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Forest crews light up Carveacre
to protect Alpine from fire
By Wende Cornelius
The Alpine Sun
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| Above,
forest crew members deliberately light fires using a
driptorch. Burn Boss, Battalion Chief Brian Rhodes
keeps an eye on the situation during the control
burn. |
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ALPINE — The U.S. Forest Service recently continued work on a
prescribed fire project in the area adjacent to Alpine’s
Carveacre neighborhood. After years of planning, surveying, and
environmental analysis, crews were able to begin burning
strategic areas to protect Carveacre’s evacuation route and the
homes on the exterior of the community. Sycuan and Miramar Fire
both came to work with the Forest Service, gaining valuable
wildfire training.
The Carveacre Project was a typical Forest Service burn
project, utilizing fire science, various tools, and plenty of
elbow grease.
Before a single match hit the ground, the Forest
Service spent days hiking the project area, clearing “lines” to
outline the work areas, and stretching hoses so that the
temperature of the fire could be regulated. Fire management
officers studied topographic features, weather patterns and
vegetation, and used fire modeling to establish the
“prescription,” the weather conditions most likely to achieve
their objectives.
The specific weather conditions that would accomplish
the objectives were watched closely, with weather readings taken
on site every hour. If temperatures were to rise above the
prescription, the burn project would be shut down due to higher
risks. If temperatures slipped below the prescription, the
project would be shut down because the prescribed fire
objectives would not be met.
At the beginning of each day of the Carveacre project,
the “burn boss,” Battalion Chief Brian Rhodes held a briefing to
explain to the crews the day’s objectives and how to work safely
under the weather conditions. After the briefing, crew members
positioned themselves and filled and checked the hoses they had
prepositioned. The incident weather monitor began hourly weather
observations, recording hourly temperature, relative humidity,
wind speed and direction.
With detailed weather information in hand, the ignition
crew lit a “test fire” to see what kind of consumption would
occur. This smaller fire was strategically located in an area
that could be readily controlled in the event that weather and
fuel conditions would prevent the day’s objectives from being
met. During the Carveacre Prescribed Fire Project, the
conditions were favorable for continuing, so ignition crews
began using a variety of measures to start sections of brush on
fire.
Forest Service firefighters used their most common
ignition tool, known as a drip torch, to set fire to the brush.
Essentially a gas can with a looped spout, the drip torch
allowed firefighters to pour flaming fuel onto the vegetation.
In addition, firefighters also used flares and a flame-throwing
device called a terra torch to ignite the brush near Carveacre
Road.
Lookouts were positioned on hills to watch for safety
hazards and spot fires and to direct traffic as equipment moved
along the narrow roadway. Radio traffic kept all participants in
the 150-acre area abreast of the progress of the fire. Flames
crept along slowly. Without Santa Ana winds pushing flames
through the 38-year-old brush, the prescribed fire hardly
resembled television footage of brush fires that have become
iconic in California.
After each area of the project was completed, small
pockets of fuel smoldered and flared up for days, well secured
within the perimeter lines. If firefighters extinguished these
small consumption fires, the fuel would still be on the ground
when a wildfire enters this area of the Forest, so firefighters
knew to let the fire continue working through the fuel. Each day
after the burn project, crews returned to Carveacre to monitor
the burned area.
U.S. Forest Service Crews will be continuing the
Carveacre Project as weather conditions permit, through early
spring. For more information regarding this project, contact
Battalion Chief Brian Rhodes at 445-6235 extension 3430. Greater
Alpine Fire Safe Council will post on information about
scheduled burning on its website,
www.greateralpinefsc.org.
 E-mail
the Editor
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