I hate firebugs

luckydog · Feb 23, 2004

:x

Saturday just gone was a stinker in the land down under. Temperatures in my area were 45 degrees (118 deg. F). I was happy at home when the pager went off.....Grass fire....Oh great

Rode down to the station, put on all my gear, overtrousers, coat, boots, helmet etc all the stuff you like wearing on a hot day. Jumped in the truck, 10 minute drive and we were there. Temp at the fire was 87 deg(226 deg F)!!!
Fire was deliberately lit (they left us a little hello message where they started it).
I'm glad it was a small fire but unfortunately i was too busy for photos even though the camera was in the truck. Good side was i lost 2 kgs in 2 hours

Like i said ..."I hate firebugs" :x
Just had to get that off my chest. Thanks for listening

Darfion · Feb 23, 2004

people who do these sort of idiotic things want flogging in public

captain-spanky · Feb 23, 2004

Fire is one of the most beautiful, powerful and amazing things on this planet.... i LOVE watching fire... but people who deliberatley set fire to things are just brain donors. Idiots.
I wouldn't mind being a fireman... doesn't pay much in this country tho i guess what with all the striking and that.... mind you it'd be more than i'm getting now..

luckydog · Feb 23, 2004

I don't get paid for it either. I'm in the Air Force actually and volunteer with the Rural Fire Service (NSW) in my own time. The area i'm in has no normal fire brigade so we cover house fires, car crashes and aircraft incidents too. Keeps the station pretty busy.

vonnagy · Feb 23, 2004

Man those eukalyptus trees seem to flare like matchsticks, luckily it wasn't a forest fire. I've only been been in oz during the winter, and it still can get toasty then.

Do you every get to fly the planes that drop the big water buckets on the fire?

mrsid99 · Feb 23, 2004

Living in California I've nothing but admiration for fire fighters everwhere!
So on one side we have people like Luckydog and on the other we have the sub-humans who set fires.
Almost as though there's two separate and distinct human life forms in this world.

luckydog · Feb 24, 2004

Hey Vonn you think the Eucalypts are bad, you should try Tea Trees. Being in a coastal area we have them everywhere and the intensity when they burn is second to none due to the oil in them. Another tree is the angophra (sp?), it burns slowly on the inside then a couple of days later the whole thing will just fall down. They call it the firey's widowmaker because many fighters have died while mopping up after a fire when one of these things decides to fall suddenly. As to flying in water bombers, the answer is a "no". I just stay on the ground and point the wet stuff at the hot stuff

Mrsid99 i haven't experienced a really large fire yet but the wild fires you guys get in the hills over there are down right nasty. We do get some big ones down here but i haven't been around the service long enough to have attended one yet.