What had he gotten himself into, UC Davis Assistant Fire Chief Wes Arvin wondered Oct. 26 as he and a crew of other firefighters from UC Davis traveled I-5 to Southern California, smack into some of the worst fires the state has seen in 40 years. Over the course of the next nine days Arvin, along with UC Davis firefighters Charlie Grows, Terry Weisser, Cess Mercado and Kevin Cullison, and UC Davis Facilities Project Manager Steve Klippel, would work tirelessly to save lives and property in and around the San Bernardino and San Diego areas.
Dateline invites readers to get a feel for what action at the scene was like and what was going through the minds of firefighters. The following is excerpted from a journal Arvin kept as he was working the southland fires.
Day 1: Oct. 26
THE OFFER AND ANTICIPATION
I was contacted at home at 0330 hours by Fire Chief Mike Chandler. He asked if I wanted to go as a strike team leader trainee to the "Old Fire." Impulsively, I say yes.
I had to be at West Sacramento Fire Station No. 43 at 0530 hours. I was really hustling. I disturbed my wife again to say goodbye and stood in the hallway leading to the kids' bedrooms, where I silently said goodbye to them.
… We conduct a briefing with the strike team, composed of firefighters and equipment from West Sacramento, Woodland, Clarks-burg, Davis and Willow Oak. It sounds as if all of L.A. is on fire. They're begging for any and all resources. ... Along the drive south I'm thinking: Holy Mackerel, what am I in for? The information I've received is truly unbelievable: five more fires burning, 24,000 structures threatened, 100-degree temperatures, 240 structures already burned, Santa Ana winds 25-35 miles per hour, with gusts to 50-60 m.p.h., and virtually no relief in sight. But there's also excitement. This is what we train for. Will we be given good information so as to make the right decisions? Will we provide timely communications? Will the equipment hold up? My first and foremost goal is to get everyone back in one piece. But am I really ready for what I'm about to see? And, finally, where would I be had I followed with my degree in aquaculture? ...
Down I-5 through the Grapevine, we can't believe the huge columns of smoke to the west -- from the Simi Valley and Piru fires. We just stare and don't say a whole bunch. On the phone, Chief Chandler tells us to take a good look, since the fire we're going to is double the size of these two put together.
... We arrive at the San Bernardino Inter-national Airport at 1615 hours, check in and ready ourselves for the 1800 night shift briefing. We're assigned to structure protection and mop-up operations on Knoll Street in Devore Heights. We'll be going house to house putting out small fires and using shovels or other hand tools and water to ensure there aren't any flare-ups. It's pitch black as we arrive. There are small fires burning everywhere, with larger fires burning nearby, too. It's very smoky.
... It's now 0330 hours. There's quite a bit of fire activity approaching the houses we're assigned to. The fire has made several attempts on a house that Davis Fire Engine Grass No. 32 and I are protecting. We've held it off each time and requested additional resources. The fire wants to jump into the gully behind us and make a major run downhill to structures below. ... It's 0730 hours: The wind has be-come more erratic. We've seen a lot of fire and much more smoke than we wanted. The fire has made its major downhill run. It's bigger than I imagined. We're released at 1000 hours and start down the hill. Three houses and a large boat are on fire and there are many burned structures. We feel good about saving all the structures under our watch.
Day 2: Oct. 27
SAVING HOUSES
We arrived in camp at approximately 1030 hours. We're ready for a shower and sleep -- in that order. ...We lay our mats down on some grass to catch some shut-eye. But between the gnats, scratchy grass, the ash falling on us and the heat, sleep proves a little hard to come by.
… The night briefing at 1800 hours tells us the fire is still burning very intensely. Safety of firefighters is the top priority -- fight fire aggressively, but provide for safety first. Our assignment is back to Devore Heights.
… The fire is making another run downhill with some real impressive flame lengths, say 50 to 60 feet. We've prepped a bunch of the homes -- covered exterior vent openings to the attic, moved fuel containers away from the house, removed combustible vegetation, relocated combustible furniture, and sized up the vegetation and terrain around the house. We're working with two engines from San Francisco, led by Battalion Chief Tom Siragosa. Chief Siragosa approaches us and asks us to back up his engines. His firefighters see much more fire than I could see in two lifetimes, but they don't encounter wildland fires as often. Working side-by-side with them makes me feel good as it sends a strong message that we are all here to work together and keep our sights on our No. 1 goal -- firefighter safety.
Resources seem spread thinly today. Nearby, a house has burned to the ground -- no defensible space around it. ... The fire has approached from many different angles, but we've managed to save every house we were assigned to.
... We're re-assigned down to the southwest to protect two ranches. The fire is approaching from the north and east. I've been assigned with the engine from Clarksburg to protect the Matthews Ranch, owned by Bob Matthews -- a retired California Department of Forestry and Los Angeles County firefighter. He has given us much to work with: defensible space, rooftop sprinklers and a wharf hydrant with 6,000 gallons of water. As the fire arrives, I tell Bob we'll do everything possible to save his house. Just then, air support arrives. The helicopters provide an impressive aerial display. I know now we have a great chance to save the ranch.
Day 3: Oct. 28
A LITTLE R&R
We arrived back at camp -- the airport -- around 1100 hours and again showered and this time found a room in one of the main buildings to catch some sleep. As I drift off, I'm wondering if Bob's house made it. … At 1800 hours there's a briefing. Our assignment is to rest and be ready for a day operation. We're relieved, beat tired. We waste no time, grab our sleeping gear and bed down.
Day 4: Oct. 29
IN THE THICK OF IT
I struggled to awake at 0430 hours, since I needed to be at briefing at 0600. I gathered my things and stored them in the truck. I ate breakfast like most others at this time of morning, by myself wondering what the day will bring.
… As I head into the briefing tent, I pick up an Incident Action Plan and a map.
We've been assigned to the Mountain-Top Fire Group, working in Running Springs, 6,000 feet up in the San Bernardino Mountains.
At about 0900 we're heading up the mountain. Our goal for the day is to work with a hand crew of prison inmates led by "Captain Jack" of the CDF. I met Jack at the Skyway Fire last year in Chico. We'll be conducting a fire-out operation -- lighting the vegetation ahead of the main fire to create a burned-out strip and thus stop the fire from progressing further. We're all very, very concerned about the operation, since the canyon is very, very steep with a lot of highly flammable vegetation. There's black oak and pine trees with grass, lots of dead timber and areas of dense, 6-to-12-foot-tall brush. A crown fire -- which jumps from the top of one tree to the next and is very difficult to do anything about from the ground -- is likely with the right conditions.
As the operation begins, I'm feeling OK, since we've identified safety zones and escape routes. The weather seems cooperative, and we have two strike teams below us to protect housing. As the hand crews move down the hill toward us, everything appears to be going fine. But as they pass by, we could see that our fire was moving very, very slowly. Not good. We want to create space between us before the main body of the fire arrives.
... It's now about 1800 hours and dark, and we can see the uncontrolled fire from the top of the hill start to manifest in our direction. The burnout operation below us has started gathering momentum. Radio traffic picks up, and we can see a pretty good flare up about a quarter mile below. I get together with the engineer from Grass unit No. 40. We work out a tandem operation with the engines below, since they had a fire hydrant across the street. What luck!
The wildfire is still moving toward us rapidly -- a pretty good size orange glow. We run another hose line from the engine and connect to the engines below. Moments later, the fire hits. It jumps into a 75-foot dead pine tree, and the tree just explodes before our eyes.
...I've radioed my supervisor to let him know we have a fair amount of fire and to ask him to serve as lookout in case the fire jumps our line. We have a lot of embers all around us; the wind is still in our favor -- it's somewhat calm. We keep the 1 3/4 line on the fire -- in the trees below us -- and have lines going toward the back of the house. If the wind holds, the house should make it. ... It does.
We head down the hill for camp at about 2200 hours. To say I'm beat is an understatement. I fall asleep riding "shotgun," but awake to find that, in the smoke, darkness and unfamiliar terrain, we've overshot camp. An extra hour on the road isn't what we need. We arrive at midnight. Everything's shut down. Dirty and hungry, we just all head for bed, knowing that wake-up time will come all too soon.
Day 5: Oct. 30
TIME FOR REFLECTION
… My unwelcome alarm goes off at 0500. At the 0600 briefing, we learn the weather is changing. There may be a window of opportunity to make headway. Then sad news is announced -- the loss yesterday of a firefighter on the Cedar Fire in San Diego. Another is critically injured. We had actually learned the news the night before. Things were pretty hectic back at home, since the deceased was initially reported as being from Region 4 in Nor-thern California (Yolo County is in Region 4!).
… Our assignment today is again at Running Springs. We head up the mountain and encounter very dense fog and cold conditions. The temperature hasn't risen out of the 40s. It turns out to be the first relaxing day for us. Although colder than heck, we're able to catch some rest and not push it so hard. ...We're released at 1800 hours and get an offer to stay in camp at the Rim of the World High School. It's only six miles away, but it takes 45 minutes due to the fog. With the dramatic drop-off on one side of the road, we're all on the edge of our seats. We arrive relieved and settle into the bus maintenance shop for a warm dinner. Afterward, a shuttle takes us to the high school for the night.
...We arrive at the gym to find a free-for-all in terms of getting a spot to sleep. I laughed to myself since my wife, Lisa, is a school teacher, and I had to wonder what she and my children (Jacque, Julianna and Jed) would think. I was also thinking about how odd this was for a whole herd of firefighters to essentially commandeer a high school, one with no power.
We run across firefighters from everywhere, even a former UC Davis student firefighter, Shem Hawkins. His dad is a commander on the Cedar Fire. We talk about what he must be going through, since that was where the firefighter was killed. I'm sure there will be a lot of second-guessing and "wishing we would have done x, y, z differently." As tired as I am, I can't stop thinking about our lost comrade and the firefighter who has been injured, with face and respiratory burns, and how their families' lives have changed so drastically and horribly.
Day 6: Oct. 31
FIRE AND ICE FOR HALLOWEEN
We are at 6,000 feet elevation, and a cold front is moving in. The weather is cold, cold, cold. The trees are covered in ice. We're told the temperature won't get above 44 degrees. Just 36 hours ago, we were dealing with temperatures in the 90s, strong winds and a lot of fire. What a drastic change. … We're assigned again to protect structures in Running Springs, where we'll be conducting mop-up. We finish at about 1300 hours. A little later we learn that several strike teams are being demobilized. … Tonight, back at camp, we've been treated to lots of candy. I think of my kids running from house to house. Halloween is one of my favorite events, but it seems as though there is something every other year that takes me away. Tonight, we're sleeping in an old abandoned military warehouse with a concrete floor --very appropriate on Halloween. I found some cardboard to pad the underside of my sleeping bag, and was actually able to get some good sleep.
Day 7: Nov. 1
MISSING HOME
At the morning briefing we learn that, with the cold front and rain essentially all night, things are winding down. The plan is to release 45 of the about 90 strike teams -- mainly Type I's (bigger, urban/suburban home protection engines that carry more hose and water). But we do see some Type III's like us (smaller, more maneuverable engines that are good for wildland fires) being released.
A Yolo County team seems to be listed for demobilization. This leads to a bit of excitement. But I keep telling everybody it's probably a mistake. Somebody from the resources unit finally gets back and lets us know we are not being demobed today. We'll be continuing our assignment with Green Valley.
This looks to be a day of sit and wait. And it is. We catch up on naps, get our gear back into tip-top shape and take care of our laundry. ... With the cool temps and rain and snow, there really should not be a reason to keep us a day longer. But after all the fire this past week, I'm sure they are very reluctant to let resources go.
Day 8: Nov. 2
SNOW AND THIEVERY
… At today's briefing we've learned that we'll once again be up the hill with Green Valley. There's 2-3 inches of snow on the ground and not a lot of justification to still have us around. Now comes the time when it gets tough to keep morale up -- when we are either resting, sitting in camp all day or given "busy work" assignments. After a big week like we just experienced, though, I've come to realize that having a day or two of rest before heading back can be very beneficial.
We head up the hill. The hot spots are fairly far down in the gullies, and they will need to get the hand crews in to finish them off. We make our rounds through the community and head back down. We decide to stop at In-N-Out Burger for a change of pace. On the way back, I check my voicemails. We're being demobed! The strike team is excited.
When we arrive back at camp, there are ranger units around an engine in our parking area. It's a private engine, and the owner is trying to supply it with stolen supplies. What concerns us is the fact that the owner had made inquiries about our strike team number. We check things out with the supply unit, since the guy could have used our number to get supplies. That hasn't happened, but the rangers say this type of activity does happen fairly often.
Day 9: Nov. 3
READY TO GO
Everybody has awakened ready to go. We eat and head over to have our rigs checked out by the mechanics. Just before hitting the road, I pick up a couple T-shirts. They have a big picture of Los Angeles with the locations and names of all nine major fires. The wording says, "Firestorm 2003." … On the road, talk has turned almost wholly from the fire to our families and what we're going to do once we get home. And, there's another thing -- I will never forget the large number of people who honk as they drive by and give us the thumbs up, and the folks who come up to us when we take a rest or eat and thank us.
I arrive home at about 2100 hours and I immediately notice glowing pumpkins. As I open the door, everyone runs to greet me. The kids are dressed up in their Halloween costumes. After hugs all around (even though I am told several times that I smell -- imagine that! -- they all want to hear about the fire. It feels great to be home.