This month has seen a very high level of fire activity. The dry weather has made fire conditions in the woods very unsafe. As of the middle of May, the rainfall has helped to green the woods, but the material on the ground is tinder dry.
It is very uncommon for Andover to respond to multiple-alarm fires more than once or twice in a spring fire season. This year, we have responded to five, and the season is not over. This level of activity places a tremendous burden on our volunteer team. The small Forestry pay does not make up for lost wages.
The woods fires have been displaying an unusual and unsafe trait this year. The fires line is burning high and spreading at a very fast rate.
The usual safety precautions have shown their limits. The practice of staying in the black (the area that has been consumed by the fire) and working to the edge of the unburned material has been challenged by the heat and depth that the material is burning underground. Fires have sprung up in areas considered in the safe zone, requiring fire crews to use escape routes that were located in the early stages of the fire.
The command staffs assigned to the command center trailer in the Tilton/Belmont fire were required to man hose lines in order to save the trailer. In one instance, fire engines used to supply hose lines needed to be moved in a hurry as the fire changed course and rapidly spread to the water supply area.
Fires in the woods are under the joint command of the local fire chief and forest fire rangers from the State. Many times, sawyers and other specialized crews are used. The State and the mutual aid systems have pre-planned strike crews.
The resources are available, and the local crews have been trained to handle this seasonal emergency. This year, all involved were well tested. In the end, the injuries were slight, some hose was lost to the fire, and we all lost a little weight from good exercise.
The reports received from the wild land commanders spoke of the skill and willingness to take on tough assignments by the Andover crew. We know our team is good at firefighting; hearing it from others who see many firefighting teams is very nice.
The people of Andover have always been very responsible with outside burning. We do on occasion respond to extinguish an illegal burn or a permitted fire that has gotten out of hand, but that is why we are your firefighting team. We ask only that everyone be more vigilant this spring. I have no crystal ball, but we could have a dry summer.
Your firefighters have faced hardships this spring, true, but today is a new day. The trucks are washed and fueled, and the water tanks are full. The crew has been fed and even gained a little weight. Should the need arise, we are ready to go.