Friday, September 29, 2006
Fighting firefighting
In Firebomber Publications Blog, Michael Archer drops this piece of news:
SUPERTANKERS SIDELINED
A strange thing has been happening in regards to the two Supertankers (a DC-10 and a 747 which have been converted from airliners to air-tankers). Despite the fact that management for both aircraft have been rushing their respective planes through FAA and Air-Tanker Board certification, fire managers have been reluctant to keep them in the order of battle on the Day Fire, one of the largest and longest-burning in California history. The DC-10 conducted an impressive drop on a ridgeline on Sunday, a drop which fire managers credited with stopping the fire dead in its tracks on that front. But after that — nothing. There were no further calls from fire managers for additional drops the rest of the week, even after the fire jumped a CAT line and roared into Lockwood Valley, threatening homes in several isolated communities. The Ten-Tanker (as the DC-10 managers called their plane), simply sat on the tarmac at Victorville without serving as anything more than a backdrop for a local news broadcast by NBC.
It's a longer story. I see other bits of it showing up in the Day Fire news river too.
I don't see anything about it on the mainstream news.
[Later...] I got a different story when I visited the Forest Service's Santa Barbara Air Attack base.
Code bait
Doc knows what he wants, but not knowing how to program is like having no hands. Who will help him build it?
Well, programmers do step forward. On the project I'm talking about, one programmer whose work I love (and many of us are using) has already showed up with some Good Stuff.
So, stay tuned. :-)
Day Fire progress
InciWeb is back up. Here's an excerpt from the latest Day Fire report, issued late yesterday evening:
As of 6:00 p.m. today, the fire has burned 160,570 acres and is 63 percent contained with 19 miles of line remaining to be built (34 miles of line was secured today). At total of 4,788 personnel are assigned to the fire. Ground forces are being supported by 9 airtankers, 28 helicopters, 58 engines, 44 dozers and 40 water tenders. Suppression cost to date is $57,524,249.
Here's an accounting for condors, from two days ago.