MISSED---AGAIN

I have been contemplating the end of the Olympics last week and am feeling like I was cheated out of them again because of the choices I have made to do Incident Management.

I was really enjoying watching them every night after work and seeing the athletes perform---then came the call to California and we headed out. The news in the papers was way less than satisfactory---I flat missed seeing the athletes perform.

So this is the second Olympics I have missed due to doing incident management. I missed the 2002 Winter Olympics because I was doing Logistics for the Downhill Ski Races---with that I didn't see a single race but I did get to see the news every night and some of the re-runs. Here I just flat missed everything.

Kind of like the family things---I think in the last 39 years I have made a couple of the summer things---guess there is a price to be paid for every choice you make.

LIFE IS GOOD

We have come close to getting through with all of the fires around Hayfork. As of right now we will be pulling the plug on them Saturday at noon--we'll go to Redding and go through the typical close out where we discuss the good the bad and the ugly with the forest---then we'll have a team after action review and spend the night in Redding---with those kinds of arrangements it is likely that I will not get home until Monday---maybe---Sunday real late.

It is always fun to have so much certainty in life---good thing all my clothes fit in the bag and all I have to do is l0ad it in the truck. Regardless of all that it will be good to get home.

THREE CATS IN A RAT TRAP=EXTENDED

Friday we had two Dozers slip down the fireline near Rat Trap Gap. The Ops guy brought in another dozer to pull them out. During the pull up the lower dozer slid down the hill pulling the one the it was hooked to over the lip of the canyon. They all remained upright and no one was injured but it took three days to get them out. This results in us being extended until Saturday morning.

I thought it was kind of cute though that one of our guys said that we had three cats in the rat trap.

COWARDICE ON DISPLAY

I have to confess that I am basically a coward. I left Inklings with five kids to take care of and went on a vacation alone to fire camp where I was to be responsible for about 1000 people. I went with absolutely NO FEAR---it is way, way, way easier to take care of a fire camp than it is to take care of those five. Thanks Inklings.

I didn't say I was wrong---just that it is easier to be a coward!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WRAP IT UP

We got word today that the powers that be want us to wrap this incident up post haste---we can do that---we will begin right now to get everything we have here gone by Wednesday 8/27. We won't be finished with the work but I guess that doesn't enter into this decision. Someone else will do it. It will be good to get home couple of days earlier than we thought we were going to get there.

In the meantime I hope the heck everyone else is good. See ya all later.

Gettin' Bigger

Our fire grew from 64,502 acres to 98,715 acres in the last 24 hours. Not because of any fire runs but because we got assigned another whole complex in addition to what we already had. Turns out to be not a great problem as we were able to completely demobilize one camp yesterday and move everything into ours for today---that is a big deal because the savings from that is over $100,000/day. 'Twas a good decision and with the help of the team we replaced we were able to pull it off without a glitch---we're pretty puffed up about that (both teams)---and the folks on the fire don't even know that it happened.

We have a spike camp at Rat Trap Gap---say that five times very quickly and you'll understand why we call it RAT HOLE. Anyway all ya all that is about all I have going right now but I'll for sure be home before Christmas. It feels pretty good to be here and put to bed ten fires---I love being on this TEAM.

BACK IN THE SADDLE AGAIN

I left home Friday for another bout with the California wildfires. We are currently assigned to the Lime Complex in Hayfork, California. We are also going to take over the Yolla Bolly Complex in Hope, California. That is a lot of fire for us to be dealing with. We will be trying to get everything bottled up and sent back home. Should be a busy assignment. Sometimes I wonder why I would even consider doing this job---then we have our section meeting and I laugh until I cry---then I remember. It is great to have good friends to work with.