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I havent had any comments in quite some time...so I am wondering if anyone still reads this. So, I am resorting to time tested and proven tactics to get people to read my blog...

If there is a comment next time, I will make sure to post pictures of NAKED GIRLS and HOT GUYS...possibly even with FIRE IN THE BACKGROUND. So, tell all your friends.

So, yeah, this week was crazy long and hectic. Allow me to fill y'all/you guys in.

MONDAY
We had recieved word the previous week that we would be assisting with a muck fire, which had been burning for about 3 weeks (see Aerial burn that we helped set). The problem with a muck fire, is that it burns below the ground, and previously burnt material is able to somehow reburn. This fire, had actually burnt itself below the water table as well...some call it magic. In the latter part of the day, we manned hoses and added water to make mud puddles. The morning was a little less productive, as we moved about 2000 ft of hose in order to set up a GIANT sprinkler...a sprinkler running off of 6" diameter hose lay. Thats pretty ridiculous, since most of the time we are working with 1.5" diam hose. It looked to be a long week of muck.
TUESDAY- 14 hour Day!
Since we had burns to do, we didnt have to work the muck! So, we packed up and travelled to Archibold Bio Research Station. We did the first burn, with not too much problem. The 2nd burn, ended up being a nightmare. The fire breaks (lines, sometimes roads, where fire cant travel across the gound) were pretty much non-existant. One line we worked was tall grass. Other lines were palmetto mulch. So, you light the grass on fire, let it burn towards you a little, and then spray it out with water, letting the other side burn on into your bounded space. Then later you worry about whether or not fire started again and is burning somewhere at this very moment...somewhere it shouldnt be. Mulch burns as well as grass, so using it to stop fire is like putting your boat in the ocean to keep the pirates away.
WEDNESDAY
This day was sweet. We got ready for more muck fire, and then found out that forestry didnt need us anymore...so we did prep in the morning, and then burned out a unit here at our preserve. There was no holding...the fire couldnt spread. Take a torch, look for something that will burn, and add lots of fuel to it so it rips!
THURSDAY- my run in with the law
This was another good burn day, working with the game commission. Towards the end of the fire, I was standing out near the main highway, our south line. Suddenly, a Sheriff Deputy pulled up, lights flashing. She started asking me all these questions, which I didnt really know the answer to. Then she proclaimed that there was zero visibility on the road, power poles were about to be burned, and this didnt look like a controlled burn. I start to tell her it was a prescribed fire and everything was fine...but she walked away and started calling everyone to tell them about the chaos. The fire was really tame at that point, and visibility was about 5 miles. I guess maybe she had never seen much fire before. So, the fire department and dept of forestry both came by, and asked why they were called, because indeed nothing was going on. My boss got a kick out of it, and the burn boss couldnt really figure out the drama of it either. She eventually drove away, and everything was fine.
FRIDAY- the biggest 2 acres ever
We did a small sandhill burn of a property inside a gated community. Apparently, it was a very rich golf community, so there was a little added stress. We were burning wiregrass to try and promote some endangered plant to comeback. We could have yelled to each other across the unit it was so small. Unfortunately, again there were no control lines, so it was a balance of lighting/spraying with water. Then, we had to fully mop-up at the end, which means nothing can be left burning, or smoldering, or even steaming really.

All in all, I learned a lot, worked a lot, and made a lot of overtime, so life is good. One week to go, and its back to the big city!

--DAlen