WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 033009
With the US firefighting economy in a shambles, the forward-thinking folks at Ten Tanker LLC are casting their net a bit wider, as told in our first article in wildfire news today; and firefighters took no chances as a tiny wildfire in Orange County, California, drew an overwhelming response, including air support. A retrospective on Heli-Expo is offered in the next article. An Arizona county that recently had problems with wildfires is upgrading their communications for a more unified response to future emergencies; but a wildfire near Nogales, Arizona, was still not contained this weekend. Another controlled burn got away from the people who set it in Colorado. Giving fire contractors everywhere a black eye, a Montana man who provided contract services to US Forest Service lied about their qualifications. A plea from a North Carolina resident for the state to continue funding the BRIDGE program (also known as the Young Offenders Forest Conservation Program) where young inmates are trained to help fight fires in that state follows. A trio of stories out of Florida today: firefighters were kept busy over the weekend with wildfires in that state; but received some welcome relief in the form of rains that helped dampen the wildfires in parts of that state; while the US Forest Service equivalent of a fire 'storm chaser' was on the job. Concerned about efforts at reforestation in the Philippines, government officials are ramping up hiring of forest rangers. Heading to Australia, political bickering is apparently slowing the rebuilding effort in bushfire-ravaged towns in Victoria; and has spilled over onto the federal level as well, as the next article shows. Three stories demonstrate the relief effort Down Under: Service Clubs in Tasmania raised a cool million for bushfire relief efforts; the PGA has stepped up to the tee as well; and Australian businesses have pitched some money into the kitty, too. Just to be on the safe side, bushfire season in the Australian Capital Territory has been extended for two more weeks. Echoing complaints in Lake Tahoe, California, about environmentalist policies worsening the fire danger, people from Victoria describe the grief they received when planting non-native species around structures (and the potential grief if they planted native species there as requested). Reflecting the difficulty of identifying badly burned bodies, authorities have lowered the death toll in the Black Saturday bushfires from 210 to 173 people. A 62-year-old man has been charged with setting a bushfire outside of Adelaide in South Australia; while members of the DSE were battling a small bushfire in Victoria. Looking to improve on command-and-control techniques that involved low-tech whiteboards and the like during the recent bushfires, Australian fire agencies are looking towards GPS phones, RSS feeds and Twitter to provide up-to-the-minute info on emergencies like bushfires. And finally, we've all heard about firefighters helping get a cat out of a tree, but this rescue in Portland, Oregon, was a bit more daunting!
Firefighting DC-10 available to lease
Small brush fire contained in Lake Forest
Heli-Expo
Modern radio system to connect law officers, firefighters in Pima
Wildfire has now burned 2,400 acres
Wildfire burning near town of Silt
Sula man fined for false statements
Letter: Please help save BRIDGE program to fight fires
Wildfires destroy homes, close I-75
Rain Provides Temporary Wildfire Relief
You've heard of tornado chasers? He chases fires
DENR drafts measures vs forest fires
Shire CEO has stymied bushfire recovery: Bailey
Bushfires report to face release delay
Victorian Bushfire Appeal – Tasmanian service clubs top the nation
TOUR provides $100,000 to Victorian Bushfire Appeal
Donated goods to flow to bushfire victims
ACT bushfire season extended
Victoria's Bushfires Royal Commission hears tree concerns
Black Saturday death toll lowered
Man charged over Adelaide Hills bushfire
Crews work to contain state forest fire
Centrelink boosts disaster tech
Portland firefighters rescue man stuck 40 feet up tree
With the US firefighting economy in a shambles, the forward-thinking folks at Ten Tanker LLC are casting their net a bit wider, as told in our first article in wildfire news today; and firefighters took no chances as a tiny wildfire in Orange County, California, drew an overwhelming response, including air support. A retrospective on Heli-Expo is offered in the next article. An Arizona county that recently had problems with wildfires is upgrading their communications for a more unified response to future emergencies; but a wildfire near Nogales, Arizona, was still not contained this weekend. Another controlled burn got away from the people who set it in Colorado. Giving fire contractors everywhere a black eye, a Montana man who provided contract services to US Forest Service lied about their qualifications. A plea from a North Carolina resident for the state to continue funding the BRIDGE program (also known as the Young Offenders Forest Conservation Program) where young inmates are trained to help fight fires in that state follows. A trio of stories out of Florida today: firefighters were kept busy over the weekend with wildfires in that state; but received some welcome relief in the form of rains that helped dampen the wildfires in parts of that state; while the US Forest Service equivalent of a fire 'storm chaser' was on the job. Concerned about efforts at reforestation in the Philippines, government officials are ramping up hiring of forest rangers. Heading to Australia, political bickering is apparently slowing the rebuilding effort in bushfire-ravaged towns in Victoria; and has spilled over onto the federal level as well, as the next article shows. Three stories demonstrate the relief effort Down Under: Service Clubs in Tasmania raised a cool million for bushfire relief efforts; the PGA has stepped up to the tee as well; and Australian businesses have pitched some money into the kitty, too. Just to be on the safe side, bushfire season in the Australian Capital Territory has been extended for two more weeks. Echoing complaints in Lake Tahoe, California, about environmentalist policies worsening the fire danger, people from Victoria describe the grief they received when planting non-native species around structures (and the potential grief if they planted native species there as requested). Reflecting the difficulty of identifying badly burned bodies, authorities have lowered the death toll in the Black Saturday bushfires from 210 to 173 people. A 62-year-old man has been charged with setting a bushfire outside of Adelaide in South Australia; while members of the DSE were battling a small bushfire in Victoria. Looking to improve on command-and-control techniques that involved low-tech whiteboards and the like during the recent bushfires, Australian fire agencies are looking towards GPS phones, RSS feeds and Twitter to provide up-to-the-minute info on emergencies like bushfires. And finally, we've all heard about firefighters helping get a cat out of a tree, but this rescue in Portland, Oregon, was a bit more daunting!
Firefighting DC-10 available to lease
Small brush fire contained in Lake Forest
Heli-Expo
Modern radio system to connect law officers, firefighters in Pima
Wildfire has now burned 2,400 acres
Wildfire burning near town of Silt
Sula man fined for false statements
Letter: Please help save BRIDGE program to fight fires
Wildfires destroy homes, close I-75
Rain Provides Temporary Wildfire Relief
You've heard of tornado chasers? He chases fires
DENR drafts measures vs forest fires
Shire CEO has stymied bushfire recovery: Bailey
Bushfires report to face release delay
Victorian Bushfire Appeal – Tasmanian service clubs top the nation
TOUR provides $100,000 to Victorian Bushfire Appeal
Donated goods to flow to bushfire victims
ACT bushfire season extended
Victoria's Bushfires Royal Commission hears tree concerns
Black Saturday death toll lowered
Man charged over Adelaide Hills bushfire
Crews work to contain state forest fire
Centrelink boosts disaster tech
Portland firefighters rescue man stuck 40 feet up tree
Labels: air-tankers, bushfires, firefighting, forest fires, wildfires
posted by Michael Archer @ 2:13 PM
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