Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 12/05/2011 - 07:02
Forums
Human Impacts in Antarctica 2011

Ms.Brown,

                  What was it like wearing the fireman suit? What was it like holding the axe?





                                                                                                                                                            ,
                                                                                                                                                            Jacob P.
Mon, 12/05/2011 - 10:04

Michelle Brown

Hi Jacob,The fireman suit was really heavy! Also, it was hard to see. Of course,
it wasn't the right size, so that would have made things easier, but I
got a good sense of how much gear firemen have to travel around with!
Sincerely,
Ms. Brown

Wed, 12/07/2011 - 18:25

Anonymous

Hi Ms. Brown, I just finished reading your December 5 journal. What a cool field trip! It reminds me of fire trucks visiting at elementary school. It’s pretty amazing that McMurdo’s fire trucks are 20 years old and still operational. I’ve never heard of automatic snow chains before. We’ve had a few nights of freezing temperatures in Austin this week, and those “Dr. Down” bags sound pretty good right now! McMurdo fire fighters must be very committed to their jobs because the hours sound so tedious. However, I must admit that I can relate to spending 5 hours playing a video game!
I know that cold air is denser than warm air, making it more “oxygen rich.” This would lead me to believe that fires would burn more intensely in the Antarctic climate. But if colder temperatures lower the combustion point of materials, does this mean that the Antarctic climate hinders fires?
Keep warm and keep writing!
Best regards,
Toby Ganz