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Show 14 Vernal Express Wednesday, August 2, 2000 Weveir say By Carol Jewart Express Feature Writer Extremely hot weather conditions are causing forests, to become dry and parched. Instead of the usual blue sky, it's turned a hazy gray marked with billows of smoke rising from forest fires left by careless campers, cigarette smokers and unusual lightening storms. Because of the numerous wildfires, the entire United States' smoke jumping operation opera-tion has been . called out. A temporary smoke jumping base has been set up at the Vernal Airport, at Vernal Aviation. The more than 70 smoke jumpers, permanently based out of McCall, Idaho, have been working rigorously, around the clock, to gain some control of the fires. Heading up the operation is John Humphries, a 22-year smoke jumping veteran who currently serves as a trainer at the permanent core base in McCall, Idaho. "Smoke jumpers are what you would call a National Resource, which means nobody really owns us," explained Humphries. "Government entities such as the BLM, national forests and national parks have the power to move us to where the fires are and where we are needed." A typical jumper fire can vary in size and is usually located in mountainous terrain far from roads or easy access. Depending on the number and size of fires, two to 16 smoke jumpers suit up quickly, load the airplane air-plane and fly to the fire. The "spotter" selects a safe jump spot, judges the wind and the jumpers exit, two at a time. After they parachute to the ground, cargo boxes are dropped with tools, food and equipment close to the fire. Smoke jumpers are expected expect-ed to remain on the fire until it is declared out or the host unit makes the decision to release them. These smoke jumpers are not young studs with health-club bodies and attitudes to match. By the end of a 16-hour shift, bearded beard-ed and singed faces marked by the hot sun are the norm. They climb trees, jump out of airplanes and cover three miles earring a 65-pound load on their backs in less than 45 minutes. Smoke jumping is definitely not a job for those who like to push pencils behind a desk. It's not a job for wimps. "Smoke jumpers like the idea of jumping out of a plane verses going in by truck," said Humphries. "Once you jump out of a plane you become your own pilot. You are on your own and you make your own decisions. deci-sions. They try to land safely and as close to the fire as possible." Finding a safe clearing close to the fire is the job of the spotter. Humphries defined a spotter as an experi- Uintah Animal first annual dog show Saturday, August 12, the Uintah County Fair will literally "go to the dogs" as the Uintah Animal Care hosts the first annual "Strut Your Mutt" dog show. The show will be held at the Western Park Amphitheater and registration for the show will be held from 9 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. with the show beginning at 10 a.m. The show is open to dogs of any breed or in the case of the "mutt," every breed. "I believe that people who participate in activities with their pets are more likely to develop strong bonds," stated Jacque Hobbs, chairperson of the event "In the long run this will help in keeping dogs from becoming a problem." The show will be comprised of many unusual classes, some of which deal with the dogs' physical characteristics, such as most spots, shortest legs, smallest dog, largest dog, curliest hair, shortest tail, best short hair, longest tail, longest legs and best long hair. A judging will also take place for best trick dog, most obedient and best fris-bee fris-bee dog, depending on the dog's performance. perfor-mance. One class, which could prove to be interesting is, resembles owner, for anyone who has ever been told they look just like their dog. Samples of dog food will be offered to those participating in the show as well as first and second place rosette ribbons. All dogs that place first in the class will automatically auto-matically become eligible to enter "Best of Show." The winner of "Best of Show" will receive a special stepping stone paw print. "I have gotten into observing the agility in dogs," said Hobbs. "I started watching Animal Planet (APL) that shows how agile dogs can be and I started training mine. Dogs love this, they have almost as much fun as their owners." Also planned are some carnival type doggie dog-gie booths, such as a biscuit toss and a "dunk for dogs" booth. Hobbs said many of her ideas come from when she was young going to various dog die' describes smote jumipsirs ... ! ' VST- ;ciu k i 4. .. Preparing to go to a fire in Dutch John are enced jumper that's usually a squad leader or is more experienced in the organization and in charge of a jump on an aircraft to determine the safe jump spot. They do this by sizing up the fire, then issuing a report to the manager of the land they are jumping. jump-ing. Spotters throw weighted crepe paper streamers out of the plane which gives them a reading of what the wind is doing. Then they select a point, based on the wind, to "slap" the junipers out, offering them the best opportunity to land at a preferred jump spot. "There's really a lot of pressure on the spotter to staff a fire," said Humphries. "If the winds are too gusty and shifting, we can't get the streamers where we want them and the jump may have to be called off. We don't like to call off any jumps, but, obviously, obvi-ously, we set a very high value on safety. Unfortunately, we still have a few casualties. casual-ties. Smoke jumpers can obey every rule in the book but sometimes unforseen circum Care presents carnivals. She would like to see every dog from every breed come and especially those that are several breeds in one. All dogs and their owners, young and old, are welcome to attend. For more information informa-tion call Jacque Hobbs at 789-2367. The following recipes will be of help if you want to make your own carnival. All recipes via Meal-Master Machine Dog Cookies 1 c beef, chicken, or vegetable-stock 1 c bread or all-purpose flour 1 c whole wheat or rye (or other-dark) flour 1 c Bulgar wheat 14 c non-fat dry milk powder 12 tsp salt 1 12 tsp yeast Use dough cycle. Roll dough to 14 inch thickness. Cut with cookie cutters or knife. Place on baking sheets sprinkled w ith corn-meal. corn-meal. Cover with clean kitchen towels and let rise in warm place about 45 minutes. Bake at 325-degrees for 45 minutes. When all are baked, turn off oven and return all cookies to cool in oven overnight to harden. Store in airtight container. Gourmet Dog Biscuits 12-16 ounces raw liver 1 12 lb white flour 8 oz Quaker oats 3 bouillon cubes, meat or chicken flavored fla-vored 1 c water- approx. 2 eggs, beaten Preheat oven to 350. Grease three cookie sheets. Chop the liver finely, or put briefly in a blender. Mix flour and oats, crumble in the bouillon cubes, add eggs and the chopped liver. Add enough water to make a firm slightly sticky dough. Spread evenly on the cookie sheets, about 12 inch thick. Dip a small dog-cookie cutter in flour before cutting out each portion. Bake one r r - i J vM'm i iill k I , f, 2s I ' -"i- Smoke Jumpers Steve Bierman and Lance stances take their toll. Fires are very unpredictable." unpre-dictable." Reiterating the purpose of smoke jumping, jump-ing, Humphries said the object is to get the firefighter to the fire as quickly as possible. There is no faster way than a 200 mph airplane air-plane and a parachute. Jumpers get there fast and can put the fire out while it's small. While every smoke jumper loves the jumping, jump-ing, once they get to the ground, they're just like any other firefighter. Many times the only way they have to stop the fire is a few hand tools and their wits. Unlike the sport diver who jumps from high altitudes, lands in as open a spot as possible and is reluctant to jump in poor weather, Humphries says smoke jumpers are trained to jump from low altitudes (approximately 1500 feet), in nearly all w eather and land, not only in remote areas such as wilderness, but in rocks, trees, steep hillsides and in water. Of course jumpers Badger jumps through the hoola hoop like hour. Can be kept for about two weeks. Store in refrigerator. Microwave dog cookies 1 c whole wheat flour 34 c dry milk 14 c commeal 13 c shortening 1 tb bouillon granules 12 c plain flour 12 c quick cooking oats 1 tsp sugar 1 egg, slightly beaten 12 c hot water Combine flour, cornmeal, milk, oats and sugar. Cut in shortening, add egg, bullion, and hot water. Knead 5 mins. and roll in 12 inch thick and cut out to favorite shapes. Micro at 12 power for 5 to 10 minutes, rotating plate. Makes 5 12 small shapes. Dog Biscuits 2 c whole wheat flour '.'; ' i I ) i v 515, . V I . . i j "mwi i Ti . . v .""-. .,''.. ',, V'l a-""5 - -.' . . .-. ..,.:; - T . i'In t- - , U ' V, ....,. , Vy,..'- A' '. i , ....m. ,t., j... -ft n? . , t j fT. ... m iri .n.. ... --- " Jtf -' i rn irrmwimiM is A, Drake. prefer to land in an open meadow like the sport jumpers, but they have to go where the fires are. "The major difference between sport jumping and smoke jumping is that for us, accuracy in landing is not just a convenience, conve-nience, it is a necessity, often a matter of life and death," Smoke jumpers are just one branch of the elite wildland firefighters in the world. Many have advanced degrees in fire management, man-agement, ecology, forestry, engineering, sociology, biology, and various other sciences. sci-ences. Smoke jumpers are a varied group coming from diverse backgrounds. These seasonal employees include teachers, students, stu-dents, ski industry professionals, construction construc-tion workers, trades technicians, missionaries, missionar-ies, security personnel, artists. National Guard, doctors and even lawyers. See Jumpers on page 20 a champ. 3 T oatmeal 1 egg; lightly beaten 1 tsp Garlic powder 23 c beef or chicken broth Place flour in a bowl, add egg and broth, mix well. Blend in oatmeal and garlic powder. pow-der. Roll dough into a ball, roll out on a lightly floured surface to 12 inch thick. Cut with small doughnut cutters. Reroll scraps and repeat. Arrange on a shallow baking dish or on a sheet or parchment paper in a single layer. Cook on high 10 minutes or until firm. Let cool until hardened. Store in covered container in refrigerator. Easy Treat for Dogs 3 jars meat or vegetable baby food 12 c Cream of wheat Mix together and drop by teaspoon on wax paper covered paper plate, flatten with a fork, cover with second plate. Microwave on high for 2-5 minutes. Cool and store in refrigerator. Community Calendar August 3 TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) meets at 11:30 a.m. every week at the Uintah Care Center Day Care room. For more information call Marcia at 789-2791 789-2791 or Minnie at 789-1064. August 4 A community dance will be held for people of all ages at 155 S. 100 W. Come and dance to the music of Kay's Band. August 4-6 The U.S. Team Roping Championship will be held at Western Park. August 5 Insights reunion, first and second, will be held at Roosevelt USU. Doors at 2 p.m., potluck and small donation to help with expenses, 50 cents for an individual indi-vidual or $3 family. August 7 Uintah High School Volleyball try-outs try-outs will be held at the high school gym at 9 a.m. A Blood Pressure Clinic will be held at the Golden Age Center. August 7-10 Kingsbury Community Church will host Marketplace 29 A.D. "A Bible Times Experience" from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. For more information contact the church at 789-3749. August 8 The Uintah County Fair Baby Show will be held at the Vemal Middle School. For more information contact Terrie 789-0518 789-0518 or Jamie 789-0206 or e-mail at whiteeasilink.com August 10 The Golden Age Center will sponsor a picnic at Harper's Comer and Blue Mountain from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The bus will leave the center at 9 a.m. For more information call 789-2169. August 11 A 50's dance, sponsored by Vemal Elks, and Old Town Alliance, held at Cobblerock Comer starts at 7 p.m. and will be held in conjunction with the car show. It will be open to the public free of charge, dress 50"s and win prizes! August 12 The Class of 1990 reunion picnic will be held at the Uintah High School from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dinner will be held at the Weston Plaza from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. For more information or to RS VP call Jannalee Kinsey at 790-7344. Vernal Custom Car Show will be held at the Colton Pavilion beginning at 8 p.m. until 5 p.m. For more information call Terrie at 789-0518 or e-mail whiteeasilink.com August 11-13 The 1st Annual Uintah Basin nine stake singles' (31 and over) rendezvous will be held at Flaming Gorge in the Greendale east group area. It will include camping, dancing and a river run. Registration is due by July 30. For more information call 781-6690 and leave name and address, or e-mail kreel e"asilink.com. To place items of public interest on the Community Calendar mail to Vernal Express, P.O. Box 1000, E-mail, edi-torvemal.com edi-torvemal.com or call the Vemal Express at 789-3511. Materials are subject sub-ject to edit. Deadline is Monday at 12 noon. t |