Sunday, January 21, 2007

Down in the drainage - Canyon Incident

Water Trucks and Water TendersThis picture was shot down along a creek near Boy Scout camp during the Del Puerto Canyon Fire.
This was taken when I was heading out and this LG Strike team firefighter asked me to side spray it and cool it down which I did with front spray head and side deluge head quickly controlling the spot fire. -Canyon Incident


Picture copyright free for non profit ROC 2006




Water Trucks and Water Tenders

From the top of a mountain during the Del Puerto Canyon fire

Nice header from Canyon Incident fire is heading for the San Antonio valley. This picture shows the beautiful goat trails that are considered roads out here.



Top of the world Canyon Incident

Just supporting a long 11/2 mile downhill hose lay for mop up at the Canyon fire.
Water Trucks and Water Tenders

Water Boy's Water tender - Canyon Incident

A picture of the Water Boys water tender staging at the Canyon Incident.

Staging at the Vineyards.

Cool water truck staging at Del Purteo Canyon fire

Cool water trucks is the name of the company, Cool water tender at Canyon Incident.

All Terrain water tender- Canyon Fire - Del puerto

Picture of the backside of the All Terrain water tender rig leaving a hose lay.

Pumping a hose lay - Del Puerto Canyon Fire

Getting briefed on a hose lay at the Del Puerto Canyon fire Canyon Incident CDF Fire 2006

picture copyright 2006 ROC


Water Trucks and Water Tenders

After the head passed

- Firestorm has just passed here and this is where we were originally supposed to be on the fire line Del puerto Canyon Fire near Voice of America transmiters. This is a Cal Hydro water Tender and a real nice Central valley local Government water tender.

The fire got here early...

The fire got here early or we were late picture of "Oh Shit Incident" Plan "B" Execution...

Oh Shit incident - Canyon Fire - Del puerto Canyon

Photo By R. O'Connor CC
Another Del Puerto Canyon "Oh Shit Incident" picture this was not a retreat it was a fast tactical re-adjustment due to prevailing conditions.


fire trail



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Oh Shit incident - Canyon Fire - Del puerto Canyon California 2006

water tender del puerto canyon wildland fireThe true story of the infamous "Oh Shit incident"

Picture from water tender at Canyon Fire ( Del Puerto Canyon )Picture from water tender at Canyon Fire (Del Puerto Canyon)

This was taken out of the window of water tender turning around on a goat trail near the VOA antenna farm during the Del Puerto Canyon fire summer 0f 2006.

We affectionately refer to the subsequent change of plans as the "
Oh Shit incident"
My water tender was part of a water tender strike team with four local government water tenders and a Cal Fire supervisor, we had dozer's somewhere further ahead of us and we had passed some dozer's on the trail/road earlier.

A CDF supervisor, a local government water tender and myself got a bit ahead of the other water tenders going up the steep roads and after a hour or so of driving to the fire the fire meet us apparently with the help of a late morning wind change the fire decided to meet us head on,

just as a real nice local government water tender, a CDF leader, and my water tender reached the top of a saddle at a fire road intersection and temporarily parked to sort out and decide proper staging for the trucks I soon realized the fire was coming up a chimney like draw right at us towards the saddle we were parked on.
I pointed this out to the super and we agreed
Oh Shit it may be time to go somewhere else.

This left very few choices that seemed good!

1.) Up to the VOA site on the top of the fire but a supposedly safe area? but would require driving up a very steep washed out grade which once any water spilled would not only be impassable but life threatening dangerous with the approaching fire and chance of roll over.

Probably was not doable even if half the load of water had been dumped first. Maybe with half load of water and rear lockers or full six wheel drive.

2.) Deploy the trucks in a safe zone right there was the first plan but was soon determined to be too small and unsafe and became a back up plan.

Find emergency fire shelter deployment area in my mind.
Which at this point I was holding in my hand and I had put on every piece of PPE, Nomex, gloves, helmet, goggles everything which we are required to have and more.


3.) Continue along road to large safe area further up which had only one problem associated with it, That was towards the flare up and ran along the crest of the hill above the fire flaming up that side of the hill.

At this point my side spray was pointed directly at the flames coming up the chimney but the Cal Fire Boss wanted to save the water we had just spent hours getting to this area of the fire which was about 30,000 acres at this point. And if you think about it he was escorting over twenty thousand gallons of water to the seat of the fire where it was sorely needed.

Ok it's your water? Whats the plan boss?


In hindsight: We would of probably made it but it would of been foolish.













In hindsight: We would of probably made it but it would of been foolish.


4.) Turn around and go back down the road we just came up and get off the top of the hill to the leeward side of the firestorm.

water tender Del Puerto canyon wild land fire
Sounds good! Lets go! With the Cal Fire Boss leading and then my 2400 gallon truck followed up by a big 5000 gallon Hughson Fire department water tender which is a local central San Joaquin Valley fire department rig we get turned around and head back down the road off the top and right into these water tenders coming up.

So we get turned around headed down hill and right then the other rigs coming up arrive!
Oh
Oh Shit! the other Local Gov water tenders caught up to us!
coming up all on a fire trail with a spotting firestorm on three sides of us..
and behind them a bunch of CDF wild land rigs are coming up.

So the driver of the rig I am now pointed at nose to nose on this narrow road has the biggest "
Oh Shit" look in his eyes and a funny look comes over him as he has just realized he needs to back his rig down this goat path he just drove up while letting the CDF rigs pass by to fight the rapidly approaching fire front which is in the background.

Cal Hydro water tender at Canyon FireCal Hydro water tender at Canyon Fire
Cal Hydro water tender preforming a strategic repositioning maneuver!

At this point backing downhill in front of me are is the rest of the strike team of 3 Local Gov water tenders, a strike team of local government structure protection engines. And the whole time we are trying to find small road side cut outs to let the CDF rigs pass to attack the fire behind us.

Local Gov water tender Oh Shit incident








Oh Shit!

once the bunch of CDF/Cal Fire wildland engines passed us, the crews jumped out and knocked the heat out of the main fire below the
VOA antenna farm during CANYON FIREPicture of VOA Antenna during Canyon Fire


VOA antenna's, residential house and outbuildings at the top. CDF/CalFire made a great stop on a very steep and dry mixed grass, oaks, Chemise and brush terrain and an almost vertical fire line.


View out drivers window spot fire across ridge









View out of water tender, drivers window of spot fire across a small canyon

The fire was spotting badly and rapidly jumping from canyon top to canyon top across the ridge lines...

This fire was a spot fire only minutes beforeThis fire was a small spot fire across a draw only minutes before

After the fire passed our original stopping point and CDF crews had moved further on we got turned around and came right back to the area we had just left,
for now we had returned to ground zero of an fire line event that will always be called the "Oh Shit incident"At this time on my own initiative I began to aggressively fight the small fires still burning in the base of a fence post! unable to successfully extinguish the flames alone due to dehydration I was soon joined in this en devour with the LG tender crews.

Wildland fire pictureWe sized up the situation and reckoned the need to conserve the precious water in the trucks and so we used our own personal God given fire hose and deploying a relay system of "hands on" and directed attacks on the base of the fire successfully saved an old wooden fence post in a timely and very efficient manner.




Original story at Water Trucks and Water Tenders: Oh Shit







Water Trucks and Water TendersFEED

Construction Water Truck

Some water trucks never see a fire and don't want to! They are used for construction uses such as excavation compaction and site dust control.

From Cal Fire - CDF website picture of water tender

A Classic CDF Government Water Tender

Classic Water Truck needs home - Delta

A classic water truck in retirement,

Photographer: Copyright ROC 2006
Location: Central California Delta

San Antone incident - 2004 - Water tender picture

Cal Hydro water tender 2004 San Antone fire

First of many photo's of Water Trucks, Water Tenders, Fire Equipment, Fires


Photo by Robert O'Connor
Water Tender Cal Hydro at San Antone Incident

This is a brand spanking new blog about Water Trucks and Water tenders


Water Trucks, Water Tankers or Water Tenders are they the same thing?

Out here in the west they all would be a different vehicle or piece of equipment on a fire. The following are my first definitions.

What is a Water Truck? - A Water Truck is any highway truck with a tank and water pumps for delivering a bulk supply of potable or non potable water. 2000 to 4000 gallons water tank ,possibly with spray heads and hose reels.

What is a Water Tanker? -Is a water / fire retardant dropping Aircraft out here on a wildland fire.

On the highway a Water Tanker is truck or semi truck with a large potable water tank or tanks. 4000 to 12,000 gallon capacity possibly with spray heads and hose reels.

What is a Water Tender? -A Water Tender is a water truck with water pumps, fire hose, special equipment, operator training, PPE, communications , for supplying water to on line fire equipment at wild land fire, and rural structure fire scene's. Out here in the west 2000 to 5000 gallons of water, drafting ability, spray heads and hose reels, road spray bars, off load dumping, possibly foam/class A or other special equipment.