July 24, 2008 about 10:30 am...Fireman Sam, that lovable Welsh firefighter from the happy little Welsh village of Pontypandy, runs a Wildlands Fire course each Spring, right here in the USA!
I took some notes while attending Sam's course in April. The title of the course was "Canolfan Uwchefrydiau Cymreig a Cheltaidd Prifysgol Cymru." Conveniently, a translator was on hand for the entire course.
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Pulaskis, McLeods and Branddaskers...
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Wuzza P'lasky???
If you're from New York City (NEW YORK CITY!!!???) - as I am - a 'Pulaski' is a Polish revolutionary war hero with a skyway named after him.
But in the USFS and the wildlands fire service a Pulaski is a hand tool used in wildland firefighting.
A Pulaski is a combination axe and mattock in one head, similar to that of the cutter mattock, with a rigid handle. The pulaski is considered one of the most versatile tools for constructing firebreaks. It can be used to both dig and chop. It is also used for trail construction.
Ed Pulaski, a ranger with the United States Forest Service, invented the tool in about 1911. Ed was a famous Wildlands Fire Fighter, credited with saving the lives of a crew of 45 firefighters during the disastrous August 1910 wildfires in Idaho.
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A McLeod??? Is that Welsh for sump'in"
This McLeod is not a Taos Deputy Sheriff assigned to Brooklyn... in fact, it's not even spelled the same way as Dennis Weaver's old TV character.
A McLeod is a wildland firefighting tool that's combination heavy duty rake and hoe. It's named after Ranger Malcolm McLeod. Firefighters use this tool to cut through matted litter and duff and for clearing loose surface materials. It can also be used to shape a trail's backslope.
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And then, there's a Branddasker....
Well, in fact, it's called a 'Branddaskere' - a Danish word, that means "fire swatter" in English ("brand": fire; "daskere": literally, 'dasher,' but 'swatter' will do..). It's also called a "flapper" or a "beater."
A flapper is a tool designed for extinguishing minor fires in rural areas such as heaths. A flapper is built with a long handle and a series of closely-spaced rake-like tines (kind of like a hand-held bamboo fan, that a geisha might hold). The tool allows firefighters to stand well back from the fire. The tines are either rubber or steel.
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3 comments:
Hey, Kelly,
I don't think I've thanked you yet. Your blog here is on my list of obsessive visits to what is now long ago and far away for me (Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, '79-'81 or something like that). Thanks so much for keeping that information coming.
At some point I'll try to unplug myself from addiction to fire blogs. But for now, still here several times a day. Best of luck to you and your neighbors.
Kelly...thanks for all you do!! I too want to get in on the "thanks" before all winds down and we are all back to "regular" daily lives, whatever that might be! You've kept the info coming, and with humor..and explanations I can understand!! You've made me want to move back to the Valley...I am missing all the home-spun antics of the place.
Thanks...thanks...thanks!
MB and Tzila "Z", thanks for the kind words. I've had fun doing this and I'm always glad to hear from people to whom it's become important.
MB, nnjoy that view across the Straits! Tzila, c'mon home, girl... wasss wrong witch you?? ;-)
Best,
Kelly
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