jdnuts20

.270 I agree that there is alot a problems with gov't these days and yes the Forest Service is a government entity so thus the problems with gov't are seen in forest management. However there are many people trying to and doing some great things in the forest these days. This includes myself and I am proud to be associated with the Forest Service (not circus). I consider myself lucky to have my office be located in the woods I grew up in and it was very emotional to watch this fire consume so much of it... and for all those that think it is all black stick, let me tell you first hand there is still alot of green out there. I think people need to realize that the real problem is in D.C. and I know you as well as many other people realize this. My suggestion is, and this may sound corny, write your congressman. Get involved, tell all your friends to take action. It won't change tomorrow but if enough people stand up and shout something may get done.

ratherbhunting - for the record, on day 2 there was at least 4 heavy air tankers working this fire when it was relatively small. I personally observed them flying and dropping. This fire blew right through it. You have to understand the magnitude of this fire, it was incredible. The timber was so thick and terrain so steep that it was throwing spot fires up to 3 miles away. I am increasingly frustrated with so many arm chair quarterbacks saying this could have been stopped with some air support. We had it and guess what...didn't work too well. As far as the CL 215s, I haven't seen them operate but we live in AZ...not the amount of water available that Canada has. Still doubt it would have stopped this fire. You have to remember that within a few hours of this fire starting a spot fire developed 2 to 3 miles away...now you have 2 fires cranking away in 30-40 mph winds.

ratherbhunting - I respect that you were a pilot for many years, but I was literally the third resource on scene and I have been at this game a long time (18 years) and have seen what tankers and helos can and can not do. The wind was howling that first day, youre "insider" must have been sitting in a truck or something. An air tanker would not have changed the outcome on the start of this at all except drive up the cost. Air tankers do not put out fires, period. That retardent would have blown all over the place and dried out before anyone could have used it. The IC was in no way constrained in ordering air support what so ever. It would have been very ineffective. I am on the same page as cdenton, us on the ground folks were busting our butts to get this thing put out from minute one. It was an butt kicking fire, the fuels, country, weather all contributed to this getting so big. I literally saw people standing in front of the flames to the point where they had to run to get out of the way in order to try to hold this thing.