More Ice Storm damage photos
A couple photos taken off of Marshal St., Leicester, MA on Worcester reservoir lands. This is near the Paxton town line.
If a pile like this is causing problems getting apparatus by it, or is throwing sparks over the flank you’re trying to make a fire line along, you’ll have to take the time to knock it down. During that time, the fire is extending in the woods.
December 2008 ice storm damage
Maybe Massachusetts should just lease a some more bulldozers for the next few seasons. How do you handle a brush fire burning in this mess on a dry, breezy day? It’s going to take a lot of hose work along with flanks to be sure.
December 2008 ice storm damage
Bulldozers and fire plows are not used much in New England compared to southern and western states. The fires, terrain, and resources don’t tend to lend themselves to that style of firefighting. Most landowners would throw a holy fit if you cut a fire line on their property with a bulldozer for our typical fires.
But they do exist. Massachusetts has one stationed in Plymouth, and Connecticut has one I believe out of Voluntown. Often, a relative term given the infrequent use, the dozers are tasked with constructing access roads to fires deep in the woods. For comparison, New Jersey runs some 20 dozers, most equipped with plows, while Maryland runs 19 dozer/plow units.
Massachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Control bulldozer and fire plow
In addition to the structural engines, the forestry specific fire units in the area are:
Leicester currently runs three forestry units:
F1 — 2008 F-350 250gpm/225gwt/8foam
F2 — 2003 F-350 125/225
F3 — 2001 Freightliner 1250/1500/30
Paxton
F1 — 2006 F-550 250/300/10
Leicester, MA Forestry 3 (was F2 in this picture)
