Elk County Forum

                       Its HOT!

       Looks like it's going to heat up here also. We need it to get the brome hay put up. I just hope the rain tap doesn't turn off completely like last year, and the year before.

      Keep your noggin covered up out on that golf course, Warph.

(http://www.boker.org.il/meida/negev/negpics/lynx1big.jpg)
                       "Another hot one today, Margaret."

(http://www.hat.net/album/middle_east/004_egypt/002_animals/009_desert-lizard.jpg)

        "Aw come on, Hortense... let me in.  Its 114° out here!"

(http://www.atacamaphoto.com/atacama-fauna/desert-animals34.jpg)
   "OK, be that way, Malcolm...  go ahead and Jump!  See if I care."

Meerkats


The ever Watchful meerkats scout for predators outside their burrow in the South African Kalahari.  If danger is spotted, they will alert others using a wide array of vocalizations, which some researchers think differ according to the type of threat.

If you get a chance to watch these guys, like I did some years back, you'll spend a complete afternoon cracking up at their antics.  :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

I haven't been on the forum for a long time-- I really enjoyed this "cuties" that you've posted, Warph.
  Hope all is well in your world.

Quote from: Jo McDonald on June 19, 2013, 06:08:24 AM
I haven't been on the forum for a long time-- I really enjoyed this "cuties" that you've posted, Warph.
 Hope all is well in your world.

Doing great, Jo... glad to have you back.  Where you been & what have you been up
too 2 two to?

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GO WEST, OLD MAN! GO WEST!  It will be almost 20 degrees cooler here.

I'm thinking the patio needs some work.  I suggest maybe a table and chairs........and an umbrella........and misters.  And maybe clean up that mess and add some new décor.  Skulls are so old-school.  Passe. Maybe use the hula girl off the dash board of your golf cart. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Larryj

It was 122.3 degrees today... somewhat cooler.. so I ventured off my patio.  Ran across my landscaper Jose... I offered him a beer yesterday before work and he wound up taking a six-pack.  He looks happy, tho'.  Going to hard to find another illegal landscaper as good as he was.
I wondered why he never came by to pickup his last check.  Found his pet Dodo Bird, Morris, too.
Temp dropping to 115 today so I had better get on the phone and start looking.  Gonna miss Jose.

What warming trend? ;D ;D ;D ;D

60 miles up the road from where I live.  This horrific news for my state is heartbreaking, unbelievable.  Deep-felt condolences and prayers for the grieving families and friends of these courageous 19 firefighters who lost their lives today.  May God bless them and may they rest in peace.
...Warph



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZeP3-5B1AY



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k4FDn-9WWY



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJvP1cOecv4

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Yarnell Hill Fire picked up momentum Sunday. (Source: CBS 5 News)

The Yarnell Hill Fire burning near Yarnell, AZ.
The fire, started by lightning, continues to burn along AZ89
http://www.azcentral.com/video/#top#/The+Yarnell+Hill+Fire+burning+near+Yarnell/2518833437001

Yarnell Hill Fire kills 19 firefighters

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Granite Mountain Hot Shots are based in Prescott, AZ. (Source: City of Prescott)

Nineteen firefighters have died in the Yarnell Hill Fire that has ripped through half of the community and sent residents to Prescott for safety. The fire is currently burning with zero containment and has grown well past 2,000 acres.
http://www.azcentral.com/video/#top#/News/Yarnell+Hill+Fire+kills+19+firefighters/40280768001/35150280001/2518966319001

YARNELL, AZ (CBS-TV5) - Nineteen firefighters were killed in a fast-moving wildfire in the central Arizona town of Yarnell late Sunday afternoon, said the incident command post.  

Eighteen of the victims were from the Prescott Granite Mountain Hot Shots, fire officials said. It's not known where the other victim was based.  

One surviving firefighter from the team was rushed to Maricopa County Medical Center. That person's condition was not known.  

"We're an organization and city that's in grief," Prescott Fire Chief Dan Fraijo said at a news briefing Sunday night.

"Every precaution is always taken," Fraijo said. "The trouble is sometimes it's such an erratic situation. When you have that much fuel, in those dry conditions, it becomes very unpredictable."

At least eight firefighters suffered injuries and were taken to Wickenburg Community Hospital, said hospital spokeswoman Roxie Glovers. The extent of their injuries was not known.

The Yarnell Hill Fire burned at least 250 structures and grew to 2,000 acres, command center officials said Sunday night.

"This one just got out of hand quickly," said YCSO spokesman Dwight D'Evelyn. "The winds and the dry area just fed the fire.

Earlier, the 19 firefighters battling the blaze in Yavapai County had not been heard from as the wildfire headed into town, fire officials said.

Around 6 p.m., authorities said they were unable to establish communications with them, although they had been seen from a helicopter.

The Granite Mountain Hot Shots were among the first firefighters to attack the human-caused Doce Fire that began June 18 in the Prescott National Forest, the Prescott Daily Courier reported.

Earlier Sunday, authorities evacuated the Town of Yarnell and Peeples Valley as the wildfire crept closer to homes, the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office said.

The evacuation area in Peeples Valley is west of Highway 89, north of Yarnell Road and south of Sorrell Road, sheriff's deputies said.

Residents living in Double A Ranch, Buckhorn and the Model Creek subdivision in the Yarnell area had been under mandatory orders to leave their homes.

About 400 people live in Yarnell, and several hundred reside in Peeples Valley, according to the latest census.

The fire has closed about 15 miles of State Route 89, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.  

The roadway is closed just north of Congress to south of Kirkland, from milepost 269 to milepost 285. Drivers traveling north or southbound are advised to use U.S. 93 or Interstate 17 as alternate routes.  

Sheriff's deputies said there are roadblocks at the junctions of Highway 89 and Hayes Ranch Road, Hayes Ranch Road and Sickles Ranch Road and Buckhorn and Frontier Road.

The fire broke out Friday after a lightning strike about four miles from Yarnell, said Arizona State Forestry Division Spokeswoman Carrie Dennett.  

The Yarnell Hill Fire grew to 800 acres by early Sunday afternoon.

Two evacuation shelters have been set up to help evacuees. One is at Yavapai College in Prescott at 1100 E. Sheldon St.,  the American Red Cross Grand Canyon Chapter said.

Another shelter has opened in the gymnasium at Wickenburg High School at 1090 S. Vulture Mine Road. The Red Cross opened that shelter because a 20-mile stretch of Highway 89 is closed, making it impossible for evacuated residents to get from Yarnell to Prescott.

Red Cross volunteers have set up cots and blankets for overnight stays, with evacuated residents receiving meals, as well as assistance from Red Cross nurses and mental health volunteers.

A shelter for large animals is set up at Hidden Springs Ranch, at 18701 Highway 89 in Peeples Valley.

Two hundred firefighters are trying to gain an upper hand on the wildfire.

A command center has been set up at Model Creek School.

The next news briefing is scheduled for 10 a.m. Monday in the Prescott city council chambers.

We heard too and are heart broken. It's just terrible. They are family to us all.

Quote from: Diane Amberg on July 01, 2013, 08:32:00 AM
We heard too and are heart broken. It's just terrible. They are family to us all.

Thanks, Diane... yeah, very sad.  Those 19 are hopefully in a better place now.  When I was a jr. in highschool, I worked a summer for the DFPA in southern Oregon fighting fires.  They kept us youngsters off of the big fires or way in back of them, digging fire trails with pick and shovel and keeping equipment clean for the firefighters up front.  I have to tell you that fighting fires, whether a fireman or forest fire fighter, it is one of the hardest and scariest jobs there is.  God Bless them.

By Tim Gaynor and Brad Poole

PRESCOTT, Arizona | Wed Jul 3, 2013 12:18am EDT

PRESCOTT, Arizona (Reuters) - Firefighters gained ground on Tuesday for the first time against the sprawling blaze in central Arizona that killed 19 members of an elite "hotshots" crew over the weekend in the worst loss of life in a U.S. wildfire in 80 years, officials said.
While the blaze remained dangerous and unpredictable, it was no longer raging out of control, and firefighters had managed by sundown to achieve the first measure of containment around its perimeter, 8 percent, officials for the firefighting command team said.

"Crews are making good progress on the fire ... We're feeling optimistic right now," said Carrie Dennett, a spokeswoman for the Arizona Forestry Division.

"We gained some ground ... it's been a pretty good day, and the fire has stayed mostly parked where it was 24 hours ago," said Jim Whittington, a spokesman for the incident commander.

The blaze, one of dozens of wildfires burning across the western United States, turned deadly on Sunday when 19 firefighters from a specially trained outfit called the Granite Mountain Hotshots were suddenly outflanked and engulfed by wind-whipped flames in a matter of seconds.

The tragedy marks the highest death toll among firefighters or civilians from a U.S. wildland blaze since at least 25 men died battling the Griffith Park fire of 1933 in Los Angeles, according to the National Interagency Fire Center, based in Boise, Idaho.

A 20th member of the hotshots team who was acting as lookout and was about a mile away from the rest of the crew on higher ground, survived unscathed but was "very distraught" and has declined to speak to the media, according to Prescott Fire Department spokesman Wade Ward.

Ignited on Friday by lightning, the blaze has blackened some 8,400 acres of dense, tinder-dry chaparral, oak scrub and grasslands as it roared largely unchecked in its first four days.

Authorities have estimated that 50 to 200 structures, most of them homes, have been destroyed in and around the tiny town of Yarnell, about 80 miles northwest of Phoenix. But they said more time was needed to arrive at a firmer figure on property losses.

From the air on Monday evening, extensive fire damage was visible in the western outskirts of Yarnell but the center of town looked relatively untouched.

Yarnell and the adjacent community of Peeples Valley, which together are home to roughly 1,000 people, remained evacuated.

Fire command spokesman Dennis Godfrey told Reuters the so-called Yarnell Hills fire was posing no immediate additional threat to property in the area.

However, the blaze remained a formidable challenge, he said, adding, "We're considering it far from being over. It's far from being a mop-up operation." Full containment of the fire is not expected for at least another 10 days, officials said.

A Reuters photographer who flew over the fire zone on Monday evening reported that little fire activity could be seen from the air, with a relatively small patch of low-level burning discernable on the area's eastern edge.

Whittington said powerful, erratic winds that earlier had stoked the fire and caused volatile changes in its direction subsided on Monday night and Tuesday, helping some 600 firefighters battling the blaze finally make some headway.

He said fire managers were still concerned about thunderstorms that appeared to be moving into the area late on Tuesday, bringing the possibility of a renewed burst of strong, unruly winds.

Fire incident commander Clay Templin told displaced residents at a community meeting that evacuees would probably not be allowed to return to their homes before Saturday.

The fallen Arizona firefighters were based in the town of Prescott, about 30 miles northeast of the fire zone. Residents there paid tribute to the 19 men, most of them in their 20s, in a memorial service on Monday evening and a candlelight vigil on Tuesday night.

A makeshift shrine has sprung up outside a Prescott fire house, drawing dozens of people who paid their respects by leaving flowers, flags, condolence cards, photos and mementos at the site.

The remains of the firefighters Sunday were transported in a cortege-like procession of 19 coroner's vans to the medical examiner's office in Phoenix for autopsies.

The exact circumstances of the disaster were under investigation, but fire officials said the doomed hotshots team appeared to have been following proper procedures.



(Additional reporting by David Schwartz in Phoenix; Writing by Steve Gorman; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Christopher Wilson)

Thank you for the local update...the worst loss of fireservice life in a single incident since 9-11. My stomach still rolls when I think about that awful loss of young life. Terrible

By David Schwartz and Timothy Pratt

PHOENIX/LAS VEGAS | Fri Jul 5, 2013 10:14pm EDT

PHOENIX/LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Even as crews in central Arizona made progress on Friday toward containing the deadliest U.S. wildfire in 80 years, another blaze burned out of control in the mountains northwest of Las Vegas, threatening 400 homes.

The 9,000-acre (3,600-hectare) Nevada blaze, like the Arizona fire that killed 19 firefighters last weekend, was sparked by lightning and fueled by dry conditions, strong winds and high temperatures, said Marty Adell, incident commander for the federal Bureau of Land Management.

Five days after it was ignited on Monday, the Nevada blaze was still completely uncontained, Adell said, although there were no reports of injuries or damaged buildings.

The Nevada fire forced the closure of two state highways on Friday. The night before, the Red Cross set up emergency shelters in Las Vegas and Pahrump, a community about 55 miles to the northwest.

Smoke from the blaze was visible as far away as the Las Vegas strip.



AZ Yarnell Fire:

In Arizona, where residents and emergency crews alike remain in shock over the loss of an entire elite firefighting team last week, the 8,400-acre (3,400-hectare) Yarnell Hill fire has been 90 percent contained, officials said.

The Arizona blaze also destroyed 114 buildings, many of them homes, since it was sparked by lightning on June 28.

U.S. Senator John McCain, who represents Arizona, said on Friday that the federal government should pump more money into clearing flammable brush in fire-prone areas, and expressed concern that the federal automatic spending cuts would affect wildland firefighting programs.

"We need to clear these forests and we need to make it so that the damage done by these fires is not as catastrophic as what we just saw, McCain said at a news conference in Prescott, the home base of the slain firefighters.

Weather forecasts called for cooler temperatures, which should help firefighters working to fully extinguish the blaze, about 70 miles from Phoenix.

"We had a really good day yesterday and things are in place ... to have good success today," deputy incident commander Jerome McDonald told a news conference.

Officials said most of the hundreds of area residents were still unable to return home. McDonald said considerable work must be done before gas and electricity service can be restored.

Nineteen firefighters in a specially trained unit called the Granite Mountain Hotshots were killed while battling the blaze. It was the greatest loss of life from a wildfire since 1933, when at least 25 men died in 1933 battling the Griffith Park fire.

A memorial service to honor the 19 firefighters is scheduled for Tuesday at an arena in Prescott Valley, Arizona. U.S. Vice President Joe Biden is expected to attend. Officials plan to set up an overflow area to handle the crowd, expected to exceed the arena's seating capacity of nearly 5,000.

The firefighters' bodies will be taken in a procession from the medical examiner's office in Phoenix to Prescott on Sunday, the Prescott Fire Department said.

Federal investigators are probing the reasons for the deaths of the 19 firefighters who were overcome as they tried to battle the fast-moving blaze on rugged terrain.

(Reporting by David Schwartz in Phoenix and Timothy Pratt in Las Vegas; Editing by Dan Whitcomb, Sharon Bernstein and Sandra Maler)

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Turbyfill is comforted by his wife Shari as he mourns his son Travis Turbyfill on Monday

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Tears: A group of girls cry after placing flowers at a make-shift memorial outside the Prescott fire station and right Nancy Myers speaks to her boss to let him know that she won't be able to make it into work


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Overwhelmed: Local resident Bob Hoskovec says a prayer as he kneels outside the gate on Monday


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Flames: Fire crews can be seen as a wildfire burns homes in the Glenn Ilah area near Yarnell, Arizona Sunday


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Tragedy: The crew deployed emergency fire shelters to try to protect them from the blaze


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Destroyed: At least 200 homes in Yarnell have burned down as the blaze gained momentum

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Death toll: The Yarnell wildfire is the deadliest wildfire involving firefighters in the U.S. for at least 30 years


TOUGH BUT KIND: WHO ARE THE GRANITE MOUNTAIN HOTSHOTS?
Eighteen of the 19 firefighters who lost their lives were part of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, an elite firefighting team from Prescott, Arizona.

To join, candidates must complete a boot camp-style test to prove they are in peak physical condition. They have to run 1.5 miles in 10 minutes and 35 seconds, complete 40 sit-ups in 60 seconds, 25 push-ups in 60 seconds, and seven pull-ups.

Members trained by running, hiking, yoga, doing core exercises and weight training.
'Problem solving, teamwork, ability to make decisions in a stressful environment and being nice are the attributes of our crewmembers,' its website read.

After a fire breaks out, they hike for miles into the wilderness with chain saws and backpacks filled with heavy gear to build lines of protection between people and the blaze. They remove brush, trees and anything that might burn in the direction of homes and cities.

The crew had battled fires in New Mexico and Arizona in recent weeks. The team, which was formed in 2002, is part of the Prescott Fire Department, the oldest in the state.

The deaths mean that Prescott has lost a staggering 20 per cent of its department.

The bodies were taken to Phoenix for autopsies to determine exactly how the firefighters died.

President Obama called the firefighters heroes and highly skilled professionals who 'put themselves in harm's way to protect the lives and property of fellow citizens they would never meet.'

The highly-skilled team was overtaken by a fast-moving blaze stoked by hot winds on Sunday.

The fire was sparked by a lightning strike on Friday and spread to at least 8,400 acres amid triple-digit temperatures, low humidity and windy conditions.

The fire has also destroyed an estimated 200 homes, Morrison said. Dry grass near the communities of Yarnell and Glen Isla fed the fast-moving blaze.

It continues to burn, with flames lighting up the night sky in the forest above Yarnell, a town of about 700 residents about 85 miles northwest of Phoenix. The area has not suffered a fire in 40 years.

It was unclear exactly how the crew became trapped. Southwest incident team leader Clay Templin said the team and its commanders were following safety protocols, but it appears the fire's erratic nature simply overwhelmed them.

Prescott Fire Chief Dan Fraijo said that the 19 firefighters were a part of the city's fire department. With their deaths, the department lost 20 per cent of its members.

'We grieve for the family. We grieve for the department. We grieve for the city,' he said at a news conference Sunday evening. 'We're devastated. We just lost 19 of the finest people you'll ever meet.'

Hot shot crews are elite firefighters who often hike for miles into the wilderness with chain saws and backpacks filled with heavy gear to build lines of protection between people and fires.

They remove brush, trees and anything that might burn in the direction of homes and cities.

The crew killed in the blaze had worked on other wildfires in recent weeks in New Mexico and Arizona, Fraijo said.

'By the time they got there, it was moving very quickly,' he said.
He added that the firefighters had to deploy the emergency shelters when 'something drastic' occurred.

'One of the last fail safe methods that a firefighter can do under those conditions is literally to dig as much as they can down and cover themselves with a protective - kinda looks like a foil type - fire-resistant material - with the desire, the hope at least, is that the fire will burn over the top of them and they can survive it,' Fraijo said.

'Under certain conditions there's usually only sometimes a 50 per cent chance that they survive,' he said. 'It's an extreme measure that's taken under the absolute worst conditions.'

Nineteen shelters were deployed and some of the firefighters were found inside them, Mike Reichling from the Arizona State Forestry Division told the Arizona Republic. Others were found outside them.

The National Fire Protection Association had previously listed the deadliest wildland fire involving firefighters as the 1994 Storm King Fire near Glenwood Springs, Colorado, which killed 14 firefighters who were overtaken by a sudden explosion of flame.

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Mourning: Toby Schultz pauses after laying flowers at the gate of the Granite Mountain Hot Shot Crew fire station in Prescott, Arizona on Monday morning. Nearly the whole teams was wiped out by the fire


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Remembrance: Volunteer citizen patrol officer Seymour Petrovsky stands guard at the gate

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Loss: Flowers hang on the fence outside the Granite Mountain Hot Shot Crew fire station
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Engulfed: 19 firefighters died as the wildfire spread near the Arizona town of Yarnell

U.S. wildfire disasters date back more than two centuries and include tragedies like the 1949 Mann Gulch fire near Helena, Montana, that killed 13, or the Rattlesnake blaze four years later that claimed 15 firefighters in Southern California.

'This is as dark a day as I can remember,' Gov. Jan Brewer said in a statement.

'It may be days or longer before an investigation reveals how this tragedy occurred, but the essence we already know in our hearts: fighting fires is dangerous work.'

Brewer said she would travel to the area on Monday. 

Two hundred firefighters were working on the fire Sunday, but several hundred more were expected to arrive Monday when a new fire management team takes over.

The fire has forced the closure of parts of state Route 89. It was zero per cent contained late Sunday.

The Red Cross has opened two shelters in the area - at Yavapai College in Prescott and at the Wickenburg High School gym.

Prescott, which is more than 30 miles northeast of Yarnell, is one of the only cities in the United States that has a hot shot fire crew, Fraijo said.

The unit was established in 2002, and the city also has 75 suppression team members.
Chuck Overmyer and his wife, Ninabill, said they lost their, 1,800-square-foot home in the blaze.

They were helping friends flee when the blaze switched directions and moved toward his property.

They loaded up what belongings they could, including three dogs and a 1930 model hot rod on a trailer. As he looked out his rear view mirror he could see embers on the roof of his garage.

'We knew it was gone,' he said.

He later gathered at the Arrowhead Bar and Grill in nearby Congress along with locals and watched on TV as he saw the fire destroy his house.

'That was when we knew it was really gone,' he said.

He later fielded a phone call from a friend in which he said, 'Lost it all, man. Yep, it's all gone.'

Morrison said the fire grew in intensity when winds began gusting at up to 24mph in the late afternoon. 'You get some winds, and it can take off on you,' he said.


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Highly trained: Members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots (pictured last year) had been fighting wildfire in New Mexico and elsewhere in Arizona in the past few weeks
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A photo from April 12, 2012 shows a squad leader with the Granite Mountain Hotshots training crew members on setting up emergency fire shelters outside of Prescott, Arizona

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The firefighters deployed the emergency shelters on Sunday but died (picture from April 2012)

I still get a huge lump in my throat when I look at new photos. We've had our station flags at half mast since last week. Just awful.  Thinking of you all.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2353353/Arizona-wild-fires-pictures-Shocking-aerial-images-utter-devastation.html

The first aerial pictures have emerged showing the utter devastation of an Arizona town and surrounding forest, where 19 courageous firefighters lost their lives battling wild fires on Sunday.
The sobering images show scores of homes burned to the ground and charred forest in Yarnell following the worst rural firefighting tragedy in 80 years and came as more than 1,000 people turned out to a gym at the Prescott campus of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University to honor those killed.
The brave men - whose average age was just 27 - were outflanked and engulfed by wind-whipped flames in seconds, before some could scramble into cocoon-like personal shelters, as they were trained to do.

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The bodies of the elite firefighting crew who perished were retrieved from the mountain where they died on Monday and later, authorities named each of the victims, many of whom had young families.
As the bodies of the Granite Mountain Hotshots were recovered, it emerged that the team's 20th member survived as he was moving the crew's truck when the flames overcame his comrades.
Helicopters had been unable to reach the highly-trained men as they fought the flames in Yarnell and they could not be saved by their emergency shelters - tent-like structures meant to shield them from flames and heat.
When they were found on Sunday, all 19 shelters were deployed but some of the men's bodies were inside their individual shelters, while others were outside - indicating just how suddenly they were overcome by the flames. Those who did manage to unfurl their foil-lined, heat-resistant tarps and climb inside - that last, desperate line of defense - couldn't be saved from a blaze that grew from 200 acres to about 2,000 in a matter of hours.
'It had to be a perfect storm in order for this to happen,' Prescott Fire Department spokesman Wade Ward told the Today show. 'Their situational awareness and their training was at such a high level that it's unimaginable that this has even happened.'

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Nineteen firefighters killed in a wildfire a week ago went home for the last time on Sunday, their bodies traveling in individual white hearses in a somber procession for 125 miles through Arizona cities and towns.

The hourslong caravan began near the state Capitol in Phoenix, went through the town where the Granite Mountain Hotshots were killed and ended in the mountain community of Prescott, where they lived and will be laid to rest this week.

Thousands of people from across the state and beyond stood patiently in triple-digit temperatures in Phoenix, lined highways and overpasses along the route, and flooded the roads of downtown Prescott to pay their respect to the 19, whose deaths are the greatest loss of life for firefighters since 9/11.

They included fellow firefighters, the men's family members, complete strangers and residents of Yarnell, the small town they died trying to save.

Those along the procession cried, they saluted, they held their hands over their hearts.

"It's overwhelming to watch this slow procession of 19 hearses," said a tearful Bill Morse, a Flagstaff fire captain who has been stationed in Prescott for a week helping Prescott fire deal with the tragedy. "The ceremonious air of it all. It's heartbreaking."

Many along the route carried American flags and signs that read, "Courageous, selfless, fearless, beloved," "Yarnell remembers" and simply, "Heroes."

Motorcycle escorts, honor guard members, and firefighting trucks accompanied the 19 hearses along the route.

In both Phoenix and Prescott, the procession drove under giant American flags hoisted above the street with the raised ladders of two firefighter trucks. Bagpipes played as crowds were hushed silent by the enormity of the loss.

Inside each hearse were the American flags that were draped over the men's bodies at the site of their deaths in Yarnell. The flags have been with them since and will be until they're buried. After that, the flags will be given to their families.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/westboro-baptist-church-picket-firefighters-memorial-article-1.1391708

(Bikers from all over the Southwest will be there to 'shut down' the Westboro Baptist Church pickets at Tim's Toyota Center in Prescott, Tuesday.  We received an email from some of the "Patriot" biker friends to join them.... [sorry guys, no can do].  The way it will be organized by the Bikers, I'll be surprised if those despicable heathens from WBC will show up!... and then again, I hope they do.   :police:)   

An estimated 6,000 firefighters, family members and first responders attended the emotional memorial service of the 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots who died in the Yarnell Hill Fire on June 30. An estimated 2,000 more watched the service outside in the parking lot on jumbo screens.

Out of state fire departments in attendance included New Mexico, Utah, Texas, California and fire departments from almost every large city including New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Chicago.  Canadian firefighters from Vancouver, Toronto and Winnipeg also paid tribute.

The firefighters from Phoenix and LA Counties staffed the stations in Prescott to allow the Prescott firefighters to pay tribute to their fallen brothers. Since there was not enough hotels to accommodate all of the firefighters from out of town, an estimated 800 residents of Prescott opened their homes to out of town firefighters attending the memorial.

Sole survivor of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, Brendan McDonough, reads the Hot Shot's prayer at the memorial service for the fallen firefighters:


A memorial is being created at the site of the fatalities which includes a 30 foot flag pole that will constantly be lit. 
More pictures can be seen at the Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial page on Facebook.

Our prayers are with the friends and family members of the fallen Hotshot crew as well as the Prescott Fire Department.

We watched it. Brendan was very brave to do what he did.  Very touching.There sure were a lot of pipes and drums from fire companies there. Was there any sign of WBC?

Quote from: Diane Amberg on July 10, 2013, 02:01:23 PM
We watched it. Brendan was very brave to do what he did.  Very touching.There sure were a lot of pipes and drums from fire companies there. Was there any sign of WBC?

They didn't show... probably heard the Bikers were quite upset if they did.
Huffington had a piece on it that the WBC left AZ off of its hit calander.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/03/westboro-baptist-church-arizona-firefighters_n_3537291.html

http://godhatesfags.com/schedule.html

Couple of websites you might be interested in:
http://www.delange.org/Yarnell_Forest_Fire/Yarnell_Forest_Fire.htm

http://stjoseph-shrine.org/

Via CNN:
http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/10/us/arizona-federal-aid-denied


(CNN) — Arizona's top politicians blasted the Obama administration and federal officials over the denial of aid in the wake of the state's deadly wildfire.

The Yarnell Hill blaze killed 19 firefighters, called "hotshots," in late June, when it changed directions and engulfed them.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency denied the state's request for assistance based on insurance rules, it said in a statement Friday. It determined that not enough uninsured private individuals had become victims to warrant a payout.

FEMA said it is not permitted to "duplicate benefits provided by insurance companies or other federal agencies."

The agency also declined to issue a "major disaster declaration" for affected areas.

     Hilarious, Warph.

Two dogs waiting patiently to get served in "restaurant", and in spite of waiting, never get anything to drink.    

Who said baboons aren't related to man?

During a live report from the Lodi Grape Festival in California, a baboon named "Mickey" (because baboons hang out at grape fests) felt up Fox 40 field reporter Sabrina Rodriguez, and he flashed a "smile" all the way through it.

Rodriguez laughed it off as Mickey tried to "cop a feel" and continued her report. Her in-studio colleagues were clearly amused by the way Mickey the Molesting Mammal smiled widely at the camera throughout.

ATLANTA -- An Atlanta family is mourning the loss of a beloved guide dog who left them with one final heroic act.

Seconds after he was struck by a car, Simon, an 80 pound Boxer, pushed his owner's child to safety.

"This is true loyalty and courage," said Dave Furukawa.

Furukawa, who is visually impaired, has counted on Simon as his companion and guide for the last four years.

On Monday, Furukawa was walking his child Will to school. Simon was by their side. As they crossed Brownwood Avenue in S.E. Atlanta, witnesses saw a car run a stop sign and strike Simon, then Dave Furukawa.

Bystanders have told the Furukawa family that Simon's protective instinct kicked in, despite injuries that would prove to be fatal.

"What people have said is that Simon either got up or jumped out, and pushed my son out of the path of the car," said Furukawa.

Witnesses lifted Will and ran him down the street to his mother. Simon went with them.

"Broken leg, gash on his side and internal bleeding, but he followed home," said Furukawa. "Once he was sure Will was okay, he laid down."

Family members rushed Simon to an emergency vet clinic, but the boxer died on the way.

Atlanta police say Calvin Armour was cited with running a stop sign and failing to yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk.

Pilot Dogs, Inc., of Columbus, Ohio, provided Simon. The executive director told 11Alive the organization will give Dave Furukawa another guide dog and training.

Furukawa says he will move on with the spirit of Simon.

States have been offering to pay to keep the parks open since the beginning of the shutdown. But the Obama administration has dragged their feet, seeking to impose as much pain as possible. But now, faced with multiple legal challenges to their "policies of pain", this may be their way of getting out of trouble.

Many of the people with businesses shut down have already paid fees for use of the land and have filed or plan to file lawsuits, simply as an action to survive.

Via Washington Times:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/oct/11/utah-parks-reopen-arizona-still-waiting/

Utah has agreed to pay the federal government $1.7 million to open up eight national parks during the government shutdown, and the National Park Service officials said they would consider similar agreements with other states — but were apparently "dragging their feet" with Arizona.

After being battered for its decision-making during the shutdown, the park service is trying to regain its footing, including opening up monuments in Washington and Philadelphia to First Amendment activities, which in essence makes them open to anyone who knows the policy.

After first floating the potential for a deal for individual states on Thursday, the park service said it had finalized an agreement with Utah on Friday.

"This is a practical and temporary solution that will lessen the pain for some businesses and communities in Utah during this shutdown," Interior Department Secretary Sally Jewell said.

But Utah is the only state to get a deal so far. Arizona has been desperate to get the Grand Canyon reopened, and Republican Gov. Jan Brewer had a conversation Friday with Ms. Jewell. Since then, however, the state said it has heard nothing.

In this fantastic capture by world-famous travel photographer Trey Ratcliff, we see the multi-colored landscape of Death Valley. Located in Eastern California and situated within the Mojave Desert, Death Valley is the lowest, hottest and driest area in North America.

Death Valley's Badwater Basin is the point of the lowest elevation in North America at 282 feet (86 m) below sea level. Death Valley's Furnace Creek holds the record for the highest reliably reported air temperature in the world, 134 °F (56.7 °C) on July 10, 1913. Located near the border of California and Nevada, in the Great Basin, east of the Sierra Nevada mountains, Death Valley constitutes much of Death Valley National Park. [Source]

Death Valley National Park is the largest national park in the lower 48 states and has been declared an International Biosphere Reserve. Approximately 95% of the park is a designated wilderness area.

The nation's top therapy dog, a pit bull named Elle (pronounced Ellie) from Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina who helps teach children about dog safety, reading, and overcoming prejudice and stereotypes – something a pit bull knows too much about – has been named this year's "American Hero Dog" at the 2013 American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards™. Elle and her human companion Leah Brewer were presented with the nation's top honors on October 5th at the star-studded Hero Dog Awards gala at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles.

Elle is saving lives by teaching children dog safety (more than 2 million children are bitten by dogs each year) and making positive life changes for people by helping them overcome their fear of dogs. Since becoming a volunteer, Elle started a therapy dog reading program called "Tail Wagging Tales," helping children enjoy books and improve their reading skills. Elle is also making a difference by creating happiness all around while visiting her friends at an elementary school, a middle school, and a retirement home.

Elle also reaches out to educate families about being responsible pet parents, sharing stories about her job as a therapy dog, and spreading positive awareness about dogs that are misunderstood, including pit bulls. This year's therapy dog category sponsor, as well as the online sponsor, is the leading animal health company, Zoetis.

The American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards were created to honor some of the most extraordinary heroes the world has ever known, the very best of our "best friends" – ordinary dogs who do extraordinary things. These courageous canines have gone above and beyond the call of duty, saving lives on the battlefield, comforting the ill, aged and afflicted, bringing hope to those who have lost it and reminding us of the powerful, age-old bond between animals and people.

The sold-out, star-studded awards honoring America's most courageous canines were hosted by television and movie star Joey Lawrence, accompanied by a galaxy of stars and presenters including Betty White, Jennifer Coolidge, Esai Morales, Ryan O'Neal, Naomi Judd, Pauley Perrette, Lisa Vanderpump, Emmanuelle Vaugier, and many more!

The Hero Dog Awards were created to celebrate the powerful relationship between dogs and people and recognize extraordinary acts of heroism performed by ordinary dogs. The event will be broadcast nationwide by Hallmark Channel on October 30 at 8 pm/7 Central. The 90-minute program will air as part of Hallmark Channel's Pet Project, the network's cross-platform advocacy campaign designed to celebrate the joy and enrichment animals bring to our lives.

We hope you will tune in on October 30 at 8pm on The Hallmark Channel to watch the stories of these amazing canines. You'll laugh...you'll cry...you don't want to miss it!



Warmest thanks,

Dr. Robin Ganzert
President and CEO

Canine Hero: Rescued Pit Bull Saves 4-Year-Old Boy's Life in Minneapolis.
Pit bulls don't get a lot of good press, but here's one pooch doing its part to change the breed's image: Tator Tot, a rescued pit bull from Minneapolis possibly saved a 4-year-old boy's life after he sensed a dangerous drop in the youngster's blood sugar and warned the boy's mother. The dog was scheduled to be put down, but had been taken in as a foster by the family less than a week earlier, reports Fox 9.

Christi Smith says Tater Tot came to her in the middle of the night after he had tried, and failed, to rouse her son, Peyton. "He kept on whining and barking and running between the two of us," she says. "I checked on him, and he was barely breathing." Smith rushed the boy to the ER, where doctors found his blood sugar was dangerously low.

Check out what happened to this crew on a photoshoot for the Samsung EcoBubble washing machine.  They were near Manning Park, BC.

CASA GRANDE, Ariz. -- A stream of thick, blowing dust crossing an Arizona highway led to a chain-reaction crash that killed three people in an area where gusting winds often stir up towering clouds of dirt that can reduce visibility to zero. At least 12 other people were injured Tuesday in the 19-vehicle pileup on Interstate 10 between Phoenix and Tucson.

Crews brought in portable lights as they worked past sunset to pry apart the 10 commercial vehicles, seven passenger cars, one tanker and one recreational vehicle that were involved, Arizona Department of Public Safety officials said.

Television footage showed at least one car pinned between two 18-wheelers and others wedged under big rigs near Picacho Peak in south-central Arizona.

Medical helicopters airlifted several of the injured to hospitals in Tucson and Phoenix, and DPS officials said at least one person was in critical condition.

Gordon Lee Smith, 76, of Mead, Wash., was identified as one of the people who died. Smith's wife was injured, DPS officials said, but her condition wasn't disclosed.

The names and hometowns of the other two killed weren't immediately available.

DPS investigators were interviewing survivors to determine the chain of events.

"This could be three, four or even five crashes. That's where the interview comes in with the drivers and witnesses," DPS Officer Carrick Cook said.

"That area of I-10 is historically known for these blowing dust storms that come through," Cook added. "At the time of this crash, there were reports that there was zero visibility in the road, and with these dynamic systems that come through so quickly, people are often surprised by it."

The National Weather Service had issued a blowing dust advisory shortly before the crashes, with wind gusts of up to 30 mph reported in the area.

Parts of westbound I-10 were closed for more than five hours.

The Associated Press - This story was originally published on Wed Oct 30, 2013 4:31 AM EDT
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So sad  :'(