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General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: Tupac on September 06, 2011, 12:54:14 PM

Title: Fires in Bastrop
Post by: Tupac on September 06, 2011, 12:54:14 PM
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/US/09/06/texas.fires/index.html?eref=edition

All my friends from Texas need to stay safe. I got some stuff together this morning to take with me incase we need to get out.
Title: Re: Fires in Bastrop
Post by: Tupac on September 06, 2011, 12:55:16 PM
This bad boy is on its way out

(http://www.10tanker.com/wp-content/gallery/dc10/10%20Tanker%20Drop.jpg)
Title: Re: Fires in Bastrop
Post by: branch37 on September 06, 2011, 02:00:42 PM
I just saw the news about those fires.  We had some more up here that went through and got the rest of the houses around Possum Kingdom lake that the fires in April missed.  :cry
Title: Re: Fires in Bastrop
Post by: AHTbolt on September 06, 2011, 02:30:47 PM
I hope my moms house is ok.
Title: Re: Fires in Bastrop
Post by: F22RaptorDude on September 06, 2011, 05:41:07 PM
 :rolleyes: Just me being a moron but why not use explosives that don't burn and blast a tree line away from the line of fire so it will just stop and burn itself out? If the area would be destroyed cause of the fire anyway I don't see the loss here?
Title: Re: Fires in Bastrop
Post by: Tupac on September 06, 2011, 05:42:34 PM
:rolleyes: Just me being a moron but why not use explosives that don't burn and blast a tree line away from the line of fire so it will just stop and burn itself out? If the area would be destroyed cause of the fire anyway I don't see the loss here?

Because everything burns. Its not just trees.

Grass, bushes, everything.
Title: Re: Fires in Bastrop
Post by: F22RaptorDude on September 06, 2011, 05:44:20 PM
Because everything burns. Its not just trees.

Grass, bushes, everything.
But using plastic explosives all you would have is dirt, you would just need alot...  :uhoh I'm sound unrealistic but in my mind its less damage then letting it burn longer (And I know they are trying to stop it)
Title: Re: Fires in Bastrop
Post by: branch37 on September 06, 2011, 05:45:42 PM
:rolleyes: Just me being a moron but why not use explosives that don't burn and blast a tree line away from the line of fire so it will just stop and burn itself out? If the area would be destroyed cause of the fire anyway I don't see the loss here?

They try to use bulldozers to do something of this sort sometimes.  The problem is that the fires usually move so fast it is almost impossible to get heavy equipment into the remote areas in front of the advancing fire.
Title: Re: Fires in Bastrop
Post by: F22RaptorDude on September 06, 2011, 05:46:59 PM
They try to use bulldozers to do something of this sort sometimes.  The problem is that the fires usually move so fast it is almost impossible to get heavy equipment into the remote areas in front of the advancing fire.
Should bring in some precision guided bombs, might be cheaper than overall damage in the end
Title: Re: Fires in Bastrop
Post by: Tupac on September 06, 2011, 05:53:59 PM
I'd imagine it would be difficult to get a 24,000 acre fire under control with explosives
Title: Re: Fires in Bastrop
Post by: F22RaptorDude on September 06, 2011, 05:57:31 PM
I'd imagine it would be difficult to get a 24,000 acre fire under control with explosives
I have to agree, fire departments and air patrol's should have it hand though for the early prevention
Title: Re: Fires in Bastrop
Post by: skorpion on September 06, 2011, 05:59:10 PM
F22, you dont understand why they dont do this. if you set off a bomb that can make things catch fire in a wildfire, then your already doing much more damage than repair.
Title: Re: Fires in Bastrop
Post by: F22RaptorDude on September 06, 2011, 06:03:05 PM
F22, you dont understand why they dont do this. if you set off a bomb that can make things catch fire in a wildfire, then your already doing much more damage than repair.
Not exactly, if the fire sweeps over the area you could have blown up its utter destruction, using explosives can limit it and cause a river or stream to form or something  :lol I sound retarded my points been lost
Title: Re: Fires in Bastrop
Post by: Shane on September 06, 2011, 06:15:33 PM
I sound retarded my points been lost

Firebreaks are a well-known tool.  Bombing isn't the way to go as the fronts are generally much larger than the bomb load(s).  Unless you wanna call in some B-52 arc lights?  :noid

I'm all for leveling Austin.   :t
Title: Re: Fires in Bastrop
Post by: allaire on September 06, 2011, 06:18:43 PM
How about we equip the responders with MCLCs  :noid.  That would take care of the problems :devil
Title: Re: Fires in Bastrop
Post by: skorpion on September 06, 2011, 06:55:27 PM
Not exactly, if the fire sweeps over the area you could have blown up its utter destruction, using explosives can limit it and cause a river or stream to form or something  :lol I sound retarded my points been lost
you dont get it. still. if you set off a bomb thats a distance from the actual fire you could start a fire there from the explosion possibly starting a fire elsewhere. its like nuking a city to get rid of a deadly virus that cant be contained. you nuke the town. great. but the radiation could spread, aswell as the virus because not everything dies in the blast.
Title: Re: Fires in Bastrop
Post by: Dichotomy on September 06, 2011, 07:14:07 PM
"I drank what?" -Socrates

BUAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAAAA  :rofl 

One of my favorites of all time  :cheers:
Title: Re: Fires in Bastrop
Post by: Tupac on September 06, 2011, 08:07:19 PM
(http://media.kvue.com/images/600*225/94540147-b8af-4c7e-811c-5431433fa8a6.jpg)
Title: Re: Fires in Bastrop
Post by: skorpion on September 06, 2011, 08:13:58 PM
(http://media.kvue.com/images/600*225/94540147-b8af-4c7e-811c-5431433fa8a6.jpg)
wow...just...wow.

if i lived in tehas id move out right away. maybe to a more temperate place? like nebraska? :lol just some place that isnt being ravaged by wildfires.
Title: Re: Fires in Bastrop
Post by: Tupac on September 06, 2011, 08:19:20 PM
What has been odd is that there werent many wildfires at all, and then when I got back from my ttrip it sounded like the entire state is on fire.

<sigh> We need rain really bad.
Title: Re: Fires in Bastrop
Post by: F22RaptorDude on September 06, 2011, 08:47:59 PM
Plastic explosive! or explosive that just produces waves that wil knock down everything
Title: Re: Fires in Bastrop
Post by: skorpion on September 06, 2011, 08:50:20 PM
Plastic explosive! or explosive that just produces waves that wil knock down everything
once again, those create a fireball to even work. its filled with a form of power that requires a flame to ignite it.
Title: Re: Fires in Bastrop
Post by: Seanaldinho on September 06, 2011, 09:13:26 PM
How about we equip the responders with MCLCs  :noid.  That would take care of the problems :devil

Id rather not make the "medal of honor run" surrounded by a blazing fire by decent idea lol. :banana:
Got to give the guys that set up thoise MCLCs mad props.  :rock :rock :rock :rock
Title: Re: Fires in Bastrop
Post by: allaire on September 06, 2011, 09:52:39 PM
Id rather not make the "medal of honor run" surrounded by a blazing fire by decent idea lol. :banana:
Got to give the guys that set up thoise MCLCs mad props.  :rock :rock :rock :rock
The "Medal of Honor" run is required if it doesn't fuse and detonate properly.  Then the "volunteer" has to go and start the timed fuse. :salute Mad respect for the ones that do it though.
Title: Re: Fires in Bastrop
Post by: F22RaptorDude on September 06, 2011, 10:21:03 PM
once again, those create a fireball to even work. its filled with a form of power that requires a flame to ignite it.
uh.. learn your facts C4 can only be ignited with an electrical charge, in ww2 soldiers burned c4 or it might have been Vietnam, but they burned c4 in fires for warmth because it wouldn't explode when lit on fire, it just smoldered and the plastic burned
Title: Re: Fires in Bastrop
Post by: skorpion on September 06, 2011, 10:29:00 PM
uh.. learn your facts C4 can only be ignited with an electrical charge, in ww2 soldiers burned c4 or it might have been Vietnam, but they burned c4 in fires for warmth because it wouldn't explode when lit on fire, it just smoldered and the plastic burned
you only said plastic explosive. most of which burn, you never really specified on what it was.

and once again, why on earth would you use an explosive device when you can just bulldoze a line across?
Title: Re: Fires in Bastrop
Post by: F22RaptorDude on September 06, 2011, 10:30:29 PM
you only said plastic explosive. most of which burn, you never really specified on what it was.

and once again, why on earth would you use an explosive device when you can just bulldoze a line across?
moving in bulldozers is a slow task and hard in a thickly wooded and inclined area
Title: Re: Fires in Bastrop
Post by: Tupac on September 06, 2011, 10:35:23 PM
Well these are people's homes and neighborhoods going. Blowing the crap out of them would go over very poorly with the residents, even if they are already going to get leveled by the fire.
Title: Re: Fires in Bastrop
Post by: branch37 on September 06, 2011, 10:36:12 PM
moving in bulldozers is a slow task and hard in a thickly wooded and inclined area

You seem to have it figured out.  Get your arse down here and show us how its done!
Title: Re: Fires in Bastrop
Post by: allaire on September 07, 2011, 01:45:17 AM
Ok I've not answered with a serious response because F22RaptorDude is just too good sometimes.  But no more.  FYI all explosives burn with detonated.  Yes you can burn C4 and it won't go off as it needs a high explosive to initiate it a.k.a a blasting cap.
Title: Re: Fires in Bastrop
Post by: 1sum41 on September 07, 2011, 02:49:07 AM
Tupac I'm up here in Georgetown. And all of the firefighting helicopters are using our airport as a base.
Title: Re: Fires in Bastrop
Post by: CAP1 on September 07, 2011, 07:40:47 AM
Because everything burns. Its not just trees.

Grass, bushes, everything.

 he's kinda right though. i think that cutting a line....as in diging up anything/everything that can burn to stop the fire is(or at least used to be) a tactic. i seem to recall reading of controlled burns, in order to burn out an area before the fire gets there, thus hoping to stop the fire.
Title: Re: Fires in Bastrop
Post by: branch37 on September 07, 2011, 09:00:02 AM
he's kinda right though. i think that cutting a line....as in diging up anything/everything that can burn to stop the fire is(or at least used to be) a tactic. i seem to recall reading of controlled burns, in order to burn out an area before the fire gets there, thus hoping to stop the fire.

They still do this sometimes.  It wouldn't be very practical down near Austin and south Texas since the areas that are burning are so thickly wooded that setting any kind of secondary fire would more than likley just make the fire bigger.  Now up where I live, it actually works quite well.  Most of the ranches that catch fire up here are mainly grassland or pasture, thus being easier to control a smaller fire.  But, with the winds like they have been, setting any kind of fire is just a crazily irresponsible thought.
Title: Re: Fires in Bastrop
Post by: Shuffler on September 07, 2011, 10:33:15 AM
What has been odd is that there werent many wildfires at all, and then when I got back from my ttrip it sounded like the entire state is on fire.

<sigh> We need rain really bad.

Texas has had fires burning for 295 days. Not the same fires but constant wildfires for that long.

120000 acres just this past week.
Title: Re: Fires in Bastrop
Post by: AHTbolt on September 07, 2011, 02:03:01 PM
Yall are missing the point about fires, in high winds, the main fire moves fast but the sparks and embers move faster. There were winds up to 45mph and new fires were being started a half mile away. My moms house and sisters house are just out of the fire zone so it was close to home for me. Now blowing up the trees would not stop the fire, you havent done anything the fuel is still there and they have dozers working to push roads for the fire crews to get trucks into. The land is rolling hills with steep gullies and the flat areas have alot of homes close by. A quarter size chunk of C4 was used to heat c-rations and it will explode if you stomp on it with your boot instead of kicking dirt over it.
Title: Re: Fires in Bastrop
Post by: saggs on September 07, 2011, 02:22:48 PM
he's kinda right though. i think that cutting a line....as in diging up anything/everything that can burn to stop the fire is(or at least used to be) a tactic. i seem to recall reading of controlled burns, in order to burn out an area before the fire gets there, thus hoping to stop the fire.

Cutting fire lines is still is a very common wildfire fighting tactic, and if they have water nearby they will set soaker hoses in the line they cut as well.  Setting "backfires" inside those fire lines is also very common (I've seen them do it dropping fire bombs out of a Jetranger) so F22 isn't as nuts as you all seem to think, wildland firefighters can and do often literally fight fire with fire.
Title: Re: Fires in Bastrop
Post by: Shuffler on September 07, 2011, 03:23:19 PM
Firelines and back burns.

We have a small 10 acre fire about a mile down the road. Just across hwy 225 from the Shell plant.

One of our drivers just came in and reported it.
Title: Re: Fires in Bastrop
Post by: Tupac on September 07, 2011, 04:59:23 PM
Big one near Camp Bullis now. I saw the 2 converted firefighting crop-dusters from Fredericksburg heading that way.
Title: Re: Fires in Bastrop
Post by: Seanaldinho on September 07, 2011, 05:22:28 PM
The "Medal of Honor" run is required if it doesn't fuse and detonate properly.  Then the "volunteer" has to go and start the timed fuse. :salute Mad respect for the ones that do it though.

Thats what i was referring to.  :aok
Title: Re: Fires in Bastrop
Post by: 1pLUs44 on September 07, 2011, 09:36:57 PM
Whenever I was in Austin, I saw an old prop plane going in to fight the fires painted orange and white. Anyone have any clue what old planes they still use for firefighting?
Title: Re: Fires in Bastrop
Post by: saggs on September 07, 2011, 09:55:02 PM
Whenever I was in Austin, I saw an old prop plane going in to fight the fires painted orange and white. Anyone have any clue what old planes they still use for firefighting?

Possibly a Lockheed P-2 Neptune.

(http://www.globalaviationresource.com/reports/2010/p2rmm/images/kbjc20100627-005.jpg)

Neptune aviation out of Missoula, MT still runs them as fire-bombers all over the west.

They are a pretty neat design, they run Wright 3350 radials, and  Westinghouse J34 turbojets.  They'll use the jets for climb, and when they need them, but normally shut them down and just cruise on the radials.
Title: Re: Fires in Bastrop
Post by: branch37 on September 07, 2011, 10:11:20 PM
Theres 2 of these sitting on the tarmac at Abliene Regional Airport painted yellow and white.
Title: Re: Fires in Bastrop
Post by: Slash27 on September 08, 2011, 06:10:26 PM
Cutting fire lines is still is a very common wildfire fighting tactic, and if they have water nearby they will set soaker hoses in the line they cut as well.  Setting "backfires" inside those fire lines is also very common (I've seen them do it dropping fire bombs out of a Jetranger) so F22 isn't as nuts as you all seem to think, wildland firefighters can and do often literally fight fire with fire.
When it's jumping lakes it's a different ballgame.
Title: Re: Fires in Bastrop
Post by: 1pLUs44 on September 08, 2011, 10:42:32 PM
Possibly a Lockheed P-2 Neptune.

(http://www.globalaviationresource.com/reports/2010/p2rmm/images/kbjc20100627-005.jpg)

Neptune aviation out of Missoula, MT still runs them as fire-bombers all over the west.

They are a pretty neat design, they run Wright 3350 radials, and  Westinghouse J34 turbojets.  They'll use the jets for climb, and when they need them, but normally shut them down and just cruise on the radials.

possibly, it wasn't going very fast at all. it was just crawling along over towards the fire.