Veterans Fire Corps - Black Hills Team 2 2012

http://www.keloland.com/videoarchive/index.cfm?VideoFile=120718forestfires

The Hell Canyon District has assigned us as a chase for an engine, and we're starting to get on fires. We have five to count with two of them on our first day out on fires. We had the Argyle Loop fire on July 12, followed by the Carrol Creek Fire. On that Friday then we came in and responded to the Aspen Valley fire. Then the next week we went out to the Switchback Draw fire, where we got pulled out of and responded as initial attack to the Myrtle Fire. So we've been busy, but the team is excited to finally be getting out and doing what we've been training to do. We are pumped that our paperwork to go on fires is finally done and that we are out there scratching the earth with our pulaski's and rogues.

Greetings from the field! This past week has been busy. Monday started out with us collecting new fuel samples, due to the fact that the ones we collected last weekend were no good because the power cut out while they were doing the studies. We did our first PT hike with the Forest Service, prepared vehicles to go out of state to respond the fires in Colorado, and completed a new certification for cross cut training so that we can operate in the wilderness. On top of all this crew members opted to learn more and attended voluntary training involving med flight, and learning about the aerial assets we have available to us on the fire line. Moral is high as ever due to the fact that today we finally received our Red Cards, and got clear hot to work as Administratively Determined Personal on the fire line by our partnering agency. We helped with logistics on the Parkers Peak fire by running supplies to the command center as needed, and then we completed classes needed for us to open our FFT1 (Fire Fighter Type 1) task books. The next day we got to work see the results of another fire and discuss with experienced engine captains who responded to the fire about the results and complications of fighting wildfire in an urban interface. It was a sobering moment for us all looking at the charred remains of what was once three different families houses, but it made us realize that we are indeed partnered with an organization that is training us to do valuable and needed work.

We hit the ground running in may and completed our corps member training along with a guard school put on by the U.S Forrest Service at Medicine Mountain Boyscout camp outside of Custer, SD. We have also completed our S212 (Chainsaw ceritifications) with the Mystic Ranger District Fire Dept. Now we have be following the guidance of our own Hell Canyon Ranger District Fire Dept. We have been helping with their chainsaws, station maintenance, and work on their fire engines. We look forward to working with them all summer. We have settlede into our home on Camp Rapid in Rapid City and are very happy here.