Usually when our Forestry District had forest fires, I was called in to work in the warehouse (photo above), issuing fire fighting equipment.
Here are my diary entries from the first week of August, 1992, when we had a fire at Cushing Creek (up the Morkill River drainage), and another up the Raush that “blew up”. In my diary I wrote:
August 4:
They are spending an unbelievable amount of money fighting them. I worked with John (in the warehouse) until midnight, then came dragging home.
August 5:
I had to be back in the office by 6:00, I again spent the whole day working in the warehouse. They flew 30 lunches out to the fire up the Raush by helicopter (Pretty expensive sandwiches, probably the most expensive meal these firefighters will ever eat). Two Native crews arrived at the office to fight the fires, but we didn’t have any means to get them to the fires, so they just had to sit around all day. I got home at 10:30.
August 6:
Today went to work at 7:00 and spent the day in the warehouse. At noon I was sent out to deliver the lunches to the “helicopter on the pad up the Raush”, and ended up going to three different helipads before I found the right one. In our warehouse compound we now have 238 barrels of Turbo B (jet fuel used by helicopters). Tonight it finally rained.
August 7:
Rained off and on for most of the day, which helped cooled down the fires. I went to the office at 8:00 (my regular time) but had to work until 5:00 in the warehouse.
August 8 (Saturday):
Into work at 7:00, shipped out items to the Rock Fire, out the Raush. I also sent out 24 bales of hay out to the Cush Fire (they must be using packhorses to carry equipment to the difficult to access fire).
August 11:
I have earned 24 days off with all of the fire overtime I have earned this year. That is, if I take it all in “time” instead of “money”.
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