RamFire

Volume 1, Issue 1
Winter 2009-2010
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RamFire
Discipulus de Ignis
“Student of Fire”
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Fire Folks: Paul Gleason 2
A New Look For SFA_____________
Where were they? 3
S130-190 3
The Beetles! 4
Fire Jobs 4
SFA is a proud member of
the WFF 52 Club.
SFA is sponsored in part
by the Supply Cache and
the Colorado Firecamp
Welcome to the new look
for SFA news…RamFire!
This will be your one-stop
shop for SFA information,
fire news and notes, fire
photos from members,
and JOBS.
We hope to do this
quarterly during the year
as a way to keep in touch
and keep you informed.
In addition, we will
include articles of interest
and links galore to all
things wildfire.
That being said…send us
your fireline stories,
photos, lessons learned,
openings on your
crew/district, and Haiku if
you got it!
In the meantime, read on
about some interesting
events, people, photos
and fire science at CSU.
Future issues will include
fire alumni contact
information, future fire
courses, training and
certification opportunities,
Fire Hire in 2010, a visit
by a prominent fire
writer, and Paul Gleason
Scholarship news.
SFA
The Colorado State University's Student Firefighter Association (SFA), is an organization comprised
of active, past, and aspiring wildland firefighters; students, professors and researchers.
Our goal is to generate a network linking active fire managers, those getting into fire, and those
researching and teaching about fire. Through this network we hope to improve the fire science
program at CSU, provide greater career training and job opportunities, develop a stronger tie with
active fire management practitioners, and support a cohort of “students of fire” at CSU. The
inaugural chapter has recently been joined by a chapter at the University of Montana/Missoula.
We also want to acknowledge the tremendous contributions to fire education and especially
firefighter safety made by Paul Gleason who taught Fire Science here at CSU.

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R aam FF i rr ee
F ii rre Fo llks
Paul Gleason
Have you ever dropped a
snag on a fire? Used
LCES? Considered yourself
a student of fire?
If so, you are the
beneficiary of the
legendary contributions to
wildfire management
made by CSU's own Paul
Gleason.
Paul Gleason was
involved in significant fire
events his entire life from
the Loop Fire to the Dude
Fire to Cerro Grande. He
spent 12 years as the
Superintendent of the Zig
Zag Hot Shots before
coming to the Canyon
Lakes Ranger District,
Arapaho-Roosevelt
National Forest as FMO
and fire ecologist.
Upon his mandatory
retirement from the fire
service Paul returned to
his CSU alma mater to
teach fire management
classes in the Forestry
department as well as
S490 to fire managers.
Perhaps Paul’s best known
and most critical
contribution to the fire
culture is LCES, the
mandatory first step in
engaging wildfire. Paul
distilled numerous fatality
fire and shelter
deployment common
factors into the
requirement for Lookouts,
Communication, Escape
Routes and Safety Zones.
He further developed the
concept that LCES is a
dynamic process and not
a static checklist to be
administered only once.
In addition, Paul helped
develop the S212 Wildfire
Powersaws curriculum.
Paul passed away from
cancer in 2003.
Visit the Wildfire Lessons
Learned site to see Paul’s
presentation on Cerro
Grande from his
perspective. Thanks to
Kelly Close, FBAN and
Captain Poudre Fire
Authority for preserving
this presentation.
http://www.wildfirelessons.net/
uploads/Gleason_Video/Gleas
on_512K.wmv
The Paul Gleason Wildland Fire Scholarship
(Top) Paul Gleason in
Oregon---
Superintendent Zig Zag
Hot Shots 1987
(Middle) Dropping a
burning snag 1976
(Bottom) at Storm King
Mountain, Colorado
In honor of Paul Gleason’s
contribution to wildfire
management, students of
fire , and fire science
studies at CSU, the Paul
Gleason Wildland Fire
Scholarship was created
in 2003.
See Leadership
Development and
http://www.wildlandfire.co
m/docs/gleason/memorial.
htm for more information
on Paul and his legacy.
The Paul Gleason
Scholarship is an annual
award provided to
students of fire in WCNR.
Sadly, the Scholarship is
not fully funded at the
present time and must
meet full funding
requirements by October
2010 to remain as a
supporter of future
students of fire.
Efforts are presently
being made to raise the
required funds
(approximately $15,000!)
through alumni donors,
fees from the S130-190
class (See page 3),
special product offerings
from the Supply Cache
and a planned “Students
of Fire” book compilation
of Paul Gleason stories,
anecdotes and firefighter
experiences with LCES.
The Paul Gleason
Wildland Fire
Scholarship Fund
C/O CSU Foundation
P.O. Box 1870
Fort Collins, CO 80522

R aam FF i rr ee
Where were they?
Let us know where you’re
working, unit or crew
name, overtime, fire
activity and fuels in your
neck of the woods. Send
pix!
A few folks we’ve heard
from:
Zach Glover (FRWS
2007), SFA member,
McCall jumper, was
detailed as lead of a novel
10-person plus engine
IA/RX crew on the Payette
NF, Idaho. Zach says this
crew is the template for a
new crew type being
investigated on the
Payette.
Speaking of the Payette,
Travis Chamberlain
(FRWS 2007), worked
with Zach.
Esther Schnur, also of
the Payette (Price Valley
Helitak) has detailed to
Cortez, Colorado as a
SEAT manager. Esther
helped get this SFA thing
going in 2005 and recently
completed her MS in
Forestry right here at
CSU!
S130-190
As part of SFA’s mandate
to provide fire education
and training opportunities
to WCNR students and
SFA members a
partnership has been
formed with CSFS to
provide S130-190 classes
on campus. Each
semester a cadre of CSFS
firefighters join graduate
students who are also
Brian Schroeder (FRWS
2008) was with Prescott
Helitak (Arizona). Their
Bell 212 with LA tanks
was used a number of
times in R5 and R6.
Chris Henry (FRWS
Masters student) and
Brian Henley (FRWS
2007) were with Craig
Hotshots. Brian is now on
an RX burn detail with
FWS in the Southeast.
Jes Steffen, recent past
SFA Co-Chair was a new
member of the
Beckwourth Hot Shots on
the Plumas NF in Northern
California.
Jesse Moreng (FRWS
2007) returned to the
Roosevelt Hot Shots as
sawyer and fireline artist
(he designed the SFA
logo).
Parker Coombs (FRWS
2009) joined the Pike IHC
crew based in Monument
Colorado.
professional firefighters to
implement S130-190. The
class is taught in a hybrid
format with cd-guided
self-study followed by
interactive classroom and
field sessions.
The first two classes have
filled quickly, and plans
are to provide the class
each semester.
Jesse Skrak joined the
Gunnison NF fuels/RX
crew, working for CSU
alum Jeremy Spetter.
Joe Murray (FRWS 2008)
continued to do fuels
mitigation and fire
suppression with the
Larimer County
Emergency Services
mitigation crew and
Yellowjackets fire crew.
Mary Huffman, SFA
member, was recently
named as The Nature
Conservancy’s National
Wildland Fire Training
Manager. In addition, she
recently finished her PhD
program in Forest Science
here at CSU.
Mark Herrington, SFA
member and CSU student
joined the Upper Colorado
River Fire Helitack crew
based out of Rifle,
Colorado.
Where were you
in 2009? Where
you going in
2010? Let us
know!
Plans are being made to
offer S290 and other
classes in the future.
A portion of the class fees
are donated to the Paul
Gleason Scholarship and
WFF.
Next session is
March/April 2010. See the
SFA website for more
information.
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S oom ee S FFA M eem bb ee rr
Af f i l i aa t i oo nn ss

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R aam FF i rr ee
WE’RE ON THE WEB!
CLICK ON THE RAM TO GET
TO THE SFA SITE
E-mail:
csuramfire@gmail.com
Ladies and Gentlemen....The Beetles!
Over 2.5 million acres of lodgepole pine forests are estimated to be affected by the latest
Mountain Pine Beetle outbreak in Colorado and southern Wyoming (an estimated 39
million acres in British Columbia!).
With so many acres affected, a palpable fear has been raised in mountain communities
with a perceived increase in fire danger, loss of tourism due to “blighted” forests and
threats to watersheds. Local enterprises are responding in unique ways and federal
funding is spurring economic opportunities related to beetle tree removal.
While the threat of stand replacing crown fires exists as a facet of healthy as well as
diseased lodgepole forests, the next threat from the US Forest Service’s standpoint is that
of falling trees, whose roots are weakened or killed by drought and disease.
Region 2 Forester Rick Cables has secured $49 million for hazard tree mitigation along
forest trails, roads and campgrounds. Funding is also being appropriated for hazard
mitigation along 230 miles of powerline and utility corridors as well as microwave tower
sites. Region 2 estimates that in the heavily hit Medicine Bow, White River, and Arapaho-
Roosevelt National Forests treatment is needed on 911 miles of trails (20% of all trail
miles), 3500 miles of forest roads (40% of all forest road miles), and 22000 acres of
recreational sites (19% of all campsite/picnic area acres)
What to do with all the wood soon to be cut? See http://csfs.colostate.edu/cowood/ for
ideas! See R2 Bark Beetle for more information on the situation, including maps.
So, how will these affected forests react to fire? Here is one take on the issue:
http://www.wy.blm.gov/fireuse/docs/BarkBeetlesFuelsFire.pdf
Fire Jobs
If you are reading this and haven’t started your USAJobs and AVUE applications
yet, or have no idea what AVUE means it’s time to light a fire under you!
Most Federal fire position announcements for 2010 have been released.
Qualified applicant lists for many of these jobs are pulled in early January!
A few hints from the cadre:
1. Having S130/190 completed prior to the season helps.
2. Don’t expect many calls from Hot Shot crews if you have less than a few
seasons experience.
3. Ask friends/classmates about fire crews they have been on or know
about. Not all crews are equal!
4. Consider an engine position
5. Call the places you are interested in and introduce yourself
6. Use career services on campus. Contact Barb Diehl in WCNR for
application and resume assistance:
Barbara.Diehl@colostate.edu 491-2668
7. Doing Pingree this summer? Work with the Yellowjackets!