Howdy,
Actually its more common than you may
think.
Last year about this time, in San Diego County, a
Forest Service seasonal firefighter (who was also a Captain for a local
volunteer department) was caught after setting several small fires. Almost
every year I read the e-mail at work about someone somewhere who was arrested
for intentionally setting a fire. They're arsonists. They do it for
a bunch of reasons, and often it is simple greed. Sometimes
it's for excitment. For whatever reason, I think they're a little
sick.
In the case in Colorado, it was a dumb, stupid
mistake. But so is tossing a burning cigerette out the window whilst
driving through the forest.
Most of my co-workers feel they should throw the
book at her--which it sounds pretty much what is happening. The 'Office
Slugs' (workers that never go to the field and don't want to -- why work for the
Forest Service if you don't want to go to the woods?) feel she is getting the
shaft. My feelings? She'll be convicted (or plea bargin), be fined
(probably a really big amount that'll never be paid), probably sentenced to
'time served', probation, and never work for another natural resources
management agency again. Again, this wasn't arson (lock those people up,
and throw away the key).
On sadder news,
The air tanker that crashed in California this
afternoon, killing the crew, was here in Tucson a couple of weeks ago making
drops on the Bullock Fire.
--Fred
Team Boulder Creek
CNF Radio System Manager
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Monday, June 17, 2002 5:39 PM
Subject: [Az-Geocaching] Colorado
Fire
I was sorry to
learn that the person who apparently started the huge fire in Colorado was a
Forest Service employee. If they can't trust their own, now they'll probably
be even more suspicious of outsiders entering the forests!
Steve
Team Tierra
Buena
PS: Scott Wood,
I got a copy of the poster from Jason last week. Thanks for sending them
up! We were camping in Sitgreaves (which is still largely open) this past
weekend. I was so tempted to tape it to my
car...