Scudrunners

I wonder how long it took before the Air Attack aircraft were scrambled on that one?

There are at least three things the Government could do to help prevent another disaster like Ft. McMurray.


Change the building code in forested areas to fire resistant roofs and fire resistant sidings.


Buildings catch fire from airborne material blown by the wind, these materials are very light and do not burn long after they fall on the surface, dry ground cover and trees catch fire easily because they are very flammable and very dry.


Cut wide clear areas around built up areas to keep the heat of burning trees and dry ground cove from igniting buildings.


Use fire bombing aircraft as true initial attack machines to be dispatched at the first sign of a fire.


If you get air attack to the fire before it gets a chance to really spread it can be controlled almost every time.


I spent fifteen years as a Captain on  heavy water scoopers and I know initial attack is very effective.


The ideal use is have the water scooper loaded wit long term retardant and ready to go 100% of the contract.


The initial drop or drops using long term is very effective for the initial attack and depending on how close water is you just scoop and keep the fire from spreading.

Even better hire experts from Avcanada like Rockie to decide what works...


Jesus that site sure has some real winners.

[url=http://photoblog.nbcnews.com/_news/2012 ... dfire?lite]http://photoblog.nbcnews.com/_news/2012 ... dfire?lite[/url]

[quote]But one house survived.

"The house was saved by defensible space," Bryan Flint, Washington state Department of Natural Resources spokesman, told The Associated Press. "The placement of the driveway and the lack of trees and brush up against the house help prevent the flames from reaching the house."

Where you choose to build your house on your property, what you build it out of and how you protect it will make your home more or less prone to fire risk, Rich Elliott, deputy fire chief, Kittitas Valley Fire and Rescue, told NBC News.

“Those three things are 90 percent of the battle,” he said.[/quote]


A few years back, I remember seeing a picture of a lone house
in California that survived an intense forest fire.  Everything
around it was leveled.  The guy that built it was an engineer
that his neighbors (AvCan experts?) laughed at.

If you have a swimming pool it is wise to have a pump, hose and fire retardant foam mix to coat your house in case of a big fire in your neighbourhood.

[quote]Change the building code in forested areas to fire resistant roofs and fire resistant sidings. [/quote]

I know for a fact that after the fires close to Kelowna a few years ago almost all have gone to metal roofs on the rebuilds at least

Speaking of this whole "disaster" I have just simply turned off all the canadian news networks for the last few days and switched to BBC news fucking CNN has ruined the whole concept of current events --

Chuck it must have been frustrating as a tanker pilot to sit around (as the fire grew) waiting for the powers that be to make a decision to let you go do your job.

For the last ten or so years of my fire bombing career I was fortunate not to have to be one of the sheep in the flock.


I was considered to not be a "" Team player "" bureaucratic mumbo jumbo to describe those who do not grasp their ankles and meekly take it up the ass from the morons who work in the government departments that only know how to expand their power structure.


Sooo they had a problem, both the forestry departments and my employer.


They tried ending my career by firing me so I went to the top of government and told them I would be happy with the money they would have to pay me for wrongful dismissal.


They finally decided I would be used as a " Lone Wolf " air tanker that would be dispatched anywhere in Canada there was a fire emergency or the threat of one.


It worked like a dream because I didn't have to just sit and wait to be dispatched and best of all the fire management drones in all the provinces knew better than fuck me around.


The best place I ever worked was Manitoba where I spent four years as a Lone Wolf pilot that self dispatched at the first hint of a fire, in four years there was never even one initial attack fire that got away from me and as each year passed I was paid more.


Fire bombing was an interesting job but as the years passed I got tired of never having a home life during the best part of the year so I quit and started my own company specializing in War Bird restoration, repair and flight training.


Eventually I ended up flying for the TV industry in France and finally Mirimax Movie Studios then after 52 years of flying for a living I retired in 2005.


Aviation for me was a very good career and I retired in comfort.


And the best part is I never had an accident nor even one violation of the regulations in over thirty thousand hours of flying.