three type 5 engines and one 20-person hand crew.” The pause was brief; like I said, she was ready. Reading back all the info (information)  I just provided was reassuring. Did she say 1149?  Man, time flies! Jobe jumped on, “Engine 651 in route.”Dispatch wants to know what to call the fire. Hmmm, we always use water ways, creeks, rivers, orlakes to name our fires or sometimes ridge or road names, especially if they are well known. I decided on the latter. “Let’s call it the 524 fire.”

Now that help is coming, I pulled out my IRPG (Incident Response Pocket Guide) to see what it says about downed power lines; it’s a first for me. There are always firsts, that’s why I love this job. Flag the power poles, two poles in each direction and the area around the wires. That won’t be hard, plenty of room to avoid the downed lines; I bet I could fit five engines in this spot. It’s probably a local ATV play area. Just as I was finishing with the last bit of flagging, Jobe wheels down the road to me, around my flagging avoiding the dangers. He smiles, “Good to see you. Got a briefing for me?” I shared the size up again and my thoughts as we grabbed some “hood time” using my favorite magnets to hold the district map. Jobe brought two of his three crew members; Kaitlyn is sick today. One of his crew has a season of firefighting, so offers some good ideas. The other is brand new and this might be his first fire, not sure. We get a good plan to anchor in the 524 road once the power is cut and go direct, since the fire is burning slightly uphill away from us with the wind at our backs. “Keep a foot in the black, fellas.” Jobe turns to his crew, “Let’s get our SA (Situational Awareness) first to confirm our plan.” Jobe has a confident command presence.  So, Engine 651 starts their hike to a vantage point to get a better understanding of what we are up against. After a review of the Initial Attack Safety Checklist, I have some more work to do.

I check with dispatch on the power company cutting power. She said they did and are sending a service truck to deal with the lines. I did notice the sparking had stopped during our briefing, but just to be sure we wait for the service truck before getting near the area. My number one priority is public and firefighter safety thus, I have learned patience over the years. Dispatch radios back that they are assigning BLM (Bureau of Land Management) Engine 424 to my fire, but they are three hours out. That’s all she says. I know we are at a PL (Preparedness Level) 5 nationally and PL4 regionally indicating firefighting resources are hard to come by. But, just to be ready for fires on our forest,  I know we hold resources for initial attack. Engine 652 is out of commission for repairs from a vehicle accident three days ago. Glad no one was hurt by that drunk driver. Hope they get operational soon. We don’t have a hand crew but could make a squad out of the Engine 652 crew and a couple militia (secondary firefighters). Maybe the wildlife biologist and rec tech (recreation technician) can join them? I call the district ranger to find out. He’s great about getting his people out on fire assignments.

Just when I was gonna call dispatch about the service truck, the power company shows up. They confirm the power was out and began their work. It is time to start corralling this fire. Engine 651 extinguishes the flames at the base of the power poles using hand tools, smothering the fire with mineral soil.  They do a thorough job scratching a line from the road up the edge of the fire to starve the fire of any more fuel and keep it from growing. I watch for a second, wanting to jump in and get dirty again. But my role has changed. As the IC, I need to Right Size the fire(order/manage what kind of resources it will take to catch the fire), request a spot weather forecast (weather over the fire area), contact Engine 424 to ensure they know the best access, and to be the lookout for the crew working the fire, just in case. My calls go quick. The radio traffic is amping up. I hear the sheriff being dispatched to notify the homeowners of the fire, and the results of my spot weather forecast. Winds are predicted to pick up to 14-19 miles per hour with gusts at 25 mph around 5 pm. I check my watch; it’s already 3:30pm.

Engine 424 arrives and is ready to take action. I brief them on the plan to join engine 651 in direct attack on the left flank (left side of the fire). The right flank (right side of the fire) stopped at a rock out cropping, so we adjust our plan accordingly. “I want you guys to tie in with Captain 651 prior to jumping on the line, got it?” Heads nod knowingly. I probably didn’t need to say it but being clear on tasks is essential in firefighting. As they are about a hundred yards into their hike up the scratch line, Jobe radios me, “John, the fire’s hit the timber and is spotting over the ridge.” I acknowledge and call them off the line. It’s time to update dispatch and start thinking about extended attack, air resources, structure protection, and finding the next ridgeline to catch this fire.

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