The Good Life in McMurdo

Life here in McMurdo is great. The few calls we get and the circus games of vehicular issues we play keep life at the fire department exciting and fresh. Election day (which was Wednesday our time) was really exciting to follow. Because of the close quarters of our base (in comparison to any other town in the Washington Metropolitan Area) the energy in the air here was amazing. I gave up on any of the American news outlets in favor for the BBC considering that they had a constant live feed of the action back in the states rather than a website that updated every few minutes or so. I had said to a few people down here that I thought it was pretty cool to get to say that, "I was in Antarctica" when I found out that Barack Obama became our nation's first black president. At first I didn't believe it (partly because of my natural skepticism for anything sans irrefutable proof). I mean, I found out from a girl standing on a chair in our galley shouting it out. Yeah, I'm sure that seems a legitimate reason to believe but had still remained skeptical. Either way, it was pretty amazing to hear the amount of people cheering at Dinner.

The days are passing by quite pleasantly...a step up from the beginning of last season. I've been thinking about climbing a lot and what my travels when I redeploy before coming back home. I've been able to relax my mind (when I'm not at work) a lot more down here. My thoughts have ranged from skiing hills and slopes I see as I drive around Ross Island to school next fall to performing yoga while stuck on a portaledge 800 feet off the ground. I've been working out, I've been eating healthy...I've been happy....and I have McMurdo to thank for that.

Antarctic Fire Department Vehicles

There are days when I love my job, then there are days I resent the silly shit that manages to happen on a daily basis. Today, my bitches, gripes, and complaints belong with the vehicles of the Antarctic Fire Department. Somehow, when ever we get something back from the Vehicle Maintenance Facility (VMF), two vehicles go out of service in return. Today I've been dealing with, primarily, one of our tracked Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) vehicles, Red 2:

From Antarctica - Austral Summer 2007-2008

We brought it in for brake, oil pressure, and other issues regarding the foam delivery system (primarily the turret) from Williams Field. To give you a brief rundown of the vehicle, it's over 20 years old. It weighs in excess of 80,000 lbs and it tops out at about 8 mph. It's over an hour ride out to Williams Skiway in Red 2 and damn near an hour and a half to two hours out to Pegasus. Today, I almost caught it on fire when I was driving it back from the VMF to the firehouse and the parking brake engaged on its own (unbeknown to me). I didn't find out till I smelled the brakes burning and I saw the plume of smoke bellowing from underneath the vehicle. Within 30 minutes of it leaving the VMF, it got picked up and brought straight back. So now, being the only person in station qualified to drive it and the only person that's familiar with the parking break problem (this is the 3rd time in the past couple weeks this has happened, I am privileged to drive this 40 ton piece of shit back out to Pegasus...at 2300 hrs. I can't even begin to imagine what else can happen to the vehicles tonight. On top of that we have 2 engines without a working pump, 1 engine with a tank that has more holes than a spaghetti strainer, a nodwell that's leaking foam, a van that just likes to die whenever it feels like, an Renegade with a broken radio, and 2 ambulances that are running on their last legs (or wheels I guess). The best part is the season has only begun...

Election Day

It's near mid afternoon Wednesday here in McMurdo which means it's Tuesday evening back home. That means election day! Even this far away (9,186 miles to be exact courtesy of Google Earth) people are ecstatic over the results to come. As I talk to a good friend of mine, I can't help but think how relieved I am to not be anyone close to the Washington DC Metropolitan area at the moment, yet at the same time, I feel I'm missing out on a possible momentous occasion to celebrate not only as a town or region but as a country in general within the borders of the US...if that makes any sense. It does feel good to be down here though. For one, it feels good to say that I put forth the effort to cast an absentee ballot so that my vote can count whilst I reside on the 7th continent. It also feels good to be able to say I was in Antarctica during the most historical election in our history. Today, being my day off, will be spent keeping a close eye on the polls, celebrating the end of 8 years of embarrassment, celebrating a historic election however the outcome, and celebrating democracy in general. I'll try not to get too drunk though...I have to work tomorrow.

Station 2 - Tour 2

Today is the 2nd out of 3 possible consecutive shifts for myself out here at Station 2. Considering we're doing a full 24 hour shift out here versus opening the station at 1600 in the afternoon, I spent most of the day getting my crew and one of our new Lieutenants oriented to operations here at the ski field. Fire and Rescue and Crash/Rescue operations out here can prove to be pretty complex between the military's requirements of us, our staffing, our equipment (or lack there off), and what we're responsible for. To elaborate, the United States Air Force and the Air National Guard with the aircraft they have residing here at the airfield require 6 people minimum and a certain amount of foam available for use within 2 minutes which means there are 6 people at station 2 24/7 throughout the duration of the military's presence. With the tracked vehicles we have, the agent (Compressed Air Foam and thousands of pounds of Purple K dry powder), we can take care of most aircraft emergencies. As far as structural fires are concerned here out at the airfield, we have to use equipment designed for cold-weather aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) to the best of our (and the equipment's) ability. We're also responsible for emergency medical services (EMS) out here on the airfield and most of the snow and ice roads that lead out to here, Williams Ski Field, from McMurdo Station. Both responsibilities drop our staffing if not completely take it away from our primary reason for being out here which is ARFF. Luckily, our call volume out here rarely crests 20 for the entire Austral Summer season. Anyways, today was spent familiarizing the crew with our various vehicles, the runway and ramp layout, emergency hard stand locations, airfield operations and procedures, and the "ice town" layout. Now, being 2000 hrs, we sit back watch movies and enjoy each other. Stay safe out there...

From Antarctica - Austral Summer 2007-2008

SPOT Satellite Messenger

I've said in the past that like any good blogger who's spends their fair share of time outdoors I would throw up a post on pieces of gear I own that impress me so I figured I'd start with the SPOT Satellite Messenger.





I dropped the $170 for this device because 1) it was a lot cheaper than most other Personal Locating Beacons (PLB) 2) It offered check-in, tracking, and help features on top of standard 911/rescue features (unlike any other PLB on the market) and 3) I spend so much time out in the wilds by myself that I figured it was good insurance for myself and that of the minds of my friends and parents. It proved fairly accurate (which I had hoped for the price I paid) but the most impressive thing I found about it was when I tried the Check In/I'm Ok feature of the device it actually captured a satellite down here which I believe to be out of it's coverage area.:



View Larger Map

So for $170 (plus $99 for the annual subscription and $7 for worldwide rescue insurance) I thought it was well worth the money for a little piece of mind that will cover your ass most of the world over...

Life Now and Post-Winter

Last year, the Antarctic Fire Department reached some amount of normalcy when we opened Station Two out at Williams Field. Honored to do so (I can't even tell if that's sarcasm or not) I led the first shift through the inaugural opening of Station 2 for the season. Last night saw the arrival of the first 4 LC-130 Hercules for the season with more to come in the following month. As typical of station 2, it was a quiet night. Today I spend most of it preparing my resume and sending emails.

To elaborate on my process of applying for wildland jobs, there are several things I'm looking to do for next year. For the most part, I loved working for Zion Helitack. Despite a few minor differences in the beginning, in the end, I felt a lot closer to my crewmmates and leaders to the point where I miss them now. I would be more than honored to go back next summer. I figured, however, it wouldn't hurt to apply to a few places that I figure I'd enjoy. A fellow McMurdo resident who also works as a wildland firefighter during the summer gave me the advice to apply to place I would want to work in the future and not necessarily next year so that if my name kept showing up on the "cert" of people that apply, I'd be more recognizable. Like I said in my post before, I was aiming pretty high as far as positions, crews, and my qualifications are concerned. So far, I've applied to:

Boise BLM Smokejumpers

Alaska BLM Smokejumpers

Arroyo Grande Helishots

Bridgeport Interagency Helitack

McCall Smokejumperes

Missoula Smokejumpers

Region 5 Smokejumpers

Redmond Smokejumpers

West Yellowstone Smokejumpers

North Cascade Smokejumpers

Grangeville Smokejumpers

Wenatchee Valley Rapellers

Gallatin Rappel Crew


As well as Rappel/Helitack Crews in...


Mountain View, WY

Challis, ID

Hailey, ID


I haven't really thought about or planned what I'd do if I actually get a job offer with these crews but I'll play that by ear if that ever happens. For now, I'm still planning on returning to Zion. I guess for now my tentative plan for the fall is to return to DC for Nursing and/or Paramedic school for a couple years. Will see if that happens too...

Skiing!

I've been here for almost a month and I finally got out to ski today! It felt great to get out of town for a few hours. I was hoping to get some downhill in after skinning for a couple miles but by the time I had made it to the bottom of the hill we were skiing to my feet were done (keep in mind I had just bought the boots I was wearing in August). I took off with a friend and co-worker Kelly Goodick and for the entire day we enjoyed a rare windless day. The temperature was definitely cold (sub-zero out on the ice shelf) but with no wind it and constant movement, it was easily bearable. Anyways, skiing today allowed me to release a lot of stress that had been built up since almost the first day since I had been back in a controlled way. Now if I can only find a hill...

Wildland Jobs: The Beginning

With November rearing it's lovely face in less than 45 minutes the time has begun to think about summer employment for the fire season. The only positions that really enticed to apply for where the Fairbanks, AK and the Boise, ID smokejumper positions. Now, I really don't want to hear the "You can do anything!" or "You'll so get the job!" from those of you that are optimistic no matter what because apply for the GS-5 position is aiming pretty high for me and what I'm qualified to do. I mean, this is beyond high...this is pretty much aiming out of the park. I figured, however, that at this stage in my life, anything can happen and it wouldn't hurt not to apply. Anyways, I learned from last years application bonanza how not to recreate those mistakes I made so this year should be much smoother. As of right now, I am undoubtedly returning to Zion Helitack but I am keeping my options open for those extraordinary positions and opportunities that may arise.

Stressful Day and a Welcome Weekend

The day's been pretty stressful. Between Myself and another Lieutenant in class (with me still running things while in class), anything that could go wrong, did. Between last minute cargo coming into the station, juggling more tasks than I thought possible for us, and apparatus crapping out on us, I was ready to pull what little hair I have out of my head. I'm glad it's 6 and, for the most part, the day is done. The chaos of the everyday operations of the place, however, does keep life interesting and exciting down here.

Anyways, I've been trying to get out to Castle Rock to ski but because of various logistical reasons haven't been able to get out that way. A fellow firefighter is willing and excited to go tomorrow so hopefully I'll be able to get out and come up with photos. More opportunities to get out are starting to surface with the warming of summer. Between that and everything that has been happening in the firehouse, it's looking to be a good season...

First Skua!

I don't know about other days before today but today I saw the first skua of the season! That means that summer is right around the corner. I'll try to snag a photo of one shortly....

Antarctic Happenings

We've made it a week without injuring or sending home another firefighter. That, my friends, makes it a good week. It's been prettying interesting so far this past week. There's been a lot of activity at Pegasus Airfield recently. The last C-17 that had landed here on Monday had a malfunctioning computer that grounded it out at the airfield for a few days. Fortunately we weren't forced to spend the night out at the airfield to babysit it while parts were found and delivered to McMurdo from New Zealand. Today, a Kiwi P-3 Orion, the same 4 engine turbo-prop used in wildland firefighting as heavy air tankers, brought down the replacement computer for the brokedown C-17. The Bassler and the two Twin Otters operated by Kenn Borek Air, Ltd have been hanging out at Pegasus while Williams Field is in preparation to open at the end of this week. Monday saw the arrival of the Italian Passengeres heading over to their base in Terra Nova Bay. This week also marks the arrival of a South African C-130 That may be heading over to Davis Station, run by the Australians, for a Medevac almost 3 weeks in the making. As it was put to me by some of the more senior members in the McMurdo community, a major undertaking like this medevac for one person usually brings other bases/countries out of the woodwork who are looking for medical evacuations for their own people. So speaking along the terms of rumors, it looks like the Russians (after a fire that killed one person and severely burnt two others) are looking to medevac a couple people and maybe the Chinese but as of right now that's highly speculated considering the source of that information. It's amazing how many different countries we work with down here. Hopefully it will stay this interesting for the rest of the season considering it's only the beginning...

McMurdo - Friends and Family

I've been heinously slacking in the journal entry department and for that I apologize. Certainly a lot has happened since my last post on the 14th and it's had me on one of my regular emotional rollercoasters that both plague my life and describe and make up all that is me. Last week, one of our firefighters, a subordinate of mine and someone with whom I was becoming pretty good friends, was injured when his leg was run over by a matt-tracked vehicle. It was a hard time for a lot of us...especially thsoe that had worked with him over winfly. He was medevaced the next day and I believe by now he's bearing weight on it and is walking around. Within a week later we were medevacing another firefighter out for a serious illness. So far the more serious medevacs have been within the fire department which has taken a toll on us both mentall and administratively. On the positive side of things, I've definitely renewed my love for the place. Like I said before, when I first got here, I was inundated by a wave of relief. Not so much relief from traveling but more relief to be back home. I settled back into a normal routine of things. With Station 2 opening up on Tuesday and everyone getting up to speed and in their own routines, life is a lot less chaotic for a turn of, shockingly, organization and efficiency. I've made a lot of good friends and have rekindled old friendships. I've been thinking about my family a lot. This month mark's the one year anniversary of my uncle James Pittman passing away. This month is also my parents annivesary...the second one my mother (and I) have had to experience since he passed away in 2006. With the friends I've made here, I wouldn't have been able to stay sane and keep smiling.

Week One

It's been nearly a week since I've been back and I've been inundated with nothing but managerial tasks that have me catching up with the rest of the firefighters that have been here for a month or longer at a ridiculous rate. I'm slowly picking up where I left off as far as ideas and projects within the firehouse. At the same time, I'm taking on new responsibilities and forging new personal and professional relationships...both in and outside of the firehouse. This year has proved to be a hell of a lot warmer than last year. We've been averaging daily temperatures around 0 degrees plus or minus 5 degrees or so. I've been walking around in a normal ball cap and sometimes even a short sleeve T-Shirt. There seems to be a little more tension amongst people this year than last, however. Because of an apparently crappy win-fly season, there seems to be a lot of resentment from the winter-overs and winfly folks towards the summer employees...more so than last year. Hopefully this will all subside by the time Halloween comes around.

While I was away from Antarctica, I was constantly thinking about the place. I have certain "photos" engraved in my memory (some forever) but they don't compare to the real thing; actually seeing those images rather than imagining them in some lesser mental format.









It's not as cold as one would think by the looks of these pictures. With the proper clothing and acclimatization you'd be amazed what you're body can comfortably tolerate. Surprisingly I didn't take my first photo till about two days after I had gotten down here. I promise though I'll post up more as the season progresses. Everyone stay safe...

McMurdo Station

After 7 days in transit I finally made it to McMurdo. This time no shock from the cold air, no awe-inspiring moments that freeze you in place...just complete and utter relief. As I described it to a friend, not so much relief to be out of Christchurch but a relief from society. I also felt like I hadn't left the place. Riding back from Pegasus Airfield back into town just felt like I had been on an extended "boondoggle". The first thing I was able to notice through the frosted windows of the delta we were riding was the radar dome that sits above town. It was great familiar site. At first I didn't know why until I started to see the ice pier, the chain-link orca sculpture at the intersection of the transition road and the ice pier road, and the dorm rooms. Then it finally hit me, that warm feeling that brough ease to mind and smile to my face: the feeling of being home. For now, I'm pretty busy with trying to get squared away so more will come. Hell, I'm amazed I found the time to sit down in front of a computer...but I couldn't wait to share how great it feels to be back here at McMurdo Station.

Boomeranged

As figured, the second I get comfortable with the possibility of actually arriving in McMurdo we get boomeranged back to Christchurch. We made it to a point within 30 minutes of McMurdo when the decision was made to turn around. I didn't find out until a few hours after I got back to Christchurch that the weather down at Pegasus Field was actually condition 2 which explains the 9 hour joyride we got to experience this morning. So now, we sit and wait to try again for tomorrow. We're scheduled to fly out at 1000 tomorrow morning (which had been bumped up from 8) so hopefully I'll be eating dinner in Building 155 tomorrow evening. We'll see...

Crossed Fingers....still in NZ

Today is something like our 6th last day in Christchurch before we're suppose to fly out tomorrow morning. For some reason people are more optimistic over the possibility of the first flight actually making it down to McMurdo. I'll believe that when I that C-17 sitting on the ramp in front of the USAP hangar at the airport. It's been getting annoying, actually, listening to everyone ask the same questions and getting their hopes up only to realize that forces unbeknown to us keep delaying our flights. I can't bitch too much because I was one of those people up until 3 or 4 days ago when I came to the realization that I'll get down there when I get down there. Anyways, the first flight [supposedly] left at 0900 this morning. Us on the 2nd flight have to check out of our hotels by 2200 tonight to get ready to fly down at an absurd 0200 Wednesday morning. At first I was sorta dreading having an entire day with not much really to do after I unpack. I really just want to get to work to be honest. I figure I'll have plenty of time to work so I might as well enjoy the day. For now, I'm still in New Zealand. I'm not even going to pack until 2100 tonight so that I know for a fact that my flight will actually be leaving on time. In other words, my fingers are crossed.

Still in Christchurch...

Well, I was hoping to be sharing with you stories about reunions 9 months in the making and snow-swept scenery as well as absurd bitter cold...but I've spent the past 4 days in Christchurch and not in McMurdo like I was suppose be. As a matter of fact the first flight (I'm the second) hasn't even left Christchurch yet. Supposedly, there is an epic storm that keeps plaguing McMurdo and the skies in between us that hasn't allowed any of the prior attempts at getting down there to succeed. So now...we wait. Because of this situation, there are about 300 Americans running rampant around Christchurch running out of constructive things to do. Because of the back up, we keep filling up all of the hotels in town and we keep having to move hotels every couple of days. Between that and waking up early in the morning to receive our per diem money, this entire situation is becoming a huge pain in the ass. On the brighter side, I'm enjoying a paid vacation in Christchurch, NZ without having to pay for a single thing! Oh well...no ice stories yet but hopefully they will come....soon, I hope.

Weather Delays and Christchurch...

Our fears for the day were confirmed when we were informed that our flight for Thursday was canceled. As a matter of fact, the weather in McMurdo is so bad that the group of people slated to fly down on Tuesday were boomeranged back to Christchurch today (Wednesday) and it doesn't look like they'll be leaving tomorrow. Because of this situation, we all have to leave our hotels and await new reservations tomorrow when we pick up our per diem from the USAP Clothing Distribution Center. Some people see this as a blessing to receive more time to hang around New Zealand. Myself and a few others just want to get down there and start working.

Anyways, today was spent receiving my Extreme Cold Weather gear and walking around Christchurch. The city is a lot of fun. Friendly people, a DC-ish vibe (sorta like Georgetown or Adams Morgan minus the rich Abercrombie snobs, crime, and homeless people), and really clean, pedestrian friendly streets. The nights here have been spent at a couple of different bars around the area including a bar called Bailey's which boasts a lot of USAP paraphernalia and offers USAP Participant's discounted drinks. It even has slots from which I won $100 tonight. The one thing I truly value about being in another country is the opportunity to talk with other people about their opinions and views on the US. I talked a couple older Aussies about our current financial situation and the upcoming elections. Talking to people from other countries about our problems and hearing them talk in incredibly specific details about said issues only reinforces the fact that our world is entirely too small for our national issues not to affect other countries. Like my new found Australian friend said, "When Wall Street sneezes, the entire world catches a cold..."

I'm praying we get down to McMurdo soon. If there's anything I hate more about traveling, it's being in transit. Christchurch is a cool place but I can't wait to get home...even if it is a home I'll only be living in for 5 months...

Denver and New Zealand Finally!!!

It's weird thinking that after today I won't see the United States for almost 6 months. It's also a blessing in a way. I've always thought it was a relief getting away from the politics and other issues currently plaguing our country and reading up on them while I'm 9,000 miles away. I spent my evening after the first part of my orientation with my friend at a concert outside of Ft Collins, CO. I got back to my hotel around 4 AM on the day I had 3 hours of OSHA training and 20 hours of flying and waiting to get to New Zealand. Thank God I was able to use my time spent flying for sleeping. I was out before we left the ground in Denver and I woke up as we were on final for LAX. On our 13 hour trans-Pacific flight I slept for about 7 hours. We arrived at Auckland sometime around 0545 this morning. Despite what one would think, New Zealand Customs and Immigration is a pain in the ass to get through. Well, immigrations is pretty easy. You give them your passport and (for us Raytheon employees) your request for a 9 month visa to last you for your deployment, they stamp your passport, and you move on. The hard part is making it through Bio-security. Because I had been hiking through dirt with my hiking boots (as inquired on your New Zealand Customs Entry Card given to you on the flight) I had to step aside into the Bio Security inspection area, dig through my pack and show them that my boots were in fact clean irregardless of the fact that I had told them I washed them. A friend of mine actually had to have his boots washed by the inspectors before he was allowed to continue on. As if that wasn't a pain enough, Raytheon, in all of it's infinite wisdom, scheduled me for a flight from Auckland to Christchurch with an hour and 5 minutes to get my baggage, get through immigrations and customs, get through biosecurity, walk 15 minutes from the international terminal at Auckland International Aiport, wait in a line of 15 people to check in for my flight, wait in another line to pay for my excess baggage, and then make it through the security screening to get to the gate where my plane was waiting...literally waiting for me. They were calling my name over the intercom after they had made the final boarding call for my flight as I was walking up to the gate.

Now I'm in Christchurch and it feels good to put all of that behind me. The only thing I have left to do is pick up my cold weather gear tomorrow, organize my stuff so that I can fly with the alloted weigth I'm allowed and prepare myself for a 5 hour flight and 4 months down on the ice...

Last Night in VA - First Day of Orientation - Denver

My last night in the DC area was spent, surprisingly, at the firehouse. I left there and said my goodbyes early in the morning only to run around and take care of last minute errudns and pack...considering I hadn't truly "packed" at all over the pst week when I had been telling people I had. I've come to the conclusion that I've found a niche in life...at least for now. I managed to pack for 5-6 months away from home, fly across the country wih no hassle, and start a new (sorta) job without skipping a beat what so ever. It feel really good to be on my way to McMurdo. I ran into a lof of old friends from the last Austral Summer...a lot of whom I didn't expect to be returning. There are a lot of changes with Raytheon Polar Services Company and the United States Antarctic Program. I mean, a lot of changes. For the most part, I don't forsee them ruining my time spent down at McMurdo this season...oh well, 5 days to go before my deployment...

Friends

Today was spent visiting and hanging out friends. The afternoon was spent at a good friend of mine's house for his birthday. I met him at the firehouse and we've known each other since 2002. He's currently in Naval flight school so I definitely don't see him as much as I would other friends from the firehouse. At his party were several other really good mutual friends with whom it was awesome to be able to hang out with outside of the firehouse. Most importantly, I was able to hang out with one of my best friends, Christine Jefferies, who I gave a ride to said party. It was good to hang out with her just the two of us to talk about our problems and new found joys in our life. I feel I don't have as many people as I use to throughout the summer to talk to in that fashion. I left my friend's party in the evening to hang out with 2 of my best friends I've known since elementary school. There's nothing like people you've known since your childhood. You definitely share a special bond that you won't be able to recreate with people you meet after you turn 18. It was pretty cool to just sit and chill and be bored together...just like in elementary, middle, and high school. I even got a chance to talk to someone I use to be really good friends with in high school that lives around the corner from me. I sometimes forget how good I have it here at home with the friends I've made and kept....

Back at the Firehouse

I can't begin to tell you how great it feels to be back at structural firefighting. A season of wildland can be mentally draining sometimes. It's a near blessing to retreat to the comparatively simplicity of structural firefighting. I ran as the officer on engine 6 Wednesday night, my first night back:





I was surprised that our station officer actually put me up in the front seat being my first night back but I wasn't really worried that I had forgotten anything so I just did what I was told. Asides from an uneventful roll-over accident and listening to a triple shooting take place in a neighboring fire department's first due, it was a slow night. Tonight was no different. We haven't turned a wheel and I doubt we will.

It was good to see all the people I had been missing again. There are a lot of new faces around the firehouse but the old ones are still there as well. The one thing that sucks about going back to McMurdo is the fact that I'm leaving my family (both at home and at the firehouse) again for several months.

The Drive Home

I made it home early yesterday evening after 3 days of driving. I stopped in Denver (Well, Ft Collins, really) and crashed at a friends place after a leisurely drive from Cedar City then pushed it across the rest of the United States. Nebraska sucks ass. I'll just throw that out there. I'll never drive across the midwest on I-80 again. It didn't dawn on me how weird it felt to be back until at night when I could taste the humidity in the air again. It did feel good, however, to be back. The drive back was very uneventful. Monday I drove from Ft Collins to Peoria, IL:


View Larger Map

The next day, Peoria to home:


View Larger Map

Anyways, it's good to be back. Now, I count down the nine days till I leave home again for McMurdo....

Last Day at Work and Goodbyes

While at Bryce Canyon National Park working on the Puma Rx Burn, it was decided by my management that for the sake of simplicity regarding the logistics of getting me back to Cedar City from Bryce Canyon, I came back home on Thursday instead of Friday evening with the intention of handing my gear in Friday afternoon. After some saw work and a few other tasks, we had lunch at a decent restaurant instead of out of an MRE, I said my goodbyes to my crew mates that were staying there through the weekend and drove back home. Friday, I handed my gear in and took care of a lot of federal paperwork which made that day my official last day with Zion Helitack (at least for this season). I emailed the Board of Directors back at Ashburn to terminate my Leave of Absence on Tuesday considering I may do the crazy and run duty the night of the day I get back (I doubt my mother will be to happy with that). There are a lot of people I want to say goodbye to here but they're all out and about around the area and I doubt I'll see all of them. Asides from climbing in Cedar Canyon with my roommate, I didn't do a whole lot during these two days.

Never Forget....

For the past 7 years, I've constantly received a barrage of email and text forwards from friends and strangers "reminding" (or at least attempting to) me to never forget September 11, 2001. Coincidentally, none of them were firefighters. I can probably speak for every firefighter, EMT, police officer, and any other public safety official when I say that we don't need reminders. When you lose that many of your own brothers in an incident such as the planes crashing into the WTC towers, you'll never forget it. It's impossible. I thank those that do have the foresight to send me those forwards...I definitely haven't forgotten. For the rest of you, however, don't you forget either.

Wildflowers by Tom Petty

My roommate Karleen's fascination with this song has made listen to it to the point where I started actually hearing what was being sung. At this point in my life, the song makes a lot of sense to me and I'm feeling more and more that I can relate to what Tom's singing. Anyways...

Wildflowers
by Tom Petty

You belong among the wildflowers
You belong in a boat out at sea
Sail away, kill off the hours
You belong somewhere you feel free
Run away, find you a lover
Go away somewhere bright and new
I have seen no other
Who compares with you
You belong among the wildflowers
You belong in a boat out at sea
You belong with your love on your arm
You belong somewhere you feel free
Run away, go find a lover
Run away, let your heart be your guide
You deserve the deepest of cover
You belong in that home by and by
You belong among the wildflowers
You belong somewhere close to me
Far away from your trouble and worry
You belong somewhere you feel free
You belong somewhere you feel free

WMI WEMT Quotes...

As I sit here sans stitches on my day off trying to earn some CE credits towards my EMT certification, I can't help but reflect back upon the valuable lessons I learned whilst in Yosemite taking my Wilderness EMT class. These are actual quotes from students and instructors in my class courtesy of the fabulous Haley Bercot...



"In emergencies, as in life, you have two choices: spread calm or spread chaos."

"NEVER perform CPR on Frozen people. It could break their frozen little hearts."

"WMI does not recommend peeing on any wounds in any situations."

"Let's say the situation is extreme, hopeless, no help around . . . can we, ya know, cauterize wounds?"

"if you want to survive to the age of 25, be female . . . or surround yourself with females who make good decisions."

"There are two reasons why that patient's treatment would be delayed. First of all, his respiratory rate is under 30, he's got a radial pulse, and he's following verbal commands. Second of all, he's trapped underneath a steel beam and we're not going to be able to get to him any time soon anyway."

"Sometimes you get pregnant ladies who are nice and in good health; other times you get crack hos who didn't even know they were pregnant."
"Is crack ho a mecial term then?"

"9am in the morning after a night of heavy drinking is not the best time to ask for an anal massage."

"Yeah, I think having lots of sex and spending lots of time outdoors counts as self actualization."

"If I ever faint as a result of 'baring down' for a bowel movement, feel free to shoot me."

"oh ha ha that's humerus"

"What type of EMT do you want to be?"

Every State Line by Ani Difranco

I'm not going to go too deep into my reasoning for picking the lyrics of this particular song to post purely for the fact that I really don't like to talk about politics (as well as my opinions on current politics) in a public forum. Anyways, last night I happened to watch Spike Lee's When The Levees Broke which opened up several emotions and feelings that had subsided since Katrina. I didn't finish the entire film because I had to go to bed but I had been thinking about that movie most of the day. This morning, I stumbled across this Ani Difranco song that has stuck around in my head and emotions for most of the day. I know the song doesn't have a whole lot to do with Katrina but it does have something to do with a lot I think is wrong with our country...


Every State Line
by Ani Difranco


I got pulled over in west Texas
So they could look inside my car
He said are you an American citizen
I said
Yes sir
So far
They made sure I wasn't smuggling
Someone in from Mexico
Someone willing to settle for America
'Cause there's nowhere else to go

And every state line
There's a new set of laws
And every police man
Comes equipped with extended claws
There's a thousand shades of white
And a thousand shades of black
But the same rule always applies
Smile pretty, and watch your back

I broke down in Louisiana
And I had to thumb a ride
Got in the first car that pulled over
You can't be picky in the middle of the night
He said
Baby, do you like to fool around
Baby, do you like to be touched
I said
Maybe some other time
Fuck you very much

And every state line
There's a new set of laws
And every police man
Comes equipped with extended claws
There's a thousand shades of white
And a thousand shades of black
But the same rule always applies
Smile pretty, and watch your back

I'm in the middle of Alabama
They stare at me where ever I go
I don't think they like my haircut
I don't think they like my clothes
I can't wait to get back to New York City
Where at least when I walk down the street
Nobody ever hesitates to tell me exactly what they think of me

And every state line
There's a new set of laws
And every police man
Comes equipped with extended claws
There's a thousand shades of white
And a thousand shades of black
But the same rule always applies
Smile pretty, and watch your back

A little town in Pennsylvania
There was snow on the ground
A parked in an empty lot
Where there was no one else around
But I guess I was taking up too much space
As I was trying to get some sleep
'Cause an officer came by anyway
And told me I had to leave

And every state line
There's a new set of laws
And every police man
Comes equipped with extended claws
There's a thousand shades of white
And a thousand shades of black
But the same rule always applies

Ticketed!

As I found out last year, one of the most exciting things about the Raytheon deployment process is getting the email stating that your travel itinerary has been prepared. As I was sitting here working and hanging out at the St George Municipal Airport (we're helping out with the shuttle of some scientists to a remote field spot just inside the Grand Canyon's National Park Boundary), I got the email from Raytheon with my travel itinerary which states I leave home (from Regan Airport and not Dulles) on the 26th of this month. Usually, when you get to this point in the deployment process you're pretty much done. All one has to do now is, well, deploy. The issuance of your itinerary definitely brings one closure knowing that there exists a definite date as to when you leave your home. So now I know I have only 10 days to see family, friends, run at the firehouse, pack, take care of somethings for post-Antarctic travels, and get some climbing in before I head south. The deployment process is almost over for me. The hard parts out of the way but my travels (again) are just beginning...

The Future

10 days are left till I drive home. It dawned on me last night that next week was my final week here in Utah for the rest of the season. Throughout the day, people have asked me if I was excited to get home or if I was excited to be going back to Antarctica. I really wasn't until the barrage of questions which drove the concept about the Austral Summer being so close hit me.

I had been hounding the travel department at Raytheon regarding my ticketing for my travels over the past few days. It wasn't until yesterday that I learned that my request to Captain Pahl to bump my deployment to an earlier day had actually been answered and approved. So instead of leaving 4 October I'm leaving on 2 October which puts me leaving Dulles around the 26th or so...which means even less time at home, probably 10 or 9 days. Either way, I'm still pretty excited knowing that by the 30th of this month I'll be in Christchurch, NZ.

As I said several times, I'm excited to get home but I'm sorta sad I won't be spending as much time at home as I had hoped. I'm still planning on taking next fall, spring, and summer off to work on my EMT-Intermediate and possibly my Paramedic. So far, unless something better comes a long, I definitely plan on going back down to McMurdo during the 2010-2011 Austral Summer. Surprisingly, despite how much I enjoy traveling and changing the seasons up, I'm looking forward to the stability that next fall will bring. Oh well. It's all in the future right now...

Skiing and Days Off

Day 2 of possibly 4 off from work. I find myself with an urge to go skiing somewhere. It may just be doing research on skiing around Christchurch and my approaching deployment down to McMurdo that's got me excited for some skiing and skinning. I picked up my skis from the ski shop where I had my bindings installed. As cold as its been here in Cedar City, one can only think that there's snow somewhere around Utah at 10, 11, and 12,0000 ft elevation. I haven't been able to do as much as I wanted to this "weekend" on account of my finger. I can't climb nor play my guitar (big bummer). I can, however, hike, read, and surf the internet so the day(s) haven't been wasted too much. Oh well. 13 days left in Utah, 32 till I'm back in McMurdo

Getting Ready to Move On

As my day at work draws near its end, I can't help but think about the 15 days I have left in Utah. Two weeks from tomorrow I'll be driving home to Great Falls, VA. I've been thinking about home a lot the past few days. I've been thinking about how I miss my mother and how I miss Ashburn. The Ashburn Volunteer Fire & Rescue Department, of which I've been a member since December of 2002, has gone through a lot of heartship and a lot of change in the past 12 months...most of for which I've been either across the country or out of the country all together. I received an email today stating that there are talks of an engine heading down to assist with with Hurricane Gustav. I want nothing more than to be there along side whoever steps up to help staff that engine heading down but I won't be home in time. After the summer wildland fire season next year, I'm planning on taking 2 semesters off to work on my Paramedic. I'm starting to really long for next fall.

I'm waiting till I get home before I start counting down till my 4 Oct deployment date down to the ice because at 34 days it's still depressing knowing I have that long to wait before I'm back in the place I love so much. For now, I'm enjoying my last couple of weeks here as well as preparing for adventures and academics to come...

Lots of fire....for two days

Irregardless of my injury, I was called by my boss around 2030 and was told of a fire near Bryce Canyon National Park. The unfortunate thing about it was that I had to be at the air center at 0430...that's right, 4:30 in the AM. We began working on the Straight Wildfire Use Fire around 0600. The entire day was actually pretty exciting. A lot of backburning and a lot of line digging. I preferred the burning over the line digging (asides for other obvious reasons) because of my finger (I had to put a splint on because I could feel my stitches tugging when I moved my finger). Because of my disability I was primarily carrying a driptorch for most of the day setting back fires. Nightfall came and a lot of things went wrong with the incident's management. With another burn plan going on separate from ours, the sole trail that provided access (as well as egress back to our vehicles) for our entire division got burned over. While we hiked all the way around the fire (as night fell) we realized the gravity of our situation as we were walking amongst burning snags and unburned fuel below us: We managed to survive the night as well as a few hours in the morning only to head to Toquerville, UT for a running 20 acre fire. After a couple hour drive back towards Toquerville and Cedar City, we made it to the fire and were almost put to work immediately but we had to wait for a few retardant lines to be put in by the heavy tanker working our fire:




For 2 days of solid firefighting, these two fires have probably been the most fire I've seen all season...

Stitches

In the tradistion of everything that is me, I managed to start of the first houer of the firdt day of my tourr at work with a scrench (paert scewtdriver and paert wrench used on chainsaws) almost a 1/2 inch into my finger. Thinking I was ok, I managed to go 5 minutes beforw realizing the gravity of my situation and driving myself to the ER for stitches and a lovely workman's comp claim.




As minor as the injury was, I went back to work on what my doctor called "modified" duty not necessarily "light" duty. At first I didn't think it was a big of a problem than it turned out to be by the end of the day until I realized how much of a pain in the ass it was to type with a bandage that doubles the width of your finger. You'd be amazed how much you take advantage of having two index fingers...

3 weeks

Today marks exactly 3 weeks till I drive back home to DC. It's been a very long season with a lot of ups and a lot of downs. Some of the roommates I've gained and met over the past week have become very good friends of mine and I'm pretty thankful for that. Work has been very slow. We're beyond the point where we try to use busy work to keep us occupied. Our afternoons at the air center are spent talking with each other, miscellaneous tasks around the base, and the occasional impromptu nap. Friday we participated in a rather fun prescribed fire...other than that that's the only flame I've seen for a few weeks.




I should be getting my tickets for my flight to the ice any day now (after I fax in my Terms of Agreements which I've already done so twice this summer). I haven't started counting down till my deployment date yet because looking at that number would just depress me. For now, I'm just going to count down to the 15th when I drive back to Virginia. I wish I had something more exciting for you but, sadly, thats it...

Back to Work

So I now have 28 days and counting till I drive home from Utah. After a bout of food poisoning, I started working again only to leave Utah for Arizona to do a project just outside of the Grand Canyon. Although it wasn't fire, it was nice to have an easy task of building loads of fencing materials and hiking 4 miles into to receive them while our helicopter long-lined them into us. Near the (normal) end of our shift, we got dispatcehd to a fire in the Fishlake National Forest right outside of the town of Circleville, UT where we worked until 2100 hrs and made it back to the airbase around midnight only to leave again at 0600 to go back to the same fire. At least we're not sitting around doing nothing...

Tomorrow starts the beginning of my 3 day break. Because of some issues with my landlord and him possibly screwing me over, I'm going to spend most of that time talking with a lawyer(s). I'm definitely going to try to get into the park if I can. I definitely feel I'm starting to come out of the funk I was in because of the Line of Duty Deaths from the Iron Complex. I have 4 weeks left here so hopefully they'll be good ones.

A Better Day with Things to Do

Today I'm sick. Deathly sick. Sometime within the past 48 hours I contracted food poisoning (for the second time this year) and I've been paying for ever since I woke up this morning (I have been literally paying for it as well...$500 for an ER visit...). I called out from work sick today, went to the hospital, got some anti-biotics and here I sit in front of my computer. I feel I've been pretty hard on myself the past couple of weeks and its been seriously affecting my performance as a firefighter (both wildland and structural as I found) as well as my normal ability to think decisively, quickly, and clearly. I decided to take my mind off my mental and current social problems and focus on things that I need to worry about as well as the things that usually bring joy to me.

Being in Salt Lake really got me excited for the up-coming main body season at McMurdo Station as it did last year. It was cool meeting up with those I spent 5 months with last season as well as meeting the new folks coming down in September and October. The one thing that sucked about SLC was the fact that I may have failed my IFSAC test for Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting but I'll deal with that when I find out for sure.

Now that I'm back home I have other things to keep me busy when I'm not at work. My landlord is (at least I think so) trying to screw me out of my room so he can move 7 girls into the house. He tried getting me to move out by tomorrow without even looking at my lease. His assistant came over to tell me that I had to leave until I told her that my lease was not up. Considering I had asked my landlord over 5 times for a copy of my lease, she went to their office to get it only to find out that my lease is up on the 30th and he still has 7 girls he promised to house in this house. So now they're trying to move me across the street into a room I have to be out of by the 25th. They're solution for the other 5 days? Pay me $100 for "my troubles". I don't know what I'm going to do yet but at least I still have more time.

Asides from that, not much else is going on. I took a small trip to Brian Head, UT to get a pair of bindings installed on my skiis. Now I'm back at the house and resting.

I'm trying to get ready for McMurdo the best I can without being at home (DC-home). I'm planning (or at least trying) to go to Morocco shortly after my redeployment in Late February/Early March which means I may need to get a visa and a few other things to facilitate a climbing trip be it alpine/mountaineering or rock climbing. There have been a lot of changes for the United States Antarctic Program this year...one of them being the Hold-In-Christchurch option for people deploying to the ice. It use to be that you could mail something from the states directly to the CDC so that it could be held there throughout your deployment awaiting you when you arrived. Now that they've done away with that, you have to have things shipped directly to McMurdo and then you can ship it to Christchurch to be held...crazy, I know.

All in all, I'm glad to be back and I can't wait to get down to the ice. Hopefully we'll see some more fire before I drive back to the East Coast...

Depressed - Back in Cedar City

I arrived back into Cedar City at around 2200 hrs this evening only to become overwhelmed with guilt and depression. The past 10 days in SLC have been hard but fun. Hearing word of the S-61 that crashed in California on the fire my crew was on hit me pretty hard. I've kept it in the back of my mind since I first heard of the news last week. Now that I'm home, it's hit me harder than ever. I feel guilty for leaving my crew right before they had to endure such a horrible event. While I was away from California where they had been stuck for 2 weeks they were having to deal with one of the most devastating fire aviation accidents in several decades. I heartfully feel for my boss, Michael Reid. He was the first person on the scene of the crash and he had to deal with the coordination of aircraft be used for fire suppression of the crashed S-61 and medivacs. He's going through a really hard time right now and I pray for him and my crew everyday. A lot has happened since I left. All 5 of my roommates have moved out leaving me in the house alone (which is actually a good thing). My crew had to attend a Critical Incident Stress Debriefing to deal with the crash. Like I said, I feel guilty and horribly depressed for not being their to support my crew, my brothers and sisters, in their time of woe and need. I feel like I left them, bailed on them, abandoned them. What I feel bad about the most is the fact that I left to learn how to fight aircraft fires and how to rescue victims of aviation accidents only to not be there for my crew when they needed me to help them deal with the lost of a fiery crash with 9 dead. All I know is that I have 4-5 weeks left in the season and I can't wait for it to be over....

Helicopter Crash

Today was the 2nd day of our Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting training here in Salt Lake City. So far its pretty good and, as I expected, we (the firefighters of the 2008-2009 austral summer season) are bonding pretty well. Yet I can't help but think about my crew and wildland firefighting. A friend of mine and a fellow crewmember sent me a text message about a helicopter crash that occurred a couple days ago on the Iron Complex. She didn't give me many details but I checked them out that night and they definitely weren't good. According to a news statement released that night, the pilot was dead and 13 were injured. Today, reading the news, I found out that 9 were dead and 4 in critical conditions due to burns after the Sikorsky S-61 they were flying crashed and burned. It's pretty sobering to me since that could have been the very Sikorsky I could have been flying in let a lone the one which I had toured and whose crew I interacted with. I can't imagine what my crew is going through right now considering they're still on that fire. With these deaths, everything seems trivial. Everything that makes it in the news seems petty compared to that of 13 people that put their lives on the line for the sake of others without thinking twice. What can piss me off sometimes is knowing that some people skip over those articles and stories they see in the papers for something far less meaningless. Right now, I'm praying: I'm praying for the families of the 9 missing and feared dead. I praying for the 4 struggling to stay alive. I'm praying for all of the other firefighters in Northern California and especially the Iron Complex and the helibase that they are able to cope with the loss of our brothers and/or sisters. I'm praying for my crew. I'm praying that they're able to pull together and help get through this terrible ordeal and these trying times. I'm praying that their spirits are high and that they remain safe for the rest of this season. I'm praying that there are no more Line of Duty Deaths this season...wildland or structural. I pray for myself that I can return home safely to my mother and continue on with my quest in life. Please everyone stay safe...

Overcome by Live

I'm still trying to understand the significance of this song. It's a beautiful song to listen to....

Overcome
by Live

even now the world is bleedin' but feelin' just fine all numb
in our castle where we're always free to choose never free enough
to find i wish somethin' would break cuz we're runnin' out of time

and i am overcome i am overcome holy water in my lungs i am overcome

these women in the street pullin' out their hair my master's
in the yard givin' light to the unaware this plastic little place
is just a step amongst the stairs

and i am overcome i am overcome baby holy water in my lungs i am overcome

so drive me out out to that open field turn the ignition off
and spin around your help is here but i'm parked in this open space
blockin' the gates of love

i am overcome i am overcome holy water in my lungs i am overcomed

beautiful drowning this beautiful drowning this holy water
this holy water is in my lungs

and i am overcome i am overcome i am overcome i am overcome

White Ladder by David Gray

As I contemplate the balance of my current lifestyle in regards to family and even romantic relationships I can't help but think about this song and how great (or how shitty) love can sometimes feel...

White Ladder
by David Gray


White ladder
Water and wine
Forever crying
Oh time
Don't wanna feel tonight
There's no rhyme or reason to life
This sweet life

White river
Thunder and war
Forever crying
Oh no
Don't wanna feel tonight
There's no rhyme or reason to life
This sweet life

To the night another body
To the night another name
To the night another valentine
A burning flame
To the night another body
To the night another name
To the night another valentine
A burning flame

White ladder
Water and wine
Don't wanna feel tonight

California and SLC

I finally made it back from California Wednesday night. I had mixed feelings about being there. It was great to get away from Southern Utah for a little bit but there were somethings that sucked about California.

For one, we didn't do much flying because of the smoke which, by the way, was surreal. I flew from Reno, NV to Redding, CA on our second day of traveling. As we crossed over the Nevada/California border, it was like hitting a wall flying towards and through the smoke. Eventually we flew over the smoke for a while until we had to descend into Redding. As we flew, the smoke made a distinct straight line across the horizon with brown on the bottom and blue on top. Eventually we descended into Redding's airspace and landed at Redding's airport where we sat for 2 days because both our helibase and the airport were socked in with smoke. We made it to the helibase only to get sent to another airport where, again, we got socked in...this time for 6 days.

Here's where it started to get shitty. The first day it started to clear up myself, another firefighter and EMT, and one of our lead firefighters where sent to a helispot closer to the fireline to perform a medivac. Again because of the smoke trying to get us up in the air was pretty iffy. The injury, we eventually found out turned to be a pretty serious compound fracture of a femur due to a snag falling on this firefighter. Because of the trees involved and the position this firefighter was on the slope of the mountain, a US Coast Guard helicopter was called in to perform a hoist. Sadly, Andrew Palmer died while en route to a trauma center in Redding, CA. There where a lot of decisions made in regards how to evacuate Andrew out which, I believe (and this remains solely my opinion and not factual events that took place in this particular incident) lost him valuable time all the while myself and another EMT ready to go up there to help the only Paramedic working on Andrew with little equipment sat at the helispot listening to the Coast Guard ship perform the hoist only a mere 2 miles or so away. I'm not going to lie, that affected me a lot. Not so much Andrew's death but the fact that we sat their helplessly and uselessly as we listened to plan after plan get hatched and turned down. Thankfully the Coast Guard took matters upon themselves and decided to transport him anyways even though he died shortly after their departure from the area. I'm still slightly affected even though this happened last week. I guess its something I have to get use to. Being called to help someone in need and being separated from them by such a distance knowing that I won't be able to reach them or them to me is really hard to deal with. I've dealt with some incredible auto accidents with entrapments, technical rescues, and industrial rescues where the patient (or sometimes victim)was entrapped for a period of time but I've always been able to at least seeor touch the patient. As I stood there at our helispot, flight helmet on, gear in hand, staring off at the ridge I had just witnessed the Coast Guard ship disappear behind, I couldn't feel anything but anctiousness to help Andrew and the medic who was reading off his deteriorating vital signs over the radio. Somehow, throughout all of that, I felt helpless...

Within 48 hours of Andrews death the fire service experienced 3 more fatalities of wildland firefighters working on fires in California. We also experienced another medivac which, again, our helicopter never made it off the ground to. The weather, however, cleared up significantly (at least till I left) and we stayed relatively busy doing troop shuttles, recons, and cargo missions. I was hoping to make it out to the fireline once but unfortunately helibase duties called.


I now sit here in Cedar City while the rest of my crew is still working on the Iron Complex. I fly to Salt Lake City on Monday for our annual ARFF (Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting) training held at Salt Lake City Fire Department's ARFF training (ironically, SLC's ARFF training center sits on the SLC International Airport grounds where a mock crashed Boeing 737 sits right in the middle of the normal runways...this is funny because I can only imagine the look on the faces of the passengers of planes taking off and flying by this "crashed plane" putting off 40 foot flames for our training). I'm excited about this because not only do I get to reunite with friends I made on the ice last season, I get to meet some of the new firefighters coming down this year. Anyways, while my crew is still working in Cali, I'm working on the BLM engines at the fire center considering Thursday through Sunday are my normal work days. Hopefully it won't be too boring here in town...

3 Day Break and California

I took a full 3 days off after Sunday. I spent most of them hiking, working on my car, and watching movies. With the exception of almost dying in an electrical storm as I hiked through a canyon, my break went pretty well. Today the day started out pretty normal at work...until about 10 when we got orders to head to California. We're heading to the Iron Complex near Weaverville, CA. The last I checked on the National Situation Report the Iron Complex was at 47,000 acres and is being managed by a Type I Incident Management Team. That's all for now, I'll try to post again sometime soon...

Jack Shit

Today we did jack shit. Everyone thought we'd be busy as hell with the lightening that hit Cedar City yesterday but we didn't go anywhere. The Boise Smokejumpers and a few Single Engine Air Tankers (SEATs) ended up on a fire south of town that turned out to be approximately 30 acres or so. Asides from that, we didn't do much of anything. We pulled weeds, refurbished our gear, and played horseshoes for a while. For the first time in almost a couple weeks, I came home without any overtime. Instead of going out like everyone else in the fire service is doing tonight, I'm sitting at home drinking a beer and studying up on my Wilderness Medical Society protocols and a few other fire and rescue topics I need to brush up on. A slow night but a relaxing one...

Camp Creek Fire

Yesterday was my first day of my current tour at work. Because of only getting a few hours sleep I woke up pretty out of it and very forgetful for I forgot my backpack and my camera. Thinking that it was too early in the morning to get a fire worthy of taking pictures of, I didn't think too much of it. Running by the house and picking it up during my lunch break seemed like a feasible option at the time. Around 0900 or 1000 we got sent to a fire near Kolob Canyon in the far northwest corner of Zion National Park. Between this fire being my first within the park's jurisdiction and the fact that I was flying that day, I was beginning to kick myself hard for forgetting my camera. The exit for Kolob is about 15-20 miles away from Cedar City giving us a 10 minute flight to the fire. The second we lifted off the ground at the air center we could see the smoke from the fire. The fire sat on a mesa top right up against a canyon wall. The canyon itself was absolutely goregeous. The canyon itself must have been at the very least 700-800 feet tall with sheer Navajo Sandstone walls. Myself and one of our lead firefighters were dropped off on an adjacent mesa top with a view that looked over the fire and down to the canyon bottom to see if there was any spotting to the canyon floor. The Camp Creek Fire, as it was called, was about 2 acres covering the entire mesa top which made it impossible (at the time) to land and put firefighters on it safely. Our job was to monitor the fire while the helicopters worked. While our lead firefighter watched and directed the helicopters, I went to work with our chainsaw clearing out a 90' diameter spot for our helicopter. This is where I began to get pissed that I forgot my camera. The entire time I was cutting helitanker 718, a Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane, was doing water drops on the mesa. The impressive thing about it all was his flight path was eye level with us as he descended below our mesa to reach the mesa in question. It was quite an impressive aerial show with a gorgeous backdrop. We spent the better half of the afternoon and evening on that mesa top until we flew in the park's Fire Effect's crew to watch the fire for the night and the next day. By the time we made it home it was near 2200. Today we spent the day at the helibase below the fire doing more bucket work on the spots the pilot missed the day before. We came home in the midst of a pretty big storm that dropped rain and a shit load of lightening all over the Cedar City area...primarily on the Dixie National Forest which currently has a lot of beetle kill sporadically spread across the ranger district just outside of town. We had been joking all this season about how the Dixie would go up in flames this year with the proper ignition. Tomorrow will tell us how much work we'll have on our hands for the next few days or so to come...

3 days off....

After a big roll on Sunday the 6th (5 fires in 7 hours and not getting home till 1 AM) my normal 3 days off were a welcome break from work. Monday I spent the entire day doing absolutely shit. Asides from a few minuscule errands I had to run, I sat around the house and watched a few movies. Tuesday, I went into the park for some backpacking on the La Verkin Creek Trail in Kolob Canyon. I left around noon to hike the 6.5+ miles into my campsite. The hike in was superb. The temperature was about 100 with very little humidity making the trek very pleasant. The views were spectacular:





The best part about the entire trip was that I didn't see a single person. I did how ever see several rattlesnakes in my campground:



As usual, I did this trip alone. Some people think it's foolish to backpack alone...especially miles in to a desert canyon bottom but I prefer the solitude. I like the time I get to think to myself....or not think at all and revel in the silence and the experience of nature and the land around me. I made it to my campsite around 1900 after 4 hours of hiking.


View Larger Map

I sat in the shade and listened to the creek and the falls next to my campsite, set up my tent and started cooking my dinner. I went to bed rather early with the intention of waking up at 5 to make it to my car before 1100 to beat the heat and to salvage the latter half of the day. I cooked breakfast in the dark (which was somehow pretty soothing and relaxing), packed up and hit the trail by 0700.






The rest of the day was spent lazing around the house. I did some laundry, red a few books, and really didn't do much else. Since September is getting closer I've been thinking and planning more and more for my post-Antarctic plans...primarily traveling to Africa before I come home. The logistics of packing and having my climbing stuff with me will be interesting. I still have a lot of planning to do. The rest of my Wednesday night was spent on the internet and reading Dr Seuss to Anna over the phone. All in all, a pretty good break.

Fire, fire, and more fire....

Thursday the 26th, we headed for a fire west of Escalante in the town of Boulder. What was initially reported to be 10 acres or so turned out to be a couple hundred acres by the time our helicopter arrived.




This was my first fire where I was on the initial attack load on our helicopter. Unfortunately I didn't get my new camera until I got back damn near two weeks later so I don't have many photos of the fire which was called the Bear Creek Fire. We left the Bear Creek fire to stage at the Escalante Airport for the lightening storms coming through. Between Monday and Wednesday, we ran 7 fires because of the lightening. Thursday I made it back home for the first time in a week to pick up my new camera. The next day (the 4th) we went back to Bryce Canyon Airport where we had been since Wednesday for reasons that escape even our management. Saturday and Sunday were 'normal' workdays for us at the air center back in Cedar City. With dry lightening finally plaguing the area, we ran 7 fires between the two days. Needless to say, the fire season is here....

It's gonna get worse...

Today is day 3 of my normal 3 days off before I go back to work. We ran a small fire near the end of our shift on Sunday which gave us a few hours of overtime. I spent the past 3 days trying to tie up some loose ends with my Physical Qualification (PQ) process for Antarctica. Thinking that I only had to get a dental exam, I walked out of the dentist's office yesterday with two cavities filled and -$375 in my pocket. The most exciting part of the past few days...

Today my roommate informed me that her girlfriend (my co-worker and other roommate) had told her that two of our co-workers have been sent to Northern California to help with fires out that way. Curious as to why 2 Helicopter Crewmembers from Utah were being sent to Cali so early in the season I decided to check up on some news and do some research on the fire activity in the country. I checked the National Situation Report, a daily report on fire activity across the country, and discovered how bad the situation is for Northern California. Over the past 24 hours there have been over 500 new fires that have started in the country....over 400 of which started in California. I also came across this article in firehouse.com. After reading the sit report, I counted Nor Cal had 18 complex fires already. A complex fire is a fire that composes of two or more fires that have burned together or 2 or more fires managed by the same Incident Management Team. Usually complexes don't start popping up until later on in the season. It being June only means the season's gonna get worse...

Today was a brighter day in my life. No particular reason. I woke up and went to work with a smile on my face. And, for the first time in my life, I ran 4 miles without breaking a sweat. It's amazing what you can pull off when you put your mind to it. Today was an "out of sight, out of mind" day. I spent the morning reading and buying a new camera. After lunch I worked on a small project and played a game of horseshoes. Around 5 o'clock, we got dispatched to a fire just south of Cedar City only to be canceled and turned around 5 minutes later. And here I am talking to you all. The fire season is definitely here. We just need ignition sources...

First Fire and Ups and Downs

On Sunday, halfway through our shift, we got dispatched to our first fire of the season. The Corn Creek Fire, as it was called, is located near Escalante, UT and is still burning as I write. We spent from Sunday till last night [Thursday] on the fire doing work out on the line and running the helibase. It felt good to get out on a fire but it couldn't have come at a worse time. Between things I need to get done for Antarctica and dealing from personal trouble that brewed while I was gone, Thursday night and today were pretty shitty. I'm still pretty down right now but such is life.

Life around the air center is pretty hectic. I'm choosing to talk about this because I realized that my problems with my personal life (primarily depression and some personal issues with a few people) have really been affecting my work. Considering I have other people's lives in my hands, I take my mind off my problems a lot and focus on work....even at home. Anyways, we have a few tankers hanging around the base which is pretty cool considering how fucking huge they are. I've seen them in the sky and knew that they were big but damn. All of the Air Attack platform planes are stationed at the base now. We have another helitack crew from Boise hanging out for a few weeks as well. When the fire season truly kicks off, we'll have a bunch of BLM Smokejumpers from Boise as well as a shit load of heavy air tankers and a Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane. Hopefully I'll stay busy enough to keep my mind off of my personal life for a while...

Zion Helitack, Utah Phillips, and the Days to Come

Had I the tenacity to post an entry on Thursday, it would have been pretty shitty. I was in a bad mood all Thursday. What compounded matters even more was the fact that my mood was affecting my work which in turn led me to make mistakes left and right and piss me off even more. By the time my bed time came around I had calmed down. Hearing my friend's voice on the phone and visiting her in the beginning of the week really help bring a smile back to my face which in turn made the following day a whole lot better. Friday and today was spent doing project work....all damn day. Southern Utah is ready for fire. A shit-ton of fire when it comes....the only thing we need now are ignition sources (i.e. dry lighting). My mind has been wrapped around fire and aviation policies for the past couple of days. I managed to get out and do some climbing yesterday only to come back home and read the Interagency Helicopter Operations Guide and the Interagnecy Aerial Ignition Guide till I fell asleep. I need either a life, fires, or to spend more time with my girlfriend that lives 10 hours away....

I normally do not talk about my political views with many people (well, my real political views) and I won't start now. I will say, however, that I'm really passionate towards the poor, the battered down, and the working class. I favor hobos, hippies, ramblers, folk singers, activists, writers, poets, musicians, and any free-living spirit over your average joe any day. I came across a man who fits into a lot of those categories, Utah Phillips, listening to a newly acquired Ani Difranco album entitled fellow workers. Utah's music and stories opened my eyes even more to those classes of society that are looked down upon or taken for granted by the majority of the population. It'd be a little wishy-washy to say that he sorta changed my life and my perception of such but he did something to me rather permanent. I found out a few days ago on a blog his son keeps about him that he had passed away on May 23rd. I had never got the chance to experience, not just see, him in person. I'm pretty bummed out about that. I'm glad to have found him before he died though. Hopefully I can find some bootlegged concerts of his to try to create an experience for me. Until then, I'm sticking with folk music to carry me for a little while.

Tomorrow is my last day of work for a few days. I'm not looking forward to it. We're suppose to be having some sort of "Physical Training Test" which includes an audacious run and possibly a pack hike. I'm sore as it is from climbing and an ass-kicking workout in the gym today. Monday through Wednesday will be the first time I'm not doing anything or driving anywhere for several weeks which will be nice. I have a pack of Miller Light and a bunch of magazines and books to catch up with. Maybe even more journal entries too...