Tom Gookin: Why are fires bigger? Because we don’t fight them like we used to

Why are fires bigger now? Climate change? No. Ignorance? Yes. Some reasons:

▪ 50 million trees now, 10 million trees 50 years ago.

▪ No logging means no lookouts, thicker forests and no skid trails to get to fires.

▪ No 10-man logging crew every 15 miles with a bulldozer, water truck and fire cache. Fifty years ago, there were five or six in each forest.

▪ No stations with guards throughout forest. Fifty years ago, every Forest Service employee had this job description: firefighter. Every truck was equipped with an ax, shovel and water. Every employee had a hard hat, long-sleeve shirt and boots; now they wear sunvisors, Bermuda shorts and sandals; they run when they hear the word fire.

▪ 50years ago, the fire boss knew every road and what time the wind switched in Clavey canyon. Now, it’s somebody from North Carolina trained in putting out swamp fires.

▪ Wild and Scenic River restrictions mean you can’t take dozer within a quarter-mile of the river. You can’ draft water from a stream or dump retardent without a biologist checking for endangered species.

▪ Fifty years ago attacking the fire meant hitting it hard, not looking for the best wifi reception for a command post.

In 72 years, I’ve yet to see a computer put a fire out.

This story was originally published August 29, 2017 at 12:20 PM with the headline "Tom Gookin: Why are fires bigger? Because we don’t fight them like we used to."