No flying in this one, but given the current situation in California I felt it was worthwhile making a video on the topic of wildfires. Back to flying in the next video!
Smart piece of machinery to keep handy. Now you need a fire seeking drone to go out and do surveillance when needed. Can you make a heat-seeking drone? Stay safe Trent.
Hey Trent, I am a firefighter in the Bay Area. Fly out to KCCR some time and you can come do a ride along for a shift or two! We will get you all trained up!
When I lived in Arizona, a key concept was defensible space -- make sure there's nothing close to your house to catch fire. That's not the whole story, of course, but it's a big part...
@@jytheiowaguy1897 Yes, it should be -- but there's lots of folks with common attitudes like, it won't happen here, etc. And folks get busy with other things. etc. etc.
Hi Trent -- A couple of things to consider to keep your rig in top shape: •Put some gas protectant in your rig's gas to keep it fresh year round. And to fight the fuel line deterioration from ethanol gasoline. •Find out if your pump has a bypass tube for use in extended idling. If the pump just sits there churning water with no outlet, the water will actually boil. Not good for your equipment. •To enhance the effectiveness of your water, put a couple ounces of Dawn dish soap in a full water tank. It helps the water to penetrate a deeply hot spot, rather than just boiling it off. (It breaks the surface tension.) •Like he said, always aim your water stream at the base of the flame. •Always keep your equipment in top repair. So it will help you reliably. •Is there a water drain on the pump? Freezing water can burst your pump and crack your tank. •If you change clothes to fight a fire you want leather boots, leather gloves and ALL clothing to be of natural material. Anything not wool or cotton can catch fire and can melt to your skin. Right down to your skivvies. It's ok to practice with the new unit. Get to know it. But keep it full except in freezing weather. Talk with local fire fighters, even volunteers.
Boiling the water is the best possible result...the worst is the incompressibility of water stopping the impeller dead in place, breaking either the impeller or the drive shaft...electric motors can fry themselves.
I don't what its called in the us but here in the uk you can get an alkylate gas called aspen 4t that has a shelf life of something like 4/5 yrs before going off its also cleaner and better starting than regular gas would be good for something like this that gets left standing for months on end
The sky here in SW Oregon continued to get darker with smoke as I watched this, and I received an extreme fire conditions alert from my sheriff dept a few minutes ago. After 21 years of improving my firefighting capability here, I would say to everyone: 1) Develop as much water storage as you can. Each 3,000 gal tank you can afford and find room for is one hour of firefighting @50 gals per minute. You can fill them by either collecting rain off your roof or trickle well water in. 2) Put a permanent sprinkler system on your roof with a dry standpipe you can hook a pump to. It only took 4 Rain Bird heads with 40' radius to cover my house and shop + enough overspray to wet down a large area around the buildings. Loved the guy's attitude that it's your life and your property, assess the risk and stay to fight if you choose to.
I think a pool would make a great water storage as well. Add a defensive perimeter (someone else in the comments said 100+ ft). Part of that could be lawn, now add a sprinkler system to keep that lawn wet if there's a fire...
@@devilmecare Pools may be a good water source, but I've never known a pool owner who didn't hate how maintenance-intensive they are. The good thing about poly tanks is they just sit there until you need them. But because they fill from my roofs, I do have to keep my gutters extra clean. In a way that's a plus, because leaf-filled gutters are a good way to light a house on fire.
I was in Navy fire fighting was what it all about... Who is going to save you at sea???? You are doing the right thing. I got a old army 2.5 ton loaded with 500 gallons of water and pump etc. . When it is dry down here in south Texas. Cover your SIX !!!
Let's hear it for self-sufficiency! A relative of mine was able to sneak back behind the fire lines and save his own house successfully and I always looked up to him for the audacity he showed. Jess - love your attitude. The USA needs more people like that.
I loved that as well...I'm 73 and from experience, I can say without a doubt....you are never going to look back on your life and relish all the times you played "safe"!
We saved our house during the Glass Fire. A generator that could run the well pump and a few garden hoses kept an amazing amount of fire from spreading... But we were lucky there wasn't that much wind, and we had a few escape routes just in case...
Build fire breaks. I live in bush Alaska. We're on our own when fires breakout. We deal with it all the time. All the trees and brush may give you the "I live in the wild" vibe until you get bit on the ass and all your cool trees and brush become charcoal along with your house.
@Jake Heke I tried to explain controlled burns to a libtard that just moved in near me. Our cabin is in a place called the pine barrens and if they stopped the controlled burns the place is toast. My airfield is surrounded by a 3 row fire break. One is a fire road and then I have 2 of my own protecting our hanger and fuel/chemical storage.
Love the skids we have used them for years in the rural fire departments here in WV. Was a volunteer for 30 years. The guy is right put it out, keep wind at your back or to the side, cut your fire line and let the fire burn to you and keep the fuel away from your home. Also practice using your equipment and know it well.
Hey Trent, I was a firefighter for about 10 years, and the home owners that took any effort ahead of time were the houses still standing in the end. Thanks for the video!
He was other than his "nah outs cool about not getting yourself safe". 30 seconds is the difference between it being a small shrub fire to a fast moving grass fire. I'd rather be safe myself fighting any fire than going out in flip flops t shirt and shorts. Many people have died from radiated head from fires here in Australia from not being covered up. It gives you minutes of protection rather than fractions of seconds. Have your gear ready, boots and cover all's are all you need.
I can't say enough about how good this video is!!! One piece of advice, always keep it loaded and full of water! I keep 20,000L of water on surface spring and fall for fire season around my place. 10,000L in a tank trailer I can hook to my tractor. To all naysayers, when you live in the country there is only one person you can rely on to protect you, and that is yourself!!! Thanks for making this video. Love when he says all the critics can pound sand!!
My volunteer fire company has had one of the utv skids for several years now from these guys we get brush fires from trains in the summers running through our district we’ve developed a very good brush response these units are fantastic.
Great video. I think these might seem 'off topic' but I think it'll grow your viewer base beyond aviation - which is what I hope you continue to do. Thanks for sharing your awesome with the world. Edit: honestly, one of my favorite videos you've ever done. LOVED IT. I have a water truck on my property, but no high pressure pump for it, I'll go talk to QTAC and see what they have for me. 👍
I was about to suggest that. But not just a fire break, a real defense in depth setup, e.g. 60 feet of gravel, then 60-90 feet of lawn (short grass). Also, a pool on the property (talk to the local fire dept about filling it, they might fill it for you for free if they're allowed to dip into it, e.g. with a helicopter refilling its drop bladder).
@@steilkurbler4973 I mean yeah, but remember that the guy is a cinematographer so it'd be kinda wack for your whole property to look ass in the shots, still a ditch line around the property would definitely be cool
It could be done well and look good, he could run a strip of stone in a parameter around his house. It wouldn’t save all of his property but it would save the house. Also a fire suppression system at his well could prevent him being left dry.
Hey Trent, one suggestion with that Firefighting sled, just in case "Jeff" and QPAC didn't make it already: Have a first aid kit and some N95 masks with that rig at all times. Handy for both fire related injuries and snakebites etc..
Nine years ago last week me and 1600 of my neighbors lost our homes in the largest wildfire in Texas history. In my case, I was only about a half mile from the starting point and my first warning was a neighbors propane tank exploding. I saw a wall of fire coming through the forest. It took 15 minutes to cover that half mile and in three hours it was 8 miles wide and 16 miles long. The wind was blowing 35 mph before the fire and reached over 75 mph in drafts once it got going. God’s own fire hose wasn’t going to put that out. There wasn’t much to be done when a dense pine forest catches but in the scrub brush something small might work. Ours turned into a firestorm and one of my neighbors who had a concrete block house with concrete roof tiles lost his place because the heat coming through his windows set the drapes and furnishings on fire. It was that damn hot outside. Thus every fire is different, every environment is different. We did lose a couple of people that got trapped trying to save one more thing. Things aren’t worth it. Take it from someone who lost every damn thing he owned. I got my family and pets out. Those are what mattered. Don’t risk dying.
I live in NorCal on a 50 acre property with 3 homes that was affected by the LNU Complex in mid-August. The fire came through at midnight and burned right up to the homes but we were prepared. My dad, brother and I stayed and kept the flames back with garden hoses, sprinklers, and our 320 gallon fire truck we bought last year. I didn’t see one firefighter until 4 days later when a team from Oregon drove in to clean up any hotspots. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do to protect what you worked hard to create. But we saved all our buildings, barns and all, because we were prepared. By maintaining that defensible space all year long, and having a plan when the inevitable does happen, you’ll be better off than those who don’t. 90% of my nearby neighbors lost their homes in this fire, which is very saddening.
this brings back memories from New Years last year in the Australian summer, we had some of the worst bushfires in history in Australia, we had a massive out of control bushfire about 1km away from us but we were blocked in because roads were closed due to the fires.
Great video and really like your flying videos. I've been a wildfire behaviour analyst for 15 years in Victoria, Australia and have been deployed to wildfires in Canada. Jess is right about focusing on prevention in the spring and fall. You don't want any of that dry grass and scrub up close to the house. Can see at the end of your video it's getting quite close. A large fire will burnt fast across even the smallest amount of dry grass, right up to a structure. If you can't clear it mechanically, there may be an option to burn it out in small patches with assistance from someone like Jess and depending on local government bylaws. Jess's wetline tip is great. If you're trying to put out a new start or spot fire and can't get close to the flames, then spray in wetlines ahead of the fire to buy a bit of time. Another tip I know from an old timer Australian firefighter, if you run out of water and are desperate, throwing dirt can also be very effective, knocking the air out of the fire.
Maybe add a 1k gallon above ground tank, for refilling your fire fighting rig, and drain it during the winter months, could become your last line of defense.
Chris Aerts yup, and all he would need to do is put a connection to be able to draft off it and fill his tank. That little sled tank would probably fill up in less then a minute if it were set up right
I live and work in Denver. When I went into work 2 days ago there was ash falling from the sky. From what I have been told this was from a fire nearly 100 miles away. Never experienced anything like that. The smell of smoke was so thick it was extremely unpleasant to stand outside. God bless all those affected by these wildfires. And a BIG thank you to all the firefighters out there working so damn hard to help!
The smoke lately has been from the Cameron Peak fire- just up by Loveland, which grew by 4x in just three days, up to over 100k acres. Hopefully this recent snow/rain will help contain it enough to put it out soon, but it's still burning.
Getting out there and practicing with it is the thing to do. Get used to it, see if there is a way to mess up. Better to do it when you don't have the stress of a fire on your mind.
I'm an Aussie, our fires last year in our summer were the worst on record in terms of duration and amount of land burnt. I remember seeing smoke from our fires that had actually been around the earth once and we got it again. It was like nothing I have ever seen. On extreme days of total fire ban, we simply don't remain in areas that are vulnerable. It was a good reason to build a bunker at my in-laws which was a little larger than needed, it is also a wonder wine cellar. If ever we are forced into the bunker (cellar), we have the wine bottle to open clearly marked, it's on the top shelf!
Before it ever gets to fire season, clear the area around your home of flammable vegetation. Have a safe perimeter so that fire can't get to your home easily.
Wildfires were the main reason I sold my property up there in Redrock Canyon. In 1982 the closest fire protection was in Stead. By the time they got to my place it would have been gone. This is good info. Thanks!
FYI. Keep a giant economy size bottle of dawn dish washing liquid with your pump. Pour a couple of cups in the tank. Helps the water soak into the grasses and light fuels better.
Please don't because when your tanks low it will lose prime. You inject the detergent into the water line if you want to but it's not just normal dish washing soap, it's wetting agent with fire retardant on the fire trucks. It does make your water go much further and not dry out as fast, and when it is dry it leaves a retardant behind. Main problem is that it's expensive to plumb in and expensive to buy. Most firies won't use it normally because it's not looked at very favorably environmentally, not that this would be my first thought, but is extremely goods for projecting structures.
Disagree Damien. Former firefighter, we ran it in all of our brush trucks. We are not making foam, (2 different things) so you will not lose prime. And yes we used Dawn dish washing liquid as a wetting agent.
@@danerskine9862 Concur...it's not a foaming agent injected into the water line that runs the risk of losing prime but a wetting agent added to the water in the tank. Folks in my agency having been using it for more than the 40+ years that I've been around and we've used cheaper products than Dawn over the years....
I live near Chico and actually go to school there. We have fires so often. In 2018 we had the Camp Fire that burnt down lots of Paradise, including my friend's home. I used to live in the foothills and have fires come to my doorstep every year. For the past months it has looked like there is a constant rainstorm overhead. I can tell which day this was just because the sun was out. Thanks for promoting safety about one of the hardest and most destructive forces of nature.
Heck, I don't care how much the skids are to save my house and protect my family and livelihood I would have two or three. Great video thank you for the info.
Very cool and informative Trent. I had family evacuated in CA three weeks ago all the neighbors lost their houses 5acre lots rolling grass hills. Family house survived!!!! The fire burned right by the house. The big deal. Zero landscaping near the house, bare dirt. The 5 acres were mowed down to 2inch stubble and had bladed/dirt only areas near the house. Neighbors all had landscaping next to the house and trees etc that caught and resulted in the house being lost. The comment about prep is very real. Especially if your out on a job and a wind driven fire comes through, your place can be safe even with you out of state. 👍
Defensible space is a big keyword there. Every homeowner should be maintaining their defensible space every year. Glad to see that you taking the opportunity with your experience to help educate. The fire department may not always be able to get to the fire in time. I’m an emergency manager in Oklahoma and it is our job to try and preach preparedness tactics. This is a good one! Great work Trent! Keep up the amazing work!
I live in australia & last year we had the worst fire season for over a century,it was on a scale unimaginable unless you seen it with your own eyes.It totally exhausted our fire services & overwhelmed them to the point they could not cope with the scale & speed in which the fire grew & moved,im talking hundreds of kilometer fire fronts moving so fast vehicles couldnt outrun them.Whole townships gone in minutes despite the efforts of our volunteer fire fighters & the largest aerial fire bomber squad ever used in this country {most of which is hired from the usa}.The one lesson learnt was that while you need to be prepared many lives were saved from evacuating as early as possible,where are you going to run to when every road in or out of a place is ablaze? have your precious belongings packed ready to run at a moments notice then go as soon as you know a fire is coming,many people lost all of their belonings in our last fire season but at least they had their lives
125 gallons is roughly just under 500 litres in Australia measurement Trent here we have the exact design slip-on units that are either trailer pulled or tray mounted of same water capacity they are very effective for first attack and active fire fighting and worth weight in gold
in Australia YOU RUN AS FAR AS YOU CAN because it will be a wall of fire kilometers across which in cases can melt/ soften steel but we tend to have less fires but when we do you run you can not fight a fire like this (and also help may not come for days because all the roads will be blocked by fallen trees)
I’m a Wildland firefighter, key thing it to have clear defendable space, - closable vents and a way of plugging your gutter- fill it with water... if possible sprinkles are great on the fire front side.
Trent, Great Video as always! Timing is everything and right now with the heat and wild fires this is a great public service awareness video! I didn't comment at the time of your lightning fire because I knew lots of people would pile on negative comments and I agree with Jeff/Jess that hey you got the fire out, you and the wife didn't get hurt, ITS A WIN! I responded to a kitchen fire in Walker Lake Nevada a few years ago where the home owner put the fire out using the kitchen dish sprayer! Hey, it was unorthodox, but it worked as did your response. I would like to encourage you invest in a couple of sets of wild-land pants and shirt (nomex) with hardhats and leather gloves you can leave on your skid unit and some better shoes (LOL). You can put that stuff on right over your shorts and tee shirt. This does a couple of things, protects you and when you are wearing wild-land gear, the fire department is not going to tell you to leave, they just assume you know what your doing and probably will try to get you to join the volunteer fire department, if they haven't already! By the way, you could start your own volunteer group in your area, you already have a start on fire fighting equipment! If you would like more information, help, training, or additional building safety measures you can take, please feel free to email me at chiefbjfoster@gmail.com. All the Best! Byron
My dad is a type 1 strike team leader and is out fighting the fires all over the place I have had wildland firefighting drilled into me my whole life you did fine putting the fire out and that setup looks great man also Jess seems like a super chill dude you gotta take him flying after the fires are out.
Throw in a shovel and other digging tools(polaski, hazelhoe), most wildland fires are controlled by hand digging a line around them. I spent a few summers fighting fires in Oregon, it’s amazing what you can accomplish with a shovel scraping vegetation off the topsoil🤷🏻♂️.
As someone who lives in a city near the Creek Fire and know plenty of wildland firefighters, they constantly preach the maintaining a defensible (100 feet or more) cleared space and being prepared.
Timely - On Point, and no Fluff. Defensible space - Works two ways sometimes as in defense from wildlife. (South Denver, Man went out to work around his home, Unfortunately they left natural brush/scrub right up to the house. Mountain Lion - "This is MY home - Human - You are food" End result, one person dead because they wanted their home to 'fit in' to the natural surroundings, did too good a job. (All that to say, sometime you have to make a few sacrifices for a little more security) Giving up 5-50 feet of space around your home is a decision each person has to make based on their willingness to take risks. Plowing the ground, maybe not but non-burning landscape materials would be pretty effective and last a LONG LONG time. Thanks again Trent. Great Job
You might think about installing an above-ground tank you feed with a well or rainwater even. It could at least give you something to create a perimeter and soak your roof if you have to ditch. There is a chance that a fire could burn past before your home burns, the water has to all evaporate first - especially as sparse as the veg. is there. You could also automate it with roof-mounted misters and lay soaker hose in a perimeter. -Running off a well, it would protect your house for a good while.
I’ve got a 3000gal holding tank that our well feeds, I set it up with an extra discharge hookup that I can connect to the QTAC to fill it from or I can base it there if I want to spray a large amount of water
This is it, listen to the man. Maybe you don’t have the means to buy a rig like this but times have changed and even more so now, summer brings fires. Preparation goes a long way in protecting your home, your family and yourself. Stay safe out there everyone.
Hey Trent, Spent a large part of my work fighting or prepping for fighting fires. All you need is a wide area of mowed grass around the house, I have seen big fires stopped by mowed grass. Get big water tanks so you have something to draw on and follow Geoff's advice on cleaning your gutters and remove any way the fire or sparks can get into your home.
Good stuff be prepared, as a 40 year fireman as the other guy said you did a great job putting out the lightning strike gotta get on it fast. Remember you have that skid steer setting off in the background to you can flat fight a fire with it to. Clear the brush around the house and make sure you have a good water supply for your attack unit.
I am ex CalFire and moved to Texas. California Governor has screwed the state over once again. He will not give money to allow CalFire and Department of Forestry do preventative maintenance in Spring and Summer. It is embarrassing. Puts civilians, and personal at risk. Plus let alone Property.
i'm a socal native...one of my buds who has a place fairly rural picked up a 4,000 gallon surplus tanker truck he parks on the property.. with the truck ($5k) and another grand having the valves and PTO gone thru...300 for a 100 ft hose something like that might be a option amigo
Smart move for sure. There are also the old airport fire trucks which have a very high discount rate. Also checks those water storage, large tire boxes
Something like what Cleetus Mcfarland (automotvive youtuber if you don't dknow who he is) has, an old firetruck that carries thousands of gallons and only cost him $6k.
There is a equipment dealer in Mt Shasta, Darrah Equipment Inc, that has about 40 water trucks on contract with the USFS and every year he sells off a portion of his trucks. You should check it out. If you ever driven north on I-5, its the place at Black Butte Summit with all the fancy painted water trucks.
First, in all crisis, assume you are on your own. Cause you are. You might get some help, later, but not when things are going down. Regarding fire, no fuel, no fire. I've not lived in a dessert, but I could see the value in a small/medium sized farm tractor, to gather and manage fuel around my property. The idea is two fold. Gather fuel from the ground, making solid fire breaks, and then putting that fuel into a garden plot, for homestead food production. Rake the fire breaks, till it into your garden plot(s). Having sufficient water supply for a garden plot also ensures good on-hand water supply for fire fighting. You're in the dessert, so you'll will be irrigating your garden. Same stuff is good for putting out fires. Good video. This is a damn serious thing, that will always happen. Thanks for the information.
They cut line, don't dig ditches. That'll take waay too long. Cut line to mineral soil 3x the height of the majority of fuel.... Anchor the line (start from a safe area, roadway, rock, water feature, etc).
Trent, add some dish soap to the water tank. It's an old trick we used in the fire cats, fire backpack pump sprayers, and small truck water tanks. You don't need much dish soap to make sticky water. We also put Seafoam in the gasoline for those pumps. Mix it to fuel stabilizer levels. You want the pump to start when you need it. That pump may be sitting for a while before you need to use it, and you have already demonstrated that you will need to use it. It's a good investment, Trent. Nice thinking ahead. That skid loader that you have is a great fire fighting tool as well.
Hi Trent. I live in South Africa and have been involved in fighting wildfires on Game Farms and also burning of fire breaks around the property. I also worked in Forestry, so had my fair share of fighting fires. Basically, what I want to say, as Jess said what was the outcome of your experience... you prevented the fire from spreading, GOOD JOB. Stuff the "experts"
People have the right to protect their property, no one has the responsibility to die trying to save them, not even our firefighters. I will never tell someone they can't stay to defend their home, but I will also not force our first responders to enter a situation that is so dangerous just because a homeowner chose to take that risk.
Hi Trent, been watching your channel for a while. Am a volunteer wildfire firefighter in Australia and have fought them. To keep it short it takes lot of resources to stop a wildfire, the unit is quite good as per the manufacturer for small fires by embers etc, but if under amber attack you will be struggling with one unit. A designated fire tank (size dependant on area trying to protect), fire pump with sprinklers around set property area and on top of house can save it for x number of minutes. Wildfires here tend to pass quickly the issue normally is not just the heat of the fire but the lack of Oxygen when it comes through. The safest bet isif in doubt always leave early , if you are seeing flames its too late. In America i believe you can buy fire bunkers etc but not sure if they are rated by any official authority. In short just came through a fire season and have seen loss of life, stock, houses and lesson learnt is leave with your life, you can always rebuild the rest . Stay Safe and look forward to the next video
Put a water tank in ur tractor for extra water and hook up draft hose to it... Mix liquid dish soap in water...more effective to suppress fire... Setup remote water collection and storage tanks around ur property to draft from or reload... If u can run water pipes under ground to different spots around ur property... About 30 to 60 degrees of spray is most effective , plus or minus for different situations u will have to experiment to find the best spray for each. If u can keep ur grass mowed low. If you have a lot of lightning strikes in one area u might want to consider a lighting rod in the ground and a circle of non combustible material around it. Do some research and check a company that handles that to get more information on that so you can do it properly and safely.
Haha, I actually thought of your comment when I was doing this integration! I thought to myself "well better not make the 'living under a rock' comment again" ;)
The skid steer is also a great tool in your area for fire extinguishment. Practice scraping a line in the grass/sagebrush. Takes out the fuel aspect of the fire triangle. Plus it keeps you in an air conditioned cab away from the heat. And if a fire is headed to your house, you can cut in your line, then leave. Get to safety and give your house and yourself the best chances of survival
Just had a fire near my house that went from 500 acres to 130,000+ over night and burned over 5 towns. It normally takes an hour to drive the distance(25 straight line miles) it traveled and it made it in a few hours. For everyone watching this, know that there are a lot of fires this season that you stand no chance of fighting, even with 1000 firefighters.
Good video. As a retired structure and wildland firefighter I think you did fine with the lightning fire you had. If you had a tractor with a blade on it you would have taken care of that fire easily as well. They are great for when water is hard to come by.
I'm in Qld, Australia, & own a 2200 acre native forest property. I lost nearly 1/2 my trees to a bush (wild) fire in Jan '14 ! Needless to say I now have a 2000 litre fire fighting trailer that I built up myself (fitter/welder by trade) but I used a single cyl diesel engine pump on mine. It can run 2, 3/4" hoes reels. Similar nozzles to yours. One thing I am looking at is an eductor for foam suction. You may want to look at that as well. We have a product here called 'Bushmaster' foam. I intend to spray the foam onto buildings etc if the fire gets to close as it does last a lot longer, a real lot longer than just plain water sprayed on buildings. Also it is more effective to even fight fires with. In approximate terms, the foam additive, with give you 5 to 10 times the fire fighting capacity. Do you research, maybe contact that QTAC company to look at foam options. Scotty fire, make several bush fire models & hose add ons. I do have as others have advised here a clear fire break where it matters, including around my whole property, but even then, the fire jumped the 20m (22yd) clear break, it was that hot. Being as you dont have big trees around, you pretty much only need to be concerned with grass & low brush. All the best mate, & yes, I like all your videos
Been watching your flying videos for a couple of years, but as a firefighter, I want to thank you for this one. In the WUI, one of the most important things you can do is create and maintain that defensible space around your home. Glad to see you taking it seriously. Hitting on his point that he made, do everything you can to protect your community, but when the crews do arrive, please make sure to follow what they instruct you to do is for everyone's safety. Good luck with the fires man.
What a timely and thoughtful video, Trent. My dad was a forest ranger and I spent two summers on fire crews in California in the 60s, I appreciate how much more good preventive information is now available for the general public, especially for the millions living in the urban interface. And you are part of that positive movement.
Great Topic! A number of times I have feared for Your and Hailey's safety. Here in SLC we have been smoked out numerous times from the CA fires. Lived in Santa Barbara for 30 yrs and my realtor was burned out 3 times. On the 4th rebuild they put in a large pool with a series of pumps to defend their property. It worked. Some times fire crews just can't get there.
Trent you are a busy guy. Be sure you run that pump monthly to be sure it will start when you need it. Keep the fuel fresh and battery up if it has one. Hope you never need that puppy but super smart to get it in that area.
You could keep the pump exercised and keep you in practice using it by watering your runway every month or so. That keeps everything working, keeps water flowing through the system, and keeps you familiar with the gear, plus it is a better use of the water than just spraying it around. It would also help the grass on the runway.
Working with drones myself but with utility inspection we are all over Cali working and dealing w wildfires nearby on the daily. Worked by the El Dorado fire near San Bernardino and near the stagecoach fire south of Bodfish. Also now in Tulare county north of Lake Isabella dealing w the SQF. I live in East County San Diego and we also have the Valley Fire in Alpine which is 5 min east of me. We must remain diligent and constantly aware of our surroundings Californians.
I got burned to the ground in 1988. Huge Forest Fire. We were busy helping neighbors get out, all along thinking our place was safe. The winds switched and sent the fire to our place at 25 mph. The house exploded, the wall were actually blown out into the yard. We lost everything. No one could have survived the firestorm that hit.
good topic Trent, this one hit close to home and i mean close. I am in Fort McMurray Alberta a little oil town with big toys. In 2016 we had a wild fire hit the town and 80 000 people had to be evacuated. as a back woods lover I know how is feels not having the tools to keep you and your family safe, so good on you for taking the steps. just remember love one first and the property it can be replace
Just had the Oak Fire up here" Thanks to all the clearing and triming up the trees 8ft + our home was saved. Lots of compliments from the fire crews......! It's not if a fire comes" It's when..."
No flying in this one, but given the current situation in California I felt it was worthwhile making a video on the topic of wildfires. Back to flying in the next video!
Thanks for doing this, news coverage has really dropped off but the California fires are still going strong
Smart piece of machinery to keep handy. Now you need a fire seeking drone to go out and do surveillance when needed. Can you make a heat-seeking drone? Stay safe Trent.
Blancolirio is affected by the same fire I think. Nice update!
Use that Skid loader to build yourself a pond.
i"d say it was a timely well done vid 2 thumbs up tx Trent!!!!!!!
Hey Trent, I am a firefighter in the Bay Area. Fly out to KCCR some time and you can come do a ride along for a shift or two! We will get you all trained up!
This would be awesome to see. Huge respect for you guys, thanks for all you do.
Good idea for a vid!
Trent, you need to take him up on his offer!
This would be an amazing video! Trent please do this!! It could be a totally new beginning for you, too. :)
That is an offer of a life time
When Nick finishes his airplane, I hope to see a water salute with this...
Hero Status!
Sean Collins I agree this must happen
@@SpaceReportNews Yeah, I worked for the airlines. That wold be done when pilots were retiring.
When I lived in Arizona, a key concept was defensible space -- make sure there's nothing close to your house to catch fire. That's not the whole story, of course, but it's a big part...
It for sure would help,
That seems like it should be an all too obvious of a thing if you live in an area prone to wildfires
@@jytheiowaguy1897 Yes, it should be -- but there's lots of folks with common attitudes like, it won't happen here, etc. And folks get busy with other things. etc. etc.
Yeah. My city is placing ordinances. We have to provide defensible space now.
@@jytheiowaguy1897 No Way !! Some of these clowns have Weeds right up to the house ! Or built deep in the woods. No defensible anything !
Hi Trent --
A couple of things to consider to keep your rig in top shape:
•Put some gas protectant in your rig's gas to keep it fresh year round. And to fight the fuel line deterioration from ethanol gasoline.
•Find out if your pump has a bypass tube for use in extended idling. If the pump just sits there churning water with no outlet, the water will actually boil. Not good for your equipment.
•To enhance the effectiveness of your water, put a couple ounces of Dawn dish soap in a full water tank. It helps the water to penetrate a deeply hot spot, rather than just boiling it off. (It breaks the surface tension.)
•Like he said, always aim your water stream at the base of the flame.
•Always keep your equipment in top repair. So it will help you reliably.
•Is there a water drain on the pump? Freezing water can burst your pump and crack your tank.
•If you change clothes to fight a fire you want leather boots, leather gloves and ALL clothing to be of natural material.
Anything not wool or cotton can catch fire and can melt to your skin. Right down to your skivvies.
It's ok to practice with the new unit. Get to know it. But keep it full except in freezing weather. Talk with local fire fighters, even volunteers.
Boiling the water is the best possible result...the worst is the incompressibility of water stopping the impeller dead in place, breaking either the impeller or the drive shaft...electric motors can fry themselves.
I don't what its called in the us but here in the uk you can get an alkylate gas called aspen 4t that has a shelf life of something like 4/5 yrs before going off its also cleaner and better starting than regular gas would be good for something like this that gets left standing for months on end
The sky here in SW Oregon continued to get darker with smoke as I watched this, and I received an extreme fire conditions alert from my sheriff dept a few minutes ago. After 21 years of improving my firefighting capability here, I would say to everyone: 1) Develop as much water storage as you can. Each 3,000 gal tank you can afford and find room for is one hour of firefighting @50 gals per minute. You can fill them by either collecting rain off your roof or trickle well water in. 2) Put a permanent sprinkler system on your roof with a dry standpipe you can hook a pump to. It only took 4 Rain Bird heads with 40' radius to cover my house and shop + enough overspray to wet down a large area around the buildings. Loved the guy's attitude that it's your life and your property, assess the risk and stay to fight if you choose to.
I think a pool would make a great water storage as well. Add a defensive perimeter (someone else in the comments said 100+ ft). Part of that could be lawn, now add a sprinkler system to keep that lawn wet if there's a fire...
@@realulli I wondered why people don't think of that. Saw a house burned down and a great water source. Yep, a pool.
There is no fire there.It is all of the smog rolling over the hills from California.
@@devilmecare Pools may be a good water source, but I've never known a pool owner who didn't hate how maintenance-intensive they are. The good thing about poly tanks is they just sit there until you need them. But because they fill from my roofs, I do have to keep my gutters extra clean. In a way that's a plus, because leaf-filled gutters are a good way to light a house on fire.
I was in Navy fire fighting was what it all about... Who is going to save you at sea???? You are doing the right thing. I got a old army 2.5 ton loaded with 500 gallons of water and pump etc. . When it is dry down here in south Texas. Cover your SIX !!!
Let's hear it for self-sufficiency! A relative of mine was able to sneak back behind the fire lines and save his own house successfully and I always looked up to him for the audacity he showed. Jess - love your attitude. The USA needs more people like that.
I love when he tells the critics to pound sand.
I loved that as well...I'm 73 and from experience, I can say without a doubt....you are never going to look back on your life and relish all the times you played "safe"!
We saved our house during the Glass Fire. A generator that could run the well pump and a few garden hoses kept an amazing amount of fire from spreading...
But we were lucky there wasn't that much wind, and we had a few escape routes just in case...
Wow, that’s amazing, glad you were prepared and were able to save your house!
Build fire breaks. I live in bush Alaska. We're on our own when fires breakout. We deal with it all the time. All the trees and brush may give you the "I live in the wild" vibe until you get bit on the ass and all your cool trees and brush become charcoal along with your house.
Yup, and especially with our epidemic of beetle kill spruce...
this ^^^ just remove a few lines of brush around your property. remove the fuel.
Until the BLM and AFS come to save the day...last time I checked they have a base in Galena during fire season...
@@marshallcarter6106 They show up after everything is burned.
@Jake Heke I tried to explain controlled burns to a libtard that just moved in near me. Our cabin is in a place called the pine barrens and if they stopped the controlled burns the place is toast. My airfield is surrounded by a 3 row fire break. One is a fire road and then I have 2 of my own protecting our hanger and fuel/chemical storage.
Love the skids we have used them for years in the rural fire departments here in WV. Was a volunteer for 30 years. The guy is right put it out, keep wind at your back or to the side, cut your fire line and let the fire burn to you and keep the fuel away from your home. Also practice using your equipment and know it well.
After what we had here in Australia at the end of last year/start of this year - best of luck and hope you guys don’t get the same.
Had one of the smaller fires hit the hills behind my house, Still took 4 days before they could stop having the Heli's working 12hrs a day!
Hey Trent, I was a firefighter for about 10 years, and the home owners that took any effort ahead of time were the houses still standing in the end. Thanks for the video!
10:03 reminds me of the words of a friend of mine who is a volunteer FF in MN "Put the wet stuff on the red stuff!"
Jess... that dude was so on point. Loved it.
hes a legend! great video
He was other than his "nah outs cool about not getting yourself safe".
30 seconds is the difference between it being a small shrub fire to a fast moving grass fire.
I'd rather be safe myself fighting any fire than going out in flip flops t shirt and shorts.
Many people have died from radiated head from fires here in Australia from not being covered up.
It gives you minutes of protection rather than fractions of seconds.
Have your gear ready, boots and cover all's are all you need.
Yep
Firestorm crews are a joke, most are a bunch of yahoos without a fucking clue. This guy seemed alright, but I wouldn't give the same advice
@@AnonymousOtters Firestorm? Spent years leading my crew, both helitack and ground. Been there. Every fire is different, hardly a joke..
I can't say enough about how good this video is!!! One piece of advice, always keep it loaded and full of water! I keep 20,000L of water on surface spring and fall for fire season around my place. 10,000L in a tank trailer I can hook to my tractor. To all naysayers, when you live in the country there is only one person you can rely on to protect you, and that is yourself!!! Thanks for making this video. Love when he says all the critics can pound sand!!
I pound sand alot and fires are good for the environment and helps resprout new life.
its always the small things that prevent large ones in the future, do your due diligence and you will be fine.
Sometimes it makes sense to run to the fire and not run away from the fire. That's a great tool Trent, good for you!
My volunteer fire company has had one of the utv skids for several years now from these guys we get brush fires from trains in the summers running through our district we’ve developed a very good brush response these units are fantastic.
Makes a nice tool to wet down the strip when it gets really dusty too!
Ryan Walsh this was my first thought 😎 🌧
Great video. I think these might seem 'off topic' but I think it'll grow your viewer base beyond aviation - which is what I hope you continue to do. Thanks for sharing your awesome with the world. Edit: honestly, one of my favorite videos you've ever done. LOVED IT. I have a water truck on my property, but no high pressure pump for it, I'll go talk to QTAC and see what they have for me. 👍
Your property looks like it would benefit from a firebreak - a ploughed strip all the way around, kept to bare earth. Have you considered that?
I was about to suggest that. But not just a fire break, a real defense in depth setup, e.g. 60 feet of gravel, then 60-90 feet of lawn (short grass). Also, a pool on the property (talk to the local fire dept about filling it, they might fill it for you for free if they're allowed to dip into it, e.g. with a helicopter refilling its drop bladder).
It would look pretty bad, but might work better
@@befer In my books it's 'form follows function' on this subject
@@steilkurbler4973 I mean yeah, but remember that the guy is a cinematographer so it'd be kinda wack for your whole property to look ass in the shots, still a ditch line around the property would definitely be cool
It could be done well and look good, he could run a strip of stone in a parameter around his house. It wouldn’t save all of his property but it would save the house. Also a fire suppression system at his well could prevent him being left dry.
Just remember start that motor every so often because you wait too long at starting it; it might not start when you need it
Run non ethanol fuel too, or some sea foam to keep the carb clear
@@2strokeme64 How about avgas ? 100 Octane with Low Lead.
Does anyone who really knows...know if 100LL would have a much longer “shelf life” than regular 89-93octane Gasoline?
@@ppgwhereeverett4412 Definitely no Avgas. The lead will foul the plugs and cause all kinds of other problems.
@@flyerjack1548 No 93 in Calif 91 is as good as it gets
Hey Trent, one suggestion with that Firefighting sled, just in case "Jeff" and QPAC didn't make it already: Have a first aid kit and some N95 masks with that rig at all times. Handy for both fire related injuries and snakebites etc..
Really enjoyed the video Trent! Thanks for coming down.
Nine years ago last week me and 1600 of my neighbors lost our homes in the largest wildfire in Texas history. In my case, I was only about a half mile from the starting point and my first warning was a neighbors propane tank exploding. I saw a wall of fire coming through the forest. It took 15 minutes to cover that half mile and in three hours it was 8 miles wide and 16 miles long. The wind was blowing 35 mph before the fire and reached over 75 mph in drafts once it got going. God’s own fire hose wasn’t going to put that out. There wasn’t much to be done when a dense pine forest catches but in the scrub brush something small might work. Ours turned into a firestorm and one of my neighbors who had a concrete block house with concrete roof tiles lost his place because the heat coming through his windows set the drapes and furnishings on fire. It was that damn hot outside. Thus every fire is different, every environment is different.
We did lose a couple of people that got trapped trying to save one more thing. Things aren’t worth it. Take it from someone who lost every damn thing he owned. I got my family and pets out. Those are what mattered. Don’t risk dying.
William Wheeler - glad to hear your family made it out, how is Bastrop ... still see the scars of that fire from the Highway when you drive through.
Thank you for being the voice of reason.
I live in NorCal on a 50 acre property with 3 homes that was affected by the LNU Complex in mid-August. The fire came through at midnight and burned right up to the homes but we were prepared. My dad, brother and I stayed and kept the flames back with garden hoses, sprinklers, and our 320 gallon fire truck we bought last year. I didn’t see one firefighter until 4 days later when a team from Oregon drove in to clean up any hotspots. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do to protect what you worked hard to create. But we saved all our buildings, barns and all, because we were prepared. By maintaining that defensible space all year long, and having a plan when the inevitable does happen, you’ll be better off than those who don’t. 90% of my nearby neighbors lost their homes in this fire, which is very saddening.
this brings back memories from New Years last year in the Australian summer, we had some of the worst bushfires in history in Australia, we had a massive out of control bushfire about 1km away from us but we were blocked in because roads were closed due to the fires.
Great video and really like your flying videos. I've been a wildfire behaviour analyst for 15 years in Victoria, Australia and have been deployed to wildfires in Canada. Jess is right about focusing on prevention in the spring and fall. You don't want any of that dry grass and scrub up close to the house. Can see at the end of your video it's getting quite close. A large fire will burnt fast across even the smallest amount of dry grass, right up to a structure. If you can't clear it mechanically, there may be an option to burn it out in small patches with assistance from someone like Jess and depending on local government bylaws. Jess's wetline tip is great. If you're trying to put out a new start or spot fire and can't get close to the flames, then spray in wetlines ahead of the fire to buy a bit of time. Another tip I know from an old timer Australian firefighter, if you run out of water and are desperate, throwing dirt can also be very effective, knocking the air out of the fire.
Maybe add a 1k gallon above ground tank, for refilling your fire fighting rig, and drain it during the winter months, could become your last line of defense.
He has a that with his well. Saw it on the video for his well drilling.
Chris Aerts yup, and all he would need to do is put a connection to be able to draft off it and fill his tank. That little sled tank would probably fill up in less then a minute if it were set up right
Just add a swimming pool. That's not just 1k, that's upwards of 10k gallons.
I live and work in Denver. When I went into work 2 days ago there was ash falling from the sky. From what I have been told this was from a fire nearly 100 miles away. Never experienced anything like that. The smell of smoke was so thick it was extremely unpleasant to stand outside. God bless all those affected by these wildfires. And a BIG thank you to all the firefighters out there working so damn hard to help!
Dude, I heard you're about to get snow starting tomorrow. Crazy times.
The smoke lately has been from the Cameron Peak fire- just up by Loveland, which grew by 4x in just three days, up to over 100k acres. Hopefully this recent snow/rain will help contain it enough to put it out soon, but it's still burning.
Getting out there and practicing with it is the thing to do. Get used to it, see if there is a way to mess up. Better to do it when you don't have the stress of a fire on your mind.
Spot on
I'm an Aussie, our fires last year in our summer were the worst on record in terms of duration and amount of land burnt. I remember seeing smoke from our fires that had actually been around the earth once and we got it again. It was like nothing I have ever seen. On extreme days of total fire ban, we simply don't remain in areas that are vulnerable. It was a good reason to build a bunker at my in-laws which was a little larger than needed, it is also a wonder wine cellar. If ever we are forced into the bunker (cellar), we have the wine bottle to open clearly marked, it's on the top shelf!
Before it ever gets to fire season, clear the area around your home of flammable vegetation. Have a safe perimeter so that fire can't get to your home easily.
Wildfires were the main reason I sold my property up there in Redrock Canyon. In 1982 the closest fire protection was in Stead. By the time they got to my place it would have been gone. This is good info. Thanks!
FYI. Keep a giant economy size bottle of dawn dish washing liquid with your pump. Pour a couple of cups in the tank. Helps the water soak into the grasses and light fuels better.
Please don't because when your tanks low it will lose prime.
You inject the detergent into the water line if you want to but it's not just normal dish washing soap, it's wetting agent with fire retardant on the fire trucks.
It does make your water go much further and not dry out as fast, and when it is dry it leaves a retardant behind.
Main problem is that it's expensive to plumb in and expensive to buy.
Most firies won't use it normally because it's not looked at very favorably environmentally, not that this would be my first thought, but is extremely goods for projecting structures.
Disagree Damien. Former firefighter, we ran it in all of our brush trucks.
We are not making foam, (2 different things) so you will not lose prime.
And yes we used Dawn dish washing liquid as a wetting agent.
@@danerskine9862 Concur...it's not a foaming agent injected into the water line that runs the risk of losing prime but a wetting agent added to the water in the tank. Folks in my agency having been using it for more than the 40+ years that I've been around and we've used cheaper products than Dawn over the years....
I live near Chico and actually go to school there. We have fires so often. In 2018 we had the Camp Fire that burnt down lots of Paradise, including my friend's home. I used to live in the foothills and have fires come to my doorstep every year. For the past months it has looked like there is a constant rainstorm overhead. I can tell which day this was just because the sun was out. Thanks for promoting safety about one of the hardest and most destructive forces of nature.
Jeff/Jess knew it all and must be heard in 'Fire Country' - all states NV, CA. Do controlled burns - Palmetto other sagebrush!
Oregon doesn't do control burns and that's one reason it's on fire right now
-- "You put it out. You didn't get hurt. Perfect! All the critics can shove it!" (Jess aka Jeff, per your effort). *_Excellent!_*
Heck, I don't care how much the skids are to save my house and protect my family and livelihood I would have two or three. Great video thank you for the info.
Very cool and informative Trent. I had family evacuated in CA three weeks ago all the neighbors lost their houses 5acre lots rolling grass hills. Family house survived!!!! The fire burned right by the house. The big deal. Zero landscaping near the house, bare dirt. The 5 acres were mowed down to 2inch stubble and had bladed/dirt only areas near the house. Neighbors all had landscaping next to the house and trees etc that caught and resulted in the house being lost. The comment about prep is very real. Especially if your out on a job and a wind driven fire comes through, your place can be safe even with you out of state. 👍
Defensible space is a big keyword there. Every homeowner should be maintaining their defensible space every year. Glad to see that you taking the opportunity with your experience to help educate. The fire department may not always be able to get to the fire in time. I’m an emergency manager in Oklahoma and it is our job to try and preach preparedness tactics. This is a good one! Great work Trent! Keep up the amazing work!
I live in australia & last year we had the worst fire season for over a century,it was on a scale unimaginable unless you seen it with your own eyes.It totally exhausted our fire services & overwhelmed them to the point they could not cope with the scale & speed in which the fire grew & moved,im talking hundreds of kilometer fire fronts moving so fast vehicles couldnt outrun them.Whole townships gone in minutes despite the efforts of our volunteer fire fighters & the largest aerial fire bomber squad ever used in this country {most of which is hired from the usa}.The one lesson learnt was that while you need to be prepared many lives were saved from evacuating as early as possible,where are you going to run to when every road in or out of a place is ablaze? have your precious belongings packed ready to run at a moments notice then go as soon as you know a fire is coming,many people lost all of their belonings in our last fire season but at least they had their lives
YOU put it out. ! That pretty much covers it. A 1980's Rock Creek Fire Volunteer. Auburn, Cal
125 gallons is roughly just under 500 litres in Australia measurement Trent here we have the exact design slip-on units that are either trailer pulled or tray mounted of same water capacity they are very effective for first attack and active fire fighting and worth weight in gold
The most important tool in fighting fire Trent, is Defensible space! keep lots of space around your home clean with no combustibles!
in Australia YOU RUN AS FAR AS YOU CAN because it will be a wall of fire kilometers across which in cases can melt/ soften steel but we tend to have less fires but when we do you run you can not fight a fire like this (and also help may not come for days because all the roads will be blocked by fallen trees)
your ad segues are top notch. when the cash starts flowing in...I put in a pool! superb water source you can hook up your new pump.
I’m a Wildland firefighter, key thing it to have clear defendable space, - closable vents and a way of plugging your gutter- fill it with water... if possible sprinkles are great on the fire front side.
Trent, Great Video as always! Timing is everything and right now with the heat and wild fires this is a great public service awareness video! I didn't comment at the time of your lightning fire because I knew lots of people would pile on negative comments and I agree with Jeff/Jess that hey you got the fire out, you and the wife didn't get hurt, ITS A WIN! I responded to a kitchen fire in Walker Lake Nevada a few years ago where the home owner put the fire out using the kitchen dish sprayer! Hey, it was unorthodox, but it worked as did your response. I would like to encourage you invest in a couple of sets of wild-land pants and shirt (nomex) with hardhats and leather gloves you can leave on your skid unit and some better shoes (LOL). You can put that stuff on right over your shorts and tee shirt. This does a couple of things, protects you and when you are wearing wild-land gear, the fire department is not going to tell you to leave, they just assume you know what your doing and probably will try to get you to join the volunteer fire department, if they haven't already! By the way, you could start your own volunteer group in your area, you already have a start on fire fighting equipment! If you would like more information, help, training, or additional building safety measures you can take, please feel free to email me at chiefbjfoster@gmail.com. All the Best! Byron
My dad is a type 1 strike team leader and is out fighting the fires all over the place I have had wildland firefighting drilled into me my whole life you did fine putting the fire out and that setup looks great man also Jess seems like a super chill dude you gotta take him flying after the fires are out.
Throw in a shovel and other digging tools(polaski, hazelhoe), most wildland fires are controlled by hand digging a line around them. I spent a few summers fighting fires in Oregon, it’s amazing what you can accomplish with a shovel scraping vegetation off the topsoil🤷🏻♂️.
As someone who lives in a city near the Creek Fire and know plenty of wildland firefighters, they constantly preach the maintaining a defensible (100 feet or more) cleared space and being prepared.
“All the critics can shove it” - quote of the day!
Timely - On Point, and no Fluff.
Defensible space - Works two ways sometimes as in defense from wildlife. (South Denver, Man went out to work around his home, Unfortunately they left natural brush/scrub right up to the house. Mountain Lion - "This is MY home - Human - You are food" End result, one person dead because they wanted their home to 'fit in' to the natural surroundings, did too good a job. (All that to say, sometime you have to make a few sacrifices for a little more security)
Giving up 5-50 feet of space around your home is a decision each person has to make based on their willingness to take risks. Plowing the ground, maybe not but non-burning landscape materials would be pretty effective and last a LONG LONG time.
Thanks again Trent. Great Job
You might think about installing an above-ground tank you feed with a well or rainwater even. It could at least give you something to create a perimeter and soak your roof if you have to ditch. There is a chance that a fire could burn past before your home burns, the water has to all evaporate first - especially as sparse as the veg. is there.
You could also automate it with roof-mounted misters and lay soaker hose in a perimeter. -Running off a well, it would protect your house for a good while.
I’ve got a 3000gal holding tank that our well feeds, I set it up with an extra discharge hookup that I can connect to the QTAC to fill it from or I can base it there if I want to spray a large amount of water
@@TrentonPalmer Right on! You'll be ready, hopefully you don't have any big incidents of course though.
This is it, listen to the man. Maybe you don’t have the means to buy a rig like this but times have changed and even more so now, summer brings fires. Preparation goes a long way in protecting your home, your family and yourself. Stay safe out there everyone.
Glad you posted something like this!
Hey Trent, Spent a large part of my work fighting or prepping for fighting fires. All you need is a wide area of mowed grass around the house, I have seen big fires stopped by mowed grass. Get big water tanks so you have something to draw on and follow Geoff's advice on cleaning your gutters and remove any way the fire or sparks can get into your home.
Definite market for these here in Australia!
There's plenty of the same thing made over here.
I think low cost is very important . 3 cheap reliable units are much better than 1 unit with all the bells and whistles.
Good stuff be prepared, as a 40 year fireman as the other guy said you did a great job putting out the lightning strike gotta get on it fast. Remember you have that skid steer setting off in the background to you can flat fight a fire with it to. Clear the brush around the house and make sure you have a good water supply for your attack unit.
I keep the skid steer fueled and ready for fire season also, I figure this way I have a couple tools should I ever need them!
I am ex CalFire and moved to Texas. California Governor has screwed the state over once again. He will not give money to allow CalFire and Department of Forestry do preventative maintenance in Spring and Summer. It is embarrassing. Puts civilians, and personal at risk. Plus let alone Property.
We have one that slides into a 2500 pickup. Its 360 gallons. Most ranchers in our area have one or 2. Plus a semi with 3000 gallons water tank.
Rent a CAT D4k for 2 days and clear all the brush. Call a guy that installs lightning rods to protect the house.
i'm a socal native...one of my buds who has a place fairly rural picked up a 4,000 gallon surplus tanker truck he parks on the property.. with the truck ($5k) and another grand having the valves and PTO gone thru...300 for a 100 ft hose something like that might be a option amigo
For where you guys live it would be smart to get a water truck from Ritchie Bros auctions.
Right
Smart move for sure. There are also the old airport fire trucks which have a very high discount rate. Also checks those water storage, large tire boxes
You are right, but you can't operate old firetruck that fast and easy by one man. So yes, smart move, Trent. Take care.
Something like what Cleetus Mcfarland (automotvive youtuber if you don't dknow who he is) has, an old firetruck that carries thousands of gallons and only cost him $6k.
There is a equipment dealer in Mt Shasta, Darrah Equipment Inc, that has about 40 water trucks on contract with the USFS and every year he sells off a portion of his trucks. You should check it out. If you ever driven north on I-5, its the place at Black Butte Summit with all the fancy painted water trucks.
Love Jess, very down to earth and very blunt but accurate. We have the right to do what we feel is right for us.
Trent, you need to get a Air Tractor at-802 Fire Boss!
$$$$$$$$$$ !
First, in all crisis, assume you are on your own. Cause you are. You might get some help, later, but not when things are going down.
Regarding fire, no fuel, no fire. I've not lived in a dessert, but I could see the value in a small/medium sized farm tractor, to gather and manage fuel around my property. The idea is two fold. Gather fuel from the ground, making solid fire breaks, and then putting that fuel into a garden plot, for homestead food production.
Rake the fire breaks, till it into your garden plot(s).
Having sufficient water supply for a garden plot also ensures good on-hand water supply for fire fighting. You're in the dessert, so you'll will be irrigating your garden. Same stuff is good for putting out fires.
Good video. This is a damn serious thing, that will always happen. Thanks for the information.
Also, what about digging a protective fire wall ditch? I noticed the fire fighters using them lately. Stay safe.
They cut line, don't dig ditches. That'll take waay too long. Cut line to mineral soil 3x the height of the majority of fuel....
Anchor the line (start from a safe area, roadway, rock, water feature, etc).
Trent, add some dish soap to the water tank. It's an old trick we used in the fire cats, fire backpack pump sprayers, and small truck water tanks. You don't need much dish soap to make sticky water. We also put Seafoam in the gasoline for those pumps. Mix it to fuel stabilizer levels. You want the pump to start when you need it. That pump may be sitting for a while before you need to use it, and you have already demonstrated that you will need to use it. It's a good investment, Trent. Nice thinking ahead. That skid loader that you have is a great fire fighting tool as well.
The smoke is exactly like that at my house
Hi Trent. I live in South Africa and have been involved in fighting wildfires on Game Farms and also burning of fire breaks around the property. I also worked in Forestry, so had my fair share of fighting fires. Basically, what I want to say, as Jess said what was the outcome of your experience... you prevented the fire from spreading, GOOD JOB. Stuff the "experts"
People have the right to protect their property, no one has the responsibility to die trying to save them, not even our firefighters. I will never tell someone they can't stay to defend their home, but I will also not force our first responders to enter a situation that is so dangerous just because a homeowner chose to take that risk.
Hi Trent, been watching your channel for a while. Am a volunteer wildfire firefighter in Australia and have fought them. To keep it short it takes lot of resources to stop a wildfire, the unit is quite good as per the manufacturer for small fires by embers etc, but if under amber attack you will be struggling with one unit. A designated fire tank (size dependant on area trying to protect), fire pump with sprinklers around set property area and on top of house can save it for x number of minutes. Wildfires here tend to pass quickly the issue normally is not just the heat of the fire but the lack of Oxygen when it comes through. The safest bet isif in doubt always leave early , if you are seeing flames its too late. In America i believe you can buy fire bunkers etc but not sure if they are rated by any official authority. In short just came through a fire season and have seen loss of life, stock, houses and lesson learnt is leave with your life, you can always rebuild the rest . Stay Safe and look forward to the next video
I was driving through Washington yesterday and the smoke was crazy
we've got smoke up in Vancouver as well
I finally got fed up with fire season EVERY year and moved to Tennessee in August...
Clean air is great
I still can't help but think that all these fires would be less if people used prescribed fires a bit more
Tell California's Governor that.
olderbutyoung Also tell the US Government that since most of California’s forest lands are under USFS jurisdiction.
Put a water tank in ur tractor for extra water and hook up draft hose to it...
Mix liquid dish soap in water...more effective to suppress fire...
Setup remote water collection and storage tanks around ur property to draft from or reload...
If u can run water pipes under ground to different spots around ur property...
About 30 to 60 degrees of spray is most effective , plus or minus for different situations u will have to experiment to find the best spray for each.
If u can keep ur grass mowed low.
If you have a lot of lightning strikes in one area u might want to consider a lighting rod in the ground and a circle of non combustible material around it. Do some research and check a company that handles that to get more information on that so you can do it properly and safely.
Thank you for not accusing this 60 something year old guy of living under a rock during your squarespace commercial. Stay safe.
Haha, I actually thought of your comment when I was doing this integration! I thought to myself "well better not make the 'living under a rock' comment again" ;)
The skid steer is also a great tool in your area for fire extinguishment. Practice scraping a line in the grass/sagebrush. Takes out the fuel aspect of the fire triangle. Plus it keeps you in an air conditioned cab away from the heat. And if a fire is headed to your house, you can cut in your line, then leave. Get to safety and give your house and yourself the best chances of survival
I got some cinematic fpv flying through smoke yesterday, but got a terrible headache from it.
Just had a fire near my house that went from 500 acres to 130,000+ over night and burned over 5 towns. It normally takes an hour to drive the distance(25 straight line miles) it traveled and it made it in a few hours.
For everyone watching this, know that there are a lot of fires this season that you stand no chance of fighting, even with 1000 firefighters.
Ayyy claim your ticket here pre 100 view ganggg
Good video. As a retired structure and wildland firefighter I think you did fine with the lightning fire you had. If you had a tractor with a blade on it you would have taken care of that fire easily as well. They are great for when water is hard to come by.
Have you been watching Wranglerstar? He got the same setup...
Wranglerstar is a poser.
@@sumilvan Just curious... What exactly is he posing as?
I'm in Qld, Australia, & own a 2200 acre native forest property. I lost nearly 1/2 my trees to a bush (wild) fire in Jan '14 ! Needless to say I now have a 2000 litre fire fighting trailer that I built up myself (fitter/welder by trade) but I used a single cyl diesel engine pump on mine. It can run 2, 3/4" hoes reels. Similar nozzles to yours. One thing I am looking at is an eductor for foam suction. You may want to look at that as well. We have a product here called 'Bushmaster' foam. I intend to spray the foam onto buildings etc if the fire gets to close as it does last a lot longer, a real lot longer than just plain water sprayed on buildings. Also it is more effective to even fight fires with. In approximate terms, the foam additive, with give you 5 to 10 times the fire fighting capacity. Do you research, maybe contact that QTAC company to look at foam options. Scotty fire, make several bush fire models & hose add ons. I do have as others have advised here a clear fire break where it matters, including around my whole property, but even then, the fire jumped the 20m (22yd) clear break, it was that hot. Being as you dont have big trees around, you pretty much only need to be concerned with grass & low brush. All the best mate, & yes, I like all your videos
Been watching your flying videos for a couple of years, but as a firefighter, I want to thank you for this one. In the WUI, one of the most important things you can do is create and maintain that defensible space around your home. Glad to see you taking it seriously. Hitting on his point that he made, do everything you can to protect your community, but when the crews do arrive, please make sure to follow what they instruct you to do is for everyone's safety. Good luck with the fires man.
What a timely and thoughtful video, Trent. My dad was a forest ranger and I spent two summers on fire crews in California in the 60s, I appreciate how much more good preventive information is now available for the general public, especially for the millions living in the urban interface. And you are part of that positive movement.
Great Topic! A number of times I have feared for Your and Hailey's safety. Here in SLC we have been smoked out numerous times from the CA fires. Lived in Santa Barbara for 30 yrs and my realtor was burned out 3 times. On the 4th rebuild they put in a large pool with a series of pumps to defend their property. It worked. Some times fire crews just can't get there.
Trent you are a busy guy. Be sure you run that pump monthly to be sure it will start when you need it. Keep the fuel fresh and battery up if it has one. Hope you never need that puppy but super smart to get it in that area.
You could keep the pump exercised and keep you in practice using it by watering your runway every month or so. That keeps everything working, keeps water flowing through the system, and keeps you familiar with the gear, plus it is a better use of the water than just spraying it around. It would also help the grass on the runway.
Working with drones myself but with utility inspection we are all over Cali working and dealing w wildfires nearby on the daily. Worked by the El Dorado fire near San Bernardino and near the stagecoach fire south of Bodfish. Also now in Tulare county north of Lake Isabella dealing w the SQF. I live in East County San Diego and we also have the Valley Fire in Alpine which is 5 min east of me. We must remain diligent and constantly aware of our surroundings Californians.
I got burned to the ground in 1988. Huge Forest Fire. We were busy helping neighbors get out, all along thinking our place was safe. The winds switched and sent the fire to our place at 25 mph. The house exploded, the wall were actually blown out into the yard. We lost everything. No one could have survived the firestorm that hit.
good topic Trent, this one hit close to home and i mean close. I am in Fort McMurray Alberta a little oil town with big toys. In 2016 we had a wild fire hit the town and 80 000 people had to be evacuated. as a back woods lover I know how is feels not having the tools to keep you and your family safe, so good on you for taking the steps. just remember love one first and the property it can be replace
Trent, my old man lives in a fire heavy area. Best investment was a old army 5ton that was a water truck conversion. Stay safe amigo.
Just had the Oak Fire up here" Thanks to all the clearing and triming up the trees 8ft + our home was saved. Lots of compliments from the fire crews......! It's not if a fire comes" It's when..."
We need more people like Jess
Awesome video, I know I have a similar set up using a 125 gallon poly tank, a trash pump, some forestry hose, and a red head nozzle.