Fire...

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

Fire is the heat and light energy released during a chemical reaction, in particular a combustion reaction. Depending on the substances alight, and any impurities outside, the color of the flame and the fire's intensity might vary. Fire in its most common form can result in conflagration, and has the potential to cause physical damage through burning.

I started firefighting in 1971 as a firefighter on the USFS Packwood Ranger District in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest as a crewman on a brush disposal (BD) crew. I've since been an engine leader, held a forest warden commission, received training as a fire investigator, become a volunteer firefighter, an ambulance driver, a crew boss, a fire boss, taskforce leader, training specialist, division supervisor, incident commander type 3, elected as a fire commissioner and now serve as a fire chief. (The above photo was a little before my time but these fellas' with their burlap bags and buckets of water were pretty effective for their time).

The archaeological record indicates humans have been using fire for over a million years. It is still a main component in our lives today. Needless to say as a 30+year veteran of firefighting I am fascinated by this element and hope to explore it with you in blogs to come. But for now we've reached the end of this session so I'll bid you all a good day and remember, DON'T PLAY WITH MATCHES...