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