Awaiting the smoke... the story of unsung heroes manning the lookout towers

SANDERS COUNTY- While the rest of the country is beginning to recognize the daily heroics of wildland firefighters, residents in Sanders County have known what these men and women do on a daily basis for decades. Due to international coverage of the many fires burning throughout the west and the tragic deaths of 19 brave firefighters in Arizona, mainstream media has brought to light what we already know. Wildland firefighters risk their lives to protect us and our property.

Often, the men and women digging a fire line or dropping buckets of water on a hotspot are referred to as the initial attack. The meaning is self-explanatory. They are the first responders tasked with knocking down the fire and preventing it from spreading.

We know them from their yellow shirts, green pants and hardhats. We see them manning their trucks and helicopters as they take off for the latest fire event. While these men and women deserve every ounce of respect and admiration they receive, there are a few individuals in Sanders County you do not see on a daily basis that deserve just as much thanks and appreciation as those on the ground and in the air.

Often, fire is ignited far from the sight of forces on the ground. Especially with lightning striking lately in remote locations, smoke is often first noticed by two men perched high above the valley floor where firefighting resources await their call. They are the lookouts. They are the eagle eyes of the wildland firefighting forces and when they pick up the radio, people on the other end listen and forces mobilize.

The two remaining lookout facilities in Sanders County occupy Eddy’s Peak and Pat’s Knob. Formerly a network of several lookouts dotting summits across the county, changes in technology and methods require only two remain manned during the summer. The simple, rustic, one room buildings are perched above 6,000 feet providing lookouts with a 360 degree view for fire detection.

The two remaining manned lookouts in Sanders County are occupied during the summer months. The primary duty of fire lookouts is to spot smoke and relay the location to resources on the ground. Lookouts use a device known as an Osborne Fire Finder to estimate the directional bearing of smoke in order to provide fire crews with an accurate location.

The finder is comprised of a topographic map oriented to the immediate area with two sights on opposite sides of the table. The lookout looks through one sight and lines up the crosshairs of the opposite sight on the smoke. The lookout then takes readings from the degree markings on the topographic map.

Two of these lookouts recently spoke to the Valley Press about their experience. One is a veteran having served over a decade as a lookout. The other, a rookie in his first season perched on the roof of Sanders County. For one, working as a lookout runs in the family. For the other, working as a lookout just seems to run in his veins.

Craig Phillips has been a lookout since 2000. During the summer months, Phillips occupies the Eddy Peak Lookout near Thompson Falls. Phillips said the challenges of the job combined with the natural isolation of the post are what appeal to him.

“I really enjoy the solitude of the lookout,” said Phillips. “I like the challenge of trying to find smoke. I really enjoy the lookout.”

Sam Sheets may be in his first season as a lookout but if things truly are passed down from generation to generation, he should be just fine up there. Sheets’ father, four uncles and a cousin have all been fire lookouts for the Forest Service. His father alone was a lookout for 20 years. Sheets is in his rookie year as a fire lookout but has worked for the Forest Service for years on a fire crew.

“It’s a family thing,” said Sheets. “I used to go up with my dad when I was a kid. I love the solitude and the view is amazing.”

Sheets said part of the job entails looking around every 10 to 15 minutes. With a 360-degree view and an incredible amount of acreage to cover, Sheets said he never gets bored with his post atop Pat’s Knob near Plains.

“I don’t get bored. It’s just starting to get busy,” said Sheets.

The latest member of the Sheets clan to call himself a lookout will be occupying the nearby summit until the 2013 fire season is declared over. He will then return to his home in Kingman, AZ where he is employed as a middle school teacher, a job that most certainly does not afford him the same level of solitude as his current occupation.

The fire lookout for Pat’s Knob did not indicate whether he would be back next season but if his family history is any indication, the residents of Sanders County will be under the watchful eye of Sam Sheets in 2014. Phillips also did not say if he would be back.

One can imagine if this type of job appeals to someone one season, it is likely to retain that appeal. It has retained its’ grip on Phillips for over a decade. It’s hard to imagine that would change over the course of one winter.

“Certain people do well up here,” said Sheets. “Certain people couldn’t handle it.”