Vetter Mountain in the Angeles National Forest is only one of the locations where fire lookout stations are located. The people who man the stations during the fire seasons, the U.S. Forest Service Volunteer Fire Lookouts, are well trained and are all volunteers.
Training to be a U.S. Forest Service Volunteer Fire Lookout
Training to be a fire lookout requires several classes with a yearly refresher course. The classes include how to converse with the Forest Service via the radio, how to interact with the visitors to the lookout towers, and how to use the Osborne to figure out the exact location of a fire, how to spot smoke and fires. The National Wildfire Coordinating Group describes the Osborne Firefinder as “a sighting device used by lookouts to determine the horizontal bearing and sometimes the vertical angle of a fire from a lookout.” This is a useful tool for lookouts to pinpoint the location of smoke or a fire in order to relay that information to the firefighters on the ground and in the air.
The Fire Lookout Volunteers have various reasons for joining the service. The main one is that they want to do something for their community, and helping to spot fires early before they get out of hand is a useful thing to do. Others love the wilderness and outdoors and enjoy spending time in the lookout towers, away from the hustle and bustle of the city.
Becoming a Fire Lookout requires commitment, perseverance, and dedication. It is a rewarding task. Sitting in a lookout cabin and viewing the spectacular scenery is something most people do not get to do. The lookouts vigilantly three hundred and sixty degrees to search for smoke. As they say, “A day without a smoke is a good day.”
The Vetter Mountain Lookout Tower
The Vetter Mountain Lookout Tower is remote but still accessible to hikers. The volunteers are the liaisons between the Forest Service and the public and besides hosting visitors in the lookout towers, they are there to educate people about fires and fire prevention.
The Station Fire of 2009, named so because it began near a ranger station, is the largest fire in California’s history, according to ABC's KSPR and the state of California.. The rough terrain and steep canyons made it difficult to fight. This fire roared out of control quickly. The Fire Lookouts have spotted many fires before they became dangerous and directed the firefighters to the locations early, thereby preventing major loss of property.
During the Station Fire, the Vetter Mountain Lookout Tower was lost, however the Angeles National Forest Fire Lookout Association will rebuild the tower and add more. The volunteers mourned the loss of their home away from home. It was an historic tower which served the community well during its 74 years and was re-opened to the public in 1998 by the U.S. Forest Service Volunteers.
While a large area of the forest was consumed as well as homes and property, the fire lookouts will continue to do their jobs every year, as every year California is prone to more wildfires.
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