Office with a View...... Firetower

[3930dave]

Fire lookouts: The US Forest Service lookouts watching for fires

I'm a fan of simple+reliable technology..... that Osborne Fire Finder sounds like it would come through a Carrington Event just fine.....

Rgds, D.

 

[ericm979]

There's not a lot of lookouts left, and fewer that are actually manned. Fire cams are replacing them and overall they do a much better job. And you can watch them yourself. Last year when the dry lighting storms went through there was a fire ignited not far from me. I could see on the cam that it wasn't going anywhere, which was a huge relief.

ALERT Wildfire

www.alertwildfire.org

When I was a fire fighter decades ago it was hard to man the towers we had on the forest. Some went empty. Not many people want to be up there for long. You can't go anywhere when you're on duty. It gets boring. As a result we had some tower operators who we all knew were drunks but pretended we didn't know, because they were the only people who would do it.

 

[tallyho8]

My second cousin was a lookout in a tower on top of Pilot Mountain in Johnson County Arkansas back in the 1950s. There was a small cabin on the premises where his family lived. We visited in 1951 when I was 6 years old and all climbed up the tower stairs to the top and I was thrilled with the view. The next time I went there was in 1972 and the tower was deserted and the house was gone. We climbed up there again, swatting at the wasps who made the tower stairs home and I was just as intrigued by the view as I was at 6 years old. I could have stayed there all day scoping the area out with my binoculars if my wife hadn't gotten hungry and we had to leave.

I went back a few years later and the tower was gone. I felt like a 6 year old that never got any presents for Christmas. Sadly we left the area, never to return. I wonder if there are any more towers left that accept visitors or if the insurance regulations now forbid it.

 

[ericm979]

A number of towers have been preserved or resurrected by volunteers, which is nice. And there are some you can stay in! Lookout Rentals

 

[3930dave]

Like lighthouses, many of these will be gone/closed soon enough, so enjoy them while you can.....

Pre-Covid, many might have judged somebody wanting to do this job as at least Slightly Off.....

Years back, I used to do mega road time, for a decent job that I really liked. But, even then, that 5 minute "commute" would have been attractive, let alone now.....

Unfortunately, we have plenty of somewhat high-functioning substance abusers in "normal" (high-density) life...... being old-school, the Darwinian aspect of fire-tower ladders means that most low-functioning drunks wouldn't survive the first climb.

Carrington - apparently we almost had one again in 2012, just missing by 9 days. I'm no astronomer, but I suspect that in celestial terms, that's similar to slamming your brakes on while driving, and stopping 2" from somebody's bumper.

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

A number of towers have been preserved or resurrected by volunteers, which is nice. And there are some you can stay in! Lookout Rentals

That would be a cool place to stay.

Not happening for us though.... better-half doesn't like going near a 2-step stool...

Rgds, D.

 

[k0ua]

The next Carrington event is coming. It is only a matter of when, not if.

 

[3930dave]

The next Carrington event is coming. It is only a matter of when, not if.

Isn't there An App for That ? (Big Wink).

Roger That...... it won't be pretty...... fire-towers and many other fully mechanical things (pulled out of museums, grandpa's drive-shed) will suddenly get real popular....

Rgds, D.

 

[ericm979]

The manned fire tower depends on radio communications to relay information and coordinates to fire dispatch, who sends the fire crews. Wouldn't a Carrington event interfere with radios?

 

[ponytug]

Flags, sephamore flashing lights. The Romans managed it, so it ought to be possible... I mean we are all current on our sephamore ratings, right?

All the best,

Peter