Fire Fighters use caches to train to fight forest fires.

[+Snoogans]

Check out this log on my cache in the eastern Sierra.

 

Found it great hide we used this to cross train GPS and a finding a lightning struck log. Left CDF old style 90's stickers and took a Music CD. Thanks for the great hide and good training Owens Valley Fire Crew 3 and Skydepige

 

I was very interested as to the exact meaning of it so I contacted the finder....

 

Skydepige wrote me back that the Bishop, Ca. Fire Dept. uses caches to train for hunting lightning strikes in high desert to combat fires.

 

First they send in a plane after a storm where strikes are recorded. The plane is equipped with FLIR (forward looking infrared), and when they see a hot spot they send the WGS84 coords to fire fighters on the ground.

 

A smoldering log after a lightning strike is much like a cache to a firefighter on the ground. Skydepige told me it was a logical progression to use caching to train.

 

She added in her email back to me:

 

The Casa Diablo cache was particularly good for realistic training due to the terrain, and the fact that it is pretty hard to get your bearings back to the campsite if you forgot to mark where you left your rig. Big lesson for my Swamper, never forget to mark the way home.

 

Thanks for the note,

Let me know if this answers your question.

Sue

 

WOW! That's just neat-O. To me anyway. That's a pretty tough hide for an .50 cal ammo can. Look at the STF log by Ranboze.

 

What do you folks think about this interesting development?

Edited September 12, 2010 by Snoogans

[GOF and Bacall]

Makes sense to me. Look at all the training we've been giving bomb squads.

[+Ambrosia]

That's pretty neat!

 

My dad's a volunteer fire fighter, who works on the big fires around here quite often. I'll have to have him mention that to someone.

[+narcissa]

Wow, that is very cool!

[+ZeLonewolf]

Makes sense to me. Look at all the training we've been giving bomb squads.

 

The bomb squad never seems to thank us, though!

[GOF and Bacall]

Makes sense to me. Look at all the training we've been giving bomb squads.

 

The bomb squad never seems to thank us, though!

 

Well, there is that.

[+Max and 99]

What a great story. I had no idea that was going on. Love it!

[jholly]

Love the story! Got to hide more of those ammo cans in the woods. But it certainly is a cleaver and neat way to train to find a spot in the woods. The cache owners should stand proud that such good use was made of their hides.

[+power69]

WOW i'd never have any dnfs if the containers were smoking.

[7rxc]

Makes sense to me. Look at all the training we've been giving bomb squads.

 

The bomb squad never seems to thank us, though!

 

At least they only blow them up a little bit! or is that INTO little bits?

 

We've been starting to use Geocaching for SAR training to make GPS navigating a little more interesting in the class sessions... we have use private hides (unlisted) and now have a few more locally to target as Geocaches.

 

Take a look at At the Base by fyrfytr. He is the Chief here... the base is the middle of our Emergency Services complex... small but there it is... Fire, RCMP, EHS and SAR.

He placed another, the Little Engine up a local mountain... drive ride or walk... great views.

 

BC can be a good place to cache... but we do have a few fires... and beetles and... certainly 'hills', did I mention Grizzlies.

 

Doug 7rxc

[+sarhound]

We've been using geocaching for several years to train new SAR members in the use of GPS. It's a fun way to introduce the concepts and can be a good team-building exercise.

[+mynetdude]

We've been using geocaching for several years to train new SAR members in the use of GPS. It's a fun way to introduce the concepts and can be a good team-building exercise.

 

I am looking to do that with Civil Air Patrol soon