The tools of the trade reflect this: a pair of binoculars; a radio to communicate with other towers and relay twice-daily weather reports; and an alidade, which is a sighting device used to pinpoint direction.
Because it helps to assess the precise location of a fire, sometimes as far as 30 miles away, an alidade is the most important tool Birch said he uses. It also takes up most of the space in the tiny tower, which he accesses through a hatch in the floor. About the size of an office cubicle, space and amenities are at a premium but the view is expansive.
“On a clear day, I can see the Philadelphia skyline to the northwest and Atlantic City to the east,” Birch says. And the visibility from
the strategically placed towers is especially important.
Last Saturday, Birch spotted about a dozen fires, with the help of the alidade and triangulating the fire locations with other nearby towers.
New Jersey’s Pinelands, which constitute 1.1 million acres of land through central and southern New Jersey, is one of the most flammable regions of the country. That’s according to Bill Donnelly, Division Warden of the New Jersey Forest Fire Service.
“Fires in the Pines burn hotter than almost anywhere,” says Donnelly, who explains that “the sap is highly combustible, the needles are a flashy fuel, and fires ignite quickly and produce intense heat.”
And the fire danger has been at its highest levels of the season over the 10 days due to brisk winds and lack of rain.
According to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service, this year has seen 404 fires so far, which have burned 1,118 acres statewide through April 17. That’s about three times as many acres burned through the same date last year.
The largest fire in South Jersey this year was an 86-acre marsh fire in Port Republic on March 30.
Historically, 1963 remains the worst year on record, as over 184,000 acres were torched by dozens of major fires throughout South Jersey that also caused several deaths.
The spring brush fire season runs from March 15 through May 15 each year, and all eight fire towers in far South Jersey are manned every day.
That’s where you will find Birch, constantly scanning the horizon for wisps of white, ready to be the first line of defense if duty calls.
