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Each year thousands of acres
of wooded land are consumed
by wildfires. To combat the
destruction caused by these
wild fires thousands of
Firefighters join in the
battle and millions of
dollars are spent in
fighting the blazes. Most
of the fires are set by
mother nature by first
drying the land and then
igniting the forest with a
lightning strike.
 So
far this year's
HOT SPOT is
in Idaho. Two of the men of
The Millville Fire
Department dedicated two
weeks of their time to help
in the cause that has become
an annual event for other
men and women who have the
know how, the time and
dedication. Firefighters
from around the nation
travel to wherever they are
needed most. They leave
their homes, jobs and loved
ones for a two week stint or
longer. Sure they are paid
but working 12 to 13 hours a
day in these conditions are
certainly not a vacation.
Career Firefighter Dave
Schoch and Battalion Chief
Steve Alcorn of The
Millville Fire Department
left on Monday August 7th on
a trek that took them over
20 hours of travel that
brought them to Salmon
National Forest in Idaho.
The trip included a
breakdown of the state van
and having to hitch a ride
with a very accommodating
sister company that gave
them a lift to Philadelphia
Airport.
Steve & Dave joined up with
other New Jersey
firefighters and were
members of an engine
company. The apparatus that
they used had been trucked
by low-boy trailer the
previous week and will
remain there as more New
Jersey Firefighters are
cycled in to the site. Dave
and Steve returned to
Millville on August 21st.
Other Firefighters that
traveled to Idaho with Dave
& Steve were Chuck Hughes,
Kenny Badger, Gerry
Titherton, and John Valasek
from our area along with
over 1,500 other
firefighters. Base Camp was
located about 8 miles from
the main fire. Individual
companies were grouped off
of the Base called Spike
Camps.
The fire in Salmon National
Forrest has been named the
Clear Creek Fire. One of
the main objectives was to
save an old mining town
called Historic Leesburg.
Instructions were given that
the town was to be saved at
"all costs"
On Wednesday July 12, 2000 –
The US Forrest Service
issued a bulletin that the
Clear Creek Fire had doubled
in size from 200 to 400
acres. The day Dave & Steve
arrived in Idaho the fire
had grown to 102,000 acres
and continued to grow in
spite of the fire service's
best efforts to over
186,000 acres.
That is over 290 square
miles. To give you an idea
of how big that is, the city
of Millville covers 44.3
miles
A typical day started with a
briefing and then the 12 or
13 hour work day started
around 8 AM but at times was
extended hours longer. The
company performed any of a
number of duties on and off
the engine including Moping
up fires, lighting back
fires or even directing
traffic.
There are other major
wildfires around the country
such has Montana where many
more New Jersey Firefighters
have been going to join as
"hand crews". As the name
indicates they fight the
fire mostly by hand, ax and
shovel.
All the pictures on this
page are thumbnails.
Click on a picture to
enlarge it, then click your
back button to return to
this page.
 Historic
Leesburg - An old mining
town. The fire service was
given orders to save this
town from the wildfires at
all costs.
Getting ready to set a
back fire
Dave & Gerry heading off
into the forest
California Bar - The
Firefighters in this picture
are US Marines
Steve pulling hose - Yes
he did work!
One of 15 Helicopters
fighting the Clear Creak
wildfire
A hand crew heading off to
another area
 These
are the apparatus from New
Jersey that were trucked out
to Idaho.
C5, C8, and C48 a
maintenance truck
The fire grows
The fire approaches
Fire Crew getting ready
This is one of the few
sunny skies they saw due to
the smoke in the air
Great sunset with the US
Marines camp in the
foreground
Base Camp
New Jersey's "Tent Town"
Base Camp looking down from
the mountain
Another view of Base Camp
This view of the Spike Camp
shows the location of the
New Jersey "tent town"
Pictures and information
both provided by Dave Schoch.
Thanks Dave!
 Speaking
of Dave, We mentioned above
are some of the things that
firefighters leave behind to
fight these wildfires.
Here's one of the precious
things that Dave left behind
for two weeks.
This is Amanda. Dave's
one-year-old daughter. I'm
sure she was glad to see her
daddy when he finally got
home.
Not all the hazards were
from fire. A Headline from
an article in the Atlantic
City Press: "Truck runs over
2 New Jersey firefighters at
camp in Idaho"
http://www.pressplus.com/content/tue/ojg49198.html
To all the men and women
that take the time and put
for the effort of fighting
our nations wildfires -
A job well done!
Thanks to all of you!
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