and aid in the planning of operations to help contain the fire.  Prior to IMETs being deployed onsite, a large number of fatalities and injuries were reported. The number one cause of crew fatalities and injuries in wildland fires was weather. Therefore, the first item on firefighters’ safety lists is to know the weather at all times.

 

The Parks Highway Fire was the first fire of my IMET career, logging on about 5 days with 16 hours each day.  An IMET must have at least 14 days onsite at fires to become certified.  Workers on a fire are only allowed to work up to 16 hours a day even though the hours easily pass when dealing with weather.

This summer, a fire started along the Parks Highway near the town of Nenana. Not only did the fire affect the citizens living near the fire, but also the thousands of tourists traveling between Anchorage and Fairbanks as it crossed over the highway.  In order to fight and contain this fire, an Incident Meteorologist (IMET) was requested on site to help in forecasting the weather for the particular area.

 

An IMET is a National Weather Service employee who volunteers to be trained in fire environments and behavior, as well as other Hazardous Material (HAZMAT) incidents such as chemical and oil spills. The first basic teaching in fire–

On July 23, the 654 foot cargo vessel Cougar Ace, loaded with approximately 5000 new automobiles, was 230 miles south of Adak in the Aleutian Islands when it developed a severe list that nearly capsized the ship.  The 60 degree list debilitated the vessel, leaving it unable to navigate as it drifted slowly towards the island chain.  The

environmental hazard posed by the ship’s cargo and the 150,000 gallons of fuel oil and marine diesel aboard the vessel was substantial, not to mention the lives of the 23 crew members on board.  It was crucial that the rescue and salvage effort be carried out as soon as possible before the ship capsized or ran aground along the Aleutian

Islands.  In order for the recovery effort to proceed successfully, timely and accurate weather forecasts were essential.

 

Enter the National Weather Service.  Once the Coast Guard and Alaska Air National Guard teams began their rescue effort to pull the 23 crew members off of the

 Fire crossing the Parks Highway near Nenana

Where There’s Smoke…There’s a Fire Camp

WFO Anchorage Provides Cougar Ace Recovery Effort Support

Noaa’s National Weather Service

Raven’s Call

Fall 2006

Volume 1, issue 2

Upcoming Events

· Spotter Training:

    Saturday Nov 4th

· Winter Solstice:

    Thursday Dec  21st

 

Michael O’Brien

continued on page 3

fighting is to know what a fire environment needs to exist: fuel, weather and topography. With weather being one of the

three main ingredients, an IMET is essential to effective firefighting.  The main purpose of the IMET being on site is to provide up-to-the-minute forecasts and weather  alerts to the crews

By Lisa Reed

By Jeff Wood

continued on page 4