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Fighting the California Wildfires

Sue

Friend of the Marque
My daughter was called up to head to California to fight the wildfires. She works at the Neal Smith Wildlife Refuge in Des Moines and went through her fire training there.

We've been watching the news and it seems like the fires are never-ending. I sincerely hope that the rains come and the winds diminish VERY soon.

So - do we have anyone on our forums who has been affected?

Below is a picture of Hallie this spring. She is an MOA member and is currently using my K75 as her summer ride.
 

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Our thoughts and prayers are with all the firefighters and those folks they are serving who are endangered, or their property endangered, by these fires.

I was speaking to a business contact in San Diego last week and he told me the fire fighters are true heroes to the people of California. Please convey my gratitude to your daughter and her co-workers for the job they are doing.:thumb

And as Clapton sang; "Let it Rain"!
 
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Fires really never end. My 92 year old uncle fought wildfires in Plumas National Forrest California. back in1932. He was a 15 year old hobo. He was rounded up with all the other hobos in the rail yard at the point of a gun and had 2 choices, fight the fire or go to jail. He volunteered to fight the fire. Life magazine, June 28, 1937 issue had an article about forrest fires out west and all the damage they did. His picture is in the article, p. 67. All the men in the picture are hobo's who 'volunteered.' He and another man are carrying out a man overcome by smoke. I asked him a couple a years ago, how he knew he was in the mag. He said he was in a barbershop to get a haircut picked up mag. and saw the article with his picture. Unbelievable. He's still alive and doing well. Good luck to your daughter.
 
Update: She IM'd me late yesterday. She is in Redding along with other firefighters from around the country. It sounds like many of them are with the US Forest Service and the Fish & Wildlife Service. She is on a line-crew.
 
Good for her Sue

Pass on my personal thanks for her service. These folks rate right up there with our military in my mind.:clap
 
Tell her THANK YOU!!!! from all of us dispatchers here in WA state. And to forward that THANK YOU to all her co workers.

She may not be working up here in WA, but a lot of these folks are.

Here in Chelan/Douglas Counties, we had a fire that went to state mob on July 8th. second fire on the 9th that almost did. And today, a new fire that went State Mob in two hours after the first report of the fire. Winds are howling and its getting ugly. If it jumps the Columbia, we're hosed.

Its been hot here. I cannot imagine having to be in full turn out gear, digging fire lines, etc etc in this heat and wind. I could never do their job, and without them, we'd be lost.


so again, THANK YOU to her and everyone else that busts their ass to keep us safe.

:clap :clap :clap :clap :bow :bow :bow :bow :bow :clap :clap :clap :clap :clap
 
Best wishes

Hey Sue,

Wish Hallie our best and tell her to stay hydrated! All the wildland gear, though lighter that structural FF gear, will still make you dehydate when you are working hard.

We will keep her in our prayers.....


:bow
 
Thanks everyone!

She's at a base camp now near the fires, with no toilets and showers. The management of the fire teams is always on top of hydration and personal safety, so I am not worried about her. I would, however, like to hear about the adventure.

I hope she has access to electricity so she can charge her phone so she can continue to text-message me, otherwise it will be awhile before I hear from her.

Thanks to everyone for your well-wishes.
 
Sue,
Being from Nor Cal., I'd like to thank Hallie for coming to our aid, and for you for being supportive of her.

Pass on my thanks to her, and all of the other fire fighters.
 
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Update: She IM'd me late yesterday. She is in Redding along with other firefighters from around the country. It sounds like many of them are with the US Forest Service and the Fish & Wildlife Service. She is on a line-crew.

On the way to Gillette, we spent a night in Redding. It looked like a firefighter rally up there, with fire crews and apparatus everywhere. I saw units from all over the west, in town to help.

When we crossed back into CA from OR, we started to see smoke and most of the central valley was pretty smoky, north of I-80. We probably won't see rain until the fall, so these fires may be burning for a while. It's sad, we're going to lose some big areas of forest.

Send Hallie our thanks, Sue. Us left coasters appreciate the help. If she needs anything, or manages to get down to SF, we'd be happy to help.
 
Thanks to all the Fire Fighters

Sue, Our place was saved thanks to the efforts of an Engine Crew from Pacifica Ca. We wave and shout (Thank You) to all the fire fighters we see on Concow Road. This has been an interesting experience to say the least and thanks to the efforts of nice folks like Hallie, we still have our home.

Cheers

Dave, Dot & Freckles (honorary fire engine) Doggie
 

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Dave & Dot - It's so great to hear they were able to save your house. How painful it must be to watch those flames come so close!

I just heard from Hallie again. She was moved to south Plumas, which is where she thinks she will stay now throughout the end of her tour. They've been working 16-hour days, which means all they do is work and sleep. I believe she will be there for 18 days total. She said she's enjoying it, and that the local people are wonderful.
:hug

Hallie has an "best-buddy" up in Shasta. (Kbasa - you met Nate on your way to West Bend.) Anyway, I think she is hoping to see him before she is shipped home, but sometimes you don't have a choice when the government is your travel agent. I'll also give her your message, Dave. I hope she gets a day or two before they ship her back to Des Moines.

Thanks, Everyone, for sending your good thoughts her way. It's not like I'm worried - we are an adventuresome family, after all - but still.......

I am hoping she brings me home a couple of cases -- uh bottles -- of wine. :ha
 
Normally I don't worry. I love adventure and am happy that my kids search it out too. But man... this is new terrain for me.

I just received a text message from Hallie that said she "Just left Spike Camp as an initial crew on a new fire." She is now in south Plumas as far as I know.

She sounds excited, though, so I will be excited for her.

uh ...(& talk to the guardian spirits about keeping her safe.
 
I'm not suprised to hear that Hallie choose to do something like this. I'm just not sure where she gets all that "spirit" from >(Mom)<. :p

I'm sending good ju-ju her way.

Glenn
 
THANKS from CA;

I live within an hour of the Yosemite NP fire threat and so many out here are loosing everything, including lots of homes:(. Thanks for folks like your girl and so many others, coming to California,s aide. I even heard a fire crew from "Greece" just came over to lend their help, as they had some monster fires in their country in recent years! My wife and i just passed through Redding, coming home from the rally in Gillette and the smoke in Redding was nearly unbearable. Many are wearing masks, for breathing. RAIN, not likely in California, as we are NOT in our wet season here and don't get rain for 6 months at a time:(. Wishing for it though. THX again for your daughter and all the crews from wherever they come, as the help is dearly needed! Randy,"Polarbear":clap
 
Too close for comfort

I still own my house in Magalia (next to Paradise) and the Camp fire from the Butte lightning complex came within 4 mi. By the Grace of God the firefighters held it at the west branch of Feather River
 
Glad you guys who live near the fires are OK.

I just heard from my daughter again. Her Wing Man went to the hospital with chest pains, so their team is one down now. From her small corner of the battle, all is going well - - except for this.

She again said how GREAT all of the local residents have been.

She is now half-way through her 18-day deployment.
 
I live within an hour of the Yosemite NP fire threat and so many out here are loosing everything, including lots of homes:(. Thanks for folks like your girl and so many others, coming to California,s aide. I even heard a fire crew from "Greece" just came over to lend their help, as they had some monster fires in their country in recent years! My wife and i just passed through Redding, coming home from the rally in Gillette and the smoke in Redding was nearly unbearable. Many are wearing masks, for breathing. RAIN, not likely in California, as we are NOT in our wet season here and don't get rain for 6 months at a time:(. Wishing for it though. THX again for your daughter and all the crews from wherever they come, as the help is dearly needed! Randy,"Polarbear":clap

Redding's in awful shape now, isn't it? We stayed in Alturas last week and it's just all smoke and haze up there, too. We started seeing smoke as far away Idaho on the way back and didn't really escape it entirely until we were about halfway across Nevada on the way out.
 
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