So I was off to such a good start…  And then the blog completely died.

I really need to do a better job updating this thing.  Perhaps I will find some time this week to post a real update.

We are T-Minus 3 weeks and counting for Miss Lainie…  And we’re anxiously waiting for her to join the party!

The US Fire Administration public education team focus’ on Wildfire Safety at the beginning of every fire season.  This article describes what home owners can do to help reduce their risk during a wildfire and has some great information in it.

Aimee and I were in the San Diego area back in October 2007 when they had one of the worst wildfire outbreaks in recent history.  I remember listening to one of the fire officials saying that they were only trying to save homes that had a 100 foot “Defensible Zone”.  It seemed odd to me that they would say, on television, that they were choosing which houses to assign resources to and which ones they would let burn.  Not a great PIO message to deliver, you know?  It does make sense…  A defensible zone gives the firefighters a foothold to defend from.  And in California it’s actually a law.  (CALFire 100 foot defensible zone)

The biggest threat to homes from wildfires are glowing embers, which can travel several miles.  These embers contribute greatly to rapid fire spread, the ability for fire to jump large roadways and even rivers and obviously create huge problems for firefighters.  This article discusses the importance of reducing the fuel load in the immediate area of your home and having a defensible zone. Combined, these tactics don’t eliminate the threat from wildfire… but they will give you a better chance of a favorable outcome.

Article: USFA Focus on Fire Safety: Wildfire

CAL FIRE – Why 100 Feet?

After Action Report – 2007 San Diego Wildfires

Homeowner Checklist.pdf

Photograph: Larry W. Smith/EPA

This is a list of reference websites that I use to stay informed about the ongoing wildfire incidents here in Central Texas.  The information here is current and provides facts about the fire response, mitigation and outcome.

State and Federal Agency SITREPs:

These Situation Reports (SITREPs) are used to communicate current information about all the incidents that each agency is responding to.  They are a great source of current intelligence on all the fires burning around the State and the Country.

• Texas Department of Emergency Management SITREPs
• Texas Forest Service (TFS) Current SITREP
• Texas Forest Service (TFS) SITREP Archive
• Texas Forest Service – Resource Deployment Map
• National Interagency  Fire Coordination Center SITREP
• FEMA Disaster Declaration – Tx Wildfires

Fire Weather:

The National Weather Service provides fire weather prediction maps that are valuable to responders.  The National Weather Service uses this data to issue Red Flag Warnings.

• National Weather Service Fire Weather
• NWS Storm Prediction Center Fire Weather
• NWS IMET Texas Support
• NOAA Weather Warning Map

Central Texas City/County OEM Sites:

At the local level our cities and counties are on the front line of managing incidents in their jurisdictions.  These websites provide information on preparedness and the local response to incidents.

• City of Austin Homeland Security and Emergency Management
• Bastrop County Office of Emergency Management
• Bastrop County Office of Emergency Management Facebook Page
• Williamson County Office of Emergency Management
• City of Cedar Park Office of Emergency Management
• City of Leander Office of Emergency Management
• Austin Fire Department – Active Incidents Page

Live Audio / Radio Traffic:

RadioReference.com is a website for police scanner enthusiasts.  They provide lots of information about the radio system’s being used around the country and also provide local police scanner audio feeds from their subscribers.  The quality of the audio and the channel selection varies greatly, but these are the 3 links for the local fire area. 

• Austin-Travis County Radio Feed
• Bastrop County Radio Feed
• Williamson County Radio Feed

How to Help / Where to Donate:

Here are a couple of links to help connect you to organizations that are helping the victims of these fires:

• Austin Disaster Relief Network (ADRN)
• ADRN Donation Dropoff Locations
• Central Texas Red Cross
• Capital Area Food Bank
• KVUE List of Donation Dropoff Locations

Austin-Travis County EMS Patches - www.atcems.org

Last Monday I ventured out to take pictures of our paramedics taking care of patients for our department to use as part of a media campaign.  This is a shot from EMS Supply of a box that was full of patches that were removed from old uniform shirts that were being destroyed.  Yes… Very random… But the images of our crews have patients in them, so I can’t post them on my personal blog.

I’m hoping to get back out in the field again soon to capture more images to contribute to our media bank.  With a little luck some of the images will be published in EMS Trade magazines!

IHBA Top Fuel Hydro - Speed Sports Special - Driven by John Haas

This is a photo that I took at the Marble Falls Lakefest in 2009.  It’s a shot of the Speed Sports Top-Fuel Hydro with a top speed of 258mph and a 6,000 horsepower engine.  These guys run the 1000′ long course in less than 4 seconds with race speeds in the 220-230mph range.

Sadly, while researching the history of this boat I discovered that John Haas (the driver of this Top Fuel Hydro) was killed in a crash on August 7, 2010 in Oklahoma.  John was a three-time IHBA World Champion and devoted family man.  He left behind his wife and children in this tragic accident.  His sons both said that they know he died doing what he loves.  He was an active member of Racers for Christ (www.teamrfc.org) and was inducted into the Michigan Motor Sports Hall of Fame in October 2010.

Speed Sports Top Fuel website:
http://www.speedsportstopfuel.com

International Hot Boat Association (IHBA):
http://www.ihbaracing.com/

News video from the local news affiliate from back in August 2010:

 
Rest in Peace John…

STAR Flight 2 (N373TC) Leander, TX - August 15, 2011

This is a neat shot of STAR Flight 2 making a water drop from the 140 gallon “Bambi Bucket” at the scene of the Leander Wildfire on Monday afternoon.  I didn’t include it in my previous post, so here it is for a Foto Friday!

Greg Houston has quite a few more pictures that he took of the fire scene that you can check out on his Flickr page (CenTexPhoto).

And finally, here is a link to the photo gallery for more of my images.

The Austin Disaster Relief Network is providing assistance to the families who suffered loss in this horrible fire.  If you would like to donate, please visit their website:

Aimee had her 24 week appointment at Dr. Seeker’s office this morning.  We spent 30 minutes with the sonographer who did an anatomy check of little Lainie…  She received a clean bill of health, checking out in the 65th percentile… and running about a week ahead of schedule (size wise). 

Here is a copy of the video from the sonogram!  The 3D technology that they have now is really amazing…  We literally got to look at her face and see all her features….  She is a shy little thing, covering her face with her arms most of the time…

She was still very wiggly, which made it a challenge for the poor sonographer… but she was able to find all the critical parts and pieces.  

Here are a couple of images from the sonogram also:

So… in the bottom image… It certainly appears that Miss. Lainie is trying to tell us to leave her alone.  Notice the finger?  She is a vulgar little baby!!!

So baby and mommie are both very healthy!  Exciting time! 

AJ

ps:  Here’s a copy of the 11 week sonogram video… she was so tiny then!

Yesterday afternoon a wildfire erupted in Leander (2 miles from our house) that almost immediately destroyed 6 mobile homes.  The fire quickly spread into neighboring fields and started jumping from cedar tree to cedar tree.  It was threatening an entire subdivision within minutes.  The Leander Fire Rescue Department, along with about 15 other agencies, all worked together to bring the fire under control almost 12 hours later.  In all there were 15 homes destroyed and several more that received significant damage.  Thanks in a large part to the fast response and early evacuations there was no loss of life and the injuries were few.  One person was hospitalized for smoke inhalation and 4 fire fighters were treated at the scene for heat related issues.

These are a couple of the pictures that I took at the scene of the fire:

STAR Flight 2 (N373TC) lining up for a water drop at the Leander wildfire.

Leander Fire Rescue Captain Rob Curr giving the Squad 2 personnel an assignment.

More images are available here:

Leander Fire Photo Gallery

The Austin Disaster Relief Network is providing assistance to the families who suffered loss in this horrible fire. If you would like to donate, please visit their website:

Flowing Creek in Blanco County - 2009

A shot from Blanco County back in 2009 when this creek actually had water flowing.

This is a shot that I took a few years ago from the shores of Ladybird Lake. I love the reflections of the different colors on the water.

Downtown Austin Skyline from the shores of Ladybird Lake