EP #10 "All Along The Fire Tower"

In recognition of October as Fire Prevention Month Prepare4 Radio has produced a series of podcasts spotlighting different aspects of the fire service. King Herod in the 1st Century C.E. used fire lookout towers to watch for enemies who were burning his empire. Today fire lookouts still watch for the enemy except this time it is fire itself. Fires detected from space are already too large to make accurate assessments for control and cell phones in wilderness areas still suffer from lack of signal. Fire lookout towers remain "in service" because having human eyes being able to detect smoke, and call in the fire, allows fire management officials to decide early how the fire is to be managed. Brad Eells a member of the Forest Fire Lookout Association will speak with Tod about the association, the importance of fire towers and how the listener can get involved in this interesting and truly unique service.