NFPA Journal - Winter 2021 - 18

Dispatches
WILDFIRE
'NO STOPPING IT'
A MONTANA CATTLE RANCHER REFLECTS
ON A SUMMER WILDFIRE AND WHAT THE
GROWING INTENSITY OF FIRE MEANS FOR
PEOPLE, PROPERTY, AND LIVESTOCK
Interview edited by Angelo Verzoni
Driven by scorching heat and high winds, the Richard Spring
Fire torched more than 170,000 acres of land as it burned
through southeastern Montana in mid-August. Hit particularly
hard were the area's many cattle ranchers, who often
serve as the first responders for wildfires on their property.
About a month after the blaze, Jacqueline Wilmot, a research
project manager at the Fire Protection Research Foundation,
spoke with longtime cattle rancher Clint McRae about his
experiences dealing with that fire, and wildfire in general, at
Rocker Six Ranch near Colstrip, Montana. Below is an edited
excerpt of Wilmot's interview with McRae.
18 | NFPA JOURNAL * WINTER 2021
I
've been fighting fires, going to fires with my
dad, ever since I was about 6 or 7 years old.
So wildfires are nothing new for me. Here in
Rosebud County, we live in a very active fire
area. It's arid in the summer, and we get thunderstorms
with lightning that commonly cause fires.
But the fire that burned in August, this thing was bad.
I've seen bad before. I've seen extreme fire conditions. But
when it starts threatening your house and your outbuildings,
that creates a whole new dynamic. This was personal.
For the first time in my life, we just about lost our house.
This thing burned 100,000 acres
in one day. It was 104 degrees
with 50-mile-an-hour winds,
and the humidity percentage
NFPA.ORG/DISPATCHES
Listen to the full interview
with Clint McRae.
was close to single digits. There was just no stopping it. We
lost three of our six stackyards [for storing hay] and about
500 bales of hay. More than 90 percent of our land burned.
What many people may not know is that ranchers like
myself are usually the first responders to wildfires on their
property. In fact, the state provides us with wildland fire
engines with 500-gallon water tanks attached to them. When
wildfires occur, the initial strategy is always to go out with that
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NFPA Journal - Winter 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - Winter 2021

Contents
NFPA Journal - Winter 2021 - Cover1
NFPA Journal - Winter 2021 - Cover2
NFPA Journal - Winter 2021 - 1
NFPA Journal - Winter 2021 - 2
NFPA Journal - Winter 2021 - 3
NFPA Journal - Winter 2021 - 4
NFPA Journal - Winter 2021 - 5
NFPA Journal - Winter 2021 - Contents
NFPA Journal - Winter 2021 - 7
NFPA Journal - Winter 2021 - 8
NFPA Journal - Winter 2021 - 9
NFPA Journal - Winter 2021 - 10
NFPA Journal - Winter 2021 - 11
NFPA Journal - Winter 2021 - 12
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NFPA Journal - Winter 2021 - Cover3
NFPA Journal - Winter 2021 - Cover4
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20120910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20120708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20120506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20120304
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