CDF Air Force Invades Boulder Creek

Some things make you nervous. If you live in Florida, you worry about hurricanes. If you live on the west coast, you worry about earthquakes. And no matter where you live, if you are in the forest, you worry about fire.

Just before 6 PM, I had the kids in the car and was trying to persuade them to get up to the house for dinner. We are used to hearing firetrucks about every week, so I hadn't paid much attention to the two we had just heard. Just as the kids were starting to move, we heard a helicopter approaching. The moment we looked up, a California Department of Forestry Huey appeared right over our house, really low. Calvin freaked out at the noise. I became a little concerned when the Huey didn't leave the area, but instead started circling in the valley adjacent to my house.

And then I noticed the observation airplane, an OV-10A orbiting high overhead. That means they care enough about what's going on that they need someone up high watching and directing traffic. That got my attention. I started to actively look for aircraft. The problem was, I was looking in the sky.

Once I started looking through the trees, I saw the third prong of the CDF's air trident - the S-2T tanker airplane. He was flying low, and this was obviously a drop run. A neighbor confirmed there were several retardant drops made.

All the while, I never saw a fire or smoke. Within the space of about 5 minutes, I went from not seing any aircraft, to seeing all three of the workhorses of the CDF. Whatever was burning out here, these guys were all over it like it was their homes and families near the fire. Whoever you are, thank you for putting your asses on the line for us.

Every once in a while, you realize what it is that taxes are for, and maybe you don't mind paying them for a few days. And then nothing burns down in your neighborhood for a few months and you forget...

Pictures copied from: OV-10A Bronco - UH-1H Super Huey - S-2T Tracker

Tags: fire cdf firefighter firefighting