I quit smoking 10 years ago why?

[KJShover]

I walked outside, admired the ash on my truck. Good thing its all clean with a few coats of wax on it.

I push the Vmax out of the garage and fire it up. Then I head out on the road. After an hour of no scenery, other than the blonde in the tube-top driving the miata, my lungs ached and my throat burned.

c'ept this time it wasn't one of them burning bong hits from the college days. Wildfires have eaten over 2 million acres so far and are going strong.

I'm going to have to get me a mask to ride with for a while. Temps in the 80's up here and no rain in the forecast. If your the type, say a little prayer for all the guys out there fighting this mess. I used to do it, and its not easy work.

Here are a couple of pictures, one is from the newspaper's webcam and the other is a sat image of the interior of Alaska where I live. To give a size comparison of the areas burning are are bigger than several states.

 

[Redbone]

That sucks KJ, we had a little fire(comparatively) near me last year and I could smell the smoke occasionally, but nothing like your describing. I hope you guys get some rain soon, in fact you can have all of ours for the next month, just send us some warmth!
I hope the crews in the woods get the weather break they need soon. I'm sending my thoughts and prayers for them to get them out of the woods safely and soon!

 

[kaboom]

Wow.....

It rains every day here and Alaska is dry....

Weird weather....

Lotsa mojo going out to fellow FFunk:

 

[KJShover]

I hope the crews in the woods get the weather break they need soon. I'm sending my thoughts and prayers for them to get them out of the woods safely and soon!

Me too, I was a red carder' before I was certified a State firefighter-stuctural. Up here, in a few of the structural circles,the joke was that forrestry was always considered the bastard child of the fire service. But holy shit between the jumpers, the hot shot crews and the rest of the support. damn, they are definately the hardest working bunch of blokes out there.

To me as a former cop and FF, to those who see ppl running in one direction, then you run to the opposite direction to help, Hats off to you. Especially the Volunteers. I was paid to get hurt and put myself in danger, you guys do it for the love of your community. You folks have a special place in my heart.

 

[KJShover]

Just took some new pictures from over the street, east, and west, then my truck after it was washed this afternoon.

 

[dannymax]

The smell of smoke triggers an instinctive danger response, when it is ever present like that it makes me very nervous......like, you know why and where the smoke is coming from but is it masking another, closer problem? Like a full blown structure fire a block away?

One of your key senses is useless....it's very un-nerving!

My department was called out to a tiny (by comparison) forest fire one night during a wind storm.....we were trained in structure fire fighting and to be out in the woods, wind howling, trees coming down, pitch black, constant smoke smell, not knowing if the fire was gonna come racing at you at any second, or even what direction it would come from....that's the kind of stuff nightmares are made of!!

I have nothing but respect and admiration for the 'jumpers', pray they get the weather break they so badly need, that they all get out safely and above all else that no-one has to use a shelter!!


A mask is a good idea KJ, a respirator would be even better!

 

[kozy]

Holy shit....I never realized that Alaska was that damn big!!!! WOW!

 

[KJShover]

Ahh, rain. Don't know how long it will last. Being it was never really forecasted, but it's been on and off raining since midnight. it's still pretty smokey and thier still issuing the don't go out if you don't have to reports, but it's raining.

Turns out they cancelled a few flights as well. But on the plus side I recieved my LED's in the mail to I'm going to start placing them on the Max and then its wait for the LED tubes to come in to finish it off for the lightning.

Here are today's pictures.

 

[COP RUNNER]

i always feel really bad for all of the wildlife , so many get burned and die . I saw a show not to long ago about the cu-wallah bears that live & die in australian forest fires . VERY SAD !

 

[KJShover]

Here is a photo gallery of some of the fires from the Anchorage newspaper.

http://www.adn.com/fire/v-gallery/story/890254.html?/629/gallery/889996.html

 

[EvilD]

our news sucks, no coverage of this at all, had no idea.

 

[Firewrench]

Tonite is my first nite at home during daylight in two weeks of fire fighting. We had a couple of guys go to the hospital off a steep cows face fire with old growth snags falling all over the place. Definately not a job for the weakhearted.
To one and all, keep one foot in the black.