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One very important detail that the CCC needs to correct, it is not a blade. It is a bar and chain. The chain is driven around the bar, which is stationary unlike a rotating blade, such as you would find on a Combi or another type of saw.
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This video is about 11 years old and not posted on the CCC account. I didn’t mean to imply this is the official training program or represent what you might find going on there. My own 30 year old memory is probably worse…if I find something more current, published by the Cs, I’ll post that. Thanks for stepping in and correcting, though. I should make it clear, again, I’m not a career firefighter, and there may be errors in videos and other materials that I do not recognize.
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thank you for the accountability, having been a train-the trainer for the past 30 years, under D W Dent, I am afraid we have gone a long bit astray of the basics of saw training and in particular felling procedures. just a old feller’s perspective.
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Following up, I found this but that’s about all. The vast majority of stuff CCC publishes is testimonial and documentary, rather than instruction of the general public.
I think most people would consider instruction of the general public to be within CalFire, Parks and Recreation, and Fish and Wildlife purviews as the most forward-facing Departments of the CA Natural Resources Agency.
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I used to teach CCC chainsaw classes back in the 80’s through a local community college. I’d cover basic operating safety stuff, kickback hazards, and spend the better part of a week out bucking and brushing. After a 30 hour training I could say that basically none of the corpsmembers were ready to do any falling. Even without all the hazards associated with sizing up a tree, etc. most of them couldn’t execute the cuts required, lining up the cuts for the face and and getting a backcut started right. I used to drop a few trees and leave stumps four or five feet high for practicing on…even that got sketchy. Nothing against the corpsmembers: they just didn’t have the hours running saws to really be able to not tunnel vision on the saw and watch the tree instead.
There was then and there still appears to be a sort of talisman mystique about using chainsaws. I wonder if the quieter electric saws will have the same aura?
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I dunno, the sound is always a factor. I took the chainsaw course in 91, but it wasn’t my crew position. I seem to recall two tracks, one for operation and one for a cert. Your right about the aura. Contractors always had that ‘cool’ factor when I could put a landscaping tree where I wanted it. Learning how to use a tool safely and not be scared and nervous with it is useful for a lot of tasks, but it takes constant practice, time and supervision to train the bad habits out. The trees I cut after fire crew were always set piece things where I had days to plan it out.
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Chainsaws gas or electric will give you a bit of aura if you know how to use them. When I was in the Cs I took the saw course when it was at the fresno center but missed half of it to get my class b, Justin lamarsh was the instructor and set up an improper assembly scenario for the first lesson, we all failed. I didn’t want to go to Tahoe for the next class. I left the ccc. In 2006 one day I decided to hit home depot and got a Redmax gz400 that lasted 12 years of hard use. Then I upgraded and started accumulating saws. I got to work with Justin again at Millerton we did a bunch of tree work. By the way 4 stroke chainsaws are a thing…I have 3.
1 keep your saw maintained, chain sharp, ect and learn how to tune the carb.
2 don’t let your ego make the decisions, plan it out before you make a cut then check it again.
3 this is for swampers if you see the sawyer doing something wrong like hitting the tip or forcing a saw because it’s dull tell them.
One story I remember was about a tree service doing a large removal in shaver lake, they were removing a very large fir next to a high value home using hydraulic Jack’s to fall it away from the house but the hinge failed and it fell on the house. The company wasn’t bounded and insured
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