On Topic This Forest Fire Season with Four-Eleven! Planes, Pulaskis and Forest Fires

The call comes over the radio: "Four-Eleven!" and fire-fighters go on instant alert. Rich Faletto writes of his experiences as a Chelan fire-fighter, along with other stories of our Lake Chelan country, in his engaging, informative memoir, Four-Eleven! Planes, Pulaskis and Forest Fires: a memoir of trail maintenance, firefighting and flying on the Chelan Ranger District, Wenatchee National Forest.

Faletto grew up in Chelan and has many stories to tell of our familiar terrain, across which he fought fire, maintained trails and flew aerial patrols. His book is filled with photos and personable stories of territory many of us know through hiking: Holden, Cloudy Pass, Domke Lake, and other local sites.

Faletto broadens his local stories by including firefighting history back to 1910; WWII incidents such as thousands of Japanese fire balloons launched towards our forests; the then-secret U.S. war dispatches delivered to Pyramid Peak fire lookouts; and the "triple nickel" 555th Parachute Battalion of 300 African-American paratroopers fighting Lake Chelan fires in 1945. He also recounts how some modern aerial firefighting techniques were tested in the 1940's and 1950's in Chelan National Forest.

This informative and adventure-packed history is dedicated to all men and women who have lost their lives on western fire lines.

Praise

"a well-written, fascinating read" — Wenatchee World

" Faletto has shared several missing pages with us about fire suppression activities in the Chelan District ... extremely important ... will take you high into the back country above Lake Chelan and even higher into the skies over the Cascades." — Bob Sheehan, USFS Chelan District Ranger

"entertaining and exciting ... a very important work that has recovered and preserved missing historical data ...Get ready to relive some interesting adventures in the high Cascades above Stehekin." — Linda Martinson, Board Member Lake Chelan Historical Society

"If you ever wondered what it would be like ... fighting fire ... this is the book for you. Rich takes us back to a time when this business was ... hard, and sometimes dangerous work...brings the reader ...interest, excitement and drama" — Bill Moody, Former Manager North Cascades Smokejumper Base

About the Author

Rich Faletto grew up in Chelan. Rich's Dad worked for the Forest Service, including as a fire lookout. When Rich came of age, he fought fire from ground and air for several summers before graduating from WSU and joining the Air Force. Rich and his wife Betty have now retired to Sandpoint, Idaho, where Rich spends his spare time out of doors, skiing, fly fishing and hunting elk.

Buy a SIGNED copy of Four-Eleven! Planes, Pulaskis and Forest Fires: a memoir of trail maintenance, firefighting and flying on the Chelan Ranger District, Wenatchee National Forest - $19.95