People in most industries are always on the search for the perfect tools to make their job easier, or more efficient. People involved with fire management, either in suppression or prescribed burning, are no different and I fall into that group. When I first saw the Alpha Rack system, my first thought was, "I wish I had something like that to use prescribed burning."
In late 2022, I started talking to Russell at Alpha Innovations about my idea to adapt their Alpha Rack to meet the needs of fire managers and prescribed burn practitioners.
In my former career, I was part of implementing thousands of acres of prescribed burning. Once we started using UTVs, we had an easy way to carry more tools and equipment, which could help increase the efficiency and scale of our prescribed burns. That meant the use of good fire on more acres and moving more quickly toward our desired future condition of restored pine and oak woodlands.
The issue was how to fit everything you wanted into the bed of the UTV. We wanted a water tank with pump, chainsaws, hand tools, extra fuel, drinking water, a first aid kit, an ice chest, a backpack blower, lights, and a way to carry our line gear.
When we had a spot fire to catch, the handtools always found a way to be wedged behind something else. Our line gear always managed to get wet from water sloshing from the tank or get mixed gas or torch fuel on it. Often, something would get close to the exhaust pipe on the pump engine and leave a lasting mark.
So we either made do, built boxes to hold torches or dolmars and tried various ways to hold tools.
At Alpha Industries, I shared my experiences and the challenges of fitting everything I wanted into the back of a UTV. I wanted all those items listed above, in an easy to reach configuration, where every item had its own place, and they stayed in their place. The result is the new AlphaFire.
