WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 032410

We lead off today with a press release from Wildfire News Of The Day subscriber David Baskett about the impending arrival of a Russian-built BE-200 air-tanker in Santa Maria, California:

PRESS RELEASE

Coming to the Santa Maria Airport on April 10th is the world’s most advanced fire fighting aircraft the BE 200.

For 7 days it will be on display as well as (Pending Permits) performing at Lake Cachuma on 13 April.

The BE 200 can, with high precision, place up to 240 tons of water on a fire, 12 tons at a time, before needing to re fuel at an airport. It reloads the water in about 18 seconds by “scooping” from a lake, ocean or river.

The public will be invited to see the advanced plane which is on its first US visit and will be parked in front of the Radisson Hotel.

Long range plans include basing 10 of the BE 200 aircraft at Santa Maria to support fire fighters throughout the United States.

“Saving Lives and Saving Land”

For more information, contact Dave@BE200USA.com


In the news, the BE-200's arrival has been chronicled in a local news outlet (1); while soil scientists from a California university, surprised that heavy rains did not yield severe mudslides in the Lockheed Fire burn area, made an interesting discovery (2). US Forest Service has determined that an endangered weasel will not be impacted by a wildfire brush-clearance project in Oregon (3); and New Mexico's Lincoln National Forest has reported its first wildfire of the season (4). A former fire chief offers sage advice to Oklahomans on how to prepare for wildfire season (5); even as private forest owners in that state, where 90% of the forested land is privately owned, are hurting due to the slow housing market and the impact of wildfires on their holdings (6). Fire departments in Texas' Rio Grande Valley are stepping up their preparations for the impending fire season (7); but workers who helped clear vegetation at South Dakota's Wind Cave National Park have been given an award for reducing the wildfire threat to that park (8). A series of controlled burns in Wisconsin's Horicon National Wildlife Refuge will help revive the ecology, while destroying invasive weeds (9). Southwest Missouri Resource Conservation and Development will hold a demonstration of a means of reducing forest waste via grinding (10); this coming at a time when several people have died in that state due to out-of-control prescribed burns (11). A news video and article from Ohio underscore the wildfire threat in that state right now (12); while a wildfire that burned in a Massachusetts forest last Friday offered a stark reminder to residents of that state that wildfire season is upon them (13). A South Carolina firefighter has been charged with arson after nearly a dozen grassfires cropped up in one area (14); and Early County, Georgia, has unveiled a new Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) (15). Bushfires on the Caribbean island of Trinidad resulted in the destruction of numerous structures (16); while wildfires that started above Venezuela's capital of Caracas drew the attention of National Guard helicopters to help douse them (17). A British Broadcasting Corporation article discusses a film series from Oceania (islands in the Pacific which include Australia) in which an Australian filmmaker interviews Black Saturday bushfire survivors (18). A wildfire in Tamil Nadu, India, not only displaced humans, but also caused a forced migration of wildlife into populated areas (19); and the fire danger continues in Vietnam, helped along, unfortunately, by farmers using slash-and-burn agricultural methods (20). An update on the Australian Capital Territory Supreme Court hearings about the devastating 2003 bushfires is provided by the next article (21); followed by two articles about the annual bushfire hazard reduction burns that have begun in southeastern Australia with the onset of fall (22)(23). Due to the fact that a number of Country Fire Authority (CFA) crews were caught in burnovers during Black Saturday, leadership has reevaluated the allocation (or lack thereof) of safety advisers' to line crews (24); but a suspected arsonist who is also a member of CFA is being grilled (so to speak) about a number of suspicious bushfires (25). The tally from a bushfire in New South Wales has almost reached the $5 million mark (26). And finally, for those of you who enjoyed building models from kits as kids, here's an interesting little project for you: a bushfire-resistant home kit!

(1) World's most advanced firefighting aircraft coming to Santa Maria

(2) Virtually waterproof soil helps prevent mudslides after Lockheed Fire

(3) Ski area growth has little impact on Pacific fisher

(4) Wildfires break out; damage contained

(5) Don’t wait for smoke of wildfire to prepare

(6) Economy cuts into forestry in Oklahoma

(7) Valley fire departments preparing for wildfire season

(8) Northern Great Plains Park Group Receives National Award

(9) Burns planned for Horicon National Wildlife Refuge

(10) Forest debris grinding demo to be March 31

(11) Deadly wildfires prompt warning

(12) Caution Urged During Ohio Wildfire Season

(13) Wildfire burns 16 acres

(14) Firefighter charged in Calhoun blazes

(15) Early County develops wildfire plan

(16) Bush Fires Destroy 6 Homes

(17) Venezuela: Forest fires in ‘El Avila’ mountain

(18) Broadcast MyWorld Entries from Oceania

(19) Forest fire in Udhagamandalam dist

(20) Forest fire risk rises in north

(21) Fire hearing enters fourth week

(22) Bushfire hazard reduction creates smoky sky

(23) Burn-offs continue near Daylesford

(24) CFA's approach to safety advisers 'not appropriate'

(25) CFA worker questioned over 28 bushfires

(26) Bushfire damage bill climbs to nearly $5m

(27) Kit home is bushfire resistant