BARN FIRE

     As many of you already know, it is definitely winter in Wisconsin and with that comes a few more fires due to wood stoves and other heating units on full force.
     Barn fires seem to be more common in the winter-time and can be a pain in the butt for the firefighters fighting them.
     On Wednesday morning, I covered Shawano County's first barn fire of 2013, near the small village of Gresham. It's still unknown how the fire start, but it was a big one. When the first fire department arrived on scene, the barn was already engulfed in flames. In total, there were five area fire departments on the scene. Just watching all the fire crews working together is amazing, it has to be tough to coordinate all that communication and help, but they seem to do it flawlessly.
     The owner of the barn was able to save about 70 cattle, but lost about three young heifers in the blaze.
     Covering a fire can be a tough assignment, whether you are a rookie photojournalist or someone with years and years of experience. Some tips are to listen to the firefighters, they know what is going on there, stay out of their way, use a big lens so you can stay out of their way, park a ways away so you don't block their fire trucks from getting in and out of the area and don't bother then while they are working the fire to get quotes for the paper/television. You can always talk to a nearby deputy/police officer or wait until things have calmed down or just call the chief when you get back to your desk. Let them do their job.
     Enjoy the rest of the week!