Living With Fire
July 22, 2006
Fire at the End of Dry Creek Road
Like most cattle ranchers, we live with the threat of fire that places whatever dry feed we’ve managed to save at risk until it rains. A summer rain on the dry feed here generally leaches the “strength” or nutrients from the grass, the days much too long and hot for any germinated seed to survive. In addition to the feed, cattle, fences, hay, barns and homes are also at risk. Naturally, a significant loss of any of the above puts our livelihood in jeopardy, and though barns, hay and homes might be insured, few ranchers have the means to insure their cattle or native feed.
Causes of fire range from State mandated catalytic converters to lightning strikes, human carelessness to electric transmission lines, but in recent years arson has been the main cause of wildland grass fires. Apart from the destructive dysfunction that seems to excite the arsonist, a growing number of fires are set as initiation requirements into local gangs.
In this canyon and surrounding ranchlands, this common threat not only unites neighbors to be vigilant, but at the first sight of smoke they arrive to help where they can. No two fires behave in the same way, varying with the terrain, fuel and wind conditions. After the fires here last week, we were gratified with how much support was offered. While I was herding the fire along Dry Creek Road with the skid steer, Robbin manned the phone and utilized young Ted Ainley as a communications runner between the two fires, dispatching him to retrieve the Fry kids (and their goat) while their Dad fought the fire below their home. I was unaware of the other fires on Dry Creek as was Chuck, each of us wondering where the other was until both fires were contained.
As many of you know, our D-6H dozer is under contract with the California Division of Forestry. Unfortunately, it was on a job four miles up the road for last week’s fires. Air attack in the form of B-19 and B-29 prop-driven bombers loaded with Phoschex as well as helicopters slung with bladder bags of water are used during daylight hours, slowing the fire down until hand crews and engines can contain the fire. But the Helitack crews, such as depicted on Carolyn Dufurrena’s blog site, do the hardest and most dangerous work in terrain inaccessible or out of the reach of 4-wheel drive engines or hand crews.
As adrenalin runs high, one has to continually work to stay calm.