Thread: Canadian forest fire smoke

Last night the moon was an erie dark dark orange. Very cool looking but it made me think of our neighbors north and hope everyone is ok and safe.

Yea, moon was bright orange last night here in So. Cal.

A friend who works for the US Forestry Service says it is a well-known, in the Forestry Service that most of the fires are set by people that work for the service.

Forest Fire Fighting is a Hugh business, but they only work, if there is a fire, so…

He said, “Have you noticed, there are more fires now, than there used to be, and that there is a “fire season” that starts like clockwork?”

Originally Posted by Euclid440

Yea, moon was bright orange last night here in So. Cal.

A friend who works for the US Forestry Service says it is a well-known, in the Forestry Service that most of the fires are set by people that work for the service.

Forest Fire Fighting is a Hugh business, but they only work, if there is a fire, so…

He said, “Have you noticed, there are more fires now, than there used to be, and that there is a “fire season” that starts like clockwork?”

There has always been a "forest fire season" up here. We get damn few fires in winter. The season does start every year in spring and ends in the fall like clockwork. Just exactly how long and busy the season is depends on weather conditions. Humans start slightly more than half of all forest fires with lightening strikes making up the rest. See Fire behaviour | Natural Resources Canada .

I can't see how anyone in their "right mind" who has fought forest fires and seen the devastation up close and personal would deliberately start one for self employment.

Bob

Originally Posted by BobH

I can't see how anyone in their "right mind" who has fought forest fires and seen the devastation up close and personal would deliberately start one for self employment.

Bob

Yeah . . . I have a cousin who flew helicopters out west for a time during forest fire season, dropping crews into hot spots and such. A friend's older brother was killed when we were just out of high school in a helicopter accident doing similar work. Doubt ANYONE doing this kind of work would start one on purpose unless they were certifiable.

Yea, you would think so.

Joe Wambaugh wrote an interesting true story, book years ago, “Fire Lover” about John Orr, a Fireman, Captian respected and well know arson investigator who was a prolific arsonist for years.

He is not the first and will not be the last.

Let's hope all the fires are put out soon..... A lot of displaced people atm....5000+ and growing here.

Originally Posted by Euclid440

Yea, you would think so.

Joe Wambaugh wrote an interesting true story, book years ago, “Fire Lover” about John Orr, a Fireman, Captian respected and well know arson investigator who was a prolific arsonist for years.

He is not the first and will not be the last.

I am not saying that the odd deranged person doing it isn't a fire fighter. Most human caused forest fires are started out of stupidity/ignorance/carelessness, pick your favourite descriptor.

Bob

Originally Posted by Euclid440

Yea, moon was bright orange last night here in So. Cal.

A friend who works for the US Forestry Service says it is a well-known, in the Forestry Service that most of the fires are set by people that work for the service.

Forest Fire Fighting is a Hugh business, but they only work, if there is a fire, so…

He said, “Have you noticed, there are more fires now, than there used to be, and that there is a “fire season” that starts like clockwork?”

Thats amazing if true

Stupid people should carry a sign

My buddy has worked for the Forestry Service for years, starting as a Smoke Jumper. He supervises the accounting and payment of sub-contractors that do and support firefighting.

Much of the firefighting is done by Sub Contractors and all of the support is subbed. The money is stupidly massive. Think about it on a national level, Air Support, logistics/transportation, Food Service, heavy equipment, lodging, travel, equipment purchases and they don’t do any of it on the cheap, no one questions the cost, ripe for large scale fraud and all of them only get paid, when there is a fire. It is an industry.

He says, when you just look at the numbers going back years, the pattern is glaringly obvious, each year the “Season” starts earlier, lasts longer and costs more. No one outside of the Service talks about it, because of the “Fire Fighter Hero” image and the money is so big, “they” will crush you.

Money makes people do crazy things.

So what’s the saying? Where there is smoke…