WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 043010

In our first wildfire story today, a report on the investigation into two firefighter deaths during the Station Fire by Los Angeles County Fire Department has revealed that poor communications contributed significantly to their deaths (1); but firefighters in Irvine had a mulch fire to deal with near Silverado Canyon, scene of wildfires of the past (2). As part of Wildfire Awareness Week, Washington state's Department of Natural Resources will be providing free composting bins to residents who request them (3). A wildfire burning in Cimarron, New Mexico, has been squelched by precipitation (4); while fire authorities in that state are expecting an average fire season up until it ends in August, when the monsoon rains arrive (5). A grass fire in Montana that reignited from a debris burn has been extinguished by precipitation (6); followed by a story that provides some video of a National Guard wildland firefighting exercise in Nebraska to which nearly a dozen states sent troops (7). A Minnesota family whose home was threatened by a wildfire last week said it's nothing short of a miracle that the house survived (8); but authorities are asking for the public's help in tracking down an arsonist who has set numerous wildfires on a Fond du Lac reservation (9). High winds caused some additional damage from wildfires in Michigan on Thursday (10); and the hazard of pit fires in Pennsylvania, something that is known to ignite coal fires that burn for decades, is examined in the next article (11). A controlled burn will be conducted in Virginia's George Washington National Forest (12); even as wildfires in that state are reportedly down by nearly a third (400 versus 563 by this time last year), apparently due to higher amounts of precipitation (13). Ukraine's Ministry of Defense sent observers to the MAFFS training session in South Carolina to see how the US fights wildfires (14). While El Niño is receiving much scorn in Asia and South America, in Florida they're rejoicing about its effects in cutting down on wildfires! (15) Fire officials in Manitoba, Canada, have lifted the burn ban due to an influx of precipitation into the province (16); but despite the fact that lawsuits are being filed against the Halifax Regional Municipality in regards to a wildfire which burned on the outskirts of the capital of Nova Scotia last year, the fire service refuses to discuss what changes have been made to improve their response to future wildfires (17). ASEAN authorities in Southeast Asia are meeting to discuss how to reduce haze from wildfires burning in Indonesia that impact the air quality in Singapore (18); while the Philippines' Environment Secretary is suggesting creating community-level firefighting units as a spate of forest fires have occurred in parts of that island nation (19). A class-action lawsuit against Australian utility Powercor over Black Saturday destruction attributed to their equipment is heading to the Victorian Supreme Court (20). An American emergency specialist testified that noncompliance with the 'stay or go' policy by civilians could be an 'invitation to potential disaster' (21); and the next article takes another look at the communications failures that plagued Country Fire Authority personnel on Black Saturday, something which could have been avoided had a scheduled upgrade taken place in November 2008 as planned (22). A columnist laments a perceived lack of leadership that led to the Black Saturday disaster in the next item (23). And finally, we've all heard how sheep and goats can reduce the fire hazard through grazing, but Colorado is looking at another four-footed candidate for this job: cattle!

(1) Report cites poor communications, flawed decisions in two Station fire deaths

(2) Firefighters Battle Mulch Pile Fire Near Irvine

(3) Next week is Wildfire Awareness Week

(4) New Mexico Wildfire Beaten Back

(5) NM fire season expected to be normal

(6) Wolf Creek fire put out; crews gone

(7) A look at how the National Guard fights wildfires

(8) Family feels blessed to keep their home

(9) Reward offered in Fond du Lac fires

(10) Winds down power lines, fuel wildfires

(11) Forestry officials: Starting pit fires can lead to catastrophe

(12) Planned Burn In Hot Weather

(13) Va. Wildfires Down Nearly 30 Percent During 2010 Season

(14) Ukraine Officials Observe As Airmen Train for MAFFS Mission

(15) El Nino credited with reducing wildfires

(16) Wildfire threat eases

(17) Fire service not talking about changes made after wildfire

(18) Haze could return in July

(19) Forest fire-fighting units reactivated

(20) Bushfire class action heads to court

(21) Stay or go policy an 'invitation to potential disaster'

(22) Refit would have cut pager failures

(23) Column - Not a leader when we needed one

(24) Community Agriculture Alliance: Cattle can help with fire risk