Grass fires in winter?

[pcfdcap1]

I couldnt help but notice the amount of grass/brush/field fires we've had in northern Illinois this winter. In the twenty years I've been on the department I don't recall hearing about as many as this year. Then again, reports from the NWS and climatology show us in a region that could get dry this summer. Any body else notice this too?

[jaybird210]

Yes, pc we had a couple this winter that were kinda odd. I hate the idea of another dry summer. A lot of my farmer friends are hurting from last year.

Course, one "grass fire" we had in the early part of February wan't a grass fire at all, but a rubbish pile that some dumba$$ had started. Oh, never mind the 25 MILE PER HOUR WIND or the OLD CEDAR-SHAKE-ROOF BARNS DOWN WIND. Duh. People sure are stupid.:rolleyes:

[pcfdcap1]

Is in't funny how some of our structure fires start. Oh i didn't think it was that windy, it's such a nice day. Of course that's the excuse we're told after we put the barn fire out that the field fire started that the trash fire started. Happens every year.

[pcfdcap1]

I just thought of something else. We all have our frequent flyers use our ambulance. We have the same when it comes to field fires. We've been to the same farm 4 out of the last 5 years to put the same bean field out.

[jboczek]

Don't like grass fires? Come down South. We've had snow on the ground for the last couple of months so we haven't had to worry about that. I think we're up to about 30" for the winter. That's a lot for us.

Cap, what does "Is in't" stand for? I'm not a chatter and maybe we talk and spell different down south. Just wondering.

[pcfdcap1]

A little typo there Jack. How's isn't it sound

[pcfdcap1]

Jack, talking about all of your snow my daughter is in her 2nd year of classes at SIU. She went there to get away from our winters up here. She kind of whines about it.

[Patrick631]

We have had one grass fire this winter, but we have gone to other towns for grass fires also. We have not had that much snow this winter and I'm afraid of what this summer is going to bring.

Stay Safe!

Patrick

[jboczek]

Cap, that's what I figured the words meant. Just trying to be smart.
I've got a son the same age as your daughter. He probably knows her! He went to SIU last year and decided what he really wanted to do was be a FF so he quit and moved back home. Took FFII class, haz mat awareness & ops and is waiting tables at a local restaurant until he's 21 so he can start applying for FF jobs. Anybody up there hiring? I think he's going to Peoria in May & test. God, I hope he gets a job soon. Talk about crust - he's at our fire station about 4 nights out of the week. Just him and another guy his age. It'll be so thich by the time he's my age that nobody will ever hear the end of it.

[pcfdcap1]

Jobs seem to be scarce in this neck of the woods. The cities up here are looking at budjet cuts. My daughter worked for a few years before she went back to school. She did manage to get alittle EMS crust though. She's been a EMT-B for 2 years. Now she's trying to get in nursing school. We did work together some on the private service we both worked pt for. I can see your son should do well. Tell him good luck.

[pcfdcap1]

This just in. the Freeport Journal Standard reports city of Freeport to cut 2 firefighters and 10 cops in the upcoming budjet.

[ChiefReason]

This just in. the Freeport Journal Standard reports city of Freeport to cut 2 firefighters and 10 cops in the upcoming budjet.
pc: that's another thread topic. I don't see anything in there about grass fires. I know we've been a little off-topic here, but come on.
Speaking of grass fires; there have been a few here; even with snow on the ground. Damnedest thing how the fire will melt the snow, dry out the grass and continue to burn. We have people around here who will set off a big pile in their backyard on a day when you have wind at 20 knots and stand there with a garden hose. Can't understand how those embers got so far away and THEY HAD A HOSE OUT!
Speaking of college; my son went to Eureka College. He lives and works in Bloomington. Complains about the winter but shows no desire to move where it's warmer.
Jack: I work in Peoria. I know a few guys on the department. Peoria has a good chief and a good fire department. He would like it here. I think Champaign, Decatur and Springfield are also testing.
Wish him luck. As for you; the fish should be biting!
CR

[pcfdcap1]

I don't think we'll have to worry about grass fires for now. We had 2 more inches of snow this morning. With highs only in the low 30s the first half of next week and a possibility of more white stuff on Monday, it will be awhile before things get dried out again.
I ment to put the Freeport issue in a new thread.

[jaybird210]

I ment to put the Freeport issue in a new thread.

Is the vicodin starting to affect your thought process? Wait, before you get upset....:

Originally posted in this thread by CR
Speaking of college; my son went to Eureka College. He lives and works in Bloomington. Complains about the winter but shows no desire to move where it's warmer.
Jack: I work in Peoria. I know a few guys on the department. Peoria has a good chief and a good fire department. He would like it here. I think Champaign, Decatur and Springfield are also testing.
Okay, so what does THAT have to do with grass fires!?!? :p :D

Just call me stir-$hit! :D

Or maybe, "Big Spoon!" :cool:

[pcfdcap1]

We boyzz in Illinoizz hav'en fun again
Thanks for fixen us Jay

[jboczek]

This is on topic. Just got back from a "unknown type fire" South of 15 & West of 51. Dang cell phones. We found it, a brush pile in the middle of a field. Found the guy that lit it, too. He said don't worry about it. This was at 10:00 tonight. I missed the news. We did have 2 grass fires yesterday, too. They were for real. Seems a tree blew a tree into a power line and the line fell and started the grass. The other one was a guy burning twigs in the ditch in 20 MPH wind. The power line one cost us a transmission in our Ford Ranger brush truck. OUCH$$$$. It was really bad that I was on the way back from the trustee seminar with the president of our board when our guys told the dispatcher that they needed a wrecker for the truck. Wish I had turned the radio off in my truck before he heard it.

[jaybird210]

Wish I had turned the radio off in my truck before he heard it.

D'OH!!

On a side note, your county doesn't have a burn ordinance that prohibits burning after sundown? What's he burning that it still lit at 10:00 at night. That's a little strange. Not that we don't have strange stuff like that up here.:rolleyes:

[jboczek]

No ordinance against burning at night. That's when the farmers use old tires to get the piles burning - don't see the black smoke from the tires after dark.

[pcfdcap1]

So that happens down there too, huh. It's kind of like when we get called to a trash fire in the middle of a t-shower

[ChiefReason]

You can burn anything you want around here, except dog poop!
We have an ordinance against that!:rolleyes:
CR

[MIKEYLIKESIT]

I once responded to an "unknown type" fire that was throwing up a fair amount of black smoke. It turns out it was a COW that a farmer decided to burn after it croaked. I kind of miss the days when I used to work in a rural/urban setting. From burning cows to burning blocks, it was a great place to get good at this career. Ahh but enough of my ramblings and back to the subject at hand. We had a 50 acre fire in the county forest preserve already this year. I still cant quite figure out why we put them out. That grass grows so green and purty after a fire.... Chief, My clubs are starting to rusr waiting for the January weather to end.

[jaybird210]

"'Tention Clover FD! 'Tention Clover FD! Request for the fire department: 1234 East Fourth St. This will be for the flaming pile of dog poop; caller is advising the fire is spreading noxious fumes, and there is a dog house near the fire."

"Dispatch, better give me a MABAS box on this. Dog Poop Box #3 to the second level!"

"Okay Clover Command, I'm giving you Dog Poop Box #3 to the second level. That'll bring in Galesburg and Kewanee with engines, and Peoria and Moline with HazMat Companies."

:D :D :p :D

[ChiefReason]

Go ahead, Jay; make jokes about it.
But we have some pretty good-sized dogs around here. Some piles can burn for days, if not caught early.
And it wouldn't be a "dog poop box" anyway. It would be a "litter box" alarm. Get your facts straight.
I swear; if you don't start catching on, I am going to have to give up on mentoring you.:eek:
So, are we going to buckle down now and learn this stuff?
You think about it and get back to me. Poop's in your court!:D
God; I crack me up!
CR

[jaybird210]

"This is MABAS Div. 23 to all locals: the Clover Twsp Fire Dept is requesting Dog Poop Box #3 to the second level. The following departments are due to respond: Galesburg is due with an engine, to the scene; Kewanee is due, with an engine, to the scene; Peoria is due with a HazMat team to the scene; Moline is due with a HazMat team to the scene; Nekoma is due with an engine to change quarters. All companies switch to and acknowledge MABAS Div. 23 on NIFERN....."

"Div. 23, Nekoma is changing quarters on the Dog Poop Box...."
"Div. 23 from Kewanee, are we copying you correctly? Clover is requesting a box alarm, FOR A PILE OF DOG POOP!?!?!"

"That's affirmative, Kewanee. You are due to the scene with an engine. This is a MABAS box."

"(Sigh)Okay. Kewanee Engine 2 is en route...."

Get yer hip boots on boys! This could be an all-nighter!!!"

[jaybird210]

"Div 23 from Clover Command, be advised, this is a Litter Box, not a Dog Poop box."

"Clover from Div 23, confriming, you advised Litter Box to the second level?"

"Affirmative Div 23."

"Okay, we heard Dog Poop Box. Stand By......... Will this still be to the second level?"

"No, First level Litter Box only."

"Okay Clover, message received. First Level Litter Box only. Stand by for tones...... *BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP* This is MABAS Div 23 to all locals, correcting the earlier box. Clover Twsp is requesting Litter Box #1 to the first level. The following departments are due...... Oh, the hell with it. Clover ought to be able to handle some doggie-do. Nevermind."