[music] Wild fire in the Far West In the Rockies Along the Atlantic coast Three wildfires each in a different part of the country, all of different origins of different size, each requiring different tactics. But they all have one thing in common. They challenge man. [lightning] Man against fire [on radio] Calling from Middle Fork ranger station. Go Ahead. Smoke spotted in Blue Lake area near Devils Flats. 10-4 I'll notify the smokejumper base right away, okay. We're on our way [sound of siren] [on P.A. system] Hawes and Cheney, suit up! Smoke jumpers rugged and ready. When a fire breaks out in backcountry here are the men who fight the flame, and they've got to reach remote places safe Smokejumping is a skill that's not easily won Far from it. Weeks of intensive training under demanding leadership toughen a man for the job His diploma.... the real McCoy The only quick roads to the fire below are by air, hence smoke jumpers. Hopefully getting to the fire before it becomes too big. There are hundreds of these dedicated stalwart men stationed in the western United States. Guardians of our forests. Can they handle the fire? A few minutes will tell. We can handle it. 10 - 4. And good luck! Returning to base. Man against fire. Add blazing timbered to midsummer heat, and you're at the hinges of hell. But wildfire can often be tamed before it gets out of hand Luck has something to do with it: land lies flat, wind is down Man has a fighting chance to beat the devil to the draw. But more than luck: skill. The skill a smokejumper brings to the job. Mastering a fire demands more than muscle. It takes a technique in talent all its own. Speed and thoroughness That's how man works best against fire, and yes one extra point for stamina. The fire might look like it's out, but every fireman knows embers can't be trusted until they're dead out. The night long vigil gives them the answer Morning July 18th jumpers Cheney and Hawes report wildfire at Devils flats dead out. Earnest men saw their duty and the forest lives on The forest where timber lands continue to grow waters trickle and cascade wildlife runs free and nests high Yes a forest lives on thanks to determined courageous men who put out a fire in good time But the mysteries of fire still frustrate man. Lifting the lid of mystery our Forest Service fire research scientists They use specially equipped fire laboratories to study fuel: pine needles, forest debris. How does fuel respond to its environment, what is its chemistry what makes it flammable? Fuel is a complicated business So is the research and developing a true understanding of it What about firefighting chemicals how can chemicals be used best to slow down or stop fire in forest fuels? The performance of different chemicals is determined in fire laboratory experiments How does fire spread? In a combustion laboratory fires are used to determine the mechanisms and rate of fire spread From laboratory-scale to field-scale The violence of the mass fire system is studied and its behavior is measured and analyzed Through research the forest comes to the lab and the laboratory goes to the forest What about lightning the major cause of forest fires in the West Fire scientists have developed instruments to identify fire setting lightning strikes Special weather modification techniques are being tested. Some day man may be able to prevent lightning caused fires Wherever a man needs help in his battle of the flame a research project is in the works And while the eyes of research look to the sky for new answers The sky watch goes on, looking for new fires searching for the first sign of smoke Wherever there's smoke there's fire Yes, but sometimes it's legitimate and under control: A camp fire, debris burning But the one down there in Melton Branch is it legitimate, or is it wild fire? [on radio] Macon from 8-Tango, signal 2 Lot 77 South of Braganza. 8-Tango from Macon how many units do you think you'll need? Two units. 8-Tango out. 10-4 Wildfire has its source in many an evil the careless smoker, the faulty power line Or someone starts a fire and leaves it Visitors to the forest, here for good hunting. Until Look over here dad. I wonder what he's up to The second smoke so close to the first. Is it arson? [on radio] Another signal 2, a quarter mile down the road. 8-Tango out. [on radio] Macon 60, 8 tango take your next left. 10-4. Thank you Trucks and tractors are guided by the pilot. This minimizes the time it takes equipment to reach the scene of the wildfire A responsible citizen and the machinery to capture an arsonist is sparked Georgia tag: two three Robert one eight seven five. Vehicle headed west on Melton Road Subject suspected of starting fires. Repeat be on the lookout for a green 1959 Chevrolet pickup truck, Georgia tag two three Robert one ... Georgia tag two three Robert one eight seven five A third smoke Three fires along the same road, they have the sure pattern of the arsonist [on radio] Third signal 2. A mile down the road from second fire. These are being deliberately set going down for a closer look The pilot zones in on the arsonist points the finger. [on radio] Macon from 8- tango: Green Chevrolet pickup leaving third bar Contact of our investigator Report to Melton Road Investigation and enforcement work side by side with fire control Beginning of the end how in sight for the arsonist. The pilot has still another responsibility To direct his attention to the three fires which have become one to destroy a forest, its resources, the life savings of homeowners, even human life. A senseless act demands sensible action. The battle against wildfire is on Keep burning the line out behind the tractor. Waging the battle takes cooperation Units and men from the township and state, private industry, and county they all have a stake. They all pitch in [radio] Sector 2 from Fire Boss: Build your line until you meet Milton Road. 8-Tango from fire boss: Direct tractors on West flank of fire. 10 -4. [on radio] Tractor 6 from 8-Tango: There's a pond just ahead of you take the right side. What makes an arsonist behave the way he does? The thrill of striking a match? the spectacle of firemen and a challenging battle? Sometimes a grudge a desire to get even. Who can say for sure? [on radio] Line to Milton road is now complete. 10-4. Looks like we've got it under control What makes an arsonist? The motives are many That's why the statistics: arsonists start one third of our nation's fires, a big problem. Today fire researchers study human behavior to find the answers In the fight of man against Firebug cooperation from forest visitors is a big help too, a mighty big help. [siren] Sometimes wildfire, especially in the West Truly lives up to its name This one's been licking at the eastern slopes of the Cascades for well onto 24 hours By midday high winds turn fire against man [on radio] It's gone over the hill on the east flank. We've lost it. It's out of hand. To call for help men respond from over a dozen states Veteran Indian crews leave the Southwest to fight a fire 1,300 miles to the north The fire that also needs fresh suppression crews men experienced in fire management And material by the tons to back him up I'm Doug Maxwell fire boss, on my way to take over down there, and it's a tough one By now called Canyon Creek fire, already ten thousand acres of blacked timber. Three miles out. I look over my responsibilities When, where will we stop it? It's gonna take know-how. Strategy, the strategy we'll work out here in the fire camp First off, I'm briefed. I learned the number of men already out on the line What equipment's up front. And that mores on the way The campaign fire is just like war. And war, as we all know is grim. Okay what's the weather picture Based on this afternoon's condition and tomorrow's forecast My plans chief brings the fire map up-to-date Yeah, it tells me at a glance the present fire edge, and where it'll be by morning My line boss and I agree: By midnight the fire should begin to calm down Now if we can just build our control lines in the morning and connect them before 3:00 p.m., the heat of the day, we stand a good chance of gaining the upper hand. If we can hold the lines. As I said the fire is a mighty big one, so we got to split it up into two zones Each zone has its own boss, and I keep close contact with both of them. Camp's buzzing. Equipment's got to be kept sharp and in tune, ready to go back out on the line. With today's frozen meals a few hands can turn out a barrel full of dinners in no time. It's important for the men to have their chow piping hot, refrigerator cold. Roadblocks will tell the public the bad news: Recreation areas are closed, and maybe burned out. Nightfall, the work goes on. So does the fire. Will it quiet down? Or will wind or low humidity keep it spreading all night? Zone 2 meets at 9:00 p.m.. The Zone is divided into three parts: divisions. Divisions one and two are handline shows Division three is a tractor show Now completing the line between divisions two and three by noon, and holding that line during the heat of the day.... That's gonna be the big job. Well we're in luck the Canyon Creek fire calms down But our work doesn't. 4:00 a.m. Big day lies ahead I hold the morning briefing Idea behind it is to communicate for every level. In other words if we don't all get the message, we're in trouble. Can't afford to miss a trick What's the revised weather forecast, wind speed, direction, the humidity? Where the hot spots gonna be? Will all our forces be in the right place at the right time? And I can't stress safety for our crews too much. We don't want a casualty list Yes our objective goes pretty much without saying: Put the fire out quick as we can. The point is, we must all see eye to eye on how to do it best . Not enough men in zone 2? More tractors than hose for zone 1? We thrash it all out until the plan feels solid to everybody around the table Men of Forest Service another federal organizations, local, county, state total cooperation At dawn the men move out Loggers, mill crews, volunteers People from town, military men, you name it And they take with them today's training and technology Yes technology For instance the details of a fire are hard to see at night or through thick smoke Used to be a problem, but isn't anymore Fire research has developed an airborne and electronic scanning system. It can detect small fires and map big ones It electronically senses details of the fire: fires location, size, its perimeter its direction of spread. Seconds later a photo of these fire details is airdroped. And headquarters gets the picture the big picture Reinforcements continue pouring in It's a mighty battle of men and machines. A battle that can take many directions, and does. The fireline gets hacked out. For some of these men it's their baptism of fire. This cup trench will catch rolling embers and cool them down. More men to fill the divisions needs. Bad news Winds up to 15 mile an hour now, with peak gusts of 25. That could mean trouble. Might have to change our strategy One thing's for sure we must widen the line and clear out the fuel Firefighting needs water. Water needs equipment We use fire retardant chemicals too. To help the men in their battle helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft knock down hot spots with retardant drops. It's 3 p.m. now, heat of the day. A few hours ago at noon time the fire was driving hard on Division three, harder than we predicted Pick up of the wind made the flame spread faster So now we do have to change our tactics No use giving up. We'll concentrate on hot spots and try to hang on to our lines It's pressing our men, testing them hard. Now it's a case of redirecting our crews, and being sure to hold the line So I've got to talk over the changes with the boss of division 3 We agree on the new tactics The chips are down. Men of Division three try to hold up their end of the exhausting battle. The Canyon Creek fire claims a community, along with its playground The new strategy works At last we strangle the fire We've got control now, but we've got to be sure We snuff out and mop up. As quickly as we mobilize for a campaign fire, we demobilize to a skeleton crew. Meanwhile it's time for me to move on The blood and sweat and grief of some thousand men. The strategy, they did the job [on radio] K0823, Fire boss Maxwell leaving Canyon Creek You know it's good to see green again
