![]() Additionally, it's helpful for a fire lookout to be handy. They can serve as an overwatch for crews, providing an extra set of eyes to alert crews of any dangerous changes in the weather or the fire’s behavior. Providing information to citizens about fire management and safety.ĭuring firefighting operations, they can serve as a radio relays or communicate with aircraft involved in the firefighting efforts. They also serve as ambassadors to the public when curious hikers and tourists wander up to the towers. While on duty, lookouts will provide regular weather updates to the district office. What's remarkable is that all this information is gathered with technology that was invented back in the 1840's! Additional information like distance from the tower and the estimated elevation of the smoke can be determined by referring to a topographic map of the area. When a smoke is spotted on the horizon, the lookout is able to swivel the fire finder 360 degrees to identify the direction, or azimuth, of the smoke. The fire finder sits in the center of the tower, and looks like a large, circular table. The fire finder is a pretty amazing piece of equipment, and something that all lookouts become proficient at using. The fire lookout also gave us a crash course in the use of the Osborne Fire Finder. Once we arrived, the lookout happily let us scamper to the top of his mountaintop fortress and man, was that a view! I quickly realized how a person could fall in love with the idea of manning one of these towers. While I was working on the Plumas National Forest, our crew was asked to transport some supplies to one of the fire lookout towers on the district. ![]() ![]() But for many, it is the best job in the world. It is a truly unique experience, and certainly not for everyone. Their radio their one reliable connection to the outside world. They spend their days mostly in solitude, scanning the horizon for smoke. And to this day, at the start of every fire season, we send a hardy group of men and women out to the wilderness to stand guard. ![]() Yet despite all these technological advancements, one truth has remained constant: A human being standing watch on a mountain top is still the best way to spot a forest fire. Over the last century, we’ve gone from a society that relied upon horses and carriages to one seriously contemplating putting men and women onto Mars. ![]()
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