ad: CQMM-1

California ARES team gets into a stink

Discussion in 'Amateur Radio News' started by Guest, Mar 22, 2001.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
ad: L-HROutlet
ad: l-rl
ad: abrind-2
ad: Left-2
ad: L-MFJ
ad: Left-3
ad: Radclub22-2
  1. Guest

    Guest Guest

    From the ARRL...


    Amateur Radio Emergency Service members in Ventura County, California, recently got into a stink--quite literally. As Ventura County ARES District Emergency Coordinator and RACES Radio Officer Dave Gilmore, AA6VH, explains, this story may sound like just so much horse manure--and you'd be right.


    Three and a quarter acres of it, 15 feet deep, and all on fire. Manure from an area race track is mixed with hay and used to compost mushrooms. The compost piles have been known to spontaneously combust, and that's what happened recently. "The smoke and smell even traveled to Los Angeles County to our west and south, and to Santa Barbara County to our north, Gilmore said.


    Fire officials asked Ventura County ARES/RACES to help determine the direction of the smoke cloud. "Unfortunately, it was foggy and hazy, making it hard to determine where the smoke ended and the haze began," Gilmore said. "The only way to tell was by sniffing the air." Hams were sent out to sniff various areas and report back. Gilmore says that those on "sniff patrol" periodically were forced to refresh their olfactory capabilities. "After a couple of whiffs, most people get used to even foul odors and can mistakenly believe the odors have gone when they actually have not," Gilmore explained. In addition to fire officials in two jurisdictions, air pollution and health officials got into the act.


    For a variety of very good reasons, it was decided the best way to put out the fire was to cart off the burning manure to a nearby field to disperse and extinguish. "Unfortunately the dispersal and movement of the fuel would cause a temporary increase in the amount of smoke produced by the fire," Gilmore said. By the second and third days, ARES/RACES members were stationed were tasked to report when the smoke and smell became intolerable, so that operations could temporarily halt until the smoke level decreased.


    After the weather cleared, one operator was stationed atop a nearby hill to observe the smoke trail and direct the operators around as the smoke plume shifted. By the third day, Gilmore said, enough of the compost had been moved to decrease the smoke level to the point where it no longer posed a problem.--Dave Gilmore, AA6VH
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

ad: k1jek