UNDER A CLOUD OF SMOKE

You can't really fight a fire until you can get a line around it. And you can't build a fire line until the damn fire slows down.

I've said it before. I'm a logger's kid. My dad told stories. About the meet and greet for the new forest ranger and the wife "I hope he learns how to fight a forest fire before he has to."

The ones my dad used were made of metal. This is a five gallon can (plastic here) that could be carried on the back and operated as a hand pump. Five gallons weighs about fourty pounds by the way. They could be stored and the landing (where the logging crew started work) and holds five gallons. The populat term is "piss can." Don't ask me where the name comes from. Anyway. It was probably late May. The ranger came through, forest was drying out. "Well you need to start filling your piss cans. We've been doing that since April. Cecil (dad) would do that!)

When the woods dry out work shuts down when the humidity goes down. Might have been a crew out of Hines in Westfir. Little town about four or five miles from Oakridge. Ranger came through and ordered a shut down for the day at least. When the ranger says "shut 'er down" you shut down. The bulldozer should have been shut off and left where it was. The crew boss ordered the 'dozer brought down. Sound carries in the woods. The ranger didn't even go back he went straight to the main office and gave the company a choice. Fire the crew boss and face a two week shut down. Company didn't shut down for two weeks.

Some call it fire fighting. You can't "fight" a fire. At best you try to guess where the damn thing will go and try to get a line around it. By hand at first and then with heavy equipment. If you can bring the heavies in. Planes can drop fire retardent and water. Helicopters can drop water. But you can't do either when the wind is blowing a gale or you can't see through the smoke.

More later about the disaster unfolding on the west coat this week. California was already burning and Oregon and Washington are too now. The wind shifted from east to west last night and both states are under the smoke  cloud. I think I'll just try to sleep through it. Apparently my weather ap only recognizes smoke if it knows a fire is in the area. Otherwise it keeps telling me it's foggy. It certainly is "foggy." Monday can't get here soon enough.