Bringing Gasoline to A Fire

I imagine being a NYS forest ranger is a bit of a mixed-bag. On the one hand, it seems pretty low stress, you generally patrol the forests and go on hikes most days. On the other hand, the pay is probably not particularly good, it is lonely and you have to be outside even on days that you would rather not. The Adirondacks typically do not get the large forest fires that you see out West. The forests are generally smaller and it tends not to get so hot and dry. However, there are occasional fires. Most of the time, the fires are caused by failing to properly extinguish a camp fire. NYS forest rangers are assigned large territories and there just are not that many of them. If a fire does break out, they need additional man power. Curiously, this man power is provided by a mixture of convicts from local prisons and volunteers from our camp. My guess is that our camp got on this prestigious list because the caretaker (Ranger) at the camp was active in the local fire department. I participated in fighting, though as you will see below I am using that term loosely, two fires. As you would expect, forest fires typically happen in the forest and may be a significant distance from the nearest road. Generally, you would get the word that you were needed to head out to a fire a few hours in advance. Prior to getting that word, at least in my case, you will have received absolutely zero training as to what to do or expect. Rather, you simply show up at the center of the camp, dressed in the attire of your choice and await further instruction. At some point the local NYS forest ranger will cruise into camp in his pickup truck outfitted with lots of lights and sirens. The lights are not turned on, the siren is silent and there is no big plume of dust following a speeding truck on a dirt road. Rather, the Ranger will drive up at about 10-15 mph, engage in some conversations with various individuals around the camp and eventually get around to the idea of heading back out. I can't blame them, these Rangers probably encounter more people in these few hours than they have in the past few months. Once you are loaded in the truck, you proceed at the same leisurely pace to the fire. My first time (and every other time) I eagerly asked if we could turn on the lights and siren. The answer was always the same, no. Ostensibly it was because the lights and siren would drain the battery. Even though I knew this wasn't true, it was more gentle than a simple no. It was like the Ranger was agreeing with you that of course lights and sirens were needed when you were driving at 10-15 mph below the speed limit, but it simply wasn't in the cards. Eventually you reached the nearest trail head and realized that this was essentially just like any other hike. Except you carried different things. You carried a tool that was like a very sturdy rake that could also be used to hack away at underbrush. Generally, you don't put out a forest fire, you contain it. The idea is to pull all underbrush that is the main fuel away from the trees and establish a perimeter around the fire. If there was a lake nearby you might bring a pump and hose with you to wet the ground as well. Really, it was glorified yard work. A buddy and I, set out towards the fire and hiked for a few miles. When we got there, it was largely under control; the prisoners had gotten there first (maybe they got to use the lights and siren!) It was less of a fire and more like a giant smoking pit. Everywhere there was smoke just rising from the ground as if the forest had been transformed into the edge of a volcano. All green had been replaced by black soot. However, there were a few hot points still there. Since we did not have a pump yet, you would fill a five gallon bucket and dump it where you saw actual flames. It really was pretty awesome. At some point, you move from establishing the fire line to watching the fire line. The goal here is to ensure that the fire is indeed contained. This part is quite tedious and there is a lot of downtime. I remember discussing why there were not more guards for the convicts. It turns out that most of them were not familiar with the woods and had no intention of running off lest they encounter a bear. Of course that scenario was extremely unlikely. But, no less likely than the siren and lights draining the battery. At least we had some fun. There was another larger group from our camp that started out later. They drove in one of our camp vehicles to the trail head and had to carry the pumps, hoses and yes, gasoline to the fire. Once they got there, it was time to turn back and head to camp. At some point, we would all receive a check from the NYS forest service. If I remember correctly, the pay worked out to about 27 cents an hour, probably what the prisoners got.