BOOK CLUB FRIDAY -- GUEST AUTHOR KURT KAMM

Award-winning author Kurt Kamm has used his experience in several devastating local wildfires and attendance at CalFire and Los Angeles County Fire Department academies to write novels about the lives of firefighters and paramedics. Visit his website for more about him, along with additional firefighting details and some stunning pictures. 

Kurt is offering a copy of each of his three books -- Code Blood, Red Flag Warning, and One Foot in the Black -- to one lucky reader who posts a comment to the blog this week. Don’t forget to check back on Sunday to see if you’re the winner. -- AP

What is a Nike Missile?

When I moved to Malibu in 2005, one of the first things I saw was a Los Angeles County Fire helicopter landing on the lawn of Pepperdine University. As I watched, several firefighters, dressed in full wildland gear, stepped out. Their craft was a Blackhawk attack helicopter, modified for firefighting use. It is an impressive and awesome helicopter, and carries a 1,100-gallon water tank for aerial drops.

After seeing the men on this "bird," as the firefighters refer to their helicopters, I thought it would be fascinating to write a novel about the life of one of these "helitack" firefighters. I learned that in the hills of Malibu, Los Angeles County Fire Department maintains Fire Suppression Camp 8, one the helitack camps. I was allowed to attend the 4-week recruit training academy, and the result was my novel about wildland firefighters, One Foot in the Black.

"One foot in the black" is a position on the wildland fire line which is next to an area already burned ("the black.”) It is at once the most dangerous place, usually close to the flames, and the safest place, a zone into which escape is possible. 

In the story, Greg Kowalski, a new recruit arrives at the training academy. Jerry Dunham, an Engineer at the Camp, greets Greg and says, "C'mon, I'll give you a quick tour. Know anything about this place?"

Greg answers, "No."

Dunham tells him, "It was a Nike launch facility, built in the fifties."

Greg responds, “The only Nike I ever heard of is the shoe.”

Few people today remember the Nike missile and the related launch facilities. Many people living in Los Angeles, as well as other cities, have no idea these sites ever existed, and that some of them are still intact.

After WWII, as the Cold War began, the U.S. was worried about its air defenses and embarked on building a surface to air missile system. This system was regarded as the final line of protection, if all else should fail, and was incorporated into NORAD (North American Air Defense Command.)

Beginning in 1953, Nike missiles were deployed at 250 sites around several cities and strategic locations. There was great controversy, since most communities did not want the missile sites in their backyards. In many cases, the U.S. was forced to take legal action before it could construct the sites.

The missile was named after Nike, the Greek goddess of victory. The early version, the Nike-Ajax had high-explosive fragmentation warheads. The later version, the Nike-Hercules, was a 27-foot missile, which carried nuclear warheads. There were six sites around Los Angeles. They were manned by Army troops (not Air Force) and were heavily guarded. No Nike missiles were ever fired from sites in the U.S.

In 1974, after signing the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT) with the USSR, the Nike sites were decommissioned. In the Los Angeles area, these sites were given to the County for use as fire camps.

Today the remnants of the site at Camp 8 in Malibu are still evident. Eighteen missiles were stored in underground silos protected by five-foot thick cement walls. Hydraulic platforms lifted the missiles into launch position. Camp 8 now uses one of these bunkers as a woodworking shop and lowers plywood up and down on the launch platform.

The old Army barracks, mess hall and offices are still used by the fire crews for the same purposes. Some of the kennels for the guard dogs, German Shepherds, are still intact. One dog's name, Thor, is still visible above his kennel. Warning signs with peeling paint can still be seen.

The Superintendent of Camp 8 has a hand written letter from one of the Nike launch officers stationed there. It ends as follows:

“When we turned the base over to Captain Zimmerman, I knew it was going to good hands. I cannot think of a finer organization than the Los Angeles County Fire Department, its officers and its crews of Fire Camp 8”

Thanks for visiting with us today, Kurt. Readers, if you’d like a chance to win copies of Kurt’s three books, post a comment to the blog, and don’t forget to check back on Sunday to find out if you’re the winner. -- AP