1 00:00:03,939 --> 00:00:21,650 2013 Smokechaser Closed Caption Final 2 00:00:21,650 --> 00:00:27,220 This is a training film showing a forest smokechaser in action on a small fire. 3 00:00:27,220 --> 00:00:34,110 The smokechaser, John, and his family, Josephine, and little Joan, live on Brundage lookout. 4 00:00:34,110 --> 00:00:38,000 Joan makes friends with their wild neighbors of the forest, there are few visitors on the 5 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:39,100 lookout. 6 00:00:39,100 --> 00:00:44,489 Josephine helps on the lookout when John is gone, takes over his lookout duties. 7 00:00:44,489 --> 00:00:50,070 John works for the Southern Idaho Timber Protective Association, a cooperative private, state, 8 00:00:50,070 --> 00:00:51,879 and federal forest protection unit. 9 00:00:51,879 --> 00:00:56,420 He is looking for fires in the forest he protects. 10 00:00:56,420 --> 00:00:59,019 Trees as far as the eye can see. 11 00:00:59,019 --> 00:01:02,109 Trees that furnish lumber for our homes and industries. 12 00:01:02,109 --> 00:01:05,900 Trees that protect the water supply for our cities and farms. 13 00:01:05,900 --> 00:01:09,330 Trees which provide a home for game and wildlife. 14 00:01:09,330 --> 00:01:11,680 Trees that must be protected from fire. 15 00:01:11,680 --> 00:01:15,080 Johnís guarding an empire of trees. 16 00:01:15,080 --> 00:01:19,510 There, in the distance, a tiny smoke! 17 00:01:19,510 --> 00:01:20,510 In the center. 18 00:01:20,510 --> 00:01:22,640 Itís hard to see. 19 00:01:22,640 --> 00:01:25,790 Little smokes can be confused with other light objects. 20 00:01:25,790 --> 00:01:30,450 John studies it carefully to be sure it is a smoke before reporting. 21 00:01:30,450 --> 00:01:35,380 If reached quickly, small fires like this can be controlled by one man. 22 00:01:35,380 --> 00:01:38,910 He travels this by car. 23 00:01:38,910 --> 00:01:42,440 This, by trail. 24 00:01:42,440 --> 00:01:44,060 And this, cross country. 25 00:01:44,060 --> 00:01:46,200 Hereís the last water. 26 00:01:46,200 --> 00:01:51,680 A copy of the report and field map, will help him search for the fire. 27 00:01:51,680 --> 00:01:56,220 Backpack is ready, complete with rations, water bag, and the tools heíll need, by being 28 00:01:56,220 --> 00:02:01,170 always ready, he can meet the standard getaway time of 5 minutes. 29 00:02:01,170 --> 00:02:04,660 Josephine will be the eyes that watch over the forest while he is gone. 30 00:02:04,660 --> 00:02:09,530 Sheíll report any other fires, and keep the dispatcher posted in case Johnís fire gets 31 00:02:09,530 --> 00:02:11,629 out of hand. 32 00:02:11,629 --> 00:02:15,520 The first 8 miles are by car. 33 00:02:15,520 --> 00:02:18,350 The rest must be done the hard way. 34 00:02:18,350 --> 00:02:23,030 He climbs into his pack, and takes to the trail. 35 00:02:23,030 --> 00:02:27,950 Heíll fill his water bag when he gets to the creek. 36 00:02:27,950 --> 00:02:31,090 He makes good time on the three miles of trail. 37 00:02:31,090 --> 00:02:36,330 Letís see, this must be about the place to hit the brush. 38 00:02:36,330 --> 00:02:42,160 The next 2 miles will seem like 20. 39 00:02:42,160 --> 00:02:44,370 He fights the brush. 40 00:02:44,370 --> 00:02:49,850 Watch out John, a sprained ankle here and the chances of doing your job are shot. 41 00:02:49,850 --> 00:02:54,090 ITíS HOT! 42 00:02:54,090 --> 00:02:55,459 And dry as a bone. 43 00:02:55,459 --> 00:02:59,250 A fire in this fuel with a wind would really ramble. 44 00:02:59,250 --> 00:03:04,920 Heís made the top, where he can check his position and the location of the fire. 45 00:03:04,920 --> 00:03:08,110 He seeís landmarks spotted from the lookout. 46 00:03:08,110 --> 00:03:10,790 Sheís downhill from here. 47 00:03:10,790 --> 00:03:16,540 There it is, good woodsmanship pays off. 48 00:03:16,540 --> 00:03:19,849 The fire is burning in heavy fuel spreading uphill. 49 00:03:19,849 --> 00:03:22,950 The gulch below is a jungle of logs and brush. 50 00:03:22,950 --> 00:03:26,020 A dead tree is afire, and throwing sparks. 51 00:03:26,020 --> 00:03:27,730 Oh brother! 52 00:03:27,730 --> 00:03:32,830 A lightning struck snag, fire clear to the top. 53 00:03:32,830 --> 00:03:36,230 John starts around the fire to size it up, and plan his attack. 54 00:03:36,230 --> 00:03:39,190 . This is a first of four progressive steps he will take. 55 00:03:39,190 --> 00:03:40,190 1. 56 00:03:40,190 --> 00:03:41,720 Scouting-thatís what heís doing now. 57 00:03:41,720 --> 00:03:42,720 2. 58 00:03:42,720 --> 00:03:44,520 Hot spotting dangerous leads. 59 00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:45,520 3. 60 00:03:45,520 --> 00:03:48,290 Building a permanent control line, and 4. 61 00:03:48,290 --> 00:03:50,900 Mop-up, and putting out all fire. 62 00:03:50,900 --> 00:03:54,060 Sheís really going to town. 63 00:03:54,060 --> 00:03:57,670 This hotspot must be stopped,right now. 64 00:03:57,670 --> 00:04:05,500 There, a few shovels of dirt now slows down Johnís scouting, but may save a real bust. 65 00:04:05,500 --> 00:04:08,890 A steep slope, rolling hot stuff, a jungle below. 66 00:04:08,890 --> 00:04:15,489 The answer, a good deep v trench with plenty of bank on the lower side. 67 00:04:15,489 --> 00:04:21,570 Notice the firm grip on those tools. 68 00:04:21,570 --> 00:04:26,760 And hereís old heartbreaker again, throwing sparks all over the hill-sheís got to come 69 00:04:26,760 --> 00:04:27,760 down. 70 00:04:27,760 --> 00:04:35,310 What a mess, trees thick as the hair on a dogs back, a dangerous spot for a blowup. 71 00:04:35,310 --> 00:04:37,360 This ëill be a hot job. 72 00:04:37,360 --> 00:04:44,650 Easy stuff, not going fast, plenty of time to take care of this. 73 00:04:44,650 --> 00:04:47,690 This tough stump will need cooling down, more hard work. 74 00:04:47,690 --> 00:04:52,250 Itís plenty fat, lots of pitch. 75 00:04:52,250 --> 00:04:57,910 Scouting done, John places his pack in a safe opening, where it wonít burn up. 76 00:04:57,910 --> 00:05:03,160 A modern touch, the orange cross shows smokejumpers no help is needed. 77 00:05:03,160 --> 00:05:05,630 Now for the second step, hot spotting. 78 00:05:05,630 --> 00:05:10,820 John takes his tools and water, and hits the worst leads he saw while scouting. 79 00:05:10,820 --> 00:05:14,900 A spreading fire about to get into some windfall is cooled with dirt. 80 00:05:14,900 --> 00:05:18,250 A quick trench is thrown along the hot edge. 81 00:05:18,250 --> 00:05:24,540 This trench is down to mineral soil, and about one shovel wide, good enough for light fuel. 82 00:05:24,540 --> 00:05:27,660 It did the job. 83 00:05:27,660 --> 00:05:34,820 The dog haired thicket is starting to crown. 84 00:05:34,820 --> 00:05:40,400 John got back just in time. 85 00:05:40,400 --> 00:05:50,080 This pile of chunks has got to be cooled down and torn apart. 86 00:05:50,080 --> 00:05:53,080 That snag is too hot to cut down now. 87 00:05:53,080 --> 00:05:56,120 Dirt will cool it, so he can drop it later. 88 00:05:56,120 --> 00:06:00,400 Now, to stop that roll. 89 00:06:00,400 --> 00:06:02,630 Make that v-trench deep. 90 00:06:02,630 --> 00:06:05,650 Cut off those roots so fire canít creep across. 91 00:06:05,650 --> 00:06:09,890 Build a good high outer bank so chunks wonít bounce across. 92 00:06:09,890 --> 00:06:11,979 Use good clean soil. 93 00:06:11,979 --> 00:06:15,550 Keep the bank free from punk, and rotten wood. 94 00:06:15,550 --> 00:06:19,070 His trench is catching the roll, itís plenty good enough. 95 00:06:19,070 --> 00:06:22,990 Thereís a husky log thatíll roll down in those trees. 96 00:06:22,990 --> 00:06:27,360 Thatís the stuff John, pull it around. 97 00:06:27,360 --> 00:06:29,690 Now it wonít roll. 98 00:06:29,690 --> 00:06:32,850 Remember, John figured to cool down the old stump. 99 00:06:32,850 --> 00:06:35,230 He still hopes he wonít have to dig him out. 100 00:06:35,230 --> 00:06:39,960 Thereís a lot of fire here, but still on the surface. 101 00:06:39,960 --> 00:06:45,490 Thatís right, trim up this stuff inside, and get the limbs out of the fire. 102 00:06:45,490 --> 00:06:49,110 Keep the fire on the ground. 103 00:06:49,110 --> 00:06:53,310 For the present, hot spotting is done, rapid spreading leads are stopped. 104 00:06:53,310 --> 00:06:57,100 Now for step three, building a permanent line. 105 00:06:57,100 --> 00:06:59,740 John is slashing a clearing through the thicket. 106 00:06:59,740 --> 00:07:04,190 The fire edge is mighty hot so he doesnít work too close, heíll need some time to finish 107 00:07:04,190 --> 00:07:05,190 his line. 108 00:07:05,190 --> 00:07:08,830 He gets rid of fuel by throwing it out as he cuts. 109 00:07:08,830 --> 00:07:12,960 John figures the fire will stay on the ground, and not jump his clearing. 110 00:07:12,960 --> 00:07:17,650 He is smart to locate his trench on the outer edge of the cleared line, to take full advantage 111 00:07:17,650 --> 00:07:21,070 of the opening, and get away from heavy fuels. 112 00:07:21,070 --> 00:07:25,979 Sheís burning clean, a nice quiet ground fire. 113 00:07:25,979 --> 00:07:29,820 Old heartbreaker has cooled down a lot, he can cut it down now. 114 00:07:29,820 --> 00:07:33,160 John uses his Pulaski as a plumb bob to see how she leans. 115 00:07:33,160 --> 00:07:37,889 The hard hat came out of his pack, he wears it to keep from getting conked. 116 00:07:37,889 --> 00:07:40,840 Johnís mighty interested in his own safety. 117 00:07:40,840 --> 00:07:45,009 He clears a good getaway. 118 00:07:45,009 --> 00:07:47,460 A wide bed is swamped for the snag to fall in. 119 00:07:47,460 --> 00:07:51,960 Itís burning up high and he doesnít want a lot more ground fire. 120 00:07:51,960 --> 00:07:55,660 Three foot through, sound as a dollar. 121 00:07:55,660 --> 00:07:58,160 A hundred feet high. 122 00:07:58,160 --> 00:08:02,410 Plenty of limbs, a real widow maker. 123 00:08:02,410 --> 00:08:09,860 The undercut is started, so it and the back cut will be at the easiest height for chopping. 124 00:08:09,860 --> 00:08:17,669 The undercut faces the direction of fall. 125 00:08:17,669 --> 00:08:20,210 He keeps the bottom of the undercut level. 126 00:08:20,210 --> 00:08:24,010 The sides are not cut ahead of the center, for this would allow the tree to twist, or 127 00:08:24,010 --> 00:08:26,759 fall sideways. 128 00:08:26,759 --> 00:08:32,450 He is careful to clean out the notch into a sharp v for a clean, straight break. 129 00:08:32,450 --> 00:08:36,959 John starts his back cut a little above the undercut, to prevent the snag from splitting, 130 00:08:36,959 --> 00:08:43,800 or kicking back. 131 00:08:43,800 --> 00:08:49,810 He checks his corners to see that they are not cut ahead of the center. 132 00:08:49,810 --> 00:08:53,330 TIMBER! 133 00:08:53,330 --> 00:08:56,830 Down she goes. 134 00:08:56,830 --> 00:09:05,110 A tough job. 135 00:09:05,110 --> 00:09:09,940 He still isnít through with this snag, the fire must come out of the burning trunk. 136 00:09:09,940 --> 00:09:11,950 Whatís this? 137 00:09:11,950 --> 00:09:15,250 A spot outside his line. 138 00:09:15,250 --> 00:09:17,450 These small spots are easy to miss. 139 00:09:17,450 --> 00:09:21,610 Thatís why John gridirons the area where sparks might land. 140 00:09:21,610 --> 00:09:29,630 He knows if he mixes, half and half with dirt, the fire will go out. 141 00:09:29,630 --> 00:09:34,410 This shoestring trench stopped the spread,itís now widened for safety. 142 00:09:34,410 --> 00:09:36,540 More line work. 143 00:09:36,540 --> 00:09:38,610 The fire is pretty well stopped. 144 00:09:38,610 --> 00:09:43,160 Letís take five, bring on the grub. 145 00:09:43,160 --> 00:09:50,230 The last step of his job comes next, nothing left now but dirty mop up, lots of it. 146 00:09:50,230 --> 00:09:52,880 Chipping, scraping, mixing. 147 00:09:52,880 --> 00:09:57,680 Way down underneath those big logs, thatís where theyíre still hot. 148 00:09:57,680 --> 00:09:59,950 And donít forget the old stump. 149 00:09:59,950 --> 00:10:03,360 Even if he is inside the line, the cooling down paid off. 150 00:10:03,360 --> 00:10:07,330 Letís chop those embers into a pit. 151 00:10:07,330 --> 00:10:10,700 Hereís different trouble. 152 00:10:10,700 --> 00:10:13,080 Fire deep in the roots of this punkie stump. 153 00:10:13,080 --> 00:10:17,170 Itís gotta come out, every last bit of it. 154 00:10:17,170 --> 00:10:23,450 All those chunks, all that punk, all those roots. 155 00:10:23,450 --> 00:10:24,940 Is this that hot stump? 156 00:10:24,940 --> 00:10:26,760 Was there ever a fire here? 157 00:10:26,760 --> 00:10:29,660 Cool, even back in those root holes. 158 00:10:29,660 --> 00:10:30,980 Nothing has been buried. 159 00:10:30,980 --> 00:10:35,970 Itís been a tough day John, but more of the same tomorrow. 160 00:10:35,970 --> 00:10:37,310 Slip on the coat. 161 00:10:37,310 --> 00:10:44,670 Pull up the pack cover, and get some rest. 162 00:10:44,670 --> 00:10:47,590 Not much excitement in mop up, just plenty of hard work. 163 00:10:47,590 --> 00:10:50,290 Johnís been at it since daybreak. 164 00:10:50,290 --> 00:10:55,820 Hereís a log that comes out of its hot bed into a cool pit, the hot side up. 165 00:10:55,820 --> 00:10:56,820 Now he can get at it. 166 00:10:56,820 --> 00:11:00,580 Look at that fire, still a long ways from out. 167 00:11:00,580 --> 00:11:05,300 Dirt in the cracks, chopped in and mixed with the embers will put it out. 168 00:11:05,300 --> 00:11:09,710 This log would burn for days if left alone, and be dangerous in a wind. 169 00:11:09,710 --> 00:11:12,640 Some good hard work will put it out. 170 00:11:12,640 --> 00:11:16,000 Chipping, chopping, and mixing. 171 00:11:16,000 --> 00:11:19,830 This is repeated over and over in mopping up a fire, itís a sure way to put a fire 172 00:11:19,830 --> 00:11:21,780 out. 173 00:11:21,780 --> 00:11:29,240 The bare hand test proves whether or not the fire is out; where thereís heat, thereís 174 00:11:29,240 --> 00:11:30,240 fire. 175 00:11:30,240 --> 00:11:34,640 The cold oneís go into the boneyard, where they can be watched; the hot ones get the 176 00:11:34,640 --> 00:11:38,870 dirt treatment. 177 00:11:38,870 --> 00:11:40,210 The third day. 178 00:11:40,210 --> 00:11:46,410 John still feels, checks, and digs, still a working job not a watching job. 179 00:11:46,410 --> 00:11:50,140 Every part of the fire is checked, to see that itís out. 180 00:11:50,140 --> 00:11:53,170 One more look at his old friend, the stump. 181 00:11:53,170 --> 00:11:58,890 Heís surely cold now, but a check wonít hurt. 182 00:11:58,890 --> 00:12:02,870 This spot fire might be hot yet. 183 00:12:02,870 --> 00:12:06,380 No, itís ok. 184 00:12:06,380 --> 00:12:15,170 The final going over, 24 hours since the last smoke. 185 00:12:15,170 --> 00:12:20,810 And so, the fire is out. 186 00:12:20,810 --> 00:12:23,360 A little one kept little. 187 00:12:23,360 --> 00:12:27,630 A fire well scouted, hot spotted, held, and mopped up.