The People Behind The Cameras: How Langille Got Its 'Spy-on '
Incident: Langille Wildfire
Released: 8/14/2009
Cowlitz Valley Ranger District - Unique Relationship Yields Exceptional Results
(Randle, WA) - Three generations of fighting fire and caring about the land brought Justin Randall to The University of Montana's College of Forestry and Conservation in the fall of 2000. A childhood on a remote ranching community in eastern Montana and experience as a volunteer firefighter led Devin Yost to the same locale. They studied together, joined the same clubs and after graduation, began their careers in fire. Several years and many paths later, they're together again -this time working together on the innovative Lewis and Clark Wildland Fire Module; managing fire with old fashioned tools as well as new technology.
They, along with six other Lewis and Clark module members, are working the Langille Fire in the Cowlitz Valley in southwestern Washington. The incident commander on the Fire is Carl Seielstad, an assistant professor and fire and fuels program manager for the National Center for Landscape Fire Analysis (NCLFA) based out of The University of Montana. Their team of fire intelligence gurus came to Langille with Seielstad. The team installed two cameras to keep an eye on the Langille Fire. The data is transmitted via line-of-sight radios from two mountaintops back to the ranger district office in Randle. The equipment links to the internet and ranger district staff can control the camera from town. The data is streaming live at http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/. "I came to Langille fire because it was a great opportunity to partner with the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, the Lewis and Clark Fire Module and the Northern Rockies Fire Management Team," Seielstad says. "The Gifford Pinchot is already a leader in remote volcano monitoring and the Northern Rockies team that Diane Hutton leads is one of the most innovative - it was just natural to come here. This fire gives us a chance to highlight the role that remote monitoring technology can play in helping managers make more informed, real-time decisions about the fire."
Seielstad works hand-in-hand with lead technology developer, Jim Riddering, who runs the remote sensing program at the UM's NCLFA. Several years ago, he saw that managers needed an easier way to get data between the field and incident command post. Jim searches for commercially available hardware and software solutions that are durable, accessible and easy to set up and tear down. On the Langille installation, he's led the Lewis and Clark Wildland Fire Module as they've installed and used the equipment. His work will allow the next generation of fire leaders like Devin and Justin utilize tools and technology so that decision managers can manage fires more efficiently and effectively. "If we can help, even just a little bit, that's enough," states Riddering "ultimately its firefighters like Devin and Justing who will carry this, so working with them is what is important."
Carl Seielstad, who spent 11 seasons with the McCall Smokejumpers, now teaches graduate classes at UM, and conducts research using laser technology to measure forests and fuels. "Here in Randle, we're putting into practice the things I teach year-round. We can provide decision makers with the ability to send and receive data most anywhere - what business in the world operates today without real-time access to the data Why should fire We can do better, and I'm glad to be a part of that."
For more information on the Langille Fire Remote Fire Monitoring, visit the Gifford Pinchot National Forest web site ((http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/).) For more information on the National Center for Landscape Fire Analysis, visit http://firecenter.umt.edu/ or call Leana Schelvan at 406.370.3423.
