It was a very long day on the Springs fire.

I started out working with a reporter and eventually got shifted over into a satellite truck. We always have more photographers than SNG operators, so on big stories I often end up with SNG duties.

It’s nice to be needed.

But it doesn’t matter how good I am, if I can’t get to the reporter that needs to get on the air.

I was more inland in the Newbury Park area, but the fire had burned all the way to the coast.

Two of our best guys (Joel Fallon and Carl Stein) were there with Reporter Randy Paige, but the terrain was less than microwave friendly.

They wanted Randy on TV for the top of the 10pm newscast and it was already after 9:00pm.  With help from Photographer John Vincent, I broke down the shot we were running for Reporter Jeff Nguyen, stowed the dish and started racing towards the coast.

It’s night.  The roads are mostly closed and I’m trying to rush without being unsafe.  Twice I had to stop for road closures and to explain to law enforcement where the hell I think I’m going.

It didn’t help that I wasn’t so sure myself.

With my iPhone GPS leading the way (and also being a constant reminder that I wasn’t going to make the top of the ten), I did the best I could and managed to land the truck right in the middle of an active fire area.

Randy and Joel had driven South to a point where they could feed back video, but decided to take the chance that I’d be set up and ready by the time they drove back.

Carl and I managed to place our trucks in a relatively safe spot for the live shot.  I popped the dish and found the bird while Carl connected cables and established IFB.

Smoke and ash filled the air.  It stung my eyes and made it difficult to work and breathe (so I just worked and tried not to breathe).

Joel and Randy got back to where we were setting up.  Randy stood in front of the camera and we went live.

The fire burned on, we went live a couple of times and tweaked the shot a bit between hits.

We were finally done for the night, but still stopped along PCH to shoot video for the morning crews.  I can’t tell you how much driving by the open flames on the empty road is a totally surreal experience.

Let me also mention it really felt great to finally clear the smoke and haze and breathe again.

We drove back along the coast and at one point I could see the fire blazing on the hillside and the surf crashing onto the beach.

That’s something you don’t see every day.