July 30

I received one comment regarding Poison Oak. I must disagree with whom ever wrote the comment. I agree, the previous mentioned fire fighter must break the cycle of exposure. Yes...he is being exposed to Poison Oak on a daily basis, therefore his rash would expect to continue.

When working in Poison oak everyday, you must shower everyday to remove any oils from your body.

The part I disagree with is the washing of gear with Tecnu. Our experience has found that Tecnu does not work on durable equipment. It is NOT a cost effective way to clean equipment. If one would simply wash the equipment with water and a degreasing type soap, the oils will be removed from the equipment. Let's see...$4.85 for 4oz of Tecnu.... .40 cents for enough Dawn Dish Washing Liquid. In todays economy, I'll use the dish washing liquid. Tecnu does not work in the laundry either. ALL documentation stating that Tecnu should be used on durable equipment and/or laundry, has been put out by the sales reps of TECNU, not by the people who use it.

Simply put...shower everyday with a soap designed to clean your body...not your car. Clean your car with a soap designed to clean your car...not your body.

Even more simply put.....shower.

July 29

AVAILABILITY
FL 04 - ASSIGNED - Iron Complex, Weaverville
FL 05 - ASSIGNED - Lime Complex , Hayfork
FL 06 - ASSIGNED
FL 07 - ASSIGNED - Ukonom Complex, Orleans

**ALL FRONTLINE RESOURCES ARE ASSIGNED**
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT.

Poison Oak. Even more myths about how to "cure" this itchy rash. A fire fighter came into the med unit this morning complaining of Poison oak. He said he had been washing his rash everyday. He said Tecnu didn't work. He said Zanfel made it burn. He said Calamine made it itch more. He said he has been washing the rash with sand. Yes.....SAND. I couldn't believe my ears. SAND. He said it felt great. He said he had heard that sand would wash away the rash. He told me he had tried to "burn the rash off, with bleach". He had tried the same technique with gasoline. He said sand worked the best. I think I am going to call my friends at Zanfel Laboratories and let them know of this new medical break through. I know the entire medical field will be anxious to hear of such ground breaking news. SAND...the cure for Poison Oak. SAND could be the next secret ingredient that soap making companies are waiting for. I know the makers of antibiotics will be happy to see that SAND is being used to wash away the itch.

In all seriousness.....
DO NOT wash your Poison Oak with SAND.
DO NOT wash your Poison Oak with BLEACH.
DO NOT wash your Poison Oak with GASOLINE.

WASH with products designed to cleanse your skin....not with products designed to run in your car.

Please stay safe...

dj

July 28

AVAILABILITY
FL 04 - ASSIGNED - Iron Complex, Weaverville
FL 05 - ASSIGNED - Lime Complex , Hayfork
FL 06 - ASSIGNED
FL 07 - ASSIGNED - Ukonom Complex, Orleans

**ALL FRONTLINE RESOURCES ARE ASSIGNED**
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT.

To all personnel,

Folks are getting tired. We are seeing a dramatic increase in viral infections, directly related to poor hygiene. We are seeing an increase in minor injuries, directly related to fatigue. Let's all use our heads before we move on the fire line. When we get back into camp, let's not be afraid of the showers or the hand washing stations. It's way too early in the season to see this many sick and injured people.

Dj

Klamath Fatality

The U.S. Forest Service confirmed that a second firefighter has died, without releasing the identity. The news comes only a day after 18-year-old Andrew Jackson Palmer, a firefighter with the Olympic National Park, was killed by a falling tree while battling another wildfire in Trinity County.

Gov. Chris Gregoire said she was "deeply saddened by the tragic deaths of two Washington state firefighters who were battling wildfires in Northern California."

"My heart goes out to the family members and co-workers of Chief Packer and Firefighter Palmer," Gregoire said. "I ask all Washingtonians to keep the families and fire departments of these brave men in their thoughts and prayers."

Chief Packer was assigned to assume a supervisory position in the firefighting effort. He is a member of a Washington state-based incident management team and is deployed to major incidents, most frequently, large wildland fires.

A Forest Service investigation team is due to arrive on the Klamath National Forest by Monday, officials said.

The 250-acre Panther Fire was started by a lightning strike Monday night about 15 miles south of Happy Camp and has since burned toward Ukonom Creek and the Klamath River. It is part of the Siskiyou Complex fire near Yreka that has burned more than 50,000 acres and as of Saturday, was 36 percent contained.

The chief of the U.S. Forest Service, Abigail Kimbell, on a visit to Redding on Saturday, praised the courage of firefighters battling California's unprecedented wildland fires.

Palmer, the first Washington state firefighter to die on the lines, was working his first day on the job when he was hit by a falling tree Friday. He had graduated in June from Port Townsend High School.

Port Townsend High School Athletic Director Scott Ricardo called Palmer a "bright and shining star."

Iron Complex Fatality

*REDDING**, Calif. – National Park Service firefighter Andrew Palmer, 18, a firefighter with the Olympic National Park headquartered in Port Angeles, Wash. died while en route to Redding, Calif. this evening. He was being transported for emergency treatment of multiple injuries.*

Forest Service officials learned of the fatality at approximately 5:45 p.m.

“Each and every member of the firefighting community feels a tragedy of this type. We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Andrew, who selflessly served to protect,” said Shasta-Trinity National Forest Supervisor Sharon Heywood.

Palmer was a firefighter assigned to the Iron Complex of fires on the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. The incident occurred on the southwest flank of the Eagle Fire late this afternoon.

"Andy was a dedicated and energetic firefighter who loved his job. We are all very sad, and our thoughts are with his family and the rest of the firefighters on this fire," said Olympic National Park Superintendent Karen Gustin.

A Critical Incident Management Stress team is being set-up to provide support to fellow firefighters who may need assistance dealing with the loss.

Next of kin have been notified. An accident investigation board has been assembled by the Forest Service as well as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) into the tragic occurrence.

A fund will be established by the Wildland Firefighter Foundation in Andrew’s name. The foundation is online at http://wffoundation.org/ and can be contacted by calling 877-336-2950.


Let's all keep our situational awareness. There is still fire to put out. Take a moment and think before you do something. Let's all stay safe.

July 24

AVAILABILITY

FL 04 - ASSIGNED

FL 05 - ASSIGNED

FL 06 - ASSIGNED

FL 07 - with FL 05 - available for new assignment

A few pics

The airlines are not the only ones that run a little late.

There is supposed to be a helicopter sitting right there.

Cub Complex 

Cub Complex - Lassen National Forest

Yuba River Complex - Grass Valley

July 23

Availability

FL 04 - ASSIGNED - Iron Complex, Weaverville

FL 05 - ASSIGNED - Lime Complex, Hayfork

FL 06 - Unavailable

FL 07 - ASSIGNED - Six Rivers National Forest

ATTENTION!!!!! Any available Frontline Medical Personnel, contact Dj or Sam, ASAP.

Have I mentioned the movie "Ground Hog Day"? That is what a fire camp turns into for crews assigned for an extended length of time. The alarm goes off at 0500 in the morning. Coffee is the first item on the agenda. The daily routine of dispensing over the counter items to fire fighters begins, usually at 0600. For the most part, you see the same faces everyday. Some want sun screen. Some want moleskin.... for the blisters. Some are never really quite sure what they want, they just know they want something. Our job is to figure out what will keep them healthy and happy for another shift. We encourage hand washing, showers, and rest. Rest is something that they are all missing. Believe it or not, even showers are on the lower end of their stack of priorities. You would think they would cherish a warm shower. That is just not always the case.

Anyways... there is no end to fire season in sight.... what am I saying? Fire season just started. 

Have a great day. Stay Safe.

Dj

Ps. Toaka says..."Jerky, beef stick, carrot cake, a piece of melon, ??? what's this?  Rib eye??.... oh my gosh....I love it when Dad is dishing up the snacks!!"

July 21

Availability

FL 04 - ASSIGNED - Iron Complex - Weaverville, CA

FL 05 - ASSIGNED - Lime Complex - Hayfork, CA

FL 06 - Unavailable

FL 07 - RELEASED - Available on Wednesday - July 23

Good morning.

FL 07 will be back up and running very soon. It is available later today if needed.

d

July 20 - Update

Availability

FL 04 - ASSIGNED - Iron Complex - Weaverville, CA

FL 05 - ASSIGNED - Lime Complex - Hayfork, CA

FL 06 - Unavailable

FL 07 - RELEASED - Available on Wednesday - July 23

Good morning.

Thanks to "The Hippie" for updating this while I was deep in the woods, away from the rest of the world.  Spike camp is always fun. Seven days with no phones, no internet....no generators. We got to see an impressive 9 mile burnout operation. It was perfectly executed. Not a single spot fire. Nine miles of fireline in three days.

I am standing down for a couple of days. We will making a few needed repairs on equipment. FL 07 will become available on July 23 .... maybe July 22.

Fire season is well underway. We are seeing a very high number of viral infections. The common issue in all camps is hygiene. Don't wear your dirt as a badge of honor for your hard work. When you return to camp .... shower. If you come into camp late, and the showers are closing ... come see us. We will see that the showers remain open for you. It will cost the incident more money to keep them open late, but it is a small price to pay for healthy fire fighters.

I had one crew tell me "we don't have orders for showers". You are adults. You don't need permission to wash yourself. You can rest assured the Incident Commander has directed you to shower. If that directive is lost some where down the chain of command, let us know ... we can easily fix that problem.

There is no miracle cure for viral infections..."camp crud". Prevention is the only thing that can keep an infection from spreading throughout the camp. As fire season progresses and crews become more fatigued, we will become more insistent on proper hygiene. IC's will send crews home for refusing to shower. When you get to the front of a long line at dinner, and you still have dirty hands, you will be sent back to the hand washing station. 

In short... WASH YOURSELVES. We CANNOT keep you healthy if you refuse to do your part.

Have a great day. Stay Safe.

d

ps. Toaka says..."Oh boy!...Dad's back!..I know he's got snacks in the trailer!!!"

From The Hippie of the Crew

AVAILABILITY
FLM-04 - ASSIGNED IRON COMPLEX Weaverville, CA NorCal
FLM-05 - ASSIGNED LIME COMPLEX Hayfork, CA NorCal
FLM-06 - UNAVAILABLE
FLM-07 - ASSIGNED Somewhere in NorCal



***UPDATE***

Since DJ is out of contact I am updating this on his behalf. Things around fire camp are setting up pretty well. Here in Hayfork we are getting a lot of feet problems as well as the Camp Crud is starting to hit everyone. So as proper as it is to give everyone you know a hand shake along with your cold, a proper set of knuckles goes along way. For those who are unsure what exactly I mean by knuckles, it's also known as a "Sanitary Hand Shake" or a "Bro", and it's way to shake hands without spreading the germs. So stay healthy.
As for Sammy, he is in one of the Hybrid Poison Oak capitals of Northern California, experimenting with every possible poison oak remedy know to man. Good Luck Sammy!
Other than that I hope you all stay safe and don't forget to drink plenty of water out there.
Peace!

July 11 - Baaaaaa!

**ALL FRONTLINE MEDICAL UNITS ARE ASSIGNED**

The newest addition to the Frontline Family. Sammy woke up to the sweet sounds of Mother nature. It seems there is a shortage of Line EMT's. Most of these fires are in "Mountain Goat Country". Sooo.... this was the closest thing they could find. I assume the redcard reads...EMT-G.

Baaaaaaaaa!!!

July 10

**ALL FRONTLINE MEDICAL UNITS ARE ASSIGNED**

.....Each day becomes the same as the last. You start to look forward to tomorrow, because it will be just like yesterday...sort of. You wait for something new to happen to break up the routine. New things do happen almost everyday, sort of, but it feels like it already happened....yesterday.

I think I already said that....yesterday. At least I think it was yesterday. Maybe I will say it tomorrow. It doesn't matter, it was said. With all that said, today will be hot again. The trees will continue to burn. The fires continue to grow. Resources are stretched very thin. Until someone gets a handle on their fire, resources will remain scarce. The weather report says "Red Flag Warning". That means fires will burn. Let's be careful.

Frontline has been on assignment since the first of June. We have nothing left. Everybody is doing a great job keeping up with the demands of fire camp.

Stay Safe.

dj

July 9

***All Frontline Medical Units are still assigned to incidents***

Good Morning.

Feel the heat! Mother nature has turned it up. The fires are reacting to this nice HOT weather. The fires are jumping containment lines and burning what ever they want. They are going where ever they want to go. All most can do is get out of the way and clean up the aftermath. There is no sign of this slowing down anytime soon. If we happen to gain a little ground on one fire...another will run away, or another will start. Those of you at home....be careful. Mother nature is starting enough on her own, we don't need any careless mishaps creating more work.

It's funny how a fire camp will mold into a daily routine. Each day becomes the same as the last. You start to look forward to tomorrow, because it will be just like yesterday...sort of. You wait for something new to happen to break up the routine. New things do happen almost everyday, sort of, but it feels like it already happened....yesterday. Tomorrow always brings familiar expectations for a new day...they remain only expectations. Today will be just like tomorrow...just like yesterday was. Tomorrow will be just like today....you get it. Ground Hog Day.....you know... the movie?....with Bill Murray?

...anyways..... today is here again. again. sort of. again. again. again.

Have a wonderful day. Stay Safe.
d

July 6

I thought we would have a Med Unit available yesterday. I was wrong. 

All Frontline Medical Support Units remain assigned to incidents.

I will post availability here as soon as something changes. 

I wish we could get down south and support the Big Sur and Basin folks. I just don't have anything or any body left. I watch the news everyday...I bet the medical units are busy there. Sorry we are unable assist. You all are the first folks on my list to notify if something changes here. We are in the process of putting another trailer together. The trailer is here. The truck is here. We are waiting on a defibrillator and a paramedic to become available. The paramedic is required to go through some special training and then be approved by our Medical Director. If a Nurse becomes available first, I will staff the Unit with a Nurse/EMTB combo. No matter what the staffing, the crew must be signed off by the Doctor. Please know...we are working hard to support everybody's requests.

Fire season is well underway....ya think? They are saying it is only going to get worse as the weather heats up. The Governor said on the news last night..."we don't have a fire season in California any more, fires burn all year 'round". He is right. He is asking the tax payers to pay an extra $12 dollars per year to support fire fighting efforts. Please say yes. Pay the extra $12. Your house may be in the path of the next fury. Twelve bucks is a cheap investment. 

OK...I'm done with politics. 

To all the Graeagle Fire folks....sorry I wasn't around to help with pancake breakfast this morning. I know you all are working hard. I am available via email and cell phone. 

To my wife and best friend....

 Darjee, Pema, Maverick, Noor, Mira, Toaka, Snowy, Tia...

 Teddy, Cinder, Hilton...

Sooty...

 Amy and Dustin....

...I love you all. 

Stay Safe Everyone.

d

Ps. Toaka says..."Let's see...I got a snack....I got my tummy rubbed...Oh yeah!..I got another snack...When's dad coming home again?"

July 5

As of 1200 hrs today. All Frontline Medical Resources are still committed.

As units and/or personnel become available, I will post the availability here.

We apologize if we cannot fill your requests.
We look forward to providing you a professional service in the future.

Feel free to contact me for any assistance I may provide.

d

July 3

AVAILABILITY
FLM-04 - ASSIGNED IRON COMPLEX Weaverville, CA
FLM-05 - ASSIGNED LIME COMPLEX Hayfork, CA
FLM-06 - UNAVAILABLE
FLM-07 - ASSIGNED YUBA RIVER COMPLEX Grass Valley, CA



***UPDATE***

Yuba River Complex will be finished on Saturday sometime. FLM-07 will become available Sunday afternoon.

July 2 - Poison Oak

AVAILABILITY
FLM-04 - ASSIGNED IRON COMPLEX Weaverville, CA
FLM-05 - ASSIGNED LIME COMPLEX Hayfork, CA
FLM-06 - UNAVAILABLE
FLM-07 - ASSIGNED YUBA RIVER COMPLEX Grass Valley, CA



***UPDATE***

Fires are slowly going out. Poison oak seems to be winning the battle. Fire Fighters are covered with the itchy oozing rash that the plant inflicts. Some have blisters, some have bright red skin. Some don't get any rash at all. Tecnu seems to work OK with cleaning the oils from the skin. Zanfel seems to work in treating the severe rash. Nothing stops the rash. Of course, these fire fighters are going into the poison oak everyday. If they could work in it for one day, then go home, we could easliy stop the rash from happening. Repeated exposures mean repeated rashes...and more severe rashes.

I explain the cycle of exposure/rash to each fire fighter...they don't seem to get it. NOTHING cures poison oak. NOTHING. If you work in it, you will get a rash. No ifs, no and, no buts. Rash. itch. If I could develop something that would change the chemical compound of poison oak oils...I would be retired...very wealthy. Some products work better than others. Some products that work well on one person, don't work at all on another.

Bar soaps are the best cleaners, as they provide something to scrub with. The key to cleaning the oils from your skin is actually taking a shower. Some crews pride themselves on how dirty they can get. Then they wonder why they get poison oak so bad. Showering everyday is the best preventative and treatment.

dj

Ps. Toaka says..."When's dad coming home? I could use a snack."