8. Winter Scenes. [Big Pines]

Description: In the 1960s, while planning to acquire a fleet of firefighting dozers, the California Division of Forestry (CalFire) conducted an intensive and thorough set of performance tests to evaluate a variety of machines. The Division of Forestry is the only agency which conducted extensive tests of this nature, and it attracted attention from both equipment manufacturers and other fire agencies to review the machines capabilities. This film details the methods and procedures used in the Division of Forestry's 1967 bulldozer tests and the logistics required to put on the tests. The Department used land on the US Army's Hunter Liggett military reservation over a period of five weeks to evaluate several dozer models in the medium and large classes. Tests were performed under various scenarios including constructing fire breaks in continuous vegetation in three classes (light, medium, heavy) and in varying slopes from 0% to 70%. Tests were conducted under simulated forest fire conditions such as ambient temperatures over 100 degrees and extended hours of operation. The film records, step by step, the methods used to arrive at a statistically sound evaluation of each machine's performance. In addition to line building, other tests measured winching performance on slopes up to 100%; a gradability test determined the maximum slope that each machine can negotiate; and a roadability test determined road speeds of each dozer in forward and reverse. Contains some good footage of vintage California Division of Forestry uniforms, mobile equipment and communications gear.