Firefighter Blog

Supertankers Standing Guard Over California

mikeswebmail@gmail.com (Mike) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 00:59:00 +0000

The Cal Fire air program secured the use of the massive 747 Supertanker for the 2009 fire season according to Rim Of The World.Net. This amazing aircraft, with its 20,000 gallon payload joins Tanker910, the State contracted DC-10 behemoth in Victorville.
Both aircraft will be less than 45 minutes to any spot in Southern California.

Tanker 910 has already proven to be a tremendous asset during its two years of service. The DC-10 carries a 12,000 gallon payload.

If this is not good enough another firefighting industry giant will call Southern California home this season. The Village News reports the Martin Mars JMR3 waterbomber with a 7,200 gallon payload is scheduled to arrive from it's home base in Vancouver British Columbia this week for positioning at Lake Elsinore.

The Martin Mars is a water plane and can scoop its load from a lake or bay making reloading quick and inexpensive. The Martin Mars is under contract with the U.S. Forest Service.

Cal Fire's commitment to the additional Supertanker while welcomed is also puzzling. In an ordinary year it might be considered a budget buster. With the state essentially broke it begs the question why now?

Perhaps this is posturing by Cal Fire principals, pump the budget before being forced to submit revised numbers. I don't know. Or maybe after crunching the numbers Cal Fire has decided extensive use of these weapons during initial attack can stop those $20 million campaign fires in their tracks, more than paying for the expensive bombers.

In any case I am all for extensive use of these firefighting weapons. Stomping out fires early for budget considerations is great but I view it from a firefighter safety standpoint.

The longer a campaign is drawn out the more firefighter injuries occur. Just look at the incident 209 reports for campaign fires. Injuries mount as the days wear on. Fatigue invites mistake, the numbers game catches up as acreage mounts and time on scene expands.

No price can be placed on safety.

I look forward to watching how these resources are put in play. I envy the guys and gals on the fire ground where these magnificent aircraft drop their loads. Imagine, between the three aircraft they can leave a trail of 40,000 gallons of water, retardant and gel.

For a look at the complete fleet of aircraft of aircraft at the disposal of Cal Fire click here.

Thanks to Michael E. Dubrasich of The Western Institute for Study of the Environment for the heads up!

Twitter Followers

mikeswebmail@gmail.com (Mike) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 17:52:00 +0000

The count is coming close to 2,000 followers for my FireBlogger Twitter account. Thank you to everyone that has added my updates to their queue. I said this 9 months ago and believe it more than ever today. Twitter is trumping blogs. Twitter Search reveals real sentiment, real news in real time.

Happy 4th Everyone

mikeswebmail@gmail.com (Mike) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 14:17:00 +0000

Revisiting The Freeway Complex and Hollydale Mobilehome Park

mikeswebmail@gmail.com (Mike) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 23:17:00 +0000

Last November as flames approached the Hollydale Mobilehome Estates in Carbon Canyon TV viewers in the Southland watched as CBS2's Larry Welk hovered above covering the drama developing below.

From my perspective as a viewer the impending drama was adrenaline inducing. As I wrote at the time from all appearances this park was going to be run over. As it turned out of course the fire professionals on the ground were able to direct the flames around the homes. Despite many efforts I was unable to get the footage, footage that would be not only entertaining but useful or instructional for wildland firefighters worldwide.

Today in the comment section of the older post professional photographer Jody Gomez sent a link to a gallery of photos she shot that night on the ground in Carbon Canyon.

With permission from Jody I can post these images she shot from the ground on November 15, 2008.

Link to full gallery of images

Much appreciated Jody, be safe on the ground this season!

Victory For New Haven Firefighters, Supreme Court Sides!

mikeswebmail@gmail.com (Mike) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:58:00 +0000

"WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court ruled Monday that white firefighters in New Haven, Conn., were unfairly denied promotions because of their race, reversing a decision that high court nominee Sonia Sotomayor endorsed as an appeals court judge.

New Haven was wrong to scrap a promotion exam because no African-Americans and only two Hispanic firefighters were likely to be made lieutenants or captains based on the results, the court said Monday in a 5-4 decision. The city said that it had acted to avoid a lawsuit from minorities." Washington Post/AP

This case had to do with a promotional exam, not a firefighter test. To me it is simple, this test forms a list of future leaders in the department. Fire officers are responsible for the safety of line personnel and overall public safety. I will not accept that this test or any test at this level is designed to keep particular ethnic groups off the list.
At the promotional level the guys and gals that make the list are the ones that studied the material the hardest. Cristi from The Kitchen Table pointed to this summary of the ruling today and the subject in general.

More, including discussion on Hot Air

No Fires So I Guess I'll Scribble

mikeswebmail@gmail.com (Mike) — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 15:58:00 +0000

Thanks to wildland fire professionals in California and the Western US every brush or timber fire that has started over the past month has been stomped out quickly. This is good news. The State deserves a break after last year.

In the meantime I am using the down time trading-researching-positioning my stocks and following world news and current events.

I'm waiting for the California budget to be presented and fully expect to see Cal Fire and other state agencies to get hit hard. Camp and station closings seem to be a given, hiring freezes, if not already in place will be soon.

I feel sorry for all aspiring firefighters, what is already a tough career to break into will now become nearly impossible to enter.

I like to read the writings of Victor Davis Hanson. Dr Hanson's vast experiences allows him to put the problems of California in a proper perspective.

One of Dr Hanson's commenter's came up with a line too good to not repeat. The comment applies to the broad view of the new America.

"Our future consists of ogres and bridge trolls in innumerable well Fed agencies empowered with police powers, not only to rebuke, but conduct inquisitions and punish the sinful."

This is ACORN, a very scary organization with tentacles reaching into dozens of "well fed" agencies all with the intent of serving the new Fed, The Borg.

They are funded now to an extent no one has reported. They will come knocking and when they do watch what you say. Their database will note who has been naughty and who has been nice.

Our only power is the vote and the 2010 mid terms are coming into view as the most important election in our Country's history. If the Dems. maintain control of the House and the Senate can maintain their 60-some seats we are finished.

You can pencil in a second term for this president and his policies if 2010 goes south.

China, who holds more of our debt than any other country is hedging this scenario by cutting deals with Brazil and Australia for oil, minerals and investments. They are also hoarding some precious and rare metals like magnesium because they understand once commodities inflate they want to have the materials necessary for growth on hand. They are also proposing a new world currency that would replace the American dollar as the reserve currency of the world.

At least someone recognizes what a $12 trillion debt will bestow upon us. The Chinese don't want to be holding devalued U.S debt when the crap (inflation or default) finally hits the fan.

My $400 PG&E bill will be going even higher if the Senate goes along with the House and passes the Cap-N-Trade bill.
The line at my various doctor's offices will get longer if the president gets his socialized medicine program.

Doctors are already quitting. If the press was to do their job they would find this out and report it. Under socialized health care you will be screened by a nurse and wait in another line to see a physicians assistant.

Specialists will be seen by only the sickest and in many cases these patients will be too sick to help. One of the arguments the social medicine crowd have made from the start is we try too hard in America to prolong life.

Life is important. Bio tech stocks can double their market cap in a day if they present data that shows their new drugs might possibly add a few months of life of a terminal patient. Why is this?

We honor life in the USA, we reward those that can prolong life. Don't present a new policy that holds as its core reasoning that we try too hard to prolong life!

Ask an Oncologist in the UK, Canada or Cuba if they have access to the most advanced drugs in their arsenal for treatment. Ask him or her if they wish they had access to those drugs.

This may not mean too much to the ACORN kids running around with their clipboards taking notes but it does to me and my friends and relatives that have been around awhile.

Esperanza Killer Sentenced to Death

mikeswebmail@gmail.com (Mike) — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 01:26:00 +0000

Raymond Lee Oyler the arsonist/killer who started the Esperanza Fire that killed Daniel Hoover-Najera, 20, Jess McLean, 27, Pablo Cerda, 23, Mark Loutzenhiser, 43, and Jason McKay, 27 was sentenced to death today according to the L.A. Times.

He will join this list of condemned California death row inmates while he awaits his fate.

Here are some updated images of a few of his new neighbors like Richard Ramirez and Scott Peterson from KTVU TV.

Governor Schwarzenneger Throws College Kids Overboard

mikeswebmail@gmail.com (Mike) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 18:21:00 +0000

Fewer of these in California's future!

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is sacrificing aid to low income college students rather than taking on any unions. Up to 200,000 California college kids might be forced from school in 2010. Read it here.

I hated it when he used the threat to fire firefighters in order to drum up support for his ill conceived tax in initiatives.

It's sad to see him take the easy way out of his budget mess by hitting low income college attendees instead of bloated government payrolls.

What a disappointment.

California Budget Woes, Cal Fire Particulars To come

mikeswebmail@gmail.com (Mike) — Sat, 30 May 2009 00:04:00 +0000

Reports from various sources hint that Cal Fire stands to lose $17 million from their budget due to the State being broke.

One source quotes the Governor declaring there will be a 5% pay cut across the board for state workers.

Other sources suggest Governor Schwarzenegger wants to eliminate the California Youth Authority, another consideration proposes closing down the state parks.

It seems to me the Cal Fire cuts will be seen in equipment attrition. I drove a 20 year old engine and an even older crew bus in my day so I see no harm in putting off purchases of shiny new model 5's and water tenders. Bulldozers age well generally and their tenders only need to get across the state a few times a year.

Cal Fire equipment is well maintained. I forget the schedules but as I recall we changed the oil on the apparatus every 1,500 miles. Safety equipment is inspected daily. A well maintained fire engine can last for decades so the dream of a new fire engine in the driveway of every station is over.

Where it will hurt is if the cuts begin to claim personnel.

Who is likely to be hurt first? At first no one in my opinion. The hiring has already been done for the 2009 fire season. At least for 2009 I don't see much pain.

2010 will be a different story. I expect some stations and possibly some camps will be closed. I can see the state offering early retirement to guys and gals within reach. I expect many of these positions will not be filled, possibly ever.

I cannot see air attack, fixed wing or rotary aircraft affected at all. Any attempt to save a buck or two by eliminating air support would be a mistake.

If I was the Governor I would draw on help from the President's gargantuan list of service corps or whatever his regime is calling it.

Tens of billions of dollars is appropriated for various volunteer programs funded through the Omnibus or Stimulus/Porkulus Bills, some have to do with conservation projects. Among the myriad of funded programs under the banner of the National Service.gov there has to be funds that can be used for essentials like fire suppression. Here is a list of funded projects for California through Americorps.

If there is money available and able body men and women who want a truly useful and rewarding job I say train them for fire crew assignment or incident base support. This is not unheard of, California Conservation Corps members, covered to some extent by Americorps already help.

The California budget pains cannot be avoided by California's elite firefighting force. The true pain may be deferred until next year but with a little imagination and smart lobbying the cuts can be minimized.

In the meantime a potentially brutal fire season is upon us.

Police Services Consolidating, Preview To The Future Of California?

mikeswebmail@gmail.com (Mike) — Tue, 19 May 2009 16:01:00 +0000

It's happening, from state level to municipalities police services are running out of money. Yesterday the USA Today reported on the phenomenon and cited some examples of affected communities including the Palm Springs area in California.

"In Southern California, Indio and its neighbors Palm Springs, Desert Hot Springs, Cathedral City and Beaumont have merged some key functions and also plan to combine dispatch operations to increase efficiency. "It's the legacy of the budget crunch," Indio's Capt. Richard Banasiak says..."

The steps taken in Palm Springs are logical. What is happening in the Coachella Valley can and should be widely instituted elsewhere in California and throughout the country, how can it not?

Today in California voters are set to reject the plate of tax initiatives on the ballet. I voted no and most people I know voted no.

Enough is enough is what voters are saying. Enough tricky schemes to raise our taxes, enough giving politicians more money to pad their pet services. Enough with pure entitlements. Enough with the taxes that are driving my family and friends from their home state.

The challenge is now on the Governor and his buds in Sacramento to actually make cuts.

He shouldn't wait for his share of the stimulus to bail us out. He should go ahead and make some cuts. It's unavoidable anyway. He's too far away from the end of his term, he can't punt, he has to pull out the pen and CUT.

It's now on Governor Schwarzenegger. Maybe he can be the leader we thought we were getting when we voted him in.

Thermo-Gel On The Job In Santa Barbara

mikeswebmail@gmail.com (Mike) — Thu, 14 May 2009 22:12:00 +0000

Thermo-Gel was on the job in Santa Barbara last week. A homeowner protected his house from the advancing flames of the Jesusita Fire and left a note for firefighters indicating the home had been "gelled".

The images below were provided to me by the fine people at Thermo-Gel. Notice the sign on the porch entrance.

"This House Was Protected With Thermo-Gel"

The flames came right up to the home. This homeowner did many things right, tile roof, stucco siding and an application of gel. He gets a ding for allowing giant oak branches to hang over the house but overall he gets a high B for preparing a home for life in the wildland-urban interface.

Best of all no firefighter had to risk their life to save this home!

New Threat to California Cuts, San Quentin Prison

mikeswebmail@gmail.com (Mike) — Thu, 14 May 2009 16:49:00 +0000

Last week California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger threatened to cut firefighters from the state budget in a deliberate attempt to scare voters into accepting his package of initiatives coming to market May 19.

That didn't impress anyone so I guess selling San Quentin prison and the L.A. Coliseum and a few other odd holdings like the Cow Palace will?

The Santa Cruz Sentinel has a run down of the properties proposed for sale but not after looking at the list I say sell it all.

I toured San Quentin as part of a class field trip in college and my first thought as we approached the grounds was why do prisoners get to live on beachfront property?

San Quentin is situated on 450 acres on Point Quentin in Marin County. It's on the leeward side of the San Francisco Bay, sporting perfect weather all year long. Not too hot, never too cold.

Sell to developers and hold out for a pretty penny. We have a lot of cheap desert land in California featuring endless views of cactus and Joshua trees for incarcerated convicts.

I do think Arnold will be forced to lay the smack down on Cal Fire but I have a feeling it will not include any direct firings. Positions will likely be lost by attrition. Retirees will not be replaced by new hires. Seasonal firefighters will be affected to the extent that engine crews will sport one or two seasonal firefighters to assist the captain or engineer.

Three engine stations will become two, two engine stations become single engine stations.

Rural counties like Merced could see stations closings. Planada may have to contract with Merced City, Dos Palos with Los Banos. In time Cal Fire might become a seasonal firefighting force. Does California in the condition it's in can support a full time wildland firefighting force? I believe we do but some might argue we don't.

The state is contracted with numerous cities to provide fire service but the writing is on the wall, some of these contracts will have to be renegotiated.

My suggestion to some of these communities is to beef up your volunteer force, be ready to protect yourself.

You have to think a day of reckoning is coming to larger city departments as well. I look for stations to consolidate, head counts to drop. For a number of reasons there are fewer fires, fewer big fires. Cities will be forced to lean on volunteers more in years ahead.

The fire service in California is not a growth industry at the moment. From the looks of it it may not be for some time to come.

Jesusita Fire Tankers Diverted From Closest Base

mikeswebmail@gmail.com (Mike) — Sat, 09 May 2009 21:16:00 +0000

The Fresno Bee reports tankers assigned to the Jesusita Fire in Santa Barbara were forced to use the Porterville Air Attack Base for reloading instead of the much closer Santa Maria Airport.

The first tankers on scene Tuesday were able to reload one time in Santa Maria before being diverted to Porterville, double the distance from the fire ground.

Tankers were allowed to reload in Santa Maria Wednesday.

It would be difficult to calculate if this apparent bureaucratic snafu contributed to the severity of the blaze but the question should not have to be asked. Adding a full hour to the turn around time had to have some effect. The extra strain on pilots and ground crews waiting for their drops is immeasurable, though they would never complain.

Considering Santa Maria bisects the ever burning Los Padres National Forest it begs the question, why wasn't there a contract in place?

As it turns out last June Los Padres honchos stripped the Santa Maria Air Attack base from "full-time service" to standby or "call-when-needed" status in a budget draw down. According to The Santa Maria Times the decision to downgrade the status of Santa Maria was made by Pacific Southwest Region Forester Randy Moore and Los Padres Forest Supervisor Peggy Hernandez.

Los Padres National Forest officials who knew better warned that initial attack on local fires would be hampered. How right they were.

The Santa Maria Times reminds us that tankers flying from Santa Maria serviced the 2007 Zaca Fire and the Tea and Gap Fires more recently. During the Zaca Fire 1,700 drops were initiated from Santa Maria. 18 air tankers called the base home during the Zaca Fire.

Two positions were cut by Forest supervisors in the Santa Maria contract shake up. Those positions were not actually cut, but reassigned. All considered the cost of a couple of airport positions pales in comparison to the cost of potential life and property loss.

There may be positions within the fire service to cut but when it comes to rotary or fixed wing aircraft no expense should be spared. Ask the guys on the ground.

Jesusita Fire Info, Satellite Images, Maps, Links

mikeswebmail@gmail.com (Mike) — Fri, 08 May 2009 21:16:00 +0000

Updated Info at County of Santa Barbara.

Tanker 910 is on scene. KEYT reports here. Only fire officials can answer why the contract supertanker was not called in sooner.

NOAA Sat Animation

GeoMac

InciWeb is up and running with Jesusita Fire information here.

Current Situation

Total Personnel	2,335
Size	3,500 acres
Percent Contained	10%
Fuels Involved	Chaparral (6 Feet)
Fire Behavior	Upslope runs through out the evening and early morning with 60 to 100 foot flame lengths on the upper third of the Santa Ynez Mountains. Crowning, spotting, and actively burning.
Significant Events	Increased fire activity last night caused additional evacuation in the San Roque area, Hwy 154 on the West side of the fire. Water drops were conducted throughout the night by three type II helicopters.

Outlook

Planned Actions	Perimeter control, continue structure protection, engage fire where opportunities present themselves, continue line construction, mop-up and patrol structures.
Growth Potential	High
Terrain Difficulty	Extreme
Remarks	If the Red Flag conditions continue, control strategies will be challenged.

Current Weather

Wind Conditions	20-45 g60 mph NE
Temperature	98 degrees
Humidity	10%

Thermo-Gel Protects Your Home From Fire

mikeswebmail@gmail.com (Mike) — Fri, 08 May 2009 19:54:00 +0000

Thermo-Gel should be in the garage of every rural home. I could write about the product all day but the video below tells the story of this remarkable product. Watch and see for yourself how Thermo-Gel works. After you do click this link for facts about Thermo-Gel.

Firefighter Blog is proud to have Thermo-Gel as a sponsor

Santa Barbara Still Losing Homes

mikeswebmail@gmail.com (Mike) — Fri, 08 May 2009 14:43:00 +0000

Homes are still burning in Santa Barbara as the Jesusita Fire spreads tentacles of flame through canyons and into neighborhoods. The Governor declared a state of emergency on earlier this week that allowed fire officials to order up all necessary resources, so what happened?

According to discussion on Wildland Fire more resources have been called overnight but many of these strike teams are due to arrive later today.

I am baffled as to why homes are still burning. Is it possible the fire management team was caught flatfooted or is it just too early in the season to gather appropriate resources for such a fire.

Sundowners always present unique problems and weather reports were inconsistent earlier in the week. It's not fair to criticize when you are not on the ground but it's easy to ask why more resources were not called in sooner.

Guaranteed every fire crew in the state was ready if called.

Jesusita Fire Maps and Links

mikeswebmail@gmail.com (Mike) — Thu, 07 May 2009 01:52:00 +0000

Images from Google Earth

Map from KCOY

Local Coverage KCOY.com
Discussion
Search Twitter
Local Video

Jesusitas Fire Taking Out Homes in Santa Barbara County

mikeswebmail@gmail.com (Mike) — Thu, 07 May 2009 00:42:00 +0000

From a distance the Jesusitas Fire that began last evening looked fairly benign. Fire officials were "cautiously optimistic" this morning that firefighters would be able to lock this one down with minimum acreage and property loss.

Optimism was dashed late this afternoon as brisk offshore winds carried embers into adjoining neighborhoods resulting in numerous multi-million dollar family homes being burned to the ground.

Overhead camera shots from of the area of Tunnel Road and Mission Canyon Roads in Santa Barbara County show at least a dozen homes fully involved.

Terrain offers dense vegetation and steep slopes with homes occupying every ridge top. It's apparent defensible space ordinances are only a nuisance to many residents of this community.

Two firefighters have been injured according to NBC4 News in Los Angeles.

More at NBCLA.com

Cal Gov. Schwarzenegger Threatens To Gut Cal Fire

mikeswebmail@gmail.com (Mike) — Tue, 05 May 2009 15:20:00 +0000

In an attempt to drum up support for his confusing package of budget initiatives California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has threatened to eliminate 1,700 positions from Cal Fire. SFGate.com has the story.

According to the article the Governor wants to:

"...slashing $80.8 million from Cal Fire's spending plan - a 10 percent reduction - by eliminating 602 full-time positions and 1,100 seasonal firefighting positions. The cuts would be part of a series of deep cuts to the state budget.

Cal Fire, the state's fire agency, has about 5,000 full-time firefighters. At the peak of last year's fire season, more than 2,700 wild fires ravaged the state and the agency hired extra help: 3,000 seasonal firefighters.

The plan would also shutter 11 conservation camps and 20 single-engine stations throughout California.

Closing fire stations would affect response times and the agency's ability to make inspections on defensible spaces, according to the document...."

Who is he kidding? This is politics at its lowest. Why always tug at the fears of the electorate by scaring them into voting your way?

I'll be the first to admit there are some stations that could disappear and maybe some of the camps could close or consolidate. I drove a 20 year old engine for a time, we don't need a revamped fleet of Model 5's every 2 years. Surely the department can accommodate cuts here and there and they should expect cuts.

What I can't stand is these politicians plying on the fears of their constituents. It's cheap and ugly.

BTW I am voting NO!

Swine Flu Cases Plotted on Google Maps

mikeswebmail@gmail.com (Mike) — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 19:52:00 +0000

Swine Flu Cases Mapped

View H1N1 Swine Flu in a larger map
(grab map with your mouse to move map around)

Swine Flu Twitterers Of Note

mikeswebmail@gmail.com (Mike) — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 16:06:00 +0000

Bird Flu Gov One-stop access to U.S. Government bird and pandemic flu information.

CDC Emergency CDC Emergency Preparedness and Response: increasing the nation's ability to prepare for and respond to public health emergencies.

CDC Flu Get notified whenever any new or updated documents are posted anywhere on the CDC Flu Website. www.cdc.gov/flu

CDC eHealth CDC eHealth Marketing: CDC.gov and interactive media projects. Delivering science-based health & safety info when where and how you need it.

Standing Firm CM Catherine Mitchell

WHO News World Health Organization - the directing and coordinating authority within the UN system for public health

Flu Trackers A nonprofit that is composed of a diverse group of citizens from many countries who follow and document emerging and re-emerging disease.

Health Map Public website bringing together disparate data sources to achieve a unified view of the current global state of infectious diseases

Stocking Up On Goods: Just In Case

mikeswebmail@gmail.com (Mike) — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 01:51:00 +0000

Update 4/30: Australians in Queensland advised to stockpile food in case of Swine Flu, read here.

Mexico City has been shut down. Mexico has mandated quarantine to some extent across the country. Schools are closing and public events are cancelled.

This is not a drill. The Mexican Swine Flu, a combination "avian flu, human flu Type A, human flu Type B, Asian swine flu, and European swine flu" according to the CDC and mentioned in this editorial.

I read that a guy in Mexico City was arrested for trying to sell paper facemasks for 25 times the face value.

Tonight my wife and I stopped at Walgreen's and bought two boxes of face masks. The product is from Medline.com and we paid $7.50 for 10 masks. Two boxes set us back $15 + the 10% California sales tax.
My wife is certain the same product can be bought for $3.50 to $4.00 per box at WalMart.
No matter, we paid the premium. If extended family or neighbors need a mask we will share. If things go bad these masks will become scarce.

Next stop a big box grocer, not Costco, I didn't want to face the lines.

We stocked up on canned goods, pasta, pasta sauce, juices, frozen vegetables, salsa, bread for freezing, canned beans, rice and other frozen foods.

What good will all this do? Maybe nothing but as I said above, just in case. It's not that I believe there will be shortages, it's just that I want to be able to stay clear of the stores if this gets crazy.

I can say without a doubt there is no hoarding or any panic whatsoever in my community in Central California.

If it does get crazy it appears those that have flu shots, generally the young and old, may have some built in immunity or at least enough to blunt a fatal blow according to the CDC.

At least two anti-virals including Tamiflu are effective against this concoction but in the case of a widespread outbreak the stores of Tamiflu could be depleted.

Here is another worthwhile article written by an epidemiologist.

HHS recommends food storage, generally.

Update: Americans encouraged to wear masks if worried.

Swine Flu, Wake Up Call

mikeswebmail@gmail.com (Mike) — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 20:59:00 +0000

Links

Center For Disease Control and Prevention
Human Swine Influenza Investigation page.

California Governor Schwarzenegger weighs in.

Search Twitter
Read Drudge
Search Google
Search Blogs
Info CDC
Read Breitbart

Wildfire Near Myrtle Beach, SC Burns Dozens Of Homes

mikeswebmail@gmail.com (Mike) — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 21:26:00 +0000

Busy With Family Related Travel, Business & Life

mikeswebmail@gmail.com (Mike) — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 15:11:00 +0000

Fire season approaches. Spring winds have howled, more than usual here in Central California, and the grass is browning. There is late snow in the Sierras which assures the high country will be green well into late Summer. Nature is setting the stage now but fate directs the stories to be told.

This season I plan to cover the major fires from this blog and Twitter. Fire activity could start any day.

In the meantime action on the family front is heating up. My oldest has decided to attend UC Merced this Fall. His original desire was to attend a private school in Arizona where his girlfriend is enrolled.

I'm proud of his decision. UC Merced is the newest school in the UC system but is already making a mark in the sciences. Enrollment is under 4,000 currently which gives the school the feel of an exclusive private college. He'll study computer engineering.

Son #2, our sophomore is on an academic mission. He wants to be a valedictorian and earn an academic scholarship to a top school. As such he is spread out between Science Fair, Academic Decathlon and Science Olympiad. This summer he will attend a three week program at Stanford University. He is signed up for four AP classes next school year.

During Easter vacation we traveled to Arizona. We visited friends and family in Tucson and Phoenix. In Tucson we stayed in a condo in the Starr Pass resort development. The desert setting did not disappoint. There is nothing like a desert morning. Our first morning the animals and birds of the Sonoran Desert made an appearance near our patio including white-tail rabbits, cardinals, cactus wren, curved-bill thrashers a road runner and in the distance a coyote.

My wife was taking out trash on our final evening in town and was surprised by a javelina. Instead of running, the pig-like creature stood his ground forcing my wife back in the casita. In the morning I caught a javelina on camera passing through the back of the place.

Southern Arizona is beautiful like that. In Madeira Canyon, between Tucson and the Mexican border 234 bird species were identified by bird counters in the late 1980's.
One of the recent topics in Tucson is about a Leopard captured near Mt Lemon. Leopards are indigenous to the region but one hasn't been seen in Arizona in decades. The poor animal was captured and moved up to Phoenix where it died, reportedly from old age.

The other talk is about the new basketball coach. The day the new coach, Sean Miller was announced we were having lunch with relatives at La Parilla Suiza. It's been 15 years since I lived in Tucson but I am still a Wildcat fan at a distance. At lunch my brother in law and nephews were excited to discuss the new hire. Even the wait staff was energized by the buzz of the new coach. Though Tucson is home to more than a half million it has a small town quality. They have no pro teams so the University of Arizona is about it.

After we left the meal we headed to the U of A to buy our kids some tee shirts. Before we entered the gift shop adjacent to McHale Center I was approached by a local TV crew. The reporter wanted my opinion on the hiring of the new coach. I acted the part parsing from what I heard on the radio just minutes before.

I came off like I knew the subject matter. My opinion led the KVOA Channel 4 evening news at 5:00 and 10:00. Our family who we lunched with only an hour or so earlier was watching the news trying to get the very latest "breaking news" on the permanent replacement for Lute Olsen only to see my mug all over the screen.

Good luck to the Wildcats, it's a class organization and the community deserves a winner.

In Phoenix we stayed in a place at the base of South Mountain. the Sonoran Desert is not as lush in "The Valley of The Sun" but we did see two javelina around the lodge as we drove off towards California.

The CHP is out in force on California highways. They are writing tickets like never before, a budget thing no doubt. No matter to drivers, anything less than 75 is holding up traffic. 7o MPH is max here but in AZ it's 75.