No work due to fire

One of LA County Fire's helicopters has been on the ground for a couple of days now because they ordered a replacement part from us. Not something we typically stock and our vendor is out of stock for two weeks. We (in engineering) busted our asses to get a substitute solution for them so they could at least get in the air. Did the drawings and the parts and approval in a day. Shipped them out. (This was on Wed, parts to arrive yesterday AM) Pats on the back all around. Well our shipping clerk screwed up an IRS number on a customs form...so the broker held them. As of 4am today, they were still in Memphis.

No es bueno when the world is on fire...

MMike said:

One of LA County Fire's helicopters has been on the ground for a couple of days now because they ordered a replacement part from us. Not something we typically stock and our vendor is out of stock for two weeks. We (in engineering) busted our asses to get a substitute solution for them so they could at least get in the air. Did the drawings and the parts and approval in a day. Shipped them out. (This was on Wed, parts to arrive yesterday AM) Pats on the back all around. Well our shipping clerk screwed up an IRS number on a customs form...so the broker held them. As of 4am today, they were still in Memphis.

No es bueno when the world is on fire...

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Who did you use to ship it? My company specializes in those kind of moves.

Good luck dudes!

What is that billy joel song?

Stay safe socal monkeys!

vtjim said:

Who did you use to ship it? My company specializes in those kind of moves.

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Fedex

It was just a bonehead move by our clerk. She added a letter to the end of the IRS number somehow.

Kudos to all those firefighters. Stay safe SoCal

If you guys ever rode Jesusita trail it's most likely torched and gone. I live right down the street from where this is all going on. From today's news Cold Springs/Tunnel is done as well. Looks like Santa Barbara's trails are toast for a while.

On the other hand I think only 10 people have been injured. It's really bad here though, almost like marshall law at night. If you have to drive through here be careful, lots of police everywhere and they are pulling people over still for the normal things. If you can avoid here I'd advise to do so.

MMike said:

Fedex

It was just a bonehead move by our clerk. She added a letter to the end of the IRS number somehow.

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You probably have a hanger full of aircraft and you shipped it Fedex?

Tunnel is gone, so is Jesusita. I think CS is still a ways away from the burning.

Only 10 people? All 10 of those were firefighters, and 2 were captains - that's no small number for any fire event. They lost a truck too, which was the same incident that caused a few of the injuries.

Anyone know if the San Ynez half marathon is still on? The website for it says it is, but I can't imagine the air quality up there is good to run in.

Tunnel...gone, like covered in burnt trees and burried in ash? It's pretty much all rock, so I don't see how it could just be gone?

i heard that the hippie rocks they use in SB are weaksauce and melt with any more heat than the sun can generate, thus they have melted away and tunnel is gone.

mandown said:

i heard that the hippie rocks they use in SB are weaksauce and melt with any more heat than the sun can generate, thus they have melted away and tunnel is gone.

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Ummm, what ?

The air quality isn't bad, but probably less than ideal with a small amount of ash blowing around.

Pat... said:

The air quality isn't bad, but probably less than ideal with a small amount of ash blowing around.

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best game ever !

Pat... said:

Tunnel...gone, like covered in burnt trees and burried in ash? It's pretty much all rock, so I don't see how it could just be gone?

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Tunnel isn't gone yet... The winter rains will take care of that.

Once it rains and there's no vegetation to hold back the hill.. no bueno. Tunnel and Jesusita trails are going to need some serious help before (and during) the rains. Drainage, benching, maybe reroutes. But on the plus side you won't have to do any brushing!

MMike said:

One of LA County Fire's helicopters has been on the ground for a couple of days now because they ordered a replacement part from us. Not something we typically stock and our vendor is out of stock for two weeks. We (in engineering) busted our asses to get a substitute solution for them so they could at least get in the air. Did the drawings and the parts and approval in a day. Shipped them out. (This was on Wed, parts to arrive yesterday AM) Pats on the back all around. Well our shipping clerk screwed up an IRS number on a customs form...so the broker held them. As of 4am today, they were still in Memphis.

No es bueno when the world is on fire...

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I think I've heard an excuse like this from Beyond Bikes.

Oh yeah, I didn't even think about rain...

Jesusita Fire Information
Last Updated: May 8, 2009 at 7:00 pm
Date/Time Started: May 5, 2009 at 1:30 pm
Administrative Unit: Los Padres National Forest / Santa Barbara County Fire
County: Santa Barbara County
Location: Northwest of Mission Canyon and Santa Barbara City
Acres Burned: 8,600 acres
Containment: 10% contained
Structures Threatened: 3,500 residences and 100 commercial properties
Structures Destroyed: 80 residences
Evacuations: Evacuations and Road Closures

Cause: Under Investigation
Total Fire Personnel: 3,455 Total Personnel (1,105 CAL FIRE)
428 Engines (25 CAL FIRE)
76 Hand Crews (50 CAL FIRE)
26 Dozers (12 CAL FIRE)
3 Helicopters
21 Water tenders

Conditions: The fire continues to spread North towards East Camino Cielo. Fire is in Cold Spring Creek and may spread beyond to the east, west towards Mario Ignacio and south along the Foothills of Santa Barbara and Goleta.

CAL FIRE Team 4 is in a unified command on this fire.

Cooperating Agencies: CAL FIRE, Santa Barbara County Fire, Santa Barbara City Fire, USFS, Carpinteria Fire, Montecito Fire, BLM, Ventura County Fire, OES, Santa Barbara County Sheriff, Santa Barbara Police, CHP, CDCR and CCC.
Cost to Date : $3.2 million

Just to give you an Idea of how Nucking Futs it is down there

This is one of my worst nighmare senarios, We train for it but so far I haven't had to go through it.

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Battalion Chief Scott Smith's yellow jacket reeked of wood smoke and his eyes were red with exhaustion at the Emergency Operations Center.

Earlier, one of his crews nearly lost its engine to the flames and Smith fetched them out of a burning home where they had taken shelter Wednesday amid a wildfire near Santa Barbara that had charred 500 acres and driven thousands from their homes.

"The fire front came up the hill fast and got in front of the engine," which was backed into a driveway at the end of a narrow street, said Smith, a firefighter for 30 years who plans to retire next year.

The four-man crew on the engine — No. 70 out of Malibu — were wetting down a home when they ran out of water, he said. They had no time to hook up to a hydrant down the street as the flames fast approached so the men took shelter in the home's garage, which Smith said is a standard procedure.

When it got too hot in the garage, they moved inside the house.

"They were safe in there for a certain amount of time," Smith said.

Once the bulk of the fire had passed, Smith and another firefighter went up the hill to get them out.

"When I got there the side of the garage was on fire," Smith said.

Smith fetched his crew out of the home and they struggled to connect the engine to a water line.

"Heat and smoke had killed the engine and we had to cool it down and restart it," he said.

"By the time we got done with the engine, the house was already too far gone."

In the blur of the moment, the 54-year-old firefighter didn't notice anything about the home, or even which street he was on, because his sport utility vehicle's GPS didn't report it.

"No one got hurt, just a little dirty," he said, spreading his hands as if to demonstrate that he still had all ten dusty fingers. One of the firefighters felt sick because of dehydration, was treated at a hospital and later returned to work.

Engine 70 made it down the hill back to headquarters on its own power. But it was streaked with soot and smoke and its plastic signals had melted slightly in the heat.

"It was either the guys or the house," Smith said, "and with me it's always my guys."

This is what it looks like when FireFighters are about to get burned over. Orange County 2008 by an LA times Photog with a telephoto. Fire Fighters deploying their fire shelters just prior to getting burned over. luckily only a few suffered minor burns

Ya'll are nuts.

Thank's for your services.

eric strt6 said:

This is what it looks like when FireFighters are about to get burned over. Orange County 2008 by an LA times Photog with a telephoto. Fire Fighters deploying their fire shelters just prior to getting burned over. luckily only a few suffered minor burns

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I just got done with my wildland training this year. The new fire shelters are pretty nice, I hope to god I never get to see how nice they really are.


This summer is going to be nuts. Its just may and the state is already lighting up.

chicodude said:

I just got done with my wildland training this year. The new fire shelters are pretty nice, I hope to god I never get to see how nice they really are.


This summer is going to be nuts. Its just may and the state is already lighting up.

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Pretty sure this one was just the result of some hippies who dropped their pipe or something equally as stupid. I recall reading that it started basically right at Inspiration Point, and as anyone who ever rode there will know, that's basically where the hippies go for their hippie walks and puff the magic dragon, or where bikers access the top of the Jesusita Trail.