STATION FIRE NEWSLETTERS FROM THE CGC COMMUNICATOR
Following are extracts from CGC Communicator newsletters
covering the 2009 Station Fire in Los Angeles County. The
material was compiled by Robert Sudock (KTTV retired) with
permission from CGC and allows you to review the events as
they unfolded in chronological order.
While CGC has not reviewed this file in detail, individual
newsletters are posted at .
Mr. Sudock may be reached at robert (at) sudock.com and CGC
expresses its gratitude for his considerable efforts.
________________________________________________________________
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THE CGC COMMUNICATOR
CGC #928 thru #963
August 28 thru September 28, 2009
________
Robert F. Gonsett, W6VR, Editor
Copyright 2009, Communications General® Corporation (CGC)
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________________________________________________________________
CGC #928, Friday, August 28,2009
________________________________________________________________
FIRE APPROACHING MT. WILSON!
A forest fire is approaching Mts. Wilson and Harvard, the
primary broadcast sites for Los Angeles. Engineers have been
asked to vacate the mountains by fire officials. Live
Web-cam images from the Mt. Wilson Observatory are currently
available at:
http://www.astro.ucla.edu/~obs/towercam.htm#imagetop
________________________________________________________________
CGC #929, Saturday, August 29, 2009
________________________________________________________________
THE "STATION FIRE" NEAR MTS. WILSON AND HARVARD
The "Station Fire," as it is called, is apparently still
some distance west of Mts. Wilson and Harvard as we go to
press. According to InciWeb's Incident Information System
(viewed at 1 PM today), "Friday [fire] behavior was very
active to extreme, with rapid rates of spread and flame
lengths up to 80 feet. There is a potential for Saturday's
fire behavior to be similar to Friday...."
Before workers return to Wilson/Harvard, they must
consider not only the likelihood of the fire spreading to
Wilson/Harvard, but the availability of escape routes. Mt.
Wilson is served by only one road: Wilson Red Box Road.
According to an e-mail posting from one TV station at 1:30
PM PDST Saturday, "Mt. Wilson has two hot shot crews staged
at Skyline park [on Mt. Wilson], The Mars and DC-10 have
been approved to start dropping [retardant]. It currently
looks like Mt. Wilson may be ok but Red Box and Mt.
Disappointment [are] in serious danger."
http://inciweb.org/incident/1856/
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_13231111
http://tinyurl.com/WilsonFireProspect
http://www.holub.us/090829fire.htm
****************************************************************
ABOUT THE MT. WILSON WEBCAM
The Mt. Wilson Webcam (URL below) is located atop the
Solar Observatory tower on Mt. Wilson and is currently
keeping an eye on the broadcast complex that is located west
of the solar tower.
If the camera is still pointing west when you view this
URL, you will see the tall KCBS-TV tower on the far right
(the orange and white tower and the only tower that is lit
at night). The tall mountain behind and just to the left of
the KCBS tower is probably San Gabriel Peak, and behind it
(hidden from view) is Mt. Disappointment.
San Gabriel Peak is about 2.5 miles from Wilson.
Live Webcam:
http://www.astro.ucla.edu/~obs/towercam.htm#imagetop
Wilson at a dark hour. Smoke in the background, local lights
(not fire) in the foreground:
http://earthsignals.com/add_CGC/Images/towercam9.jpg archived)
________________________________________________________________
CGC #930, Monday, August 31, 2009
________________________________________________________________
MT. WILSON FIRE UPDATE
Fire status report as of 8:27 AM Monday:
"Although it is not up at the moment, we have been
watching Wilson from the helicopter most of the morning. The
fire progress seemed to stop over night and none of the
sites at the top are in imminent danger....towers or
observatory. Of course, that could change as the day heats
up, but [we] are fine for now...."
(VP of Engineering, LA TV)
****************************************************************
SELECTED WILSON LIST-SERVER REPORTS
o Sunday, August 30, 7:13 PM PDT: I just got back from the
Fire Camp and there is a request from the Command Staff
to know who, non-fire fighting personnel, are still on
the Mtn?.... - District Ranger, USDA Forest Service
o (Various reports followed concerning people known not to
be on the mountain.)
o Sunday, August 30, 7:51 PM PDT: At the Observatory it is
Larry Webster and myself.... - Dave Jurasevich
["Fire safe" quarters may have been established on the
Observatory grounds that are adjacent to the Wilson
broadcast tower complex. -Ed.]
o Monday, August 31, 6:10 am PDT - Larry and Dave report
that fire fighters are preparing to set more back fires
below the broadcast towers, but otherwise things are
calm on the mountain for the present.
o Monday, August 31, 7:50 am PDT - At 6:25 this morning,
fire crews were instructed to withdraw from Mount
Wilson. Larry Webster and Dave Jurasevich left the
mountain with them.
I have just spoken with Larry and Dave when they reached
the bottom of the Angeles Crest Hwy in La Canada, and they
report minimal fire activity in the immediate vicinity of
Mount Wilson. It is not clear why the withdrawal decision
was made nor whether or not the fire crews will return.
Those fire fighters joined other crews deployed at the Red
Box turnoff to Mount Wilson, five miles from the
Observatory.
So, they are still within close proximity for
redeployment. Thus, the good news is that the fire in the
Observatory's vicinity seems to have diminished. The bad
news is that there are no fire fighters presently on the
scene.
****************************************************************
UPDATE FROM THE FOREST SERVICE
From: Graham Breakwell, USDA Forest Service
grahambreakwell (at) fs.fed.us
Sent: Monday, August 31, 2009 10:12 AM
Subject: Mt Wilson Communications Site/Station Fire
Dear [USDA Forest Service] Permittees,
....Our FS information desk tells me this morning that the
fire is within 0.5 miles of the site to the west and south.
I will keep you updated with any relevant news from our
Incident Center. Of course, access is restricted to the fire
teams....
Graham H. Breakwell
Forestry Technician (Special Uses)
Los Angeles River Ranger District
Angeles National Forest
12371 N. Little Tujunga Canyon Road
San Fernando, CA 91342
Office # 818 899 1900
****************************************************************
THE MT. WILSON WEB CAM IS SLUGGISH
Please ask your news departments not to publicize the URL
for the Mt. Wilson Web camera. The server is being bogged
down by so many good intentioned folks wanting a look-see.
****************************************************************
A SKY AND TELESCOPE MAGAZINE WEB POSTING RE WILSON
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/home/56266907.html
________________________________________________________________
CGC #931, Monday, August 31, 2009
________________________________________________________________
MT. WILSON OPERATIONS ARE QUASI-NORMAL
E-mail traffic suggests that broadcast operations from
Mts. Wilson and Harvard are fairly normal at this time even
though the sites are presumably totally unattended and the
genuine threat of a firestorm prevails.
There were no accounts of fiber or POTS disruptions in a
series of e-mails received at about 3 PM.
Wilson normally has two AC power feeds. One of those feeds
was disrupted early on and is still out of service,
reportedly the result of a transformer explosion. The other
feed remains intact. One CE writes, "It's amazing that we
have not even seen one hiccup on the Edison power. We are
good here."
A Harvard report also indicates normal commercial power.
*****************************************************************
AN ALTERNATE WEB ADDRESS FOR MT. WILSON WEB CAM PHOTOS
Photos from the overloaded Mt. Wilson Web Camera are
becoming increasingly difficult to come by. Now, Larry Lopez
has taken the downloading task upon himself and provides us
with an alternate Web address for photos and info. He
writes:
"I have been posting the photos and any new info that I
get to my news and updates page on my website. Here is the
link:
http://www.angelescrestservices.com/News%20and%20Updates.htm
"I am having some trouble getting the photos. It's been
taking about 20 minutes now.... The bottom line is that we
are on top of both the Webcam and watching for live shots on
the news channels so that I can provide that info as well."
*****************************************************************
FIRE NEWSLETTER FROM THE MT. WILSON OBSERVATORY
http://www.mtwilson.edu/fire.php
*****************************************************************
CAL FIRE RADIO FREQUENCIES FOR FIRE COMMUNICATIONS
http://tinyurl.com/WilsonCommPlan
*****************************************************************
CLAIM: FIREFIGHTERS NOT PULLED OFF WILSON
An employee of the Forest Service who asked not to be
identified called Communications General Corp. this
afternoon and stated that fire fighters had "never" been
pulled off Wilson, and that rumors to that effect started
with an incorrect media report.
While we have no way of verifying his claim, it is
important to realize that different groups of firefighters
may be involved. Perhaps some were pulled off, others not.
We simply do not know.
________________________________________________________________
CGC #932, Monday, August 31, 2009
________________________________________________________________
FIRE AT MT. WILSON!
A live helicopter video feed provided by CBS (up until
about 11:45 AM PDST), showed a line of fire at the northern
boundary of the observatory property on Mt. Wilson. Since
trees permeate the observatory site (and to a smaller degree
the broadcast site), the fire could progress directly into
these sites.
There is some speculation that we may be seeing an
intentionally set "backfire" to blunt the effect of the main
fire that one engineer maintains is still a ways down the
mountain to the north. A fire ground crew is on Wilson (four
trucks were shown along with a few individual firefighters).
The smoke was white in color at 11:45 AM and appeared to
be burning the under-brush as opposed to tree canopies,
lending support to the backfire theory. Backfires are
powerful fire fighting tools when used properly.
Check out the fire video offerings at....
http://www.ktla.com (red bar, wait for it to say Wildfire
Coverage or words to that effect, then click on it).
and
http://cbs2.com (Breaking News box)
....and please DO NOT publicize these addresses to the
general public least these server overload.
Don't forget Larry Lopez's site for still photos from the
overloaded Observatory Web camera:
http://www.angelescrestservices.com/News%20and%20Updates.htm
*****************************************************************
FCC OFFERS ASSISTANCE FOR BROADCASTERS HIT BY CALIF. WILDFIRES
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-09-1981A1.doc
________________________________________________________________
CGC #933, Tuesday, September 1, 2009
________________________________________________________________
TUESDAY MT. WILSON FIRE WRAP UP
As of 7 p.m. Tuesday, broadcast operations appeared to be
more or less normal on both Wilson and Harvard. Commercial
power was still being supplied via the old 16 kV line. The
new 33 kV backup feed from a different direction was still
out of commission.
There were some interesting side issues that we did not
have time to investigate such as this claim from a
Communicator reader: "It seems that KTWV, KCBS and KRTH are
running reduced power. They are scratchy out in the Ontario
area. They are also not running HD." 1 Sep 2009 - 3:51 PM
PDST. [These are undoubtedly references to FM, not TV
stations. -Ed.]
Over at the Observatory, the venerable Web Cam on the
solar tower sent its last picture at 13:49:06 hours this
afternoon. The telco line close to the camera was reportedly
damaged by the backfire on the Observatory's property.
****************************************************************
THREE HELICOPTER CAMERAS
Bob Sudock (KTTV Engineering, retired) indicates that,
"KTTV usually streams their chopper while it is up even
during the morning show." So, our list of helicopter video
resources (when available) now reads as follows:
(1) KTLA:
http://www.ktla.com (Wait for red bar to say Wildfire
Coverage or words to that effect, then click on it)
(2) KCBS:
http://cbs2.com (Breaking News box)
(3) KTTV:
http://www.myfoxla.com (Click on the VIDEO FEEDS tab and
you should find it on FEED #1 or FEED #2 per Bob Sudock)
****************************************************************
FIRE STATUS FROM THE MOUNTAIN
Visit Larry Lopez's Web page (URL below), scroll past the
Web Cam photos and find the report date stamped "Tuesday, 1
Sep 09, 7:21 pm PDT for an inside look at the fire situation
on Wilson. The story is informative encouraging.
http://angelescrestservices.com/News%20and%20Updates.htm
****************************************************************
FIRE UPDATE FROM "LA NOW"
http://tinyurl.com/WilsonUpdateLANow
****************************************************************
AN INTERESTING SIDE ISSUE
31 Aug 2009 17:45:15 -0700
From: "D. Ramos"
Subject: KNBC carrying Spanish channels
KNBC-TV channel 4 (DTV) is carrying KVEA programming on
its 4.2 sub channel while KWHY-TV is appearing on the 4.4
sub channel. I discovered this while looking for news on the
Station Fire. I wonder if KNBC-TV management is getting
ready to shut off the KVEA and KWHY-TV transmitters if the
fire gets any closer. 4.2 normally carries the station's
News raw feed while 4.4 was carrying Universal Sports. Be
interesting to see what other arrangements the TV stations
have in store for us.
______
Date: Tue, 01 Sep 2009 21:39:04 -0700
From: "D. Ramos"
To: Robert Gonsett
Subject: Spanish gone from KNBC-TV
The Spanish programming I found on KNBC-TV and told you
about is gone. KNBC-TV 4.2 is back to the News raw feed that
includes local weather reports. 4.4 is back to the
programming of Universal Sports. KVEA and KWHY-TV are still
on the air. Perhaps KNBC-TV and the other broadcasters are
confident the fires will not reach Mt. Wilson after all. The
Station Fire is not over yet, so the TV stations better not
start counting their money at the table.
****************************************************************
THANKS FOR THE LETTERS
Most of the Letters to the Editor of the CGC Communicator
are currently unanswered because of the large volume of mail
received. However, all correspondence is read and appreciated,
like this letter from Rhode Island:
"Bob, thanks for keeping us up to date on the Station
Fire. Although I'm 2,526 airline miles from Mt. Wilson, I'm
still very interested in the fire. I hope the good Lord
shines down on the LA broadcasters and keeps the fire away
from the towers and buildings."
Jerry Plemmons
________________________________________________________________
CGC #934, Wednesday, September 2, 2009
________________________________________________________________
FIRST BROADCAST REPRESENTATIVE VISITS WILSON
From e-mail reports received this morning:
8:44 AM PDST, from Larry Lopez:
I'm going to attempt [access to Wilson] right now, if they
turn me around then they turn me around. If I get up there
then I will start calling all my clients as well as anyone
else that wants me to call them.... I live at the bottom of
the hill and on a normal day it would take me 45 minutes to
get up there. Don't know the road situation today. Wish me
luck.
11:18 AM PDST, from Larry's company, Angeles Crest
Services: Larry is up there right now. If you need to get a
hold of him, try his pager....
11:29 AM PDST, from a Mt. Wilson TV Transmission
Supervisor: Just talked to Larry @ KTTV Tx! Make sure you
bring your ID's (especially your station ID) with you Ladies
and Gents. I'm on my way with a stack of air conditioning
filters now! I think I'm also gonna bring a stack o' burgers
for the firefighters to thank them too!
11:48 AM PDST, from another TV engineer: Our...engineer
queried the LASD officer at the entrance to Angeles Forest
in La Canada (Hwy 2) and it appears at this moment there is
no resistance to those with legit business need to get to
Mt. Wilson. You may be asked to produce your company ID and
driver's license.
12:00 PM PDST, from yet another TV engineer: We're headed
up in a live truck which sometimes helps.
12:55 PM PDST, for one of the Wilson TV stations:
Our...Mt. Wilson Supervisor is at [our] site right now.
Initial reports from him indicate there are spot fires all
along the way up, but nothing remarkable impeding the drive.
****************************************************************
MT. WILSON -- SO FAR, SO GOOD, BUT DANGER LOOMS
CGC has no reports indicating major problems on Mts.
Wilson or Harvard at this time. However, these areas are
still regarded as active fire zones and the possibility of a
major conflagration cannot be ruled out, so engineers
attempting to repopulate Wilson/Harvard should proceed with
caution. We have received no reports as to whether access to
Harvard is permitted at this time, or if the road is clear.
Bravo to Larry Lopez for paving the way!
****************************************************************
AN UPCOMING ONE-TIME VISIT TO MT. LUKENS TOMORROW
Dear [USDA Forest Service] Permittees,
We have arranged one time access to Mt Lukens, tomorrow,
Thursday 3rd September. We will car-pool/convoy from La
Canada through the police check point to the Station and Mt.
Lukens. Expect to be at the Site 2-3 hours - so bring lunch
and water.
We will car-pool/convoy back down through the police
checkpoint to La Canada. Please no tourists, just legitimate
need-to-be- there permittees! I do not know when access will
be available next. Probably not before the middle of next
week.
Meet the FS patrolman/fireman in the green FS truck at
9.00am, 300 yards up the Angeles Crest Highway on the right
above the 210. We will convoy no later than 9.15/9.20.
Any questions call me [818 899 1900].
Graham Breakwell, grahambreakwell (at) fs.fed.us
****************************************************************
ABOUT THE REDUCED FM SIGNAL STRENGTH NOTED IN ONTARIO
First, thanks so much for giving us consolidated updates,
and for filtering the info; there's lots of redundant,
dated, or inaccurate "news" floating around.
Regarding the comments about the FM stations sounding weak
in Ontario (CGC #933):
We had concerns that we might lose control of the Mt.
Wilson transmitter sites before we lost power and/or program
audio. We didn't want full power carriers, perhaps modulated
or unmodulated, emitting from Mt. Wilson while we were
trying to transmit from aux sites on the same freqs. The
decision was made Tuesday to move to the aux sites and turn
off the Mt. Wilson transmitters to preserve coverage area as
best we could. This also reduces the amount of ash being
ingested by transmitters in the middle of an inferno....
When Mt. Wilson rises out of the ashes as a phoenix, we'll
begin the task of cleaning up the mess. I remember all too
well the descriptions we got from Ray Mascho about cleaning
up the Empire State site after 9/11.
Lynn Duke, Fred Holub and Scott Mason have moved mountains
(almost literally) to make this possible, and they have
proved their worth with this event.
Rick Sietsema
CBS Radio, Los Angeles
September 2, 2009
****************************************************************
MARV COLLINS' HOME SURVIVES, JUST BARELY
Our home in La Canada survived after the fire came within
about 150 feet. I have been following the Station fire near
our home and now Mt. Wilson from Herta´s home town,
Kirchdorf and der Krems, Austria. I must be the furthest
from the fire at a distance of over 5,600 miles.
Our daughter, Karen, and her husband Todd, have been
sending us email photos plus a few Skype live video feeds.
She took her laptop out in the street and showed us live
video via her wireless connection. It has been tough
watching all the fire activity from so far from home.
Marvin Collins, CE KFI KOST (retired)
________________________________________________________________
CGC #935, Wednesday, September 2, 2009
________________________________________________________________
THE BROADCAST FACILITIES ARE LOOKING GOOD ON MOUNT WILSON
Various e-mails received:
1:53 PM PDST:
At KNBC on Mt. Wilson, all is good. Tons of ground crews
clearing trees and brush along with putting down more
foscheck. Everything was working well. Logs show some power
spikes but in general all is well.... Our crews are on the
way to Harvard to check things.
2:06 PM PDST:
Preliminary inspections of the KCBS/KCAL West and East sites
at Mt. Wilson indicate no structural damage. Evidence of
smoke inhalation in the buildings (dirty filters), but all
systems appear to be nominal & operative. This is a great
relief.
2:12 PM PDST:
This just in from our [KTLA's] visit: Noted small fires...
along Red Box Road. Swapped HVAC, quick inspection and
headed back down.
2:46 PM PDST:
No damage to report at KABC[TV]. Some AC issues to resolve.
3:53 PM PDST:
I [Roger] just received a voicemail from [the gentleman] who
is overseeing the ATC joint group facility of KOCE,
KJLA/KXLA, KDOC. He made it to the mountain and reported NO
INITIAL noticeable damage to the building or facility, but
will follow up with more details. It would be a good idea
for someone from the group to perhaps make a trip to the
mountain tomorrow to replace filters and wash out the heat
exchangers, etc. These fire crews deserve our highest
praise!
****************************************************************
THOUGHTS TELEPHONED TO CGC FROM A JUST-RETURNED-TO-WILSON
BROADCAST ENGINEER
o The forest devastation is incredible as you start
driving up the mountain from La Canada. When the rains
hit this winter, there will be landslides everywhere and
massive road blockages as a result. I've seen this
before. We'd better be prepared.
o From Red Box on, there are plenty of trees -- in a way
as if nothing had happened.
o I had expected to see total devastation of the trees on
Wilson itself, but that wasn't the case, and from a
fire-science point of view that's bad news. The fuel is
still there, ready to be ignited another day.
o There are no fires on Wilson from my vantage point but
firefighters, engines and heavy equipment are everywhere.
o Good thing Edison installed steel power poles recently
on the main power feed to Wilson. That may have saved
our bacon. The backup line is toast -- far more damage
than a mere transformer explosion.
o If Wilson has an emergency plan, I've never seen it.
o We are not out of the woods yet -- Wilson is still in
fire danger.
****************************************************************
LARRY'S THOUGHTS
Larry Lopez of Angeles Crest Services has posted his
observations on the vast destruction the Station Fire has
caused. His essay is currently posted at the top of this
page:
http://angelescrestservices.com/News%20and%20Updates.htm
****************************************************************
LETTERS CONCERNING MT. DISAPPOINTMENT
****************************************************************
ON-SITE INSPECTION RESULTS
LASD Air 5 flew [us] to Mt. "D" [Disappointment]. Bldg 304
all equipment inside 100% loss. Pictures to follow. No other
building touched. In fact, the north side is quite green....
(E-mail time stamped 6:41 PM PDST)
****************************************************************
ACCESS TO MT. DISAPPOINTMENT
Dear [USDA Forest Service] Permittees,
This evening we will try again to obtain Incident Command
permission to access Mt. Disappointment on Thursday maybe
Friday this week. I understand from the primary permittees
that they require the following vehicular access:
o LA County: 2 diesel trucks, 1 truck + mobile generator,
2 vehicles with a total of 5/6 technicians.
o ACE: 1 propane truck, 2 big vehicles with a total of 7
technicians.
o FBI: 1 truck + mobile generator, 1 vehicle with 2
technicians
o FSS: ?
That is a total of 9+ vehicles. Please let me know of any
major changes.
Graham H. Breakwell
Forestry Technician (Special Uses)
Los Angeles River Ranger District
Angeles National Forest
Phone: 818 899 1900
September 2, 2009, 2:41 PM PDST
****************************************************************
PARTING THOUGHTS
****************************************************************
MEMORABLE QUOTATION
From a Wednesday L.A. Times Story: "Los Angeles County
Fire Department Battalion Chief Steve Martin said:
"We are going to burn, cut, foam and gel. And if that
doesn't work, we're going to pray....""
http://tinyurl.com/Times-Wilson
****************************************************************
THANK YOU
While you are in a particularly hectic situation keeping
up with these monumental events, I would like to thank you
deeply for providing all of us with details, some of which
we might not ever know as we don't see these stories in a
general newscast.
You have done a wonderful job, as you always have. Your
newsletters have made the difference for a lot of readers
and your service is noted by more than this one grateful
reader in Oregon.
________________________________________________________________
CGC #936, Thursday, September 3, 2009
________________________________________________________________
FLASH: ESCORTED CONVOY PLANNED TO MT. WILSON
Dear [USDA Forest Service] Permittees,
There may be access [to Mt. Wilson] in the next few days.
Incident Command will tell me tomorrow at noon whether we
are on for Saturday, 5th September or later. I need to check
on Mt Harvard.
When access is available it will be by convoy lead by the
Forest Service in the morning from La Canada through the
police checks and by convoy back in the afternoon through
the police checks. We should be up there nearly a full day.
No hanging out and independence - which I know is the norm!
We wish to be as disciplined as possible to not divert the
fire teams.
Availability will be limited to maybe 20-30 vehicles so
only emergency requests should be made. Access will be
available again a few days later so hold off the routine
maintenance requests.
Any questions - email me, please do not phone - it is
already ringing non stop!
Graham Breakwell, USDA Forest Service
September 03, 2009 - 2:15 PM PDST
grahambreakwell (at) fs.fed.us
****************************************************************
EARLIER NEWS FROM TODAY
****************************************************************
ROAD BLOCKS IN PLACE
CHP, Sheriff and Angeles Forest National Law Enforcement
have apparently closed off all road access to Wilson for
broadcasters. The stated reason is that law enforcement is
investigating the origin of the fire.
A suspected contributing factor to the closure is that
many people have been showing up at checkpoints without fire
protective gear (Nomex, goggles, gloves). One fellow in a
business suit reportedly wanted through. Mt. Wilson could
still burn to the ground. The next 24 hours are particularly
critical according to one source.
In addition, the FAA has just issued a NOTAM (Notice to
All Airmen) that flights in an area north of La Canada are
prohibited at this time. Be sure your pilots are aware of
this. You may be blocked from air access to Wilson.
****************************************************************
I'M TRYING THE PALMDALE ROUTE
Angeles Crest [was] closed as of yesterday afternoon due
to crime scene investigation at Angles Forest to bottom.
Lower Big T to Angeles Forest to Angeles Crest is the route
I plan to use today.
RF and Transmission Supervisor, 10:49 AM PDST
Editor's comment: Good luck. See below.
****************************************************************
INFORMATION DIRECT FROM THE CHP COMMAND POST
o The Palmdale and La Canada routes to Wilson should be
fully blocked with no broadcaster access.
o Officials have not yet decided who will be allowed up
Wilson and under what conditions.
o Possibly "pre-arranged escorts" will be used.
(CHP Officer Barrios, 11 AM PDST)
****************************************************************
LA CANADA ROAD BLOCK CONFIRMED
As of this morning, Mario Hernandez of AirCo air
conditioning as well as Wally and Tom Black from FOX were
turned away at the road blocks on the front side of the
mountain (coming from the La Canada area on the Angeles
Crest)....
Larry Lopez, Angeles Crest Services, 9:12 AM PDST
****************************************************************
EMMA ROAD -- IT'S BLOCKED TOO
I was turned back by two CHP units @ Mt Emma Road. No
amount of justification seemed to work. Didn't want to push
things too hard.
Tom/Univision, 10:55 AM PDST
****************************************************************
EMERGENCY NUMBERS FOR ENGINEERS LIVING ON WILSON
The number of broadcast engineers on Mt. Wilson is
extremely limited at this time (10 AM PDST) because of
police roadblocks. Many of the engineers who visited the
site yesterday left in the afternoon and were unable to
return today. CGC's informal head count shows only these
individuals now present:
Dennis Doty, NBC TX: (818) 840-2232
Harrison ("Scott") Blake, KTBN TX: (626) 440-1116
Scott will accept calls only from regular Mt. Wilson
broadcast engineers with emergencies. No calls from
"programming types, General Managers, etc."
Mark Pallock is reported to be on the mountain as well,
but CGC has not made contact with him.
****************************************************************
IMMEDIATE WATER CONSERVATION NEEDED ON WILSON
It looks like the pumps are down at the well for the main
Mt. Wilson [water] supply. The upper tank is at 25' and is
not refilling as it was almost 26' last night and this
morning it is reaching 24.
Crews tell me that they did not have much going on last
night and did not use much water at all. Kindly let everyone
know to save water until we can confirm the pumps are
working or not.
By the way, I have sent a note to Mike @ USFS to make sure
they are aware.
Dennis R Doty, NBC TV, dennisd (at) ladigitalnetworks.com
****************************************************************
MT. DISAPPOINTMENT ESCORTED CARAVAN SET FOR FRIDAY
Dear [USDA Forest Service] Permittees,
We have arranged one time access to Mt Disappointment,
tomorrow, Friday, 4th September. We will car-pool/convoy
from La Canada through the police check point to the Station
and Mt. Disappointment. Expect to be at the Site most of the
day - so bring lunch and water.
We will car-pool/convoy back down through the police
checkpoint to La Canada. I do not know when access will be
available next. Maybe not before the middle of next week.
Meet the FS patrolman/fireman (which is an Incident
Command requirement) in the white FS truck at 8.30 am, 300
yards up the Angeles Crest Highway on the right above the
210. We will convoy no later than 8.45am.
Any questions call me 818 899 1900 ext 243
Graham
P.S. I think we can accommodate all permittees if they are
able to carpool in advance.
Graham H. Breakwell
Forestry Technician (Special Uses)
Los Angeles River Ranger District
Angeles National Forest
Office # 818 899 1900
****************************************************************
TIME TO REMOVE BRUSH CLOSE TO BUILDINGS
In the past, Forestry has made it very difficult to remove
brush up against or very close to buildings on Mt. Wilson.
It's about time they allowed brush clearance without
worrying about aesthetics. A burned out building or fallen
tower does not add much to the aesthetics of the forest.
Burt Weiner, biwa (at) att.net
[Just wait. Industrial-strength brush clearing is occurring
as we go to press. Mt. Wilson is alive with activity.
Especially formidable is the "girls crew" known to
annihilate brush and demolish trees in a heartbeat. - Ed.]
****************************************************************
SAMPLING OF THANK YOU LETTERS
Bob, allow me to add my voice to the rising chorus. You've
done a tremendous job reporting on the Wilson/Harvard
wildfire situation, a matter of great consequence to an
important client, and to me. I've followed your reports
raptly. I know from personal contact that FCC staff were
also "tuned in."
Congratulations on and thanks for your exceptional service
to the broadcast community.
Larry
Law offices of Lawrence Bernstein, Washington, D.C.
________________________________________________________________
CGC #937, Thursday, September 3, 2009
________________________________________________________________
ON BROADENING ACCESS TO MT. WILSON
As of 5:15 PM Thursday, Graham Breakwell of the Forest
Service had received only two expressions of interest for
the tentative trip to Wilson (and possibly Harvard) on
Saturday. The reason for the limited response was
undoubtedly because only those with "emergency" situations
were invited to attend.
Graham has expressed an interest in possibly lowering the
bar so those who just want to inspect their buildings or
service their air filters/heat exchangers could attend as
well. If you have facilities on Wilson/Harvard and are
interested in going up Saturday (or the next available day
if Saturday is nixed by fire officials), pleased answer
these questions for Mr. Breakwell:
Question #1: As it now stands, (per Graham's e-mail in CGC
#936), only those with "emergency requests" are invited
Saturday. Would it be helpful if the bar was lowered so
those wanting to inspect and/or perform equipment servicing
could attend?
Question #2: Would a stay on Wilson of, say, two or three
hours instead of "nearly a full day" be more appropriate?
Keep in mind that some members of the convoy may need to go
to Harvard if the opportunity is offered -- and their extra
road travel will shorten their stay on Harvard.
Question #3: Is your facility on Wilson or Harvard? Please
send your thoughts to Graham at the edress below. He will be
deciding how to retool the trip at about 10 AM on Friday, so
have your answers in early.
Graham's address: grahambreakwell@fs.fed.us
****************************************************************
A NOTE FROM MOUNTAIN MARK
I have been at Mt. Wilson today and yesterday. I am
working with AT&T to try and get our audio circuits working.
They went down Friday night. Angeles Crest Hwy was closed
this afternoon to everyone. We had to go up Big Tujunga Cyn.
Very smokey up there today.
Mark Pallock, Wednesday, 3:39 PM PDST
****************************************************************
NEWS RELEASE
USDA Forest Service
Angeles National Forest
September 3, 2009
Contact: Fire Information
(626) 821-6700
www.fs.fed.us/r5/angeles
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Angeles National Forest Announces Emergency Closure of the
Southern Portion of the Angeles National Forest Because of
the Actively Burning Station Fire.
ARCADIA, Calif. - As a result of extreme fire activity,
and to protect public health and safety, Angeles National
Forest officials are implementing an area closure of the
southern portion of the Angeles National Forest, effective
12:00 p.m. today. The closure will be in place until it is
determined that it is safe to reopen forest areas.
Individuals or organizations holding special use permits
for sanctioned activities within the Forest are exempt from
this order.
While the closure is in effect, going into or being upon
National Forest System lands, roads, or trails within the
closure area is not allowed. The closure will affect the use
of all national forest recreational facilities, roads and
hiking trails. A violation of the closure order is
punishable by a fine of not more than $5,000 for an
individual or $10,000 for an organization, or imprisonment
for not more than six months, or both.
The Station Fire Closure Area consists of all National
Forest System lands within the Angeles National Forest south
and east of California State Route 14 and California State
Route 138.
For further information about the closure or fires
currently burning on the Angeles, contact the Fire
Information Center at 626-821-6700.
****************************************************************
THANK YOU
As noted in CGC #935, YES, you are doing a fantastic job
of collating all of this material for those of us away from
the scene of the giant wild fire near Mt. Wilson. With your
links, quotes, etc., it is as though I am there despite the
fact that I am in Colville, WA. Thanks again for your
tireless effort to get this info out to the interested
folks.
...Ric
Richard A. Tell
Richard Tell Associates, Inc.
rtell (at) radhaz.com
________________________________________________________________
CGC #938, Friday, September 4, 2009
________________________________________________________________
SATURDAY'S CONVOY TO WILSON/HARVARD CANCELLED
Forest Service E-Mail:
Dear Permittees,
We have been denied access for at least a couple of days
by Incident Command. This follows Incident Command's
evaluation of the Mt. Wilson area fire safety situation.
We will be in touch as soon as the situation changes.
Graham Breakwell, USDA Forest Service
September 04, 2009 - 1:24 PM PDST
grahambreakwell (at) fs.fed.us
[Editor's note: Graham tried very hard to make Saturday's
trip happen. Incident Command controls. At least one station
has declared an emergency need to access Wilson but that
declaration was not persuasive.]
****************************************************************
WEB CAM IS BACK UP
The Mt. Wilson Web Cam is up and running again. Please DO
NOT inform the general public or the server will overload:
http://www.astro.ucla.edu/~obs/towercam.htm
****************************************************************
CORRECTION
The letter from Mark Pallock in CGC #937 should be date
stamped Thursday, not Wednesday.
________________________________________________________________
CGC #939, Friday, September 4, 2009
________________________________________________________________
ENGINEERS STILL LARGELY ABSENT FROM WILSON
3:03 PM -- Here is voice mail from a contact at the Forest
Service concerning the reason convoy access to
Wilson/Harvard may have been denied today:
"The fire patrolman from the Forest Service plus the 10
trucks up on Mt. Disappointment had to be evacuated at
lunchtime because of spontaneous combustion of a whole bunch
of trees around where they were. They had to get out of
there quite fast."
CGC has been told off the record (and not by the Forest
Service) that broadcast stations sending people to Wilson
earlier this week without personal fire protective gear --
Nomex etc. -- infuriated fire officials. Our informant
maintains that a group of station representatives arrived
without the very gear they had been told would be required
in case fire broke out.
****************************************************************
ON-SITE REPORTS FROM WILSON
Two eyewitness accounts of the situation on Wilson this
evening indicate that the mountaintop is quiet and stable
from a fire standpoint. Fire crews are continuing to "cut
lines" around the clock. These are crude trails, in some
cases all the way down to La Canada. These lines are where
firemen would be stationed to hold a future fire at bay.
The only current fire creeping toward Wilson is from the
north according to one observer. That fire is "incredibly
slow moving," burning underbrush and not being allowed to
turn into a canopy (tree top) fire. The underbrush fire will
eventually meet the back-burn made at the Observatory and
there the fire will stop for lack of fuel assuming all goes
according to plan.
If a fire started in La Canada under the current weather
conditions, one observer speculated it could take days to
reach Wilson. However, under Santa Ana wind conditions, the
fire might only take two hours to reach the top! This eye
witness has not received extensive fire training and seemed
to be relaying his understanding of the situation based on
limited formal training as augmented by conversations with
fire crews. We greatly appreciate the input but want you to
understand that this is not official fire info.
****************************************************************
DEBORAH'S STORY ON THE WILSON FIRE
Article by Deborah McAdams for Television Broadcast
magazine:
http://televisionbroadcast.com/article/86266
****************************************************************
ON-SITE FIRE PHOTOS COURTESY OF DENNIS DOTY
Here are on-site fire photos courtesy of Dennis Doty of
KNBC-TV. Find the short blue bar above the medium sized
photo and click on the right arrow (>) to advance to the
next photo. Currently there are 102 photos in this set. Any
medium sized photo can be enlarged by clicking on it. Thank
you Dennis!
http://mtwilson.net/photoslive/displayimage.php?album=24&pos=0
****************************************************************
THE WILSON WEBCAM
The Web Cam mounted atop the Mt. Wilson Observatory's
Solar Tower has been returning spectacular fire pictures
this evening as the Station Fire burns trees not burnt in 85
years according to one source. The camera has been re-aimed
and tonight is pointed NE looking over the dome of the
100-inch telescope.
Please keep this Web address confidential:
http://www.astro.ucla.edu/~obs/towercam.htm
****************************************************************
THANK YOU
You have done a magnificent job of providing up to date
information for both the persons with need to access Mount
Wilson and in keeping all of us with an interest in the
situation informed.
God bless you for this valuable service!
Jack Sellmeyer, AD5VO
________________________________________________________________
CGC #940, Saturday, September 5, 2009
________________________________________________________________
GOLD STAR PHOTO ESSAY ON THE STATION FIRE
The week in review. How transient the works of man.
http://tinyurl.com/GoldStarPosting
or
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/09/wildfires_in_southern_californ.html
________________________________________________________________
CGC #941, Sunday, September 6, 2009
________________________________________________________________
EYEWITNESS REPORTS FROM MT. WILSON
Sunday, Sept. 6, 2009, 5:30 PM PDST:
Scott Blake on Mt. Wilson (KTBN transmitter site) reports
firefighters "everywhere" cutting fire control lines and
performing other tasks. A controlled burn close to the
Observatory and visible on the Observatory's Web Cam may
occur tonight. There are no TV/FM transmitter outages to his
knowledge. Scott is reportedly running low on grub.
Sunday, Sept. 6, 2009, 9:30 PM PDST:
Dennis Doty on Mt. Wilson (KNBC transmitter site) also
reports that firefighters are everywhere. He visited with a
number of the out of town fire crews rotating through Wilson
today. Dennis plans to leave the mountain tonight for a
change of clothes and some much needed rest, but may return
to Wilson on Wednesday. No TV/FM transmitter outages to his
knowledge.
Dennis adds that the control burn near Wilson has not yet
occurred because conditions didn't quite meet criteria.
However, that burn will take place whenever conditions are
right, even 1 AM.
****************************************************************
BRING AND WEAR YOUR NOMEX GEAR
****************************************************************
FIRE GARMETS MANDATORY
Dennis urges anyone attempting to visit Wilson to be fully
dressed in fire protective gear -- including Nomex suits --
especially when getting into or out of vehicles. You will
attract a lot of attention otherwise, and put yourself in
danger. Hot ash is still falling on Wilson. It's an ACTIVE
fire zone.
All of the roads to Mt. Wilson are still reportedly
blocked to broadcasters and tourists. There has been no
further input from the Forest Service concerning a convoy to
Wilson.
Both Scott and Dennis add that the firefighters are owed a
huge debt of gratitude. CGC applauds not only the
firefighters but Scott and Dennis for having stayed in place
to handle any technical emergencies.
****************************************************************
LINKS
o The latest firefighting plan for Mt. Wilson and vicinity
courtesy of Inciweb. Note that the first map is
interactive: http://www.inciweb.org/incident/1856/
o Archived fire photos and firsthand reports from the
Mount Wilson Observatory staff:
http://www.mtwilson.edu/fire.php
o The Mt. Wilson Observatory Webcam:
http://www.astro.ucla.edu/~obs/towercam.htm#imagetop
o Dennis Doty's photo file has been expanded:
http://mtwilson.net/photoslive/index.php?cat=27
o Tour the CBS-FM Aux Site on Verdugo Mountain (as
reported by cGC in 2006):
http://www.fybush.com/sites/2006/site-060728.html
________________________________________________________________
CGC #942, Monday, September 7, 2009
________________________________________________________________
ACCESS TO WILSON/HARVARD DELAYED
11:20 AM PDST, Monday, September 7, 2009: Forest Service
officials have decided not to allow any broadcaster access
to Wilson/Harvard "until we get past the controlled burn" in
the Wilson/Red Box corridor (apparently involving Red Box
Road which is the only access to Wilson/Harvard). Weather
conditions and logistics must be perfect to allow the burn
to occur.
Now the complication. The Mt. Wilson Observatory fire page
based on on-site information
reports as follows:
"Monday, 7 Sep 09, 11:10 am PDT - I have been told that,
due to logistical complexities, it is unlikely that the back
fire out [sic] Newcomb's Ridge will be set today. In the
meantime, the 1.5-inch hoseline out the ridge is being laid,
and preparation is now underway to lay hose all over the
Observatory grounds to fight structure fires should the back
fire fail and get out of control."
Expectations:
o Wilson/Harvard access on Tuesday is unlikely,
o The back burn is going to be a major event with very
real risks, and
o The access situation should ease up considerably once we
get past the burn.
****************************************************************
USEFUL LINKS
o The Station Fire overview courtesy of Inciweb. Note that
the first map is interactive:
http://www.inciweb.org/incident/1856/
o Mount Wilson Observatory fire newsletter:
http://www.mtwilson.edu/fire.php
o Mt. Wilson Observatory Webcam (please keep this address
confidential):
http://www.astro.ucla.edu/~obs/towercam.htm#imagetop
________________________________________________________________
CGC #943, Monday, September 7, 2009
________________________________________________________________
NEWS REPORT FROM MT. WILSON -- ONE TRANSMITTER DOWN
Monday, Sept. 7, 2009, 7:15 PM PDST: As broadcast
engineers continue to be denied access to Wilson, we have
one remaining permanent source of on-site information:
KTBN-TV's Scott Blake. The KTBN site must be manned, we are
told, because the station is not yet equipped for remote
control.
Scott reports fair weather conditions and continued
activity by fire crews. Although he found no fire hose in
front of his building, he had heard that crews were actively
laying hose at the KCBS site in preparation for the upcoming
intentionally set "burn out" fire (apparently not a mere
"back fire") to eliminate the tremendous tree fuel to the
north and east of Wilson that would threaten Wilson in the
future.
Scott added that KKLA-FM, 99.5 MHz, Los Angeles, was
forced to quit transmitting from Wilson days ago (this was
news to us) because their telco program line had failed. See
CGC #936, 937 & 938. We had incorrectly assumed that KKLA
had switched to an STL feed, but apparently that option was
not available, forcing them to fire up their Flint Peak Aux
site. Flint is at a much lower elevation than Wilson, so
they are probably anxious to return to Wilson.
Scott reports that he is "okay" on the food situation for
now. How that problem was solved wasn't explained but we'll
have something to say about fine dining on Wilson at the end
of this newsletter.
****************************************************************
SMOKE AND ASH MAY BE COMING SOON
From the Inciweb site
, we learned Monday
that, "The planned burn out operation between Cogswell
Reservoir and Mt. Wilson is being scrubbed for today."
If this report is correct, the controlled burn will be a
large fire that will generate a lot of soot meaning that
transmitter air filters/heat exchangers will need checking
right after the burn.
****************************************************************
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
****************************************************************
NOTES ON PERSONAL FIRE PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT
Per Graham Breakwell at the US Forest Service, access to
Mt. Wilson depends on the Incident Commander's plans for
proscribed, controlled, burns of vegetation posing a hazard
to Mt. Wilson and Mt. Disappointment and the Mt. Wilson Red
Box road.
When access becomes allowed, company ID badges will be
required. Helmets, Gloves, Goggles and Nomex suits are
strongly advised but probably won't be required.
Access will be limited to personnel truly necessary to
ensure the continued well being of their sites.
Tony Neece, mwfsc (at) att.net
Mt. Wilson Fire Safe Council
September 7, 2009, 4:17 PM PDST
****************************************************************
THANK YOU
You have been doing a great job of keeping the community
informed of real time happenings... alot better than we can
do and you have better sources. :)
Michael J. McIntyre, District Ranger
Los Angeles River Ranger District
September 7, 2009, 12:41 PDST
****************************************************************
OFF TOPIC
****************************************************************
PICTURES OF THE MOONSCAPE SCENERY NORTH OF LA CANADA
Photos taken along the Angeles Crest Highway by Susan
McAlister on September 6, 2009 are posted here. The once
heavily forested scenery has been replaced by a moonscape
of ash.
http://www.chara.gsu.edu/CHARA/MWO/CrestPhotos1.php
****************************************************************
FINE DINING ON THE MOUNTAIN
For fine dining on Mt. Wilson, we recommend the
Observatory. From the Observatory's posting of September 7,
2009, 7:50 AM PDST:
"Susan and I took a trip off the mountain yesterday
afternoon to reprovision ourselves and the three Observatory
staff members as all of us were out of food. We obtained a
written return authorization from the fire chief on duty up
here. They wouldn't guarantee that would work, but
fortunately the CHP officer manning the road block above La
Canada was still on the spot when we returned from Ralph's
and Trader Joe's...."
Let's buy Scott a meal ticket!
http://www.mtwilson.edu/fire.php
________________________________________________________________
CGC #944, Tuesday, September 8, 2009
________________________________________________________________
MT. WILSON CONTROLLED BURN EXPECTED THIS MORNING
Extract from the Mt. Wilson Observatory Newsletter
:
Tuesday, 8 Sep 09, 9:15 am PDT
The expectation is that the back fire will be set this
morning, dependent upon the completion of a check fire line
in the adjacent zone to the east. The weather is expected to
divert from its presently favorable conditions later this
week, and the Station Fire Incident Command wants to
complete this operation. The delay has resulted from the
tremendous challenge to Hot Shots in the next zone to the
east of the mountain who have been cutting a fire break in
difficult terrain in the face of active fire. The fire will
be started at the northeast corner of the mountain and
proceed eastward along the north side of the fire break
clearly visible in the right portion of the Towercam image.
It will go down beyond the point and connect to the next
fire zone.
Fire fighters are back in position on the mountain with
hose strung all over the grounds. Although it is unlikely to
occur, if the back fire does turn and climb the mountain,
structure protection will go forward using the hoses. Dave
has calculated that our water supply will last for 30 hours
at continuous maximum demand. I'm confident it won't come to
that, but it is very reassuring to have these fire crews at
the ready up here.
If the operation does start, the Mount Wilson - Red Box
Road will be closed to all traffic in both directions. I
will post a note when I have definitive information about
the back fire.
****************************************************************
USEFUL LINKS
o Mt. Wilson Observatory Webcam (please keep this address
confidential):
http://www.astro.ucla.edu/~obs/towercam.htm#imagetop
o Mount Wilson Observatory fire newsletter:
http://www.mtwilson.edu/fire.php
****************************************************************
CONCERNING WILSON/HARVARD ACCESS
Subject: Rules for Wilson/Harvard Access
Tuesday, September 8, 2009, 9:38 AM PDST
Dear Permittees,
We will be informed early tomorrow (Wednesday) morning
regarding Mt Wilson/Harvard Wednesday access.
These are the Incident Command/CHP proposed access rules
for Wednesday and Thursday:
Angeles Crest Highway/LaCanada - one way in one way out up
to 4 vehicles at a time on a pass system first come first
served credentials checked and recorded by CHP fill out
paperwork no more than 4 vehicles on Wilson/Harvard mountain
at the same time as a vehicle returns and checked out
another is checked in daylight hours only - not later than
6.00pm
Thanks Graham
Graham H. Breakwell
Forestry Technician (Special Uses)
Los Angeles River Ranger District
Angeles National Forest
12371 N. Little Tujunga Canyon Road
San Fernando
CA 91342
Office # 818 899 1900
Fax # 818 896 6727
grahambreakwell (at) fs.fed.us
________________________________________________________________
CGC #945, Tuesday, September 8, 2009
________________________________________________________________
TODAY'S BURN CANCELLED
From the Mt. Wilson Observatory newsletter
:
"Tuesday, 8 Sep 09, 10:15 am PDT - No go today. The Mount
Wilson fire group just completed a briefing (shown below) of
their strike teams saying the back fire will not be lit
today. Completion of the check line of the east perimeter of
this burn has not yet been achieved and that last remaining
piece is essential to the safe completion of the burn out.
"Their intention, assuming all is in place, is to light
the fire during the interval 11 am - 2 pm Wednesday with the
goal of finishing it in one period of perhaps of 12 hours."
________________________________________________________________
CGC #946, Tuesday, September 8, 2009
________________________________________________________________
BONUS ITEMS
o Dennis Doty has updated his Mt. Wilson picture file:
http://mtwilson.net/photoslive/thumbnails.php?album=24
o E-mail traffic re Wilson is unusually quiet this
evening. Looks like everyone is waiting for the big burn
tomorrow that will hopefully stay in control. Watch
these sites for info and images:
o Mount Wilson Observatory fire newsletter:
http://www.mtwilson.edu/fire.php
o Mt. Wilson Observatory Webcam (please keep this address
confidential):
http://www.astro.ucla.edu/~obs/towercam.htm#imagetop
****************************************************************
LOOKING INTO THE QUARTZ CRYSTAL BALL -- EDITORIAL
While limited access to Wilson on Thursday is conceivable
if the big burn comes off tomorrow as planned, access Friday
or even Saturday might be more realistic considering the
size of the upcoming event. Let's wait and see what happens
with the knowledge that Graham Breakwell of the Forest
Service is pushing hard for us to access the mountain -- and
is as frustrated as anyone when restrictions and plan
changes are imposed.
Big gold stars should go not only to Dennis Doty, Scott
Blake and Graham Breakwell, but to the broadcasters from
across the U.S. who have lavished Los Angeles FM and TV
stations with offers of assistance. This kind of "pulling
together" is fabulous and humbling to see in action.
****************************************************************
CONFIRMATION: ONE TRANSMITTER DOWN AT WILSON
[CGC asked Mark Pallock to confirm yesterday's claim that
KKLA(FM), Los Angeles, is off the air from Wilson due to a
telco line failure (not that we questioned the accuracy of
Scott Blake's account, but we wanted the firsthand story).
Here is Mark Pallock's response. -Ed.]
"Scott is correct. KKLA went off Wilson on the 28th of
August. We do not have an STL shot into Wilson. If Wilson
goes down for any reason we rely on our Flint Peak site. We
are 10k from Wilson and 9k from Flint. I am in the process
of working with ATT to install new digital lines from
Glendale into Wilson as soon as we can get access."
September 8, 2009, 09:56 AM PDST
mark.pallock (at) salemla.com
****************************************************************
ONE-TIME ACCESS TO MT. LUKENS TOMORROW (WEDNESDAY)
Dear Permittees,
We have arranged one time access to Mt Lukens, tomorrow
Wednesday 9th September. We will car-pool/convoy from La
Canada through the police check point to the Station and Mt
Lukens. Expect to be at the Site 2-3 hours - so bring lunch
and water. We will car-pool/convoy back down through the
police checkpoint to La Canada. I do not know when access
will be available next - maybe Thursday 10th if I receive
sufficient requests.
Meet the FS patrolman/fireman, Walter Alonzo, in the white
FS truck at 8.45am, just before the CHP barrier 1.5 miles(?)
up the Angeles Crest Highway above the 210. We will convoy
no later than 9.15am.
Any questions email/call me.
Graham
Graham H. Breakwell
Forestry Technician (Special Uses)
Los Angeles River Ranger District
Angeles National Forest
12371 N. Little Tujunga Canyon Road
San Fernando, CA 91342
Office # 818 899 1900
Tue, 8 Sep 2009, 1:53 PM PDST
****************************************************************
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
****************************************************************
OVER-THE-AIR TV IMPORTANT TO FIRE CREWS
[Although I'm back home now, while I was on Mt. Wilson] a
number of crews on the fire lines and in the camps conveyed
that off-air-television is their only source of up-to-date
and daily information. Here is a quote by one of the crew
members I was speaking with:
"We depend on off-air television newscasts for our updated
info on the fire operations when on the line and in the
camps."
Dennis Doty, dennisd (at) ladigitalnetworks.com
September 7, 2009
______
Do the crews really have portable DTV receivers? CGC asked
Dennis who replied, "Yes [that] is correct. You can pickup
those little battery powered DTV LCD for under 150 bucks."
****************************************************************
LOOKING TOWARD THE FUTURE
From: "Mt. Wilson Fire Safe Council"
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 2009, 1:14 PM PDST
This is from Chief Luke Claus, LACoFD Asst. Fire Chief
North Region:
"The Incident Commanders have talked about a firing
operation to remove the unburned fuel below Mt. Wilson, and
to tie the fire together. That will allow earlier access as
the mountain will be fire safe after the unburned fuel is
gone, and we won't have to wait for the fire to get there on
it's own."
Printed as received by CGC (quotation marks added).
****************************************************************
THANK YOU
Like engineers across the country, we've been keeping a
close eye on the Mt. Wilson situation here in Nevada.
Because the information in the CGC newsletter has been
graphic and illustrative of the challenges broadcasters face
in a disaster, the "Mt. Wilson Experience" will be a topic
of discussion at one of our upcoming Homeland Security
Commission meetings. In addition, through the efforts of
Nevada Broadcasters Association CEO Robert Fisher, it has
been added to the agenda for the 2010 National EAS Summit.
Adrienne Abbott, nevadaeas (at) charter.net
September 8, 2009, 8:11 AM PDST
________________________________________________________________
CGC #947, Wednesday, September 9, 2009
________________________________________________________________
MT. WILSON IS FAR FROM OUT OF DANGER
Wednesday mid morning:
Two controlled burns (Backfires) are planned to remove
vegetation near the top of Mt. Wilson so as to protect the
area from a possible burn-over.
Mt. Wilson is far from out of danger. Many hot spots and
smoldering areas in inaccessible terrain remain down-slope
on the north side of the Mountain. Given the low humidity
and hot weather, any of these could kindle into a major
threat to Wilson. The controlled burns will mitigate this
hazard.
One burn will be a crescent shaped area northeast of Red
Box road, burning up to the roadway. Crews with hoseline are
placed along the road and retardant has been heavily applied
to the vegetation up-slope from the road. Helicopters will
be on hand for additional control if needed.
The other burn will be along and to the north of Newcomb
ridge. This is a ridge running from Newcomb Peak at the N.E.
corner of the MW Observatory property to Newcomb Pass a few
miles eastward. This ridge has long been maintained as a
fire break and much hard work has been done by hand crews in
the last week to improve it. The burn will cover a rather
large area below the ridgeline and the west fork of the San
Gabriel River.
****************************************************************
RED BOX ROAD WILL BE IMPASSIBLE (LETTER CONTINUED)
Obviously during the burning operation Red Box road will
be impassible. No one other than fire personnel, the
Observatory Superintendent and perhaps Larry Lopez will be
allowed to remain on the mountain. These two men remain at
the request of the fire boss because of their knowledge of
the working of the wells and other water supply issues. Also
they have been equipped with protective garb.
These firefighters have done a Herculean effort to save
our sites, so please, please honor their requests to keep
clear of the area.
Rumor has it that some engineers have been allowed past
road blocks and made it to the mountain. Keep in mind that
the area is still quite unsafe, and being on-site without
the firefighters knowing your whereabouts puts one in great
peril if things go wrong. If, after the burn is done and you
make it past roadblocks, do contact the fire operations
people at the Chara Array office next to the 100-inch
telescope to let them know where you will be and check in
again when you leave. If they tell you to leave, please
respect them for what they have done and the difficulty of
the on-going job. "Cooperate" is the operative word here!
If a station is actually off the air, call me on my cell,
818-383-7753. I am able to contact the fire boss and see if
some special arrangement can be made to handle that
emergency.
****************************************************************
ANGELES CREST HIGHWAY ISSUES (LETTER CONTINUED)
Very hazardous travel due to constant rock fall. The fire
has destroyed the brush and trees that stabilized the
hillsides, causing rock to come loose. Some large rock is
falling from great heights. Also, a major avalanche rock
slide is possible anytime. Talking your way past the road
block is really a bad idea. Take the extra time to go the
long way around if you must attempt a trip up. Word is that
Upper Big Tjunga Canyon road has been good, though at times
it has been accessible only from Palmdale, rather than also
from Sunland. That route is closer to the active fire, so
use great caution.
There is some talk that the Toll road may be opened for
access and may remain the best route for some time to come.
I have absolutely no official info on that.
Bottom line is the less we attempt to get to Wilson, the
better willing the authorities will be to cooperate. Even
when access is available, it should only be used for the
most essential need. Let's not burden these crews to whom we
owe so much. The U.S. Forest Service has brought in crews
from as far as Georgia!
Tony Neece
President, Mt. Wilson Fire Safe Council
September 9, 2009 -- 2:45 AM PDST
****************************************************************
WILL THE BURNS OCCUR TODAY?
Following is word from the Mt. Wilson Observatory
:
Wednesday, 9 Sep 09, 6:55 am PDT - The mountain
temperature is 61 this morning, and a marine layer has
lapped up to Mount Wilson, obscuring the LA basin. The wind
at this altitude is from the east. I don't know if the wind
along the burn line is also easterly, but that could affect
the decision to light the back fire.
The only fire fighters on the mountain thus far are the
Helenas who, I learned after chatting with a couple who were
packing up their bedrolls, returned to the summit from their
work on the fire line about 9 o'clock last night.
****************************************************************
TO READ MORE
More on today's planned burn operations is posted at:
http://www.inciweb.org/incident/1856/
________________________________________________________________
CGC #948, Wednesday, September 9, 2009
________________________________________________________________
NO BURN TODAY
Following is word from the Mt. Wilson Observatory
:
Wednesday, 9 Sep 09, 11:30 am PDT - A briefing is now
underway for the Mount Wilson strike teams in the CHARA
conference room. Because things are still not complete in
the next division to our east, there will be no back fire
lighting today. The anticipation is that the "Victor"
division will finish their work by mid- afternoon, but that
is too late to start the fire on this end.
So, tomorrow morning now seems likely since all
preparation work should be in place. There is a high
pressure system moving into the area with increasing
temperatures and likely changes in wind direction. It may be
that weather now becomes the determining factor rather than
preparation of fire lines, but that is just my speculation.
I will be leaving the mountain late this afternoon but
Dave, Larry and Jake will remain on station. My updates will
continue as I get information from the mountain from them,
and I will post a final update from Mount Wilson today
before Susan and I leave. We will also post one or two more
videos on Youtube including one of our first drive up the
Angeles Crest Highway.
________________________________________________________________
CGC #949, Wednesday, September 9, 2009
________________________________________________________________
THE MT. WILSON BURN-OUT PLAN -- LETTER FROM DENNIS DOTY
I just spoke with Benny -- he is the fire official in
charge of the broadcast side of Mt. Wilson. Fire crews will
be staying on the mountain this evening as they want to get
a very early start on the burn-out operation tomorrow.
Here are the details:
(a) Redbox Road will be HARD CLOSED AND LOCKED sometime
after midnight tonight,
(b) you will not be able to drive into the back of the
Observatory as that road will be closed as well,
(c) the big parking lot at Skyline Park is the safety area
for us here on the mountain should anything jump lines
or get out of control. I have been assured we will be
very safe as we will shelter in the parking lot, and
(d) three burns will be started. The first burn will be
hand ignited going east. The second will be the north
slope using a helitorch. The final one will be on the
east side of Redbox Road and will be ignited with ping
pong balls.
Again, I have been advised that we will all be safe and
there is no cause for concern. Safety has been at the
forefront of this operational plan by fire experts. I have
fire-protective gear. After the burns are completed,
broadcast engineers will have better access to the hill.
Keep in mind this very important point: NO TRAFFIC WILL BE
ALLOWED ON THE ROADS before, during and for a few hours
after the burn operation. The definition of "few" remains to
be determined, and Murphy lives, but at least there is an
end in sight.
It was explained to me that this burn-out operation is
being done for addition protection against future fire
events and the Santa Ana Winds. Without the burn, fire
officials are concerned that for a few weeks plus, we would
have hot spots that could quickly re-ignite and cause a
catastrophe in a wind-driven event. We don't need that.
Dennis Doty, Mt. Wilson
September 9, 2009, 4:19 PM PDST
****************************************************************
THE VIEW FROM DR. HAL McALISTER AT THE OBSERVATORY
Wednesday, 9 Sep 09, 5:00 pm PDT - Not much more to report
as we prepare to leave Mount Wilson. If all the stars align
right, the firing will begin at 9 am tomorrow. Fred
Thompson, Supervisor of the Helenas, told me that the fire
will be hand lit down the steep fire break line and then lit
by helitorch along the dozer line. Stay tuned to Towercam. I
regret that duty is calling me back to Atlanta.
http://www.mtwilson.edu/fire.php
****************************************************************
CONCERNING THE POWER FEEDS TO MT. WILSON
Scott Lacy of Southern California Edison (SCE) reports
that a full damage assessment of the back power feed (33 kV)
to Mt. Wilson is yet to be made. Not only has SCE had
difficulty accessing the burn area, but they are dealing
with thousands of burnt poles in other areas as well. The
rumor within SCE is that the 33 kV line is "predominantly
destroyed" - again, this is just a rumor.
Scott said it will probably take six months or longer to
repair the 33 kV line based on a "pure guess." He
anticipates access and weather-related problems this winter
including mud and rock slides. He does not know what
priority will be given to fixing the Wilson 33 kV feed.
The front side (16 kV) power line is in good shape as far
as he knows. That line of course uses steel power poles. The
power bump Friday afternoon was traced to a bird that flew
into the Eaton substation near Pasadena High School. Bird
removed, problem solved.
Scott's edress: scott.lacy (at) sce.com
****************************************************************
RUMOR CONTROL
"Rumor has it that some engineers have been allowed past
road blocks and made it to the mountain." This sentence from
Tony Neece's detailed and thoughtful letter in CGC #947
attracted some comments from non-broadcasters today.
It is worth noting that there were a few broadcast
engineers on Wilson this morning and CGC staff spoke with
most of them. They were performing a variety of important
tasks, not the least of which was manning the pumps and
hookups to the large water tanks on broadcast properties --
tanks that are being readied to provide water for fire
hoses. There was a pressure problem associated with one of
the pumps this morning, for example, and that issue needed
immediate attention. -Ed.
****************************************************************
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
****************************************************************
SBE TOOLS UP TO HELP
Your reports have been extremely important and effective.
Thanks for keeping us informed.
It has been proposed that the SBE help engineers develop a
"credentialing program" that will grant them access to
disaster areas to restore critical broadcast operations. The
problem is that a national credential probably won't get you
past a state or local police roadblock because the rules
(and dangers) are different in each situation. A successful
program will need to be based in state or local government.
To that end, the SBE hopes to build a strategy for
chapters and state associations to get programs going in
their own areas. We are in discussion with FEMA and other
federal parties to determine the best way to go about this.
This concept is really in its infancy but we believe it will
support the important function of broadcast engineers in a
way no one else really understands.
Your input is invited. Discuss on the SBE Roundtable
www.sbe.org .
Barry Thomas, CPBE CBNT
President
Society of Broadcast Engineers, Inc.
barryt (at) sbe.org
****************************************************************
OFF TOPIC
****************************************************************
ROAD TRIP
Take a scenic road trip with Mt. Wilson Observatory
Director Dr. Hal McAlister and his wife Susan on their
recent drive up the Angeles Crest Highway. Incredible
black-and-white scenery from from a former lush forest.
U-Tube video, 3 minutes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNPTd39jAlM
________________________________________________________________
CGC #950, Thursday, September 10, 2009
________________________________________________________________
THE BURN OUT OPERATION IS UNDERWAY
Finally, the Mt. Wilson burn out operation is underway!
Live photos are available at the URL below, but please do
not publish this address to the public least the server
overload.
Helicopters and other aircraft are sometimes visible in
the images.
http://www.astro.ucla.edu/~obs/towercam.htm
****************************************************************
DIRECT WORD FROM MT. WILSON
The burn operation was given the okay at 09:02 AM PDST
today. The actual burn started about 15 minutes later. All
is well so far.
Dennis Doty, Mt. Wilson, Sept. 10, 2009, 10:19 AM PDST
****************************************************************
BE PATIENT PLEASE
This is NOT the time to be calling the Forest Service
about access to Mts. Wilson/Harvard. Graham Breakwell is
working on that issue right now from his post inside the
Forest Service, and he is expected to publish access
information either today or tomorrow. Watch the CGC
Communicator for a copy of his announcement.
CGC has just received word of a major TV transmitter
problem on Mt. Harvard. While Graham did not recall the call
sign of the station, the bottom line is that Harvard and
Wilson are completely inaccessible at this time as far as we
know. Even helicopter access is nixed assuming the NOTAM
mentioned earlier (CGC #936) is still operative.
Let the firemen and fireladies finish their work and be
thankful that in all probability there will be a facility to
return to. This conflagration will soon be over and the
healing process will begin.
****************************************************************
THE OBSERVATORY'S PERSPECTIVE ON THE BURN OUT
Following is the latest word from Dr. Hal McAlister,
Director of the Mount Wilson Observatory that abuts the
broadcast property that we affectionately call "Mt. Wilson:"
Thursday, 10 Sep 09, 9:00 am PDT - Dave Jurasevich
reported to me by phone that the fire operation will go
forward this morning according to the plan briefly described
in my last post. Fire fighters in the zone to the east of
the Mount Wilson division successfully completed a hand line
operation and back fired that yesterday to complete the
tie-off of the burn on its eastern edge. That precaution
will ensure that the burn covers precisely the planned area,
i.e. the north slope of the complex ridge line that will
then protect the Big Santa Anita watershed as well as the
Observatory from wild fire intruding into that area. The
lighting operation will take about three hours and the burn
should be concluded by the end of today.
This is great news! Everyone is confident of success after
all the extraordinary preparatory work. Dave will be
positioned at Echo Point to photographically document the
operation as he has done with most of the activities during
the last two weeks. Much of the activity should be visible
from the UCLA Towercam....
[See top story for Towercam URL]
****************************************************************
SATELLITE IMAGE OF THE BURN AREA
Here is a satellite view of the Station Fire burn area.
This image, as we went to press, showed the burn area prior
to today's burn operation mentioned above. The destruction
is obviously immense.
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=40118
________________________________________________________________
CGC #951, Thursday, September 10, 2009
________________________________________________________________
MOUNTAIN ACCESS -- FOREST SERVICE REQUIREMENTS
Subject: Mt Wilson Communications Site/Mt Harvard/ Mt
Disappointment - access Tuesday 15th?
E-Mail Date/Time: September 10, 2009, 12:06 PM PDST
Dear Permittees,
As you know the firecrews are backburning from around Mt.
Wilson down towards Cogswell Dam.
I have just spoken with the Command Center. It is possible/
probable that there will be road access by
Tuesday/Wednesday. I will email you early Monday.
The access will be:
o Angeles Crest Highway/LaCanada - one way in one way out
o Up to 6 vehicles at a time on a pass system
o First come first served
o Credentials checked and recorded by CHP - fill out
paperwork
o No more than 6 vehicles on
Wilson/Harvard/Disappointment mountains at the same time
o As a vehicle returns and checked out another is checked
in
o Daylight hours only - not later than 6.00pm
o No very early/very late communication site traffic-wish
to avoid substantial firecrew traffic.
The Command Center is firm about requiring the pass
system.
Thanks for your patience.
Graham
Graham H. Breakwell, grahambreakwell (at) fs.fed.us
Forestry Technician (Special Uses)
Los Angeles River Ranger District
Angeles National Forest
12371 N. Little Tujunga Canyon Road
San Fernando, CA 91342
Office # 818 899 1900
****************************************************************
CORRECTION
Regarding the post in CGC #950 that "CGC has just received
word of a major TV transmitter problem on Mt. Harvard," CGC
contacted the company where the information reportedly
originated and they denied having any problem whatsoever.
If there are major technical problems on Harvard or Wilson
(other than KKLA-FM), please let us know. For now, Wilson
and Harvard seem to be working relatively well.
________________________________________________________________
CGC #952, Thursday, September 10, 2009
________________________________________________________________
LETTER FROM THE TOP OF MT. WILSON -- A "REAL QUIET DAY"
The fire crews are ready for anything here at the top of
Mt. Wilson. There are hoses everywhere, but from my vantage
point as a broadcast engineer, this was a real quiet day.
I'm told that the brush is burning slower than expected and
that's a good thing. There aren't a bunch of flare ups and
the flames are well under control.
I'm not a fireman, but it seems to me that the controlled
burn really isn't a "burn-out" (where trees and ground
clutter both burn). Today's burns just seemed to impact the
underbrush. Ping pong balls were used for part of the
ignition because (I'm told) the balls float down through the
trees and ignite the ground clutter.
The controlled burns, which they thought would end today,
will continue into Friday because the material is burning so
slowly.
I understand that some heli-torching may be used in select
areas tomorrow where officials want to burn both trees and
underbrush. Heli-torching (dropping flaming fluid from a
cannister suspended far below a helicopter) causes trees to
burn from top down, so it's very different from the ping
pong ball approach.
Some engineers have been able to gain access to Wilson to
work their normal shifts. I had no trouble getting in during
OFF-HOURS by doing the following:
o being properly dressed in fire-protective gear with my
fire shelter on the passenger seat where it can be seen,
o explaining my job and why I needed access,
o presenting my employee ID badge and drivers license,
o explaining that I have been through media brush fire
safety training, and
o always being respectful to the officers on duty. If they
told me to leave, I'd leave. I'd never think of "busting
the line" and would never enter a blocked area without
the okay from the road block officers.
Hopefully tomorrow will be another good day. After the
controlled burns are finished (maybe Saturday), the "hard
shut" policy on Red Box Road might be lifted and I can go
home.
By the way, the domestic water pump is running again and
we are refilling the supply tank. Things are looking up.
Dennis Doty, Mt. Wilson
September 10, 2009, 9:27 PM PDST
****************************************************************
ENGINEERS ARE MAKING IT UP TO WILSON REGULARLY
A "legacy call letter" TV maintenance engineer has had
"minimally challenged" access to Wilson every day since last
Tuesday (when the fire cleared the immediate area).
Using the "Big Tujunga" route, he has been confronted by a
lone CHP officer at Sunland to whom he says: "Here are my
credentials. I am a television maintenance engineer assigned
to Mt. Wilson. I am not a camera-person or a reporter; I'm
required to maintain our station's transmitters."
He has been allowed to pass every day.
On one occasion - yesterday - he was additionally stopped
at the junction of Big Tujunga and Angeles Forest and asked
to produce a Nomex suit, which he did have in his vehicle.
His schedule is typically 4PM to Midnight.
Your excellent reporting of the access situation to Mt.
Wilson is very much appreciated; however, it appears that
reality differs substantially from the "no access" line that
officialdom is promoting.
Anonymous, Los Angeles
****************************************************************
LONG RANGE PLANNING FOR MT. WILSON FIRE SAFETY
L.A. Times article, well worth reading:
http://tinyurl.com/WilsonFirePlanning
****************************************************************
INCIWEB ARTICLE
"The Station Fire is the largest in Los Angeles County's
recorded history and the largest in the history of the
Angeles National Forest, which was established in 1892 as
the Timber Land Reserve and later changed to Angeles
National Forest..."
http://inciweb.org/incident/news/article/1856/9512/
________________________________________________________________
CGC #953, Friday, September 11, 2009
________________________________________________________________
WILSON FIRE STATUS: THINGS GOING WELL, MOP UP THRU
SATURDAY
Word from the Mt. Wilson Observatory Director:
Thursday, 11 Sep 09, 10:30 am PDT - Dave has relayed me
information from this morning's fire fighters briefing on
the mountain given by Brian Savage and Quinn MacLoud, both
of the U.S. Forest Service. The overall feeling is that the
operation is going in textbook fashion and was lit by last
night from the northeast corner of the mountain, down the
hand line to the dozer line and on to Newcomb's Pass.
Today and tomorrow will be mop-up operations. The fire has
also been conducted westward from the hand line, and there
is a pocket of green in a bowl near the channel 2 tower that
will be lit today. A helicopter might be brought in again to
supplement the hand lighting.
The mountain fire fighter numbers are being brought down
significantly, signaling the optimism of the fire managers.
Of the five Hot Shot crews involved in fire lighting
yesterday, only the Helena and Cherokee remain on station.
http://www.mtwilson.edu/fire.php
****************************************************************
MT. WILSON WEATHER FORECAST
National Weather Service, 11:20 AM PDST forecast:
High today: 89 degrees.
Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms
after 11AM. Partly cloudy, with a high near 81. Calm wind
becoming southwest between 7 and 10 mph.
****************************************************************
LOOKING BACK -- SHORT VIDEOS
o Wilson Towercam, 24-hour time-lapse of the Station Fire:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shAj_U4SgRM&NR=1
o Aerial fire retardant drop:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3ituiTBDtA&NR=1
o Spraying Phos-Check on Wilson, industrial style:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTc8nD0MqY0
o Take a little journey with us up Echo Mountain, then on
to Mt. Lowe a couple miles west of Mt. Wilson:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yc_lqdHyNNs&NR=1&feature=fvwp
________________________________________________________________
CGC #954, Friday, September 11, 2009
________________________________________________________________
MT. WILSON STATUS -- QUIET EXCEPT FOR THE EXPLOSION
Overall, it was another quiet day at the top of Mt.
Wilson. Fire officials were very happy with their
intentionally-set burns and the burns are now virtually
complete. The talk is that the Station Fire will be 100%
contained by Tuesday.
As far as other engineers attempting to drive up here is
concerned, I would not recommend it right now even if you
could gain legal access. There is probably going to be quite
a bit of mop up activity this weekend as hoses and heavy
equipment are being removed.
It is possible that engineers will be able to come and go
at their own discretion soon -- perhaps sometime next week.
I'm not speaking in any official capacity here, but I am
repeating the drift of conversations that I've had with fire
personnel and I've combined their remarks with my own
thinking based on what I've seen.
When you do come up, watch out for road clearing and
repairing activities along Angles Crest Highway and Red Box
Road. These roads are closed to the public for good reason.
Watch out for road maintenance machinery to say nothing of
occasional rock falls. There will be flag men and traffic
delays for some time to come, so we'll need to figure out
their schedules and work around them as much as possible.
Please, everyone, drive SLOWLY and carefully!
About the explosion. It was big, and it happened about
5:40 PM. Then the fire radio jumped to life with people
saying things like, "Did you hear that?" And the reply,
"That was #*!g loud over here, what blew up?" It took a
little while before someone remembered that the Space
Shuttle was landing at Edwards and we had all been rocked by
the sonic boom.
In closing, Wilson dodged another bullet when this fire
turned and ran toward Red Box instead of climbing the grade
toward the CBS West site. We could have been toast. Let's
give those firefighters the praise they deserve -- and stay
out of their way while they cleanup this weekend.
Dennis Doty, Mt. Wilson
September 11, 2009, 10:33 PM PDST
****************************************************************
KKLA(FM) IS STILL NOT BROADCASTING FROM WILSON
o Questions from CGC:
Did the audio feed to KKLA quit as a result of the
fire? What is the outlook for KKLA resuming operation
from Mt. Wilson?
o Answers from Mark Pallock, CE of KKLA:
My understanding is that KKLA is one of a few or maybe
the only station left that was using copper from
Glendale to Mt. Wilson. Everybody else is either STL or
T-1.
From what I am told by Telco, there was some damage
done at the Wilson substation as a result of the fire
and this destroyed the amps used. AT&T decided that the
damage was too bad to rebuild so they put us on Fiber
from Glendale to Mt. Wilson. I have been working with
AT&T the last two days and we finished yesterday and
have audio all the [way] to the substation, but no audio
yet to the KCET building where the KKLA transmitters are
located. We anticipate going up there Tuesday to finish
the installation. Barring any unforeseen problems, we
should be able to return the air from Wilson some time
Tuesday.
September 11, 2009, 3:12 PM PDST
mark.pallock (at) salemla.com
****************************************************************
A SECOND PROBLEM ARISES, THIS ONE AT KNLA (LPTV)
The remote control computer for KNLA has gone down.
Normally, I would drive right up and reboot it. From a
practical point, I don't expect to get there until the
backfires are out and the restrictions are eased, possibly
mid-week. If there is anyone on Mt Wilson who would not mind
spending a few minutes to reboot this, please call me at
818-324-1786. It is on the second floor of the Post Office
building.
Daniel P. Bissett, Director of Engineering
VENTURE TECHNOLOGIES GROUP L.L.C.
September 11, 2009, 12:59 PM PDST
dbissett (at) loop.com
****************************************************************
VIDEO CLIP
o Gripping video. Time-lapse photos of the Station Fire
smoke plumes by photographer/special effects person
Brandon Riza:
http://www.brandonriza.com/Video/HTML/ZeroPercentContained.htm
****************************************************************
THANK YOU
Thanks for the great information on the fires. Even though
they do not affect us here in Las Vegas, the information is
important to all of us.
We had the Good Springs fire that limited access to Mt.
Potosi a couple of years ago. I will be using some of the
lessons learned from the Wilson experience in our committee
on credentialing for emergency access with the Nevada
Broadcasters Association.
Bill Croghan, CPBE, WBØKSW
Chief Engineer,
KOMP/KXPT/KENO/KBAD/KWWN/KWID
Lotus Broadcasting, Las Vegas, NV
September 11, 2009
loteng (at) lvradio.com
________________________________________________________________
CGC #955, Sunday, September 13, 2009
________________________________________________________________
SATURDAY'S BROADCAST ENGINEERING REPORT FROM MT. WILSON
It is extremely quiet here today. We have a few hotshot
crews working along Redbox Road monitoring and keeping the
burn operations in check. We have four fire engines: Two
from Forest Service and two from BLM, working on
"rehabilitation" (turning over the smoldering stuff,
clearing brush piles on the roads and tossing the chipped
wood and other debris over the side to clear the shoulders
and roadway). The Phos-Chek folks are soaking -- and I mean
soaking -- the vegetation around the top of the mountain by
spraying in the vicinity of the Post Office and around the
upper and lower road loops.
Mt. Wilson is turning every imaginable shade of pink.
We still have a good amount of material burning along
Redbox Road and around the north & northeast sides of the
mountain, but it is under control with great fire line and
Phos- Chek lines protecting everything important.
After checking around, it looks as if I am the only
broadcast engineer left. Scott is gone from Trinity (I think
he left Friday morning). I do not see anyone at any of the
other sites. Red Box Road must be closed to all
thru-traffic, as predicted, while the fire crews do their
job.
About the "explosion" yesterday. It must have taken a good
2-3 minutes before fire command announced that the sonic
boom from the Space Shuttle was the culprit. The boom really
shook the mountain and all work came to a halt while the
firefighters were trying to figure things out. One fellow
even speculated that a huge stash of dynamite from some old
mine had exploded underground! Rumors were flying.
Dennis Doty, Mt. Wilson, CA
Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009, 1:21 PM PDST
****************************************************************
SUNDAY'S WILSON UPDATE
Today is more of the same.
I was asked about air filteration. Those using outside air
will have some ash to remove, but in general we have not had
any wind events that were blowing around hot ash or embers
so we should be pretty good in that regard. It looks like we
are just going to be on standby for a few more days until
things continue to burn out.
Dennis Doty, Mt. Wilson, CA
Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009, 2:44 PM PDST
****************************************************************
EXTRACTS FROM THE MT. WILSON OBSERVATORY NEWSLETTER
Sunday, 13 Sep 09, 7:44 AM PDST:
...Dave also reported that "Smoke is still evident in the
'bowl' by Channel 2 and some light smoke on the N side of
Newcomb Ridge."
Sunday, 13 Sep 09, 11:33 AM PDST:
...While there is no longer any immediate threat to the
Observatory, there are still hot spots on the north slopes,
and, while the back fire effort is considered quite
successful, there are patches of green fuels that could
provide fire with access to the summit. Those fires will
smolder for weeks and it will take a good rain to extinguish
any lingering threat from the Station Fire once and for all.
The fire hose laid throughout the Observatory will remain in
place indefinity, just in case there is a break out
somewhere. I also understand from Dave that a considerable
amount of surplus hose will be left with us permanently to
supplement the Observatory's fire fighting capability.
http://www.mtwilson.edu/fire.php
****************************************************************
KNLA REMOTE CONTROL PROBLEM SOLVED
Dan Bissett, Director of Engineering for Venture
Technologies Group, indicates that the remote control
computer for KNLA (LPTV) "came back online on it's own
overnight. Perhaps it was a network problem."
Message dated Saturday, September 12, 2009, at 10:19 AM PDST
****************************************************************
ESTIMATED FIRE CONTAINMENT: NEXT SATURDAY
The official estimated containment date for the entire
Station Fire now stands at Saturday, September 19, 2009.
http://www.inciweb.org/incident/1856/
________________________________________________________________
CGC #956, Sunday, September 13, 2009
________________________________________________________________
CGC COMMUNICATOR RE-TOOLS FOR LOCAL-ONLY + MAJOR FCC NEWS
CGC will continue to report on Mt. Wilson events as they
unfold in the aftermath of the Station Fire (any and all
authoritative reports are welcome). On the other hand, our
regular newsletter is being re-tooled to report local-only
news, along with major national FCC news, for the remainder
of 2009. We need to catch up on a number of other projects.
Thanks to everyone who provided us with -- and will
hopefully continue to provide us with -- Wilson fire,
equipment and site access news. All e-mails have been
terrific. Special thanks to Dennis Doty for his tireless
reporting from the top of Mt. Wilson.
________________________________________________________________
CGC #957, Monday, September 14, 2009
________________________________________________________________
GREAT NEWS -- MOUNTAIN ACCESS OPENS TO AUTHORIZED USERS
From: Graham Breakwell, grahambreakwell (at) fs.fed.us
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 2009 09:35 AM PDST
Dear Permittees,
The burnout operations in the area of Mt. Wilson
accomplished the objective of removing extremely heavy fuel.
There is still smoke in the area as undergrowth burns away.
There are still hot spots so please be aware of your
potentially dangerous surroundings. Many parts of the
Angeles National Forest are closed to the general public,
including Angeles Crest Highway/ Mt Wilson, with exceptions
for permittees with legitimate need to be in there.
I have just spoken with the Command Center. There will be
road access today/Tuesday/Wednesday.
The access will be:
o Angeles Crest Highway/LaCanada - one way in one way out
o CHP will allow an orderly entry - so many vehicles per
hour
o Credentials checked and/or marked vehicles required
o Daylight hours only - not later than 6.00pm
o No very early/very late communication site traffic -
wish to avoid substantial Firecrew/CalTrans/DPW traffic.
Thanks for your patience.
Graham
Graham H. Breakwell
Forestry Technician (Special Uses)
Los Angeles River Ranger District
Angeles National Forest
12371 N. Little Tujunga Canyon Road
San Fernando, CA 91342
Office # 818 899 1900 x243
[Editor's note: Graham indicates that access to Mt. Harvard
should be available at this time. He also expects the travel
restrictions mentioned above to be further reduced after
Wednesday.]
****************************************************************
SUNDAY NIGHT NOTE FROM THE TOP OF MT. WILSON
I have the okay to leave [Mt. Wilson] at midnight
tonight.... I see someone over at CBS East [and someone
else] over at ABC this evening.
Two Hot Shot crews are on-site for the overnight. The
Phos-Chek crews have pulled out as of about 7PM when they
finished dumping all the product they had all over the hill.
I "look forward" to this winter as I am sure we are going
to have more than a few rock and mud slides. Thanks again
for helping keep everyone informed!
Dennis Doty, Mt. Wilson, CA
Sunday, September 13, 2009, 8:06 PM PDST
________________________________________________________________
CGC #958, Monday, September 14, 2009
________________________________________________________________
THE WILSON FIRE WATCH IS WINDING DOWN
A number of broadcast engineers returned to Mt. Wilson
today (Monday) and the two we checked with reported no
damage to their facilities -- other than very dirty air
filters even with recirculated air. Both gave high marks to
the firemen.
Bill over at KCBS/KCAL(TV) had no trouble passing through
the road checkpoint and reported seeing some smoke plumes
but no fire as he drove up the mountain. Jeremy Howard of
KCET said he passed through the La Canada checkpoint at
about 2:15 PM, found only one officer on duty (CHP) and was
waived through after showing his company I.D. badge. Jeremy
said watch out for road maintainance activities, especially
guard rail repair.
****************************************************************
NBC REPORTS ACCESS IS A-OKAY
I understand the NBC engineers did not have any issues
accessing Wilson for both AM and PM shifts.
Dennis Doty
****************************************************************
NEW PHOTO OFFERING
Interesting photos entitled, "Lighting the Mount Wilson
Back Fire."
http://www.mtwilson.edu/BackFire.php
****************************************************************
WORD FROM THE MT. WILSON OBSERVATORY
Monday, 14 Sep 09, 4:45 pm PDT - The level of activity of
fire fighters has very significantly reduced today. Fire
staffing has consisted of one incident supervisor, Quinn
MacLeod, and one engine crew to provide a monitoring and
quick response capability should any flare ups occur from
the back fires. Another crew was winding up fire hose from
along the hand and dozer fire lines.
Larry Webster reported an old fallen cedar trunk
smoldering with some flame and considerable smoke in the
vicinity of the wells and alerted Supervisor MacLeod, but
that event is not considered to be significant. The mountain
has experienced a good deal of fog today - a good thing from
the perspective of elevated humidity but not a good thing in
terms of ash adhering to telescope mirrors and attacking
aluminum coatings.
Several CHARA staff members returned to the mountain
today, and we expect staff from other projects to return
tomorrow. A permitting process is now in place that permits
workers and residents only to drive into the Angeles
National Forest for the next few days, but there are
indications that the public may be allowed entry by the
weekend....
****************************************************************
KEEPING THE PUBLIC AWAY FROM WILSON -- A GOOD IDEA RIGHT
NOW
KRKO(AM) in Washington state has lost two towers
apparently due to "eco-terrorism," and five hours before
that WAEB(AM) in Allentown, PA lost one tower "after its
support cables were cut, township police said."
http://www.kirotv.com/news/20723839/detail.html
http://www.elfpressoffice.org/release090409.html
http://tinyurl.com/KRKO-Terrorism
****************************************************************
MT. LUKENS ACCESS AVAILABLE
Re: Mt. Lukens Access
From: Graham Breakwell, grahambreakwell (at) fs.fed.us
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 2009 11:10 AM PDST
Dear Permittees,
I have just spoken with the Command Center.
The access will be:
o Angeles Crest Highway/LaCanada - one way in one way out
o CHP will allow an orderly entry - so many vehicles per
hour
o Credentials checked and/or marked vehicles required
o State destination Mt Lukens
o Daylight hours only - not later than 6.00pm
o No very early/very late communication site traffic -
wish to avoid substantial Firecrew/CalTrans/DPW traffic.
Thanks for your patience.
Any questions email/call me.
Graham
Graham H. Breakwell
Forestry Technician (Special Uses)
Los Angeles River Ranger District
Angeles National Forest
12371 N. Little Tujunga Canyon Road
San Fernando, CA 91342
Office # 818 899 1900 x243
****************************************************************
THANK YOU NOTES
Great job, Bob. - Joe Roberts, KPXN(TV)
You should get a gold medal for keeping all informed....
-Bill Ruck, San Francisco
________________________________________________________________
CGC #959, Tuesday, September 15, 2009
________________________________________________________________
"REPOPULATION" GOING SMOOTHLY - THURSDAY FINAL FIRE
NEWSLETTER
All indications are that broadcast engineers are having no
trouble accessing and working on Mt. Wilson at this time.
Congratulations on returning to the mountain!
We hope you will use the Station Fire as a golden
opportunity to talk to upper management about auxiliary
facilities to cover future emergencies. It would be
catastrophic if management figured that the controlled burns
on the north side of the mountain will buy Wilson, say, a
long period of fire protection. Truth is, new weeds will be
ready to burn in a couple of years, to say nothing of the
huge fuel load on the south side of the mountain that could
ignite at any time.
If you have anything to say on the Wilson/Harvard
situation, please drop us an e-mail, even if it's just a few
words. Absent earthshaking events, our final Station Fire
newsletter will be published Thursday night.
What shape is your facility in? Do you have any uninvited
guests (e.g. rats)? What were your impressions on driving up
to Wilson? Is there anything special to report?
Again, we are looking at wrapping things up Thursday.
****************************************************************
KKLA(FM) IS BACK ON THE AIR FROM WILSON
KKLA returned to the air from Mt. Wilson at 12:15 this
afternoon [Tuesday] via fiber from Glendale to the Mt.
Wilson [telco] sub station...
Mark Pallock, KKLA C.E., mark.pallock (at) salemla.com
September 15, 2009, 1:38 PM PDST
****************************************************************
UPDATE FROM THE MT. WILSON OBSERVATORY
Tuesday, 15 Sep 09, 4:00 pm PDT - As of this afternoon,
the Station Fire is 91% contained with a containment date
anticipated for this Saturday....
The remaining big question is the opening date for the
Angeles Crest Highway. Dave Jurasevich has learned
informally from a Caltrans official that the opening may be
three to four weeks away. The challenge is the very
extensive work on guard rail replacement. I spoke with the
public information officer for Station Fire Incident Command
this afternoon, and he had no specific information but will
contact their liaison with Caltrans and let me know tomorrow
what he finds out. I suspect he will confirm that the road
will remain closed to all but essential personnel until well
after fire containment is achieved.
http://www.mtwilson.edu/fire.php
________________________________________________________________
CGC #960, Wednesday, September 16, 2009
________________________________________________________________
FOREST SERVICE E-MAIL WITH TWO ATTACHED FILES
[Editor's note: This morning, Graham Breakwell of the Forest
Service issued an e-mail with two attached files (Microsoft
Word docs). The text from his e-mail appears below, followed
by transcriptions of the two attached files.]
From: Graham Breakwell, grahambreakwell (at) fs.fed.us
Date: Wed, 16 Sep 2009, 10:19 AM PDST
Subject: Los Angeles River Ranger District - Forest
Closure and Preparation for Potential Access Road Closures
Dear Lessees and Tenants,
I attach the recent news release regarding the Angeles
National Forest Closure. This closure is unamended and in
place.
There is also attached a letter sent out yesterday by the
District Ranger, Mike McIntyre, to all Los Angeles River
Ranger District Communication Site Special Uses
Authorization Holders. In essence expect rain, road
washouts, landslides and more along your access roads and
make back up plans for alternative access. Keep safe in this
environment.
Graham H. Breakwell
Forestry Technician (Special Uses)
Los Angeles River Ranger District
Angeles National Forest
12371 N. Little Tujunga Canyon Road
San Fernando, CA 91342
Office # 818 899 1900
****************************************************************
TRANSCRIPTION OF FIRST ATTACHMENT, A NEWS RELEASE
[Note the date on this release: September 3, 2009, but also
recall Graham's comment from above that, "This closure is
unamended and in place." -Ed.]
USDA Forest Service letterhead, Angeles National Forest,
News Release, Telephone (626) 574-5200, September 3, 2009
Title: Angeles National Forest Announces Emergency Closure
of the Southern Portion of the Angeles National Forest
Because of the Actively Burning Station Fire
ARCADIA, Calif. -- As a result of extreme fire activity,
and to protect public health and safety, Angeles National
Forest officials are implementing an area closure of the
southern portion of the Angeles National Forest, effective
12:00 p.m. today. The closure will be in place until it is
determined that it is safe to reopen forest areas.
Individuals or organizations holding special use permits
for sanctioned activities within the Forest are exempt from
this order.
While the closure is in effect, going into or being upon
National Forest System lands, roads, or trails within the
closure area is not allowed. The closure will affect the use
of all national forest recreational facilities, roads and
hiking trails. A violation of the closure order is
punishable by a fine of not more than $5,000 for an
individual or $10,000 for an organization, or imprisonment
for not more than six months, or both.
The Station Fire Closure Area consists of all National
Forest System lands within the Angeles National Forest south
and east of California State Route 14 and California State
Route 138.
For further information about the closure or fires
currently burning on the Angeles, contact the Fire
Information Center at 626-821-6700.
****************************************************************
TRANSCRIPTION OF SECOND ATTACHMENT, A LETTER
USDA Forest Service letterhead, Los Angeles River Ranger
District, Telephone (626) 899-1900, September 15, 2009
Dear Special Uses Authorization Holder:
As a result of the Station Fire much of the District has
been burned with complete mountain sides reduced to ash and
charred remains of trees. The Forest remains closed within
the Angeles National Forest south and east of California
State Route 14 and California State Route 138 until further
notice.
Individuals or organizations holding special uses permits
for sanctioned activities within the Forest are exempt from
this closure. Weather forecasters predict that Southern
California will receive heavy rain this fall. This will
result in landslides, flooding, and road washouts. Numerous
roads will be closed and many communication systems and
utilities across the forest will be non operational.
Now is the time for Lessees to organize carpools by
coordinating tenant needs and planning helicopter access for
when your access road is washed out. It is prudent to make
back up plans with your neighbors to ensure your long term
access where sanctioned activities are necessary. As the
Lessee you are responsible for all tenants in your permit
area.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to call
me or Graham Breakwell at 818 -899-1900 ext 243.
Sincerely,
/s/ Michael J. Mcintyre
MICHAEL J. MCINTYRE
District Ranger
________________________________________________________________
CGC #961, Thursday, September 17, 2009
________________________________________________________________
LETTER -- BOTHERSOME FLAREUPS ON WILSON
I'm back on Mt. Wilson today and noted some large flareups
on the northeast side well within the otherwise burned out
area. I was some distance away but would estimate some of
the flames to be in the 20 foot plus range on about four hot
spots, and there were about a dozen little hot spots.
When I arrived before sunup, we had clear mountain air. As
I write this, it has become VERY SMOKEY on the top of the
hill. Smoke is coming from the north/east and staying very
low (under 100 feet). It is interesting as the smoke spills
over the hill into the LA foothills, it is hanging low to
the ground....
Dennis Doty, Mt. Wilson
September 17, 2009, 7:05 AM PDST
****************************************************************
FIREMEN REACT
On my way home this evening, I noted about a dozen engines
spread out with the crews 1000+ feet away putting out hot
spots along Redbox Road and on the north side of Wilson with
small 3/4" hose lines. It looks like they are keeping a
close check on the hot areas. I am sure the upcoming Santa
Ana winds may have something to do with it too.
Dennis Doty, Mt. Wilson
September 17, 2009, 5:25 PM PDST
****************************************************************
SCE COMMENTS ON THE DAMAGED "33 KV BROADCAST" POWER FEED
According to Steven Conroy, Manager of Media Relations for
Southern California Edison (SCE), his company has not yet
been able to inspect the entire Broadcast 33 kV line that
was apparently severely damaged in the Station Fire and no
longer provides backup power to Mt. Wilson. Steven indicated
that the line will be rebuilt and given priority. Much more
will be known in two weeks or so, once inspections are
complete.
CGC asked if the new circuit would be underground. Almost
certainly not was his reply. The terrain is very steep and
even when level ground is involved, the cost of
undergrounding is about 10X over the cost of overhead. Would
metal poles be used this time around? Possibly so, but
that's not known yet.
Do look for the 33 kV line to be out of service "for a
substantial length of time." Coordinations with the Forest
Service and other governing agencies will be required. All
told, SCE has over 800 poles destroyed in the Station Fire
area -- not just the Broadcast 33 kV line. Steven can be
reached at (626) 695-7843 or at steven.conroy (at) sce.com.
[CGC telcon with Steven Conroy September 17, 2009]
****************************************************************
MORE FIRE NEWS
****************************************************************
QUICK NOTES
o Area photographs taken by Observatory staff September 16,
2009:
http://www.mtwilson.edu/16Sep09.php
o Coming dangers: Flash floods and mud slides with 35 MPH
boulders:
http://tinyurl.com/WilsonSlides
o InciWeb overview of the Station Fire:
http://www.inciweb.org/incident/1856/
o Observatory Webcam:
http://www.astro.ucla.edu/~obs/towercam.htm
o Mt. Wilson Observatory newsletter:
http://www.mtwilson.edu/fire.php
****************************************************************
WORD FROM THE MT. WILSON OBSERVATORY
Thursday, 17 Sep 09, 9:20 am PDT - I spoke with Dave last
night who reported on his experience driving back up the
Angeles Crest after being off the mountain for two days. On
the stretch of the road from La Canada to the Clear Creek
turnoff, about three-fourths of the guard rail vertical
supports are in place with virtually none yet repaired from
Clear Creek to Red Box. This repair strategy is not
unexpected since there are many hundreds of commuters a day
who connect to the lower portion of the Crest at Clear Creek
with far fewer coming from deeper in the mountains. Dave and
I both agree that while the Palmdale commute route might
reopen soon, it will be weeks before the public is allowed
beyond Clear Creek and on up to the Mount Wilson - Red Box
Road.
This schedule has been confirmed by a Caltrans official
who told Dave that before the road is re-opened, public
safety must be assured by the installation of new guard
rails, replacement of burned-out regulatory signs, and the
stabilization of certain steep slopes most likely to
collapse onto the roadway. It may be as long as four to six
weeks before this level of repair has been achieved....
Dave observed a dozen or so centers of smoke on the north
slope of the mountain from Red Box to the Observatory
including one immediately on the road side at mile marker
3.85. These are smoldering remains of the wildfire and are
probably harmless so long as we are free of Santa Anna
winds, which could arrive at any time. Fire crews appear on
the mountain daily....
http://www.mtwilson.edu/fire.php
****************************************************************
COMMENTS FROM "POSTMAN" LARRY LOPEZ
I wanted to touch on something that hasn't been mentioned
yet. I have been getting the mail from the La Canada post
office every few days and delivering it for everyone on Mt.
Wilson/Harvard. The post office told me that they are still
not allowed up the hill due to the road conditions and it
could be like that for a while. I could not get an answer
about when regular mail service will resume. I have been
contacted by FedEx to pick up and deliver some packages for
them as well.
I also wanted to let you know how much your newsletter has
meant to us over the past couple of weeks. I personally
mentioned you in a thank you on my Website. If you have a
minute to read it, please do. It's the blog at the top of
the page.
Larry Lopez, Angeles Crest Services, Mt. Wilson
acsmtwilson5710 (at) aol.com
****************************************************************
CLOSING THOUGHTS
****************************************************************
CGC COMMUNICATOR ENDS 24/7 COVERAGE OF THE STATION FIRE
Communications General Corp. (CGC) is ending its 24/7
coverage of the Station Fire at this time in order to turn
our attention to a number of pressing projects. If
monumental changes occur on Wilson, we may issue special
newsletters to cover those situations. Please give us a call
at (760) 723- 2700 should something significant occur.
Mt. Wilson is still in fire danger. There were some flare
ups today (see above) and shifting winds could bring new
dangers. Hopefully the professional firefighters on hand -
along with air resources at the ready - will be able to deal
with any critical issues.
Thanks again to those who contributed so much to our
reporting efforts. It was truly an Act of God that Wilson
was not swept up in a firestorm.
****************************************************************
WILSON FIRE NEWSLETTERS TO BE ARCHIVED IN ONE FILE
While past CGC Communicators are always available at the
URL below courtesy of our good friends at Bext Corporation,
the newsletters dealing with the Station Fire are being
archived into a single file thanks to the efforts of Robert
Sudock. This way, you can read the whole story end-to-end or
do word searches on the file -- one-stop shopping if you
will.
We plan to announce the Web address for Bob's master file
in our next regularly scheduled newsletter. Meantime, here
is the Bext address where recent newsletters are archived:
http://www.bext.com/_CGC/
****************************************************************
MORE THANKS
****************************************************************
JUST LIKE BEING THERE
Your newsletters have been spectacular, especially Dennis'
reports from the top of the mountain. Many of us with
facilities on Wilson are not allowed to comment to the
'press' because of company policies but your newsletters
helped us no end.
Thank you!
Anon.
****************************************************************
THANKS FROM DISNEY ENGINEERING
Bob, an incredible effort in journalistic excellence! Well
Done!
Mike Tosch, ESPN-KSPN-710 / Radio Disney KDIS-1110, L.A.
****************************************************************
THANKS FROM THE NAB
You have done an outstanding newsgathering job to keep us
up to date on the Mt. Wilson fire. Your efforts through your
excellent newsletter are very much appreciated.
John Marino
Vice President, Science & Technology
National Association of Broadcasters
Washington DC
****************************************************************
A BIT OF LEVITY
****************************************************************
BE CAREFUL IN MAKING A WISH
September 16, 2009: From Mark Flath, Department of Homeland
Security:
"Myself and a couple people from my office will be at Mt.
D [Disappointment] tomorrow pulling off antennas and
brackets. Visitors are welcome but you must bring a new
building or equipment as a visit gift."
September 17, 2009: From Ralph Ortiz, Univision:
Be careful of what you wish for or you may wind up with a
dozen high power analog TV transmitters, including mine.
****************************************************************
A POSTSCRIPT CONCERNING FRIDAY'S EXPLOSION
Regarding Friday's Mt. Wilson "explosion" that you've read
about, there is a bit more to the story.
Right after the shock wave passed, a co-worker called me
on Wilson and asked if something big had blown up. I said I
thought some fuel tanks must have exploded. Then there was
dead silence on the line. Then I said, "Just kidding -- just
kidding!"
I explained the situation with the shock wave coming from
the Space Shuttle and we both had a good laugh. Nothing like
a bit of levity at what might have been a very dark hour.
Cheers, Dennis Doty
________________________________________________________________
CGC #962, Sunday, September 20, 2009
________________________________________________________________
SECURITY CAMERA
In light of conceivable future sabotage at Mounts Wilson
and Harvard (re CGC #958 and the KRKO case), the following
security camera from Sony may be of some interest (thanks
to Alan Nichols for the tip):
http://tinyurl.com/SonySecurityCam
****************************************************************
STATION FIRE REPORTS (MT. WILSON & VICINITY)
****************************************************************
SATURDAY EVENING REPORT -- MT. WILSON HEATING UP
Things were heating up on the north slope of Mt. Wilson
today. Sky cranes have been dropping water or retardant and
ground crews have been monitoring the situation.
I just met with the Phos-Chek guy. He is moving equipment
back up the hill and I am told that they are moving the mix
plant up to Wilson so they can be ready for action. The Santa
Ana winds forecast for the near future are part of the concern.
Dennis Doty, Mt. Wilson
Saturday, September 19, 2009, 6:27 PM PDST
****************************************************************
SATURDAY MORNING REPORT -- RED BOX ROAD TO CLOSE AT TIMES
From the Mt. Wilson Observatory staff:
Saturday, 19 Sep 09, 11:00 am PDT - ...The area along the
north slope of Mount Wilson is one of the few remaining sources
of smoke within the Station Fire perimeter. There are no fire
fronts anywhere in the Angeles National Forest, and helicopters
equipped with infrared cameras regularly fly to seek out
hotspots and identify their coordinates with GPS units for
continued surveillance. The Mount Wilson smoke activity has
been monitored on a 24-hour basis by lookouts stationed along
the Angeles Crest Highway to the north of the mountain with a
good south-facing view of that very difficult terrain....
...The forecast change in weather conditions calls for a
moderate wind event starting Sunday night and into Monday with
winds from the northeast of 15 to 20 mph, gusting to 35 mph,
accompanied by increasing temperature and decreasing relative
humidity (expected to be 102 degrees and 15% in the valley)....
Incident Commander Mike Wakoski ordered [an] air operation...
likely to start as I am writing this and will involve four heavy
helitankers capable of dropping 800 gallons each. The aerial
activity will be supplemented on the ground by a tactical water
tender equipped to disperse fire retardent on fuels up-slope
from the bombarded smoke centers... Red Box Road will be closed
both ways during these operations....
http://www.mtwilson.edu/fire.php
****************************************************************
MT. WILSON WEATHER UPDATE
According to the NOAA/NWS weather forecast issued at
1:24 PM today, Sunday, northeast winds at Mt. Wilson are
predicted to begin Monday (not Sunday) night.
-Ed.
________________________________________________________________
CGC #963, Monday, September 28, 2009
________________________________________________________________
HELICOPTER TOUR OF MT. WILSON
This amateur video taken during a helicopter tour of
Mt. Wilson shows the Observatory property with occasional
shots of the broadcast complex next door.
Note the very steep terrain drop-offs. Also note how trees
permeate these sites (especially the Observatory) which greatly
increases the fire danger.
(If one of the L.A. TV stations would post a better quality
video from a 360 degree fly around, that would be terrific.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMz8AaUn7jw&NR=1&feature=fvwp
****************************************************************
MOUNTAIN ROAD ACCESS IS BEING TIGHTLY CONTROLLED
Last Monday, the USDA Forest Service advised permittees
and tenants on Mts. Wilson and Harvard that in order to enter
the Station Fire burn zone, which must be done in order to
reach Wilson and Harvard, a special permit will be required.
Many of the details of that permit were released Friday in
this e-mail from Graham H. Breakwell, USDA Forest Service,
on September 25, 2009 @ 09:13 AM PDST. Here's his letter:
______
As of Monday, the access permits will be handled in person
by the CalTrans Altadena Office.
I am uncertain of the process but suspect an applicant will
need to be clear on the Permittee, the Tenant, the location and
whether the request is for multiday use. Credentials will be
needed.
Front Desk, Department of Transportation
District 7 - North Region 3
2122 North Windsor Avenue, Altadena, CA 91001
Tel: 626 794 7167
The highways may be closed [to the public] for weeks. There
are numerous roadworks, workers and single lanes along the route
to Mt Wilson from LaCanada - please drive with extreme caution.
Graham Breakwell, 818 899 1900 or grahambreakwell (at) fs.fed.us
****************************************************************
E-MAILS FROM USERS CONCERNING FOREST ACCESS PERMITS
Fri, 25 Sep 2009, 11:04 AM PDST:
Just spoke with the kind lady at the Altadena Cal Trans office
& they (Cal Trans) are open from 7AM-3PM Monday through
Thursday. Everyone (civilians) entering the Angeles Forest must
have a permit. Prospective permit applicants must have some
form of valid identification (driver's license is OK), and some
form of documentation that establishes their business need to
access the National Forest (like a Television Station ID or a
vendor business card)....
Fri, 25 Sep 2009, 11:48 AM PDST, different author:
I just talked with the very nice lady at Cal Trans. They
are closed today [Friday] for walk in business. She told me that
the PERMITS are not ready yet, but they will have them ready for
Monday morning.... These PERMITS will be a one time issue and
good for the duration of the FOREST CLOSURE. Unfortunately, she
also told me that each person that we want gaining access...will
have to go through the process of getting a PERMIT. She said
the process will be short: approximately 5 minutes.
(Authors' names not cleared for publication due to time
constraints at CGC)
****************************************************************
MT. WILSON NOTES
o There is quite a bit of interesting fire information
to review at the Observatory's Website. Scroll down past the
list of contributors to "News Updates Follow" (blue lettering)
and read from there:
http://www.mtwilson.edu/fire.php
o KRTH(FM)'s Main antenna has failed. Tower climbers
have traced the fault to arcing inside the antenna's fine
matcher. The fault is apparently unrelated to the
Station Fire.
o Here is a report on FM Auxiliary Sites in Los Angeles:
http://www.insideradio.com/Article.asp?id=1477964&spid=32060
o The California wildfires have SBE engineers thinking
about ways to better ensure that technical personnel have
access to their transmission sites during a crisis or as
soon as possible afterwards:
http://www.radioworld.com/article/86938
****************************************************************
REDUCING TREE DENSITY FROM 400 TO 40 PER ACRE
[Concerning the Station Fire], I'm sure there will be a
lot of discussion on how to prevent this from happening again.
Clear cutting...around the top of Mt. Wilson might be a good
idea,but there may be a better way. A few years ago, a Forest
Service study determined that a healthy forest should have only
40 trees per acre. Most untouched forests have 400 trees per
acre.
This study was written up in the Smithsonian Magazine
some years ago. In one forest, they thinned a section and
waited for the next fire. Fire raced through the un-thinned
section and slowed to a crawl when it reached the thinned
section. Less trees also make better use of available
moisture....
Paul Sautter, St. John's, Newfoundland, Sautterp (at) aol.com
****************************************************************
FOREST FIRE FIGHTING PHILOSOPHY -- FASCINATING ARTICLE
With forests burning, U.S. officials are clashing with
environmentalists over how best to reduce the risks of future
catastrophic blazes. Fascinating Smithsonian article:
http://tinyurl.com/yewe9n3
________________________________________________________________
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