Firebomber Publications Blog

2009-12-19T15:13:00.000-08:00

WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 121909

In wildfire news today, there's an old saying that states 'it's an ill wind that blows no good', and one Southern California movie ranch burned out by the Station Fire has discovered a small silver lining to their disaster (1); followed by a story about San Diego firefighters who used some extra money to help a disadvantaged family for Christmas, something they hope to turn into a holiday tradition (2). Two stories about the highly unpopular plan by SDG&E to shut off power during red flag days in San Diego's rural communities are up next (3)(4). In contrast to all the stories about utility company equipment starting wildfires, an employee of utility company PG&E in Napa County actually put out a wildfire (5)! Trouble in paradise as a wildfire spread past the 1,000 acre mark outside of Honolulu, Hawaii (6). With more than $500,000 in damages already wrought over the last three months, authorities in Victoria are hunting urgently for prolific firebugs plaguing the region (7); while survivors of a horrific bushfire many years ago talk about the ghosts that still haunt them from that event (8); and residents of one town in that state have been warned not to shelter at a local school at which the hydrant system has been inoperative for nearly a year (9). Fire aviators in New South Wales are doubling down their bet on Air-Cranes as Delilah joins Elvis on the fire lines, part of a contingent of over 120 helicopter and fixed wing air tankers available to battle bushfires this season in that state (10); no doubt several of which were part of the contingent battling a 22,000 acre blaze burning in rugged terrain (11). In South Australia, Country Fire Service has mailed out over 200,000 DVDs with updated rules and regulations implemented in the wake of Victoria's Black Saturday debacle (12). And finally, a story from Phoenix that was passed along by Wildfire News Of The Day reader Ruben Flores about Arizona firefighters fulfilling a dying boy's fondest wish.

Wildfire NOTD will be taking a long winter's nap, returning 1/4/2010. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all!

(1) L.A.-area movie ranch hits upon a sequel after fire

(2) Firefighters use extra money to help moms, kids

(3) Mediation Over SDG&E’s Power Shut-Off Plan Moves Slowly

(4) SDG&E, critics gather for talks

(5) The accidental firefighter

(6) Crews Battle Wildfire Above Kealakekua

(7) Major bushfire fears as police hunt arsonists

(8) Ghosts of Ash Wednesday still walk with the survivors

(9) No refuge here: school's fire defences crippled

(10) Second aircrane to help NSW firefighters

(11) Fire ravaging land, homes in Australia

(12) CFS systems are prepped 'to go'

Am I A Firefighter Yet?
In Phoenix, Arizona, a 26 year-old mother stared down at her 6 year-old son, who was dying of terminal leukemia. Although her heart was filled with sadness, she also had a strong feeling of determination. Like any parent, she wanted her son to grow up & fulfill all his dreams. Now, that was no longer possible. The leukemia would see to that. But she still wanted her son's dream to come true. She took her son' s hand and asked, 'Billy, did you ever think about what you wanted to be once you grew up? Did you ever dream and wish what you would do with your life?' ‘Mommy, I always wanted to be a fireman when I grew up.' Mom smiled back and said, 'Let's see if we can make your wish come true.' Later that day she went to her local fire Department in where she met Fireman Bob, who had a heart as big as Phoenix! She explained her son's final wish and asked if it might be possible to give her 6-year-old son a ride around the block on a fire engine. Fireman Bob said, 'Look, we can do better than that. If you'll have your son ready at seven o'clock Wednesday morning, we'll make him an Honorary Fireman for the whole day. He can come down to the fire station, eat with us, go out on all the fire calls, the whole nine yards! And if you'll give us his sizes, we'll get a real fire uniform for him, with a real fire hat – not a toy – one with the emblem of the Phoenix Fire Department on it, a yellow slicker like we wear, and rubber boots. They're all manufactured right here in Phoenix, so we can get them fast.' Three days later Fireman Bob picked up Billy, dressed him in his uniform and escorted him from his hospital bed to the waiting hook and ladder truck. Billy got to sit on the back of the truck and help steer it back to the fire station. He was in heaven. There were three fire calls in Phoenix that day and Billy got to go out on all three calls. He rode in the different fire engines, the Paramedic's' van, and even the fire chief's car. He was also videotaped for the local news program. Having his dream come true, with all the love and attention that was lavished upon him so deeply touched Billy that he lived three months longer than any doctor thought possible. One night all of his vital signs began to drop dramatically and the head nurse, who believed in the hospice concept - that no one should die alone - began to call the family members to the hospital. Then she remembered the day Billy had spent as a fireman, so she called the Fire Chief and asked if it would be possible to send a fireman in uniform to the hospital to be with Billy as he made his transition. The chief replied, 'We can do better than that. We'll be there in five minutes. Will you please do me a favor? When you hear the sirens screaming and see the lights flashing, will you announce over the PA system that there is not a fire? It's the department coming to see one of its finest members one more time. And will you open the window to his room?' About five minutes later a hook and ladder truck arrived at the hospital and extended its ladder up to Billy's third floor open window and 16 firefighters climbed up the ladder into Billy's room. With his mother's permission, they hugged him and held him and told him how much they loved him. With his dying breath, Billy looked up at the fire chief and said, 'Chief, am I really a fireman now?' 'Billy, you are, and the Head Chief, Jesus, is holding your hand,' the chief said. With those words, Billy smiled and said, 'I know, He's been holding my hand all day, and the angels have been singing.' He closed his eyes one last time.

2009-12-18T13:19:00.000-08:00

WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 121809

CAL FIRE has determined that a faulty electrical sign was the origin point of a wildfire in Northern California in 2008 in our first wildfire story today (1); but a revealing study by Washington state's Department of Natural Resources shows that aggressive attack on wildfires paid financial dividends, in their case over $5 million in reduced suppression costs this year alone (2). A new forest bill proposed by a Montana senator is receiving some flak from politicians on Capitol Hill (3); even as the US Forest Service is rewriting Bush administration logging rules (4). The African nation of Gambia plans to address the issue of forest fires in national parks (5). Heading Down Under, an Australian reporter who's been following the Royal Bushfire Commission hearings points up some of the details that may have been missed by Country Fire Authority officials (6). Tasmania plans to spend $2 million over the next three years to create safe havens for residents fleeing bushfires (7); something which could be helped along by a $5 million windfall it has received with which to prepare for future bushfires (8). Rural Fire Service is tallying the losses from bushfires in New South Wales at 10 homes, several sheds, and hundreds of livestock (9); but as bushfires in that state subside somewhat, residents and firefighters discuss their experiences, as chronicled in the next two articles (10)(11). Tragedy struck in Australia Capital Territory where over a dozen retired Greyhound dogs were burned alive by a bushfire that also destroyed a sawmill (12). And finally, American researchers in the African nation of Senegal have discovered a low-tech fire behavior predictor: chimpanzees!

(1) Cal-Fire Releases Cause of 2008’s Ophir Fire

(2) DNR combined aggressive response, better cost management to reduce state’s wildfire-fighting spending in 2009

(3) Tester forest bill heard on Capitol Hill

(4) Forest Service rewriting Bush logging rule

(5) Govt. eager to confront ‘bumpster’, forest fire challenges

(6) Bushfire lessons falling through the cracks

(7) Plans for bushfire safe spots

(8) Extra funds to get bushfire ready

(9) Raging bushfires destroy 10 homes

(10) Residents take stock after bushfire terror

(11) Fire towns start massive clean-up

(12) Canberra Bushfires Claim Greyhound Victims

(13) Wild chimps have near human understanding of fire, study says

2009-12-17T14:51:00.000-08:00

WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 121709

In another legacy of the Station Fire, closures of roads in the Angeles National Forest will continue into the new year due to mudslides and debris flows, our first wildfire story today (1); but even though it's almost Christmas, Southern California will be having a bit of the heat wave going into the weekend, spurring some concern for renewed wildfire activity despite recent rains (2). Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics filed a lawsuit against a number of agencies for retardant drops that killed 50 steelhead trout in Santa Barbara County during the Jesusita Fire (3). Firefighters in Arizona will be conducting controlled burns in the Kaibab National Forest (4); and as the official forest fire season ends in Kentucky, firefighters look back on a year in which 1,364 fires have burned 40,938 acres across the state (5). In a sign of the times, a Massachusetts-based insurance company is offering coverage for losses their clients incur due to wildfire smoke (6); but Florida's Everglades are on fire (well, at least 1500 acres of it) as state firefighters prepare for wildfire season by setting controlled burns (7). Bolivia is among a number of South and Central American nations concerned about wildfires as the weather changes due to an El Nino in the Pacific (8). In an ominous sign of things to come, bushfires were blazing across Australia yesterday (9); but as bushfires continue to burn out of control in Gippsland, Victoria, firefighters were getting some relief from rain (10). The Victorian Bushfire Reconstruction and Recovery Authority has been overwhelmed by donations in a time when other charities are going without, leading to some spoilage as 10,000 tons of donations remain stored in warehouses (11). South Australia's Kangaroo Island is implementing an innovative new bushfire plan (12); however, a teen who allegedly set a bushfire in that state with a flare over the weekend has turned himself in to police (13). Technology from a Western Australian firm will be key to a bushfire warning system to be unveiled in 2011 (14); and firefighters in Tasmania are testing out a 3,000 L (about 792 gallons) waterbomber which they hope will be a great asset during the bushfire season (15). New South Wales has been getting more than its fair share of bushfires lately, as the next article shows (16); causing authorities to conduct a manhunt for an arsonist who lit a bushfire December 4 which did serious damage to ranches in the area (17). And finally, defense contractor Raytheon has found another application for the iPhone that could prove useful for firefighters in the future - just in time for Christmas!

(1) Yearlong closure planned for Angeles National Forest area

(2) Warm spell starts today in O.C.

(3) Group intends to sue after retardant kills fish

(4) Forest officials to start 'controlled' burn in Kaibab forest

(5) Fall forest fire hazard season ends

(6) Lexington Insurance Company Introduces LexWildfire SmokeSM, Business Income Protection for Wildfire Smoke Losses

(7) Portion of Everglades burned to deter wildfires

(8) Increased concern about water shortage and forest fires

(9) Phone alerts as fires burn out of control

(10) Rain eases threat to Cann River

(11) Tonnes of goods donated to Black Saturday victims are still sitting in warehouse

(12) KI bushfire plan first in state

(13) Teen charged over alleged flare bushfire

(14) WA technology behind bushfire warning system

(15) Firefighting 'weapon' on show

(16) Bushfires rage across NSW

(17) Bushfire near Bathurst deliberately lit

(18) Raytheon turns iPhones into battlefield tools

2009-12-16T11:38:00.000-08:00

WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 121609

We lead off Wildfire News Of The Day with two technology stories from NASA: the space agency is revealing some interesting data about the impact of air pollution, including smoke from wildfires, on the Arctic (1); and a long-serving satellite named Terra, which has been used by US Forest Service to track wildfire activity, is celebrating a birthday (2)! In the wake of last week's rainstorms, Southern California's Cleveland National Forest has reopened its campgrounds and reduced its fire restrictions (3); and citing a bill before Congress as 'the end of the timber wars' in Oregon, both environmentalists and foresters are hopeful that the new legislation will be just that, as the next two articles show (4)(5). Fire officials are being fined $12,000 by an air quality district in eastern Washington state due to smoke from a wildfire (6); followed by an Op-Ed piece from Colorado which argues that money alone will not solve the problem of vast stretches of beetle-killed trees (7). Firefighters in Brewster County, Texas, have finally roped in a large grass fire that destroyed numerous sheds and other infrastructure over the past couple of days (8). A summary of wildfire activity in the South American nation of Chile is provided by the next article (9). Heading Down Under, as if farmers on New Zealand's South Island didn't have enough troubles due to damage from recent bushfires, now they have to worry about whether their insurance will cover their losses (10)! David Cant, Manager of Aviation Services for South Australia's Country Fire Service, sent along two items of interest: A Current Affair did a segment on helicopter heroes (11); and next we ride along with a bushfire helicopter pilot as his fireship goes into action (12). As the weather cools a bit, firefighters in Victoria, South Australia, and New South Wales are hopeful that they can get a handle on bushfires burning in those states (13); while fire managers are hopeful that the arrival of a heavy-lift helicopter in Victoria's Otways will provide much-needed transportation to convey firefighters into difficult terrain to fight raging bushfires (14). A commentator discusses the importance of bushfire plans in Victoria, one of the most fire-prone areas in the world (15); but an internet service provider was blamed for the crash of Country Fire Authority's website as bushfire conditions worsened across that state (16). In New South Wales, volunteer firefighters weigh in on the recent bushfire activity (17); while Rural Fire Service firefighters have warned residents of Sydney that they may need to be prepared to defend their homes from approaching bushfires (18). The danger to homes in northern Tasmania is diminishing (19). Having put up with four days of choking on bushfire smoke in the air, residents of Perth are hoping that forecasts of cooler weather will help firefighters in West Australia get a handle on nearby bushfires (20); but at least one blaze was quickly dealt with elsewhere in that state (21). And finally, a local non-profit provided firefighters in Santa Barbara what every wildland firefighter wants for Christmas: chainsaws, wildfire goggles, and other much-needed equipment!

(1) NASA Takes A Rare Look At Warming Arctic

(2) Terra Celebrates 10 Years In Orbit

(3) Cleveland National Forest restrictions reduced, all campgrounds open

(4) Wyden bill aims to end eastern Oregon timber disputes

(5) Foes Unite to Support Bill on Old-Growth Forests

(6) Forest Service fined for Yakima Valley smoke

(7) Tribune Opinion: More than just money needed to battle bark beetles

(8) Large Fire Now Contained in Brewster County

(9) Chile Deals With Increased Region V Forest Fires

(10) Farmers urged to check fire coverage

(11) Helicopter Fire Heroes

(12) On board with a firefighting chopper pilot

(13) Bushfire threat eases in three states

(14) A heavy-duty water-bombing helicopter will arrive in Colac today

(15) Fire plans a must in Victoria

(16) CFA website crashes as temperatures soar across Victoria

(17) Illawarra firefighting teams at Bendemeer

(18) Bushfire alert as flames approach homes

(19) Northern bushfire threat eases

(20) Haze continues as bushfires burn

(21) Bushfire flares up in Martin

(22) Alliance donates more equipment to firefighters

2009-12-15T11:56:00.000-08:00

WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 121509

Residents of Orange County, California, have been provided with an online wildfire survey as part of efforts by Orange County Fire Authority to prepare for fire season (1); while arson investigators are labeling the origins of the Sheep Fire suspicious (2). Thanks to the rainy weather lately, fire restrictions have been lifted in Los Padres National Forest northwest of Los Angeles (3); but despite the fact that wildfire season is still months away, residents of Ashland, Oregon, are considering how best to defend their properties from wildfires (4). Fire agencies tested the reverse 911 system in Spokane, Washington, that will be useful for wildfire evacuations (5); while 'Forest Guard ', the fire detection brainchild of a group of Nevada school kids, will be broadcasting its first images to delegates at the Climate Change conference in Copenhagen, Denmark (6). Conferees at the Climate Change conference are seeing REDD as a potential means to reduce carbon emissions and deforestation in Indonesia, Brazil, and other developing nations where rampant wildfires are common (7); and a new initiative in Brazil could help to re-forest areas that have been ravaged by wildfires, both accidental and deliberate (8). A governor in Gambia, Africa, is urging residents of his district to refrain from setting forest fires and conducting illegal logging (9); while China is taking notes on how best to run one of their national parks (including controlled burns) from Zion National Park in Utah (10). Another story about the DC-10's arrival in Australia sums up their contribution as being an 'insurance policy' to protect Victoria through March (11). A trio of stories about the Royal Bushfire Commission hearings as they close down for this year is up next: reservations about bushfire warning messages reaching threatened communities in time were aired (12); better guidelines for powerline safety in Australia are being proposed by experts (13); and there was some confusion over establishment of bushfire refuges in Victoria, with only a handful of areas having been so designated (14). Speaking of bushfire refuges, residents of a South Australia community at risk from bushfires were unable to enter a padlocked refuge that had supposedly been set aside by fire authorities (15); and a post-op of firefighting efforts in South Australia revealed some confusion in bushfire warnings to residents (16). Homeowners along South Australia's west coast are facing an increased bushfire threat (17); one of which was squelched by firefighters on the Eyre Peninsula yesterday (18). Communities in Australia Capital Territory will be a test zone for the new bushfire warning system on Thursday (19). And finally, in a scene straight out of a Hollywood movie, a former stunt man demonstrated his new firefighting contraption, which blasts wildfires with a 'shotgun' sprayer!

(1) Online wildfire survey aims to help firefighters

(2) Humans caused the Sheep Fire, investigators say

(3) Fire Restrictions Lifted In Los Padres National Forest

(4) Wildfire preparation urged

(5) County testing ‘reverse 911’

(6) 'Forest Eye' fire-detection system prototype installed

(7) Carbon price of $10/tonne could help save forests-report

(8) In One Brazilian Farm Town, Reviving The Forest

(9) Gambia: CRR Governor Deplores Illegal Forest Activities

(10) Zion forms relationship with nat'l park in China

(11) Water bomber state's bushfire 'insurance policy'

(12) Concern bushfire messages not getting through

(13) Stronger power line fire-safety strategies urged

(14) Only 3 of 90 bushfire 'safer places' ready

(15) Emergency code confusion

(16) Firefighters discuss bushfire fallout

(17) Bushfire threat on West Coast

(18) Firefighters stop SA bushfire's advance

(19) SMS bushfire warnings to be trialed

(20) Velocity Fire Force Tanker Demonstration

2009-12-14T13:53:00.000-08:00

WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 121409

Our first three wildfire stories today deal with the aftermath of the Station Fire: Los Angeles County has been socked with a bill of nearly $20 million to pay for infrastructure repairs due to the damage done by the Station Fire (1); however the tally is not yet complete, since debris flows are causing more damage in burn areas (2); but as a result of having their habitat burned out and the consequent debris flows due to the fall rains, wildlife is seeking food and shelter in residential areas in the San Fernando Valley (3). Two men who failed to obtain permits for clearing vegetation, inadvertently sparking the Jesusita Fire outside of Santa Barbara last May, have been charged with misdemeanors (4); and CAL FIRE has reduced firefighting resources in San Bernardino County, including cancellation of the DC-10 contract (5). Having concluded testing of various gel products during its final weeks in Southern California, the Martin Mars was welcomed back by residents of its British Columbia home base after a long absence, as the next two articles show (6)(7). The city of San Francisco has shelled out $7 million to pay for negligence in maintaining power line right-of-ways that contributed to wildfires that burned in the Stanislaus National Forest (8). An Op-Ed piece from Oregon argues for a more responsible wildfire policy in the Rogue River/Siskiyou National Forest area (9); while the US Forest Service is declaring war on pine beetles that are devastating forests on Idaho's Sun Valley resort slopes (10). Firefighters in New Mexico conducted controlled burns on Saturday to help reduce the fire danger when fire season returns (11); and an Op-Ed article from Colorado discusses the perils of aerial firefighting as US Forest Service reconsiders its ban on night drops (12). The New York Times examines Montana's potential solution to the tricky issues of forest management in the face of wildfires, the environment, and logging interests (13); while a type of pine tree common to the southeastern United States could hold an important key to reducing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere while also resisting the ravages of wildfires, as an article from North Carolina shows (14). South Carolina Forestry Commission is educating the public on the benefits of controlled burns in that state (15); but despite the fact it's December, parts of Georgia are having red flag days (16). Working in conjunction with Spanish instructors, Lebanese University has begun courses in forest fire management (let's hope they have at least one class in how to detect minefields, a common problem that has been disclosed in several articles in Wildfire News Of The Day) (17); and in India, explosions attributed to land mines along the border with Pakistan were caused by a forest fire (18). Australian delegates to the climate change conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, are lobbying to exclude bushfire smoke from their carbon emission calculations (19). Victoria is bringing some heavy weight firepower to the party as the DC-10 arrived in Avalon to begin bushfire-fighting operations, along with two Erickson S-64's, as told by the next two articles (20)(21); and their arrival couldn't come at a better time, as towns in Victoria are preparing for the worst (22). Despite the government spending millions of dollars in advertising on Victoria's summer attractions, tourists are staying away due to bushfire fears, potentially costing the state billions of dollars and tens of thousands of jobs (23); but bushfires survivors will have another present under the Christmas tree this year - additional bushfire relief funds (24). The Rural Fire Service has indicated that bushfire conditions are improving in New South Wales after a busy time last week (25); one in which teamwork receives a lot of credit for firefighters' success (26). Queensland's first trial run with their emergency bushfire warning system hit a few snags (27); while bushfires were reported in Western Australia's Karijini National Forest yesterday (28); something which is helping to blanket Perth in bushfire smoke (29). And finally, a study from the UK shows that firefighters are more likely to be injured by tripping than by fighting fires!

(1) LA County tallies $19.8 million in wildfire damage

(2) Rainstorm wallops Southern California

(3) Wildfires get local critters crawling

(4) 2 men charged with improperly clearing brush where massive Santa Barbara wildfire erupted

(5) San Bernardino County Police and Fire Reports - 12/12/09

(6) Bringing home the Bomber

(7) LAKE ELSINORE: Firefighting air tanker returns to Canada

(8) San Francisco to pay $7 million for Stanislaus forest fires

(9) We need a more sensible forest fire policy

(10) Forest Service proposes spraying Baldy in war on beetles

(11) Lea County Firefighters Gear Up For Wintry Wildfires

(12) Consider night flights to fight fires

(13) Sen. Tester's Plan for Wilderness, Logging Roils Big Sky Country

(14) Longleaf pine has bright future

(15) 'Good fire' necessary in nature

(16) Forest fire danger

(17) Lebanese University launches courses in forest-fire management

(18) Explosions trigger forest fire at Balakote

(19) Push to exclude bushfires from carbon calculations

(20) Giant water bomber ready for fire season

(21) The 45,000-litre firefighter is here

(22) Towns brace for bushfires on 'rough and nasty day'

(23) Bushfire fears hit country tourism

(24) Cash cheer for bushfire victims

(25) Bushfire conditions easing in NSW: RFS

(26) Teamwork saves the day as bushfires contained

(27) Hung-up: computer for emergency calls says 'no'

(28) Bushfires in Karijini

(29) Harvey bushfire smothers Perth in smoke haze

(30) Firefighters more likely to be hurt tripping than in a blaze

2009-12-05T16:47:00.000-08:00

WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 120509

On a fairly light news day, we lead off with a story from the Los Angeles Times which underscores the disparity between California and other less populous areas of the country in winning federal funds for firefighting (something which many fire departments in the state can undoubtedly relate to) (1); but fearing debris flows and mudslides, authorities are considering closing roads in the Angeles Forest that run through burn areas (2); and even two years after the Poomacha Fire, burn areas on Mount Palomar could produce dangerous debris flows from heavy rainfall (3). Young inmates at a correctional facility in Ventura County were honored for their wildland firefighting prowess at a celebratory dinner (4); while the San Bernardino National Forest announced they will be conducting some debris fires and controlled burns in the near future (5). A man convicted of starting a wildfire in Arizona will be sentenced in January (6); and fire authorities in Fairbanks, Alaska, will be holding meetings to discuss removal of vegetation to produce firebreaks in their area (7). Parts of Greece that have been hard-hit by wildfires are beginning to regrow (8); while Bombardier honored a Malaysian CL-415 pilot who happens to be the first Muslim woman to pilot one of these firefighting aircraft (9). And finally, a cautionary tale from Philadelphia where a firefighter's horseplay could have cost the department a ladder truck (10)! Wildfire News Of The Day will be on hiatus next week, returning on 12/14.

(1) California faces battle in getting more federal fire funding

(2) Roads In Angeles National Forest May Close With Rain

(3) Two years later, wildfires still a threat

(4) Firefighting inmates at Youth Correctional Facility honored

(5) Officials set controlled fires in San Bernardino National Forest

(6) Sentencing set in Bisbee blaze

(7) Wildfire meetings planned

(8) After fire, Halkidiki forest growing again

(9) Flying with hubby for inspiration

(10) Firefighter's 'horseplay' is costly

2009-12-04T11:19:00.000-08:00

WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 120409

First up today, I received the following message from Patrick Ottenhoff of Washington, DC-based New Media Strategies yesterday:

I’m doing some work with My.AdCouncil.org and we’re promoting the 65 years of Smokey the Bear. It’s actually the longest-running public service announcement in history. To do this, we’ve designated a page for Wildfire Prevention and have some really interesting videos, images and social media at this link. If you’re interested, we’d love to have you post about it!

Many thanks!

Patrick Ottenhoff
New Media Strategies
pottenhoff@newmediastrategies.net

Elsewhere in the news, officials are concerned about debris flows from wildfire-scarred hillsides in Southern California as the first major rainstorm of the season approaches (1); while the inspector general for the US Department of Agriculture has concluded that the US Forest Service was not at fault for five federal firefighters killed fighting the Esperanza Fire (2). An insurance company provided some useful tips to homeowners living in wildfire-prone areas, particularly in California (3); and communities in Canada's Northwest Territories will be receiving federal funding to help reduce the wildfire threat (4). Heading Down Under, twelve lucky families will be getting new homes in Victoria to replace the originals, which were destroyed in the Black Saturday bushfires (5); but the head of a firefighters union decried the statement that a number of firefighters took unscheduled leaves on Black Saturday (6). The fate of a historic mountain tram system that was badly damaged in the Black Saturday bushfires is discussed in the next article (7); followed by an article about the virtues and shortcomings of Victoria's new bushfire alert system (8). South Australia will implement a full system test of their new bushfire and emergency warning system on Kangaroo Island next week (9). Firefighters in New South Wales had their hands full battling blazes that threatened a dozen farms yesterday (10); while in the aftermath of recent bushfires, farmers in that state need at least $1 million to help repair the damage (11). Firefighters in West Australia had wind-driven bushfires to deal with as they continued mopping up bushfires in Australia's wheat belt (12). And finally, a commentator in Aviation Week Magazine is advocating retrofitting more military helicopters to help fight wildfires (13).

(1) Storms forecast for fire-scarred Southern Calif

(2) Probe of deadly 2006 Esperanza Fire cites mistakes, but not misconduct

(3) Lack of Preparedness Puts Homeowners Living in Wildfire-Prone Areas at Risk

(4) Deh Cho forest fire reduction

(5) Donations allow bushfire rebuild

(6) Firefighters hit back on leave claims

(7) Fire again claims a mountain gem

(8) Victorians under threat from bushfires and other dangers to be alerted by text or call

(9) SA to trial bushfire warning system

(10) Farms threatened as blaze nears

(11) Relief sought for fire-hit farmers

(12) Bushfire mop-up continues

(13) Retrofit Helos To Fight Fires

2009-12-03T11:42:00.000-08:00

WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 120309

We lead off Wildfire News Of The Day with an article in which California's governor has warned that 'There's no single (crisis) that threatens our health more than climate change', resulting in a policy that strict water conservation will have to be practiced in the state for the foreseeable future (to read the report, go to this weblink), with internet giant Google assisting in preparing maps showing areas affected by climate change, something that could be a boon to wildland fire agencies in the state (1). A breakdown of jurisdictional responsibility in paying for the Sheep Creek Fire is provided by the next article (2); and the BBC once again explores the phenomenon of wildfires in California, this time taking a closer look at the role fire plays in preserving the health of forests in Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks (3). City firefighters have long known of the toxins released in structure fires, but a new report from Oregon State University highlights the danger wildland firefighters (and nearby residents) may face from toxins released by forest fires (4); something for residents of two Arizona towns to consider as the Bureau of Land Management conducts controlled burns nearby (5). Time is running out for farmers and ranchers in New Mexico who suffered wildfire losses, but have yet to apply for federal aid (6); while a new Texas wildfire database has been compiled by First American Spatial Solutions (7). A study by Australian National University has revealed that logging has a profound impact on increased fire danger in Australia's forests (8); but the town of Marysville, which was devastated by the Black Saturday bushfires, is showing signs of life as businesses begin to reopen (9). The man appointed to be a watchdog over the Royal Bushfire Commission will be taking a summer vacation, much to the chagrin of Opposition politicians in Victoria (10); and at the same time, the setting aside of neighborhood safe places in that state has now become a political hot potato (11). Fire authorities in Tasmania will release a list of bushfire "safe areas" very soon (12); while water-dropping aircraft helped battle blazes in West Australia (13). A Rural Fire Service volunteer has been arrested in connection with nearly 3 dozen arson-caused bushfires in New South Wales (14). And finally, for all those people trying to think of what to get a wildland firefighter for Christmas, consider this little gem from a Japanese firm!

(1) Calif Gov: Climate Adaptation Will Require Water Conservation

(2) Nearly $10 million spent battling Sheep fire

(3) Learning to love forest fires in Yosemite National Park

(4) Pollutants: Up in flames

(5) 2 Arizona cities prepare for prescribed burns

(6) Deadline for federal disaster aid Dec. 10

(7) First American Spatial Solutions Announces Release of its Texas Wildfire Database

(8) Logging could boost fire risk: study

(9) Nearly business as usual in Marysville

(10) Fire watchdog Neil Comrie takes summer holiday weeks after Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission appointment

(11) Government 'shirked bushfire responsibilities'

(12) Fire service to list bushfire 'safe areas'

(13) Bushfires blaze at Gidgegannup and Badgingarra WA

(14) Woman charged with lighting 32 bushfires

(15) Gull-Wing Firefighting ATV Could Operate in the Middle of Inferno

2009-12-02T13:46:00.000-08:00

WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 120209

In wildfire news today, the Old Fire's suspected arsonist has asked that his trial in Southern California be expedited, much to the chagrin of his defense attorney (1); but apparently lightning was the cause of a wildfire in nearby Crestline (2). As San Diego's long 2009 fire season begins to wind down, the next article takes a look back at a tense year (3); while preventative measures are being implemented in Northern California to protect communities from future wildfires (4). Next up, the BBC does a story about California's seemingly year-round fire season (5); while firefighters in Arizona had a tense situation to deal with after someone dumped burning pine needles in Prescott National Forest near some homes (6). A battle between the forest service and environmental groups is shaping up in a Colorado community over clear-cutting of timber to create firebreaks (7); but Borger, Texas, has earned the distinction of being the first Firewise city in the US (8). Technology is making it into the hands of firefighters in India, which will be equipping forest officers with PDAs to help catalogue, among other things, forest fires in a couple of tiger reserves (9); and firefighters in New Zealand had their first exposure to Fire-Trol retardant, something many hope will help protect property from bushfires there (10). PBS takes a look at the threat to Australia's natural resources from the continuing drought (11); while the capriciousness of the Black Saturday bushfires, which burned some homes, but left others untouched, was discussed at the Royal Bushfire Commission hearings (12). The tragedy of a colleague inadvertently left behind during an evacuation, only to perish in the Black Saturday bushfires, is recounted in the next article (13); but Victoria's Premier feted local government officials and others involved in the cleanup after the Black Saturday bushfires (14). Firefighters in South Australia have managed to contain a bushfire burning on the Eyre Peninsula (15); while firefighters in West Australia will be getting some additional air assets to help battle bushfires in the region (16); one of several steps that state is taking to prepare for future bushfires (17). New South Wales is bracing for more bushfires as parts of the state cope with extremely dry conditions (18). And finally, a Virginia firefighter's training paid off when he had to battle a housefire - in his own living room (19)!

(1) Man accused of deadly SoCal fire wants quick trial

(2) Lightning Sparks Spot Fire in The Narrows on Highway 18

(3) County’s fire danger easing

(4) Debris clearing near Lakehead serves dual purposes

(5) California faces up to year-round forest fires

(6) Illegal dumping of burning needles sparks fire near Prescott-area homes

(7) Peak 7 logging on Wildfire Council agenda Wednesday

(8) Borger Gains National Recognition

(9) Forest dept looks to MP, goes hi-tech

(10) Firefighters train with retardant

(11) In Australia, Drought Threatens Natural Resources

(12) Police baffled by path of bushfire destruction

(13) Drug counsellor left in fire's path

(14) Praise for Yarra Valley’s bushfire workers

(15) Cowell bushfire contained

(16) Water bomber boosts the South West's bushfire defence

(17) Troy Buswell says WA's preparedness for bushfires has been enhanced by changes to the Bush Fires Act

(18) The driest bushfire conditions in 26 years

(19) Firefighter helped douse own home

2009-12-01T11:06:00.000-08:00

WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 120109

First up in wildfire news today, Wayne Coulson provided a link that will allow anyone to log in and follow his S-61 helicopter's progress fighting fires in Australia at any given time, including recent transit tracks so you can see it as it transits from place to place. Simply go here and enter a login of coulson with a password of mars. Click on 'Google Map' and this will bring up a window with the aircraft location identified (C-FCLM is the S-61 helicopter). If the aircraft is airborne, the arrowhead icon will be green. If it has landed, the arrowhead icon turns gray. If you click on a green arrowhead, a pop-up will tell you the GPS location, speed, heading and altitude of the aircraft. One other feature of the software is that you can see where the aircraft has been over the past few days/weeks/months. Click on the 'sundial' icon to the left of the 'binoculars' icon, then click on one of the date fields on the new screen, then enter a date on the calendar when it pops up. Click on the 'Trip Display' button. Click on 'OK' when the 'Trip position may be limited to 250 positions due to browser performance' message comes up. The next screen that appears will show all the tracks for that aircraft for the selected period. When you're done looking at this display, click on 'Return to Skynode list' to go back to the real-time map where you started. There are a lot of different ways to display the data, so have fun exploring!

Tom Harbour, the aviation chief for the US Forest Service, is contemplating revoking the ban on night-flying helicopters during wildfires on national forest land, as our first two articles show (1)(2). US Forest Service head Tom Tidwell has directed his regional foresters and station directors to come up with plans for landscape conservation in an age of climate change (the memo can be read at this link) (3). Many commuters have to put up with inconsiderate drivers, potholes, and the occasional detour, but those trying to drive the recently-reopened Angeles Crest Highway, which was ravaged by the Station Fire, have a new hazard to deal with: wind-driven rockslides (4)! San Diego Gas & Electric, at the request of San Diego Fire-Rescue Department, has extended the lease on their Erickson S-64 firefighting helicopter for an additional two weeks, due to the fire danger in that area (5); while New Mexico's state forester has warned residents that fire danger is high in that state due to mild temperatures and dry vegetation (6). Several families who lost their homes in the spring wildfires in Texas will be receiving temporary donated housing (7). The Christian science Monitor dispenses with the statistics of climate change and speaks from the aspect of human suffering, including increased wildfire activity (8); followed by a related story, an Op-Ed from South Africa that discusses how climate change has increased the danger from wildfires in that part of the world (9). A new study from Chile's Universidad Austral has shown the amount of water retained in their forested areas during the dry season, important information in an age when climate change is increasing the number of forest fires in the area (10). Greenpeace is suggesting that nations pay Brazil, Congo, Indonesia, and other nations with lush, tropical rain forests to preserve them rather than burn them, as emissions from deforestation in these areas constitutes 20% of the world's total greenhouse gases (11). Hunters in Ghana, Africa, are being blamed for wildfires that destroyed many acres of trees on plantations in the northern part of the country (12). As testimony continued at the Royal Bushfire Commission hearings, another tale of tragedy was told about victims who became overconfident that they could defend their home from bushfires on Black Saturday (13); something underscored by a new survey done by the Bushfire Co-operative Research Centre (14). Three townships in Victoria that were among the 52 listed as being in extreme bushfire danger will be altering public services on red flag days (15); but in a tale of two states, Victorians are still waiting for their local governments to designate bushfire safe zones, while New South Wales has already identified over a hundred for their citizens (16). After an unseasonably hot November, South Australia has officially kicked off the bushfire season (17); where authorities are being proactive about preventing future bushfires by employing mobile cameras, close monitoring of known arsonists, and warnings to tool purchasers about the dangers from sparks igniting fires (18). A large bushfire has closed down a highway in Western Australia (19). And finally, firefighters in Scotland are taking to their bikes to spread their message of fire prevention to local residents (20)!

(1) Forest Service eyes night flying against fires

(2) U.S. Forest Service reviews no-night-flying rule

(3) Forest Service 'Dramatically Reshaping' Plans in Response to Climate Change

(4) Angeles Crest Highway provides a rocky commute

(5) San Diego Gets Extension On Firefighting Chopper

(6) New Mexico Wildfire Danger is High

(7) Victims Of Spring Wildfires Get Donated Homes

(8) Putting a human face on climate change

(9) South Africa’s Fire Kingdom

(10) Study Links Chile’s Native Forest Cover To Available Water Supply

(11) Greenpeace: Indonesia's Forest Fires Threaten World

(12) Bush Fires Ravage Food Farms In The North

(13) Victims were 'confident'

(14) 'Wait' a dangerous fire plan

(15) Council heeds bushfire risk

(16) Victorians await bushfire-safe areas

(17) SA launches official bushfire season

(18) Mobile cameras to monitor arsonists

(19) Fire closes Geraldton highway

(20) Firefighters in Lanarkshire get on their bikes

2009-11-30T11:20:00.000-08:00

WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 113009

Leading off wildfire news today, Wildfire NOTD reader Caroline Brown of the Sierra Madre Fire Safe Council sent along an important announcement:

The Sierra Madre Fire Safe Council will host a program on Earthquake Preparation presented by Margaret Vinci of Southern California Earthquake Center, December 7 at 7 P.M., 232 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. The Earthquake Center at Cal Tech co-ordinated this year's state-wide Great Shake Out after spearheading Los Angeles Counties Shake Out last year. Refreshments will be served and the public is invited to celebrate Sierra Madre Fire Safe Council's fourth year and learn of other current projects: Fire Watch, CERT--Community Emergency Response Team--training sign-up for 2010, and the Emergency AM Radio Station. Please call 355-0741 for information.

Caroline Brown, Public Relations, Sierra Madre Fire Safe Council

Although roads through burn areas of the Angeles National Forest have been reopened, fear of debris flows during rainy periods may close them again (1); but Santa Ana winds howled through Southern California carrying ash from the Station Fire into foothill communities (2). A convicted burglar who confessed to starting a 2003 wildfire now claims that he was coerced into making his confession (3); while Sony is partnering with some young inventors whose Forest Guard camera system will be deployed in the vicinity of Lake Tahoe to protect against future wildfires (4). A New York Times article explores the contribution forests in the Pacific Northwest can make to offsetting carbon emissions elsewhere in the country(5); followed by an article in which the financial benefits of being a forest owner are explored (6). German researchers have come up with some alarming statistics about how much CO2 is being released by peat fires in the tropics (7). A forest fire near Nelson on New Zealand's South Island destroyed a home (8). Aborigines in Australia are teaching the world a thing or two about how to cut bushfires and, correspondingly, CO2 emissions (9); while a wildlife rehabilitator in Victoria has laid plans for a bushfire bunker for their small charges (10). Despite numerous communications failures on Black Saturday, telecommunications companies stated that they will not be making changes to their systems (11); Fujitsu Australia will be providing a $1 million customer service system to first responders in Victoria to help with telephone response (12); and final testing of the national bushfire warning system was undertaken in Victoria last week in anticipation of a formal launch this week (13). A community in Victoria to which a bushfire warning siren was donated found themselves unable to find the funding to support installation and care of the system (14); and the tragedy of two campers trapped by the Black Saturday bushfires was recounted at the Royal Bushfire Commission hearings (15). Victoria's premier has asked that residents of that state observe a moment of silence on February 7, the first anniversary of Black Saturday (16). Going beyond the usual debris burning warnings, firefighters in Queensland are also cautioning residents about the hazards of power tools sparking bushfires (17); followed by a summary of bushfires in Queensland (18). A road in New South Wales was closed by firefighters as a bushfire closed in on the area (19); but Rural Fire Service personnel plan to take advantage of a cooling trend in the weather to extinguish as many bushfires as possible across the state (20); and in a sign of the times, six bushfire PhD scholarships are being offered by the University of Sydney (21). Defense attorneys will claim their client was mentally incompetent when he lit a bushfire in South Australia's Adelaide Hills in March (22); but a Western Australia teenager who thought that burning his car was a cheap way of disposing of it may instead end up spending a number of years behind bars as an arsonist (23). And finally, although designed more for structure fires than wildfires, new technology could also allow wild land firefighters to keep track of each other in smoky conditions and rough terrain (24).

(1) Roads Closed After Station Fire Reopen

(2) Winds blow clouds of ash from S. Calif. mountains

(3) Man denies setting 2003 S. California wildfire

(4) Children's Forest Fire Detection System Deployed by Sony Europe!

(5) Protecting the Forests, and Hoping for Payback

(6) Buying Woodland for Fun and Profit

(7) Peat Fires Drive Temperatures Up: Burning Rainforests Release Huge Amounts of Greenhouse Gases

(8) Huge fire claims home

(9) Australian wildfire scheme said model to cut CO2

(10) Wildlife needs wildfire shelter

(11) Telco says it's ready for the next Black Saturday

(12) Victoria installs CRM system to lift bushfire defence

(13) National bushfire warning system undergoes final tests as inquiry told lives still at risk from CFA management failure

(14) Fire warning muted in Sassafras

(15) Campers tried to flee wall of flames

(16) Victoria marks Black Saturday a year on

(17) Bushfire damager

(18) Water bombing planes fight Esk bushfire

(19) Firies close Bungawalbin road

(20) NSW firies take advantage of cool change

(21) Six bushfire science scholarships on offer

(22) Accused pleads over hills bushfire

(23) WA teenager charged over Henley Brook bushfire

(24) Technology closing in on better locator for trapped firefighters

2009-11-25T11:12:00.000-08:00

WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 112509

First up in wildfire news today, Chris Mehl of Headwaters Economics sent along a press release for their latest white paper on how to rein in runaway costs on wildfire suppression in the US (the full report can be read here) (1). Kristina Hajjar, Director of Communications for Los Angeles County Fire Department, sent along an official announcement of Fire Chief Freeman's impending retirement after 21 years on the job (2). The next two articles discuss pressure by LA County to change US Forest Service night-flying policies over the Angeles National Forest (3)(4). Clouds of blowing ash from the Station Fire drifted across northern Los Angeles County yesterday due to high winds in the foothills (5); even as US Forest Service employed the NASA Ikhana drone to map areas burned by 2008's Piute Fire in the sequoias and the Station Fire (6). A wind-driven wildfire in Orange County was finally corralled by firefighters early this morning after burning about 60 acres, but an LA County Fire helicopter had to be dispatched for night attack on the blaze because wrangling between the fire department and the firefighter's union prevented OCFA helicopters from operating at night, despite the fact pilots have night-vision goggles (7). Apparently an arsonist on a dirt bike is setting wildfires along the border between Michigan and Canada (8); followed by a story about a USGS researcher who discusses something which has spawned many a wildfire in coal mining regions of the US: coal fires (9). Residents of a South Carolina neighborhood ravaged by wildfires earlier this year find new meaning in Thanksgiving (10); while the next article provides a snapshot of wildfire activity in Georgia over the past year (11). Horse enthusiasts in the UK have raised an impressive 5,000 pounds to help a veterinarian whose practice was burned in the Black Saturday bushfires rebuild (12). A member of Victoria's Rural Fire Service feels that bushfire prevention education is the key to keeping communities safer, as shown by a significant reduction in bushfires in his region in the past five or six years (13); but a training error caused a false bushfire alarm to be posted on Country Fire Authority's website (14). One bushfire commissioner felt that towns devastated by Black Saturday bushfires should be call 'disaster zones' rather than 'crime scenes' (15); even as an environmental group in Victoria feels there should be an investigation into the diversion of bushfire prevention resources by logging interests (16). Western Australia's premier urged the two state firefighting agencies to work better together to avoid tragedies such as the one in which several truck drivers were burned alive while trying to travel a highway when a bushfire burned over the area (17). A climate scientist warns that parts of New South Wales could become more prone to out-of-season bushfires (18); and NSW vintners fear that bushfire smoke may have ruined their next crop of wine grapes (19). And finally, for aspiring heli-tanker pilots, iPhone has a new application that allows you to pilot a Bell 205 firefighting helicopter into harm's way! Happy Thanksgiving to all US-based Wildfire News Of The Day readers!

(1) Report Promotes Ten Solutions to Curb Forest Fire Costs, currently $3 billion per year

(2) LA County Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman Announces 2010 Retirement

(3) Board of Supervisors supports county fire recommendations

(4) LA County Supes vote to push changes in US Forest Service firefighting policies

(5) Winds blow ash from burn areas in LA area

(6) NASA Predator scans California burn areas

(7) Firefighters optimistic about blaze

(8) Walpole Island battles wildfires set by mysterious biker

(9) Break the glass, douse the flames

(10) Barefoot family plans first Thanksgiving after wildfire

(11) Rangers watch over the woods

(12) Showing fans help vet practice caught in Australian bushfires

(13) Bushfire brigades focus on local prevention

(14) Killer bushfire warning sent in Country Fire Authority bungle

(15) Commissioner questions calling bushfire towns 'crime scenes'

(16) Green group questions logging impact on bushfires

(17) Premier tells agencies to work better together

(18) Early bushfire threat tipped to be common

(19) Bushfire smoke may have tainted grapes

(20) Now You Can Use Your iPhone to Put Out Wildfires

2009-11-24T12:20:00.000-08:00

WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 112409

First up in wildfire news, Los Angeles County firefighters made short work of a small blaze in La Brea Heights yesterday (1). At the direction of the governor, the Oregon Board of Forestry is looking to change policies on forest management after years of decline in the timber industry in that state (2); while the issue of jurisdictional 'no man's lands', the bane of wildfire coordinators and incident commanders alike, is examined in an article from Washington state (3). Residents of Prescott, Arizona, have seen a number of signs erected around town reminding people to use Firewise practices in protecting their homes from wildfires (4); and Arizona State University will have a seminar to discuss the impact of climate change on that state, including wildfires, on December 1st (5). US Senator Udall (D-Colorado) has put forth a bill which would provide substantial funding to battle the pine beetle infestation that threatens millions of trees in the United States, turning green forests into wildfire tinder (6); even as West Texas continues to experience ideal wildfire conditions, forcing authorities to impose a burn ban (7). Heading to Australia, the Royal Bushfire Commission hearings are now changing focus from the problems faced by firefighters once the Black Saturday bushfires began to the power companies whose equipment may have sparked some of them (8); and is also examining the issue of nearly 3 dozen bushfire bunker designs, some of which claim to follow Australian standards for such structures even though no such standards exist (9)! A partial test of the bushfire phone warning system will be conducted in Victoria (10); while the new emergency fire center in Gisborne has been made operational as the bushfire danger continues to escalate (11). A psychiatrist who had been involved in treating survivors of the Ash Wednesday bushfires has criticized the psychological treatment aspect of the Black Saturday bushfires recovery (12); and a town in Western Australia is being threatened by an encroaching bushfire (13). Cooler temperatures and a little rain have helped firefighters quell a bushfire burning in New South Wales (14). And finally, firefighters in Melbourne had to use firefighting equipment to save... firefighting equipment (15)!

(1) Wildfire Erupts in La Brea Heights

(2) A change in forest management

(3) Washington lawmakers review 'no man's land' fires

(4) New 'Firewise' signs go up in Prescott area

(5) ASU Seminar: 'Many Facets of Climate Change in Arizona'

(6) Sen. Udall sponsors bill to attack pine beetles

(7) Howard County Commissioners Re-Install County Burn Ban 11/23/09

(8) Lifting the shroud: powerlines and the Kilmore fire

(9) Doubts over bunkers

(10) Bushfire phone warning testing starts

(11) Gisborne new fire centre opens for high danger day

(12) World expert criticises response to bushfire trauma

(13) Bushfire threatening homes in Gidgegannup

(14) Milder conditions helped contain Pinnacle Swamp bushfire

(15) Firefighting equipment catches fire

2009-11-23T14:17:00.000-08:00

WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 112309

Wildfire News Of The Day reader William Cleary, Advanced Systems Project Manager for PCADS (Precision Container Air Delivery System) at Boeing passed along another suggested change in format - double-spacing of articles - so we'll try that out today and see what everyone thinks.

In wildfire news today, residents of foothill communities affected by several wildfires that have burned within the past year or so are invited to a meeting in Sylmar tonight hosted by Los Angeles County Fire Department, LAFD, and law-enforcement agencies in the area (1). An Op-Ed piece from the Pasadena Star News sides with LA County Fire Chief Michael Freeman on the debate over whether to fly firefighting helicopters through the Angeles National Forest after dark (2); while CAL FIRE has sued five men for over $7 million to pay the suppression costs for the Corral Fire that burned in Malibu last year (3). Foresters attempting to rehabilitate burn areas are caught in a bit of a dilemma in Central California, for a local plant that stabilizes hillsides after fires also impedes tree seedling growth (4); and volunteers, along with a local Fire Safe Council, are helping to restore an area burned by wildfires in Northern California (5). Officials in communities in eastern Wyoming are focusing on wildfire prevention as a priority for community planning (6); while Smokey Bear's iconic mantra 'Only you can prevent forest fires' has undergone an alteration, according to an article from Florida (7). Implementation of recommended changes from a report prepared in 2004 are under scrutiny by critics in light of this year's wildfires in British Columbia, Canada (8); even as British researchers discuss their investigation of the impact of forest fires in the Amazon on climate change (9). Australia's National Aerial Firefighting Centre is preparing to evaluate Very Large Air Tankers (VLAT's) in Victoria (10); and while the Australian government is debating the best approach for emission standards nationwide, bushfires across the continent are further skewing the equation (11). Communities in bushfire-prone parts of Victoria will be eligible for grants of up to $20,000 to help with replanting in parkland (12); and in a follow-up to a story from September, the issue of that state being saddled with several dozen defective ultra-light tanker fire trucks is re-examined by the next article (13). Erickson's giant S-64 aircraft, dubbed 'Elvis' by Australians, is discussed in the next article (14); while improvements to Country Fire Authority's website will allow residents of Victoria to track bushfire danger in real-time by the middle of next year (15). A volunteer firefighter who claims that her brigade was not informed by Country Fire Authority of the danger of an approaching bushfire on Black Saturday felt that she was being coerced by an anonymous e-mail which she received shortly before testifying to the Royal Bushfire Commission (16). Country Fire Authority is reviewing proposed bushfire shelters in Victoria(17); and to better protect tourists touring parts of that state prone to bushfires, workshops are being promoted as a means of learning how to be more aware of the bushfire danger (18); while Victoria's government is providing some additional funds to local governments to help the elderly and infirm prepare for bushfires (19). Legal wrangling by family members of one truck driver killed when bushfires overran a Western Australia highway continues (20); and although not intended to fight fires directly, Tasmania's army reservists could provide valuable logistical support during bushfires (21). Switching our focus to New South Wales, cooler weather may help firefighters battling bushfires there (22); firefighters in northern New South Wales fear that they have at least one arsonist lighting bushfires (23); and as part of increased efforts to reduce bushfire danger, hidden cameras will be placed in high risk areas to identify suspicious individuals (24). And finally, in an ironic twist, an Erickson air-crane was delayed from arriving at a bushfire in that state due to, of all things, rain (25)!

(1) Another Mudslide Community Meeting Tonight

(2) Our View: Station Fire report:Give us some options

(3) California Blames Wildfire on 5 Men

(4) The Most Native Plant of All: Mountain Misery

(5) Restoring Concow

(6) Eastern Wyo. leaders focus on wildfire protection

(7) Smokey now says: 'Only you can prevent wildfires'

(8) Critic questions wildfire efforts

(9) Why the Amazon should quit smoking

(10) Australia prepares to test large air tanker for firefighting missions

(11) Bushfires burn as Australia prepares final ETS laws

(12) Bushfire garden grants

(13) Bungle hampers fire trucks

(14) Elvis on song to battle bushfires

(15) Fire danger scale to go online

(16) Volunteer firefighter blames 'discomfort' among CFA officers for email intimidation

(17) Warrandyte bushfire shelters still being reviewed

(18) Workshops held to prepare for bushfire season

(19) Govt announces health, bushfire funding for elderly

(20) Children of bushfire victim 'could still sue' after compensation

(21) Army Reserves train for bushfire season

(22) Australian Bushfire Fighters Aided by Cool Weather, Herald Says

(23) Arson suspected in bushfires

(24) Secret cameras in bush to nab arsonists

(25) Rain delays firefighting chopper

2009-11-21T21:05:00.000-08:00

WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 112109

We are trying a new format for Wildfire News Of The Day that was suggested by Bob Cavage, President of Wildfire Research Network - numbers by article descriptions that correspond to the links below. Let me know what you think.

First up in wildfire news today, an article from Southern California indicates that the next few days will see increased wildfire danger in Orange County (1); while firefighters in central California will be conducting a number of controlled burns to thin out vegetation (2). Several fire agencies that administer forested parts of Lake Tahoe will be sharing $40 million if the Senate passes a bill currently under consideration (3). Citing unprecedented temperatures for the month of November, Australia has issued catastrophic alerts as over 100 bushfires rage across the continent (4); while a debate has brewed up in Victoria over bushfire refuges in areas Country Fire Authority considers too dangerous to even warrant safe places to shelter from a bushfire (5). Having paid out over $1.2 billion in claims from the Black Saturday bushfires, insurance companies in Australia want a national bushfire code that would replace the existing state codes (6). A fast-moving bushfire along Queensland's Sunshine Coast is giving firefighters a run for their money (7). Townships are watching a massive approaching bushfire in central New South Wales with growing concern (8); even as politicians are wrangling over a report that the government has been eliminating firefighting jobs just as the bushfire season really takes off (9); but Elvis has arrived in Sydney (Erickson S-64 air-cranes, that is) as two massive heli-tankers arrived by ship from the US and are being prepped to battle bushfires in that state (10). The consequences of the decision by fire officials to allow truck drivers to drive through a firestorm in Western Australia are examined in the next article (11); and bushfires on Tasmania's East Coast have reportedly destroyed at least five homes (12).

(1) Dry winds to stoke O.C. wildfire danger

(2) Smoke a signal of prescribed fires

(3) Fire agencies will share $40 million if bill passes

(4) Australia issues 'catastrophic' alerts as fires rage

(5) Fire refuges rejected as CFA plays it safe

(6) Insurers call for national bushfire code

(7) Large bushfire threatens Beerwah

(8) Homes under threat from bushfire

(9) NSW denies axing firefighting jobs

(10) NSW gets air-cranes to fight bushfires

(11) Bushfire controller to escape punishment

(12) Dolphin Sands bushfires claims five homes

2009-11-20T11:17:00.000-08:00

WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 112009

In wildfire news today, a Nigerian transient accused of starting wildfires in Southern California's Angeles National Forest around the time of the Station Fire, has been remanded to a mental institution after being deemed incompetent to stand trial; even as investigators still sift through the Station Fire debris trying to collect enough evidence for a court case; but the Indiana welder who started a wildfire on Santa Catalina Island in 2007 will be responsible for $4-$5 million in restitution, however he will not be required to register as a convicted arsonist. Broadcasters on Mount Wilson are laying plans for the next wildfire, collecting suggestions from such groups as the Mount Wilson Fire Safe Council; and in a follow-up to an article earlier this week, USGS researcher Jon Keeley's discussion of living with wildfire in Southern California, which was presented in Rancho Palos Verdes Tuesday night, is reviewed in a local paper. An artist is inviting residents and firefighters in Santa Barbara to help complete a mosaic that will be displayed at the headquarters of Santa Barbara County Fire Department; while Helicopter Association International held its second annual Helicopter Firefighting Safety Forum yesterday in Idaho. A volunteer firefighter from West Virginia has been accused of setting a debris fire; and another from Maine admitted that he set a pile of leaves on fire deliberately. Volusia is the first county in Florida to declare a total burn ban, but based on conditions in that state probably will not be the last. Earth Policy Institute has published a report that offers a comprehensive look at wildfires across the world in the age of climate change; and researchers in Europe have concluded that greenhouse gas emissions must reach zero by 2100 to avoid dire consequences on the continent. The next article provides a comprehensive summary of the bushfires currently burning across parts of Australia; even as Country Fire Authority scrambled aerial assets to help corral a bushfire burning near plantations in Cobbobonee National Park in Victoria. Despite extensive vegetation clearance earlier this year, a professor warns that forested areas around Sydney, New South Wales, still present an extreme bushfire danger; while Rural Fire Service has warned that the bushfire threat in that state remains extreme as at least one bushfire nears containment. Western Australia's Environment Department has been blamed for the death of several truck drivers caught in a firestorm that swept across a major highway; and a report from Tasmania indicates that at least one home has been lost to bushfires on the East Coast. Despite over 25,000 lightning strikes and a very busy week battling blazes across the state, South Australia appears to have weathered the storm in good order. And finally, we have an inspiring story about a USFS Hotshot, paralyzed by a falling tree during an incident, who has found a second career as an entrepreneur offering useful gadgets to his fellow wildland firefighters!

Angeles Forest wildfire suspect in mental institution

Detectives still far from arrest in Station fire arson

Man who started Catalina wildfire won't have to register as arsonist

L.A. Broadcasters Plan for Next Time

Next steps in the wake of the wildfires

Artist seeks help with fire mosaic

HAI Holds its Fall Helicopter Firefighting Safety Forum in Boise, Idaho

W.Va. volunteer firefighter faces arson charge

Firefighter admits setting leaves on fire

Only Volusia bans burning as drought conditions worsen

Environment: Wildfires Spreading As Temperatures Rise

EU Research Shows Greenhouse Gases Must Zero Out by 2100

Fire-weary residents too terrified to sleep

Water bombers sent to fire near Casterton

Hazard reduction blitz fails to dampen risk

RFS warns of deadly bushfires threat

Foolhardy decision led to truckies' deaths

House lost in east coast bushfire

South Australia dodges bushfire disaster

Injured Oregon firefighter now entrepreneur

2009-11-19T11:03:00.000-08:00

WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 111909

First up in wildfire news today, the Los Angeles Times explores the LA County Fire Department's report on the Station Fire that was released Tuesday; followed by a story in which local politicians voiced their support for the report's findings, while a USFS deputy chief admits that it may be time to re-examine fighting fires in the National Forest after dark; and another in which residents of La Canada/Flintridge applauded the report's recommendation that defensible space around homes should be increased from the federally mandated 30 feet to the County standard of 200 feet. Forest owners in Oregon are faced with mounting fire protection bills amid falling timber income; but authorities have arrested the owner of a home in El Paso County, Colorado, for torching his foreclosed home in July, something which nearly sparked a major forest fire. Researchers at University of Maryland, Baltimore County, will be using the latest in IBM technology to analyze smoke patterns during wildfires to provide real-time warnings to people in the path of oncoming fires; while the head of the US Forest Service was on Capitol Hill discussing that agency's role in combating climate change; and firefighters in Florida fear that they may be seeing the work of a serial arsonist in Brevard County. Australia's United Firefighter Union, representing 13,500 professional firefighters nationwide, is urging politicians not to water down a climate bill which they hope will help reduce catastrophic bushfires; but in a new twist on the bushfire bunker saga, the Australian Institute of Building Surveyors is telling its members to have nothing to do with bushfire bunkers until current preliminary building standards are replaced with approved standards. The issue of employees from Victoria leaving work to fight bushfires is examined in the next item; while a study on the media's experiences from coverage of the Black Saturday bushfires is being done in hopes of improving coverage of future disasters. Residents of Victoria, New South Wales, and South Australia have been warned of severe bushfire conditions today; followed by an article that provides detailed information on what the various bushfire warning ratings signify. The collision of two Country Fire Service firetrucks in smoky conditions in South Australia resulted in injuries to five firefighters. And finally, firefighters in Florida responding to a house fire found a residence that was going to pot (BA gear may have come in handy!)

Forest Service should change firefighting policies, report says

Area politicians support recommendations in county's Station Fire report

County report critical of fire policy

Fire protection bills pile up for forest owners

'ARSON': Owner of Home in Black Forest House Fire Arrested

UMBC Researchers Use IBM Technology to Fight Rising Threats of Forest Fires

Forest Service says trees can slow climate change

Serial Arsonist May Be On The Loose

Australian Firefighters Urge Passage of Climate Bill (Update2)

Surveyors told not to approve bushfire bunkers

Employers urged to go easy on firefighting staff

The Black Saturday bushfires: How the media covered Australia's worst peace-time disaster

Severe bushfire warnings issued for Victoria, NSW and South Australia

Bushfires: the Fire Danger Rating system explained

Fire trucks collide as blaze out of control

Smoke Out! Firefighters Battling Blaze Find Pot Plants

2009-11-18T12:31:00.000-08:00

WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 111809

Kristina Hajjar, Director of Communications for LA County Fire Department, passed along an executive report from Chief Freeman (available for viewing on the Los Angeles County website) on the Station Fire that advocates a 'vastly different approach' to fighting wildfires in the Angeles National Forest, incorporating water dropping helicopters using night vision capabilities to attack the fires after dark, as summed up in our first wildfire article today. Firefighters expect to have the wildfire burning near San Juan Capistrano fully contained some time today; but a vehicle fire on nearby Ortega Highway no doubt caused them some concerns for renewed fires in the area. A 329-acre blaze which burned in Central California in September was apparently caused by a careless teenager; while a runaway debris burn elsewhere in that region provided a bit of excitement for CAL FIRE firefighters. Arson investigators are scrutinizing a small grass fire that erupted near a high school in Wisconsin. Fire agencies are indicating that nearly 2 dozen wildfires have been deliberately set in Kentucky in the past few days; but at least one arsonist, a 61-year-old woman, was caught in the act of setting fires. A small wildfire that burned in Vermont over the weekend was quickly corralled by firefighters; and a Georgia first grader won a national fire-prevention contest. Despite the popular image of Florida as a tropical paradise, the state is actually entering its fourth year of drought, in which vegetation will be especially vulnerable to wildfires during the dry season which runs from December through April. An article from South Africa explores that country's use of AFIS (Advanced Fire Information System) data from orbiting satellites that could help alert residents by phone of approaching wildfires. The South Korean president is moving forward with plans to help re-forest parts of North Korea that were perceived by satellite to have been burned by massive forest fires. As bushfire warnings circulate across Australia, a Radio Australia segment discusses just how prepared the continent is for bushfires; even as weather and fuel conditions in Victoria are combining to create a firefighter's nightmare in parts of that state; and the problem of power poles as potential fire sources in the rural areas is examined by the next article. Fire managers in New South Wales say that residents are more motivated towards fire prevention in light of what happened in Victoria on Black Saturday. Residents of central Queensland have been put on alert but they may be forced to evacuate as two fast-moving bushfires approach; followed by a story about the anxious debate among residents over what to do. And finally, a story out of Queensland tells of a new wish fire hazard to beware of: leaping kangaroos!

County fire recommends brush clearance, reinstituting aerial water drops at night in Station Fire executive report

SoCal wildfire 95 percent contained

Vehicle fire prompts highway closure

Teen suspected of starting Power Fire

Firefighters Douse Escaped Debris Burn

Fire near Nekoosa High School called suspicious

Forest rangers say 23 fires were intentionally set

Police make arrest in Harlan County fires

Mount Mansfield fire contained

Chatsworth first-grader wins national Smokey the Bear contest

Wildfire danger is on the rise

Fires: Spotted from satellites, warned by phone

Action plan underway for N.K. forestation

How well prepared is Australia for 2009 bushfire season?

Firefighters brace for toughest day

Power lines 'still vulnerable to spark'

Residents are bushfire ready

Fire may force Central Qld evacuation

Flight or fight as fires take hold

'Kangaroo started bushfire'

2009-11-17T12:54:00.000-08:00

WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 111709

Los Angeles County has renewed the $50,000 bounty on the arsonist who caused the Station Fire; but with the rainy season approaching, residents of burn areas in the foothill communities above Los Angeles are being briefed by fire officials on how to prepare for mudslides. Socked by rising insurance costs, two utilities in Southern California plan to increase fees to homeowners to cover anticipated losses to future wildfires in the area. In an ironic twist, attempted fire prevention sparked a wildfire in southern Orange County; one which has expanded to over 250 acres, but should be contained soon, thanks in part to a change in the weather. A small wildfire burning in the Los Padres National Forest over the weekend was reported nearly fully contained yesterday; even as United Way and other organizations announced that they had just distributed the remainder of donations for survivors of the Tea Fire in Santa Barbara to needy families. Residents of San Diego County have been invited to a 'firescaping' course that will show them how to use firewise landscaping to protect their property. USFS will begin prescribed burns of vegetation around South Lake Tahoe, California, today; and firefighters are planning controlled burns near Tucson, Arizona, as well. An ecologist whose controversial belief that beetle-killed trees are actually good for forest ecology is scheduled to speak in Montana. A wildfire in Pennsylvania kept firefighters busy; while a wildfire was reported in Bell County, Virginia, too. Argentina is having some problems with persistent wildfires in forested country. Heading to Australia, another article details the advice provided to the Royal Bushfire Commission about having more command-level officers on the scene in future bushfires to help reduce the confusion that was so detrimental to efforts to fight the Black Saturday bushfires. A Member of Parliament asked that a town in his jurisdiction be allowed to clear hazardous vegetation under the '10/30' rule; and although a comprehensive list of schools in Victoria that would need to be evacuated in the event of a bushfire has been compiled, critics argue that it's not quite comprehensive enough. Over 500 km of vegetation has been cleared from around water caches in Victoria, but much remains to be done to protect them from bushfires; this coming at a time when the Premier is warning of dangerous bushfire weather later this week. A summary of bushfires burning in New South Wales, including one which threatened homes in Sydney, is provided by the next two articles. Opposition politicians argue that the NSW government is keeping back information about communities in danger from potential bushfires due to fears that communities not listed would grow complacent in making any bushfire preparations; while over $100,000 of timber was destroyed in one of the bushfires burning in that state. Concerns are being raised over the survival of a rare ground parrot in Queensland as a bushfire that has been burning for a week continues to destroy its habitat; and as the temperatures rise, South Australians are being warned to prepare for catastrophic bushfires; something which could prompt evacuations as early as today from high-risk areas. And finally, a cautionary tale from Peru underscores the importance of a timely arrival at an incident!

Station Fire $50,000 reward renewed

Avoiding the Worst Case Scenario

Utilities propose higher fees

Ortega Fire Started By Irony

Cooler Weather Helping Firefighters In San Juan Capistrano

Fire in Los Padres National Forest reported as 80% contained

Wildfire Relief Cash Runs Dry

REGION: Public invited to 'firewise' landscape workshop

Federal officials begin fire burns today in South Lake Tahoe

Prescribed fires planned for the Verde Glen area

Wuerthner to speak on forest ecology and value of dead trees

Firefighters in Beaver County battle brush

Flames still burning in White Mountain

Wildfires continue in mountainous areas of Cordoba Province

Deploy fire chiefs early, Victoria bushfires Royal Commission hears

Our residents just as vulnerable to bushfire, says MP

Schools left off bushfire Code Red register

Firebreaks to protect water catchments

Premier warns of 'bad day' for bushfires

Fire crews save Sydney homes

Bushfire rages as temperatures peak

Govt urged to name fire threat communities

Pine forest blaze proves costly

Bushfire sparks fears for rare parrot

Catastrophic bushfire danger warning for South Australia

Catastrophic bushfire warning prompts evacuations

Angry mob beats, robs Peru firefighters

2009-11-16T12:11:00.000-08:00

WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 111609

Leading off wildfire news today, Bob Cavage, President of Wildfire Research Network, sent along the following link to the upcoming Wildland Urban Interface 2010 conference which will discuss, among other things, Very Large Air-Tankers (VLAT), and is being sponsored by the US Forest Service, the U.S. Department of the Interior, the National Association of State Foresters, the Nevada State Fire Chiefs, and the NFPA Firewise Communities. Elsewhere in the news, a small wildfire broke out today in the heavily-traveled Sepulveda Pass corridor that links Los Angeles with communities to the north; while a press release adds fuel to the fire of the building controversy over the US Forest Service's handling of the Station Fire, particularly the tepid air response in the early stages of the blaze. The next item takes a look at the debris basins which stop debris flows from menacing communities below them (something that will be of special importance this winter in areas where hillsides of been denuded by the Station Fire); and USGS scientist and wildfire lecturer Jon Keeley will be speaking in Palos Verdes Peninsula tomorrow on the topic of living with wildfires. The U.S. Army is planning to burn off some vegetation to clear the way for munitions removal at Fort Ord in Central California. Northern California's wildfire season officially ends today, but CAL FIRE is still warning residents to be cautious with any outdoor burning; even as recruitment of seasonal firefighters for the 2010 season begins. An article from Oregon reflects on the impact of the recently-passed FLAME Act, legislation which provides substantial funding to pay for wildfire suppression throughout the US; followed by one from Kansas that provides more details on the bill. A Nebraska-based tree-planting organization has planted over 80,000 of the planned 1 million seedlings in that state; while a small wildfire has been reported in North Carolina; and a county in Upstate New York has imposed a total burn ban as wildfire season in that area reaches its peak. In contrast to British Columbia, Ontario, Canada, reported a fire season with the second lowest activity in 50 years; while Alberta reported a normal fire season equivalent to those of recent years. The African nation of Zambia is struggling with a dysfunctional wildfire-response system. Heading Down Under, Victoria has released the long-awaited list of bushfire havens spelled out by the Royal Bushfire Commission; but critics are charging that the Australian state needs more qualified fire chiefs to handle future bushfire disasters like Black Saturday. The Royal Bushfire Commission is hearing testimony on what went wrong when one Black Saturday bushfire killed more than 100 residents of Victoria, in part due to problems with an emergency response center; but in contrast, a new $200,000 facility has been opened elsewhere in that state. As the investigation into a deliberately-set Black Saturday bushfire continues, a Country Fire Authority fire captain who was under suspicion for an arson fire has returned to work. Celebrity animal activist Steve Irwin's widow has been accused of neglecting bushfire clearance on property that was granted to her by Australia following the death of her husband, leading to a major bushfire in the Queensland animal preserve; but firefighters were able to save several homes threatened by a fast-moving grass fire elsewhere in that state. New South Wales dominated the news today: the first of 470 signs that will display bushfire danger levels has been unveiled; a stolen vehicle that was torched caused a bushfire; over 100 Rural Fire Service firefighters took part in battling a forest fire; followed by a photo gallery of the fires; even as more parts of New South Wales have fallen under a total burn ban. And finally, firefighters in Des Moines, Iowa, not only had to put out a fire, but they had to round up the livestock afterwards!

L.A. firefighters battling blaze in Sepulveda Pass [Updated]

Los Angeles County Station Fire Probe: Full of Hot Air, Say Victims

Empty debris basins wait for Station Fire's winter impact

PVP lecture: Living with nature in the land of fire

Army plans Ord burn

CalFire Says Peak Wildfire Season is Over

Calif. seasonal firefighter application period begins

New Firefighting Law Could Help Oregon, States

Vilsack, Salazar praise "FLAME" Wildfire Supresssion Reserve Fund

What We Are Planting: Trees for ReTree Nebraska

Brush fire burning on Clint Norris Road

Open burn ban to be enforced in Greene County

2009 fire season one of the quietest on record

Forest fire totals on par with recent years

S/Province PS bemoans firefighting inadequacies

Bendigo’s ‘safer’ places named

Bushfire war has few generals

Commission examines Kilmore fire

Bushfire defence boost for Nelson

Firey queried over bushfire back at work

Croc Hunter's Widow Blamed For Bushfire

Firies save homes from Gympie bushfire

State unveils 'catastrophic' fire signs

Torched stolen vehicle causes bushfire – West Hoxton

Firefighters battle forest blaze

In Pictures: 'Australia Bushfires'

More bans expected after two NSW blazes

Des Moines firefighters rescue chickens, guinea pigs

2009-11-14T20:07:00.000-08:00

WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 111409

In the first shots of what will likely be a heated debate over the Station Fire's prosecution, Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich blasted the US Forest Service report that stated that they did everything that could be done in the early stages of that fire to control it, our first wildfire article today. An update on the mudslides in burn areas above La Cañada Flintridge is provided by an LA Times article; even as more fire weather is predicted for this weekend. Residents of central California are breathing a sigh of relief as CAL FIRE announces the end of wildfire season in the Bay Area and counties to the east of it; although areas that have already burned, even years ago, may still pose a hazard to visitors and residents alike. Investigators are still seeking an arsonist who set a 6,000 acre blaze in the Stanislaus National Forest; while a Northern California resident charged with starting the 1,200 acre Coffin Fire with a carelessly tossed cigarette pleaded no contest. Scientific American explores the use of goats to clear vegetation in wildfire-prone parts of California; and researchers in Nevada were awarded a grant of $3.2 million to study the effect of aerosols, including wildfire smoke, on climate change as revealed by ice cores; but firefighters in that state will be contributing to that smoky record by conducting controlled burns at the Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge. Despite the onset of fall, Michigan's Upper Peninsula is still reporting a smattering of wildfires in tinder dry brush. Climate scientists and firefighters in Australia are warning that a Black Saturday bushfire could happen elsewhere on the continent during this current fire season; even as the government of Victoria has said that they will not provide transportation for the elderly or infirm to evacuate in the event of another bushfire, posing a dilemma for these people on how to evacuate safely. While temperatures in eastern Australian states climb past 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), the bushfire danger has increased considerably; and in South Australia, Country Fire Service firefighters had their hands full with a number of bushfires yesterday as temperatures soared. And finally, the LA Times chronicles a solemn ceremony in Los Angeles today in which the granddaughters of a firefighter who perished in a blaze 70 years ago received a replacement Tribute Badge from LAFD for their grandfather's, the original having been badly damaged when their mobile home burned in the Sayre Fire in 2007.

Feds’ firefighting tactics under fire

Mudslide damages six homes, closes road in La Cañada Flintridge [Updated]

Fire weather forecast for Los Angeles and Ventura counties

Fire season to end Monday

Angora fire zone still has hazards despite clearing

Forest fire was caused by humans

Woman pleads no contest to starting Coffin Fire

No Kidding: Getting Goats to Graze on Tinder Puts a Damper on Fires

Nevada researcher gets grant to study ice cores

Burn Set For Pahranagat Refuge

Wildfires pop up in dry U.P. forests

Black Saturday fires 'could happen again'

Heat is on the old and the isolated

East coast swelters as heatwave continues

Blazes keep crews on high alert

Firefighters present family with tribute badge destroyed in a wildfire

2009-11-13T14:16:00.000-08:00

WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 111309

The US Forest Service has released their preliminary report on their response to the Station Fire (the report can be read here), our first wildfire story today; but in a legacy of the Station Fire, residents of the La Canada/Flintridge area suffered through a mudslide spawned by heavy rains in burn areas early today. A look at the financial cost of wildfires in Southern California is provided by an article from Bloomberg; while an inmate who is accused of setting the 2003 Old Fire outside of San Bernardino has pleaded not guilty to five counts of murder. Orange County Fire Authority, as part of their beefed up response to wildfires, will begin flying flags on high fire danger days as a visible reminder to homeowners of the wildfire danger. Allstate insurance Co. donated $80,000 for a number of billboard ads urging residents of San Diego to make preparations for wildfires; but a lawsuit has been filed to halt development of an area in Tejon Ranch that frequently hosts wildfires. Forest owners in Central California will be able to attend a workshop that shows how to maintain a healthy forest amid wildfire hazards. Good news from Lake Tahoe: despite the ash dumped into the lake by the 2007 Angora Fire, the lake has retained its clarity; but there was some bad news for the US Forest Service, which is being accused of being unprepared for debris flows from recent rains in areas ravaged by the Angora Fire. A team of experts is being put together by US Forest Service to tackle the bark beetle problem in Colorado and other parts of the West; with their next stop probably being Montana, where hundreds of thousands of acres of beetle-killed trees present a sizable fire hazard to the national forests in that state. Farmers in parts of Texas will be able to get loans to help repair the damage done to their crops by wildfires; but Upstate New York firefighters used ATVs, leaf blowers, and rakes to rope in a 100 acre wildfire. Over $1 million in government money will be used to help reduce the danger from wildfires in British Columbia, also providing up to 40 part-time jobs to unemployed foresters. A symbolic tree planting ceremony in burn areas north of Athens, Greece, was attended by members of the US Embassy, as well as US Forest Service personnel via video link from Montana. A blogger from Australia laments the ad-hoc approach to the bushfire threat after the Black Saturday disasters; and police are on the lookout for someone who is using illegal fireworks to spark bushfires in state parks in Victoria. The age-old problem of safely evacuating civilians from an area threatened by a bushfire is examined in the next article from Victoria; even as a 100-acre bushfire burning in South Australia has been contained. Campers were chased out of their campground by a bushfire on Queensland's Sunshine Coast; but an incoming thunder storm is expected to clear thick smoke from the fire out of Brisbane later today (although the same winds that clear the smoke could stir up the fire!) And finally, Iowa State University researchers are taking a swing at developing new PPE for firefighters, from head to toe (the question is, will it be fashionable?)

Report: Terrain, brush to blame in huge wildfire

SoCal Rain Triggers Mudslide in La Canada Flintridge Area

Southern California Fire Tops List of 2008’s Costliest Blazes

Calif. fire suspect pleads not guilty to murder

SoCal county to use red flag fire danger system

Billboards to stress emergency preparation

Lawsuit Filed to Stop Condor-Killing Development, Save Tejon Ranch

Workshop on forest fire hazards

Lake Tahoe remains clear despite 2007 wildfire

Recent storms proved too much for fire-damaged areas near Angora

National team to help manage bark beetle problem

Shoshone Forest faces beetle budget bust

Heat-damaged farms eligible for loans

Firefighters contain 100-acre brush fire in Fishkill

Funding for off-the-job forest workers

Tree planting at wildfire-ravaged site by US embassy staff, vols

Water bombers but no bunkers for the summer

Illegal fireworks spark blaze near bushfire towns

Gridlock danger in bushfire zones

Bushfire contained on Eyre Peninsula

Campers forced to flee Sunshine Coast bushfire

Bushfire shrouds city in smoke

Firefighter Fashion: Iowa State Research and Design Team Develops New Protective Gear for Firefighters

2009-11-12T11:39:00.000-08:00

WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 111209

First up in wildfire news today, boxer Alex Ariza will be paying homage at a boxing match in Las Vegas this weekend to a fallen LA County firefighter who died trying to get his crew to safety during the Station Fire. A series of public education meetings sponsored by a coalition of fire agencies and the California Fire Safe Council was conducted in the Malibu/Topanga Canyon area of western Los Angeles County. A hungry bear that had been rummaging through people's trash in La Crescenta was tranquilized by wildlife authorities and will be relocated to the Angeles National Forest (if they can find any areas locally that haven't been burnt to a crisp by the Station Fire, that is); and the superintendent of the Mount Wilson Observatory recounts the harrowing experience of living through the Station Fire as it approached the historic site. Some additional details on an earlier story about a US Forest Service firefighter who lost his trailer-home to the Sheep Fire are provided by the next article. Although San Diego Gas & Electric and Cox Communications paid settlements to the State of California and other parties for the 2007 wildfires (in which neither company admitted wrongdoing), the investigation into exactly how the wildfires started continues; even as residents of a San Diego community are showing their appreciation for a local fire station whose firefighters protected them during the 2007 wildfires. A former US Forest Service firefighter who has battled wildfires near Santa Barbara over the years, has just been appointed that city's fire chief; and the US Forest Service will be darkening the skies around Lake Tahoe as a conduct controlled burns. The Department of the Interior is declaring war on cheatgrass (among other things) in the Great Basin; while firefighters on New Mexico's Mescalero Apache Reservation had a 900 acre wildfire to battle. The pioneer who began the practice of smokejumping for the US Forest Service has died in Montana at the ripe old age of 98! Residents of a community in Mississippi that has the same name as a legendary wildland firefighting tool will be receiving Firewise instruction on how better to protect their homes from wildfires in that state. A New York Times article tells how a number of environmental groups are urging protection of Canada's boreal forests, which account for 60% of the carbon sinking done by vegetation worldwide. Taking bushfire precautions one step further, Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia, is going to be requiring schools and day care centers to close down on red flags alert days; and in addition to the usual heightened vigilance during bushfire season in Gippsland, police will also be keeping tabs on known arsonists. Local officials in Victoria are renewing pressure to fix the communications problems that so vexed firefighters during Black Saturday; while Blaze Aid, a nonprofit that boasts 3,500 volunteers, has repaired over 400 km of fence line destroyed by the Black Saturday bushfires. A lightning-sparked wildfire that broke out along the Queensland-Northern Territory border now covers several kilometers; even as New South Wales' Rural Fire Service has imposed a total burn ban and warned homeowners to review their bushfire preparedness plans. And finally, a farmer on New Zealand's North Island was stunned when he received a bill for over $65,000 for a controlled burn got out of control!

Alex Ariza dedicates "FIREPOWER" to fallen LA County Firefighter

Residents Urged to Organize Fire Safe Councils

Napping bear found in yard

Superintendent who helped save Mt. Wilson Observatory is raising funds to preserve it

Pet project: A Calif. community rallies to aid of local animal rescuer who lost home to wildfire

Fire Cause

Firefighters' efforts spark campaign

Andrew DiMizio to be sworn in as new Santa Barbara city Fire Chief

Smoke from controlled burn expected in sky today

U.S. Interior Dept. changes stance on climate

Wildfire scorches 900 acres

Smokejumping trailblazer Earl Cooley dies at age 98

Wildfire safety class in Pulaski

Group Urges Protection of Northern Forests

Schools to close across Melbourne on red alert fire days

Police to monitor known arsonists in bushfire season

Calls to fix firefighter radio woes

Addicted to helping bushfire victims

Bushfire closes highway

Total fire ban as temperatures soar

Firefighting bill shock for farmer

2009-11-11T11:40:00.000-08:00

WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 111109

In our first wildfire article today, Southern California's Orange County Register newspaper provides a useful utility for looking at wildfires in that county over the past 50 years; even as fire resistant materials go high-tech in that county: a company in Placentia is offering wood for new home construction that can hold off flames better than standard wood products. Kern County fire agencies, working in conjunction with a local Fire Safe Council, are conducting a number of controlled burns in that region; but recreational activities have been labeled as the cause of a $12 million fire in Central California's Stanislaus National Forest. One Colorado county is considering the extensive logging of an area that could burn in future wildfires; while suspicious wildfires in eastern Kentucky have drawn the attention of arson inspectors there. Fire agencies in Missouri reported a wildfire burning in a forested area at Juden Creek; while residents of Pennsylvania are being advised to bag their leaves instead of burning them due to the danger of wildfires. Arson inspectors in Maine are investigating a pair of grass fires that are suspicious in origin. Scientific American looks at how some of the lessons learned in Australia, the Earth's driest inhabited continent, could provide hope for other parched areas of the world. A bushfire burning in Portsea, Victoria, has drawn the attention of a third water-bombing aircraft; even as $11 million in additional funds are being made available to Victorians who suffered losses in the Black Saturday bushfires. With an influx of city-dwellers into rural parts of Victoria, fire education of the newcomers is considered a good first step to help reduce the bushfire danger they face in their new neighborhoods; hopefully helping them to avoid the psychological and physical impact that the Black Saturday bushfires had on some of those who lived through them. A bushfire in northern Queensland has been brought under control, but not before burning many acres of pastureland and bush; while a follow-on article to one from New South Wales yesterday about arson penalties reveals more details on the fines for lighting bushfires in that state. And finally, firefighters in Tyler, Texas, used to the customary call to get a cat out of a tree, this time received a call to get a 50-year-old woman out of a tree!

Major Orange County fires since 1958

Placentia Company's Wood Is Fire-Resistant

Series of Controlled Burns Throughout the County

Officials Determine Cause Of Knight Fire

Extensive logging proposed near Breckenridge

Pikeville Forest Fires Under Investigation

Fire burns area of woods at Juden Creek

Leaves — bag ’em, don’t burn ’em

Authorities suspicious of Down East fires

Baked Australia: Water Management Lessons for the World from Down Under

Third water-bomber called in to fight Portsea bushfire

New funds for families hit by Black Saturday

Cut the risk of bushfires

Living with the fear of fires yet to come

Bushfire brought under control near Camooweal

Harsh new penalties for lighting bushfires

Whitehouse Firefighters Rescue Woman From Tree