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