WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 101310

In the first batch of what will undoubtedly be a steady stream of stories about the Station Fire Congressional Hearing, in Pasadena, California, yesterday, the highly irregular action of "holding" a request for air-tanker strikes after sunup on the second day of the fire is examined (1); with retired USFS law enforcement head Bill Derr commenting that "Everybody was behind the curve" in ordering up aircraft in time (2); while retired Pasadena Fire Department Battalion Chief Duncan Baird, who lost his home to the fire, lamented the lost opportunities to snuff the blaze quickly (3); and Los Angeles Times' reporter Paul Pringle zeroing in on the testimony of Will Spyrison, the Incident Commander during the fateful second day (4). A recreational vehicle that burst into flames threatened nearby forest outside of Felton, California, yesterday (5); while cooperative weather has helped Bureau of Land Management firefighters to torch about 1,000 acres of timber in a series of controlled burns in Oregon's Medford Fire District (6). Firefighters from the US Forest Service will be conducting controlled burns around the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe (7); but an Op-Ed piece from a Sedona, Arizona, city official cautions homeowners about the fire danger in their area (8). Colorado's 6,000-acre Fourmile Fire destroyed 169 homes on its first day, a new report shows (9); while helicopters will begin reseeding areas burned by Utah's Machine Gun Fire (10). Texas Forest Service law officers fear that 94 of the 600 wildfires they've fought so far this year may have been arson (11); not good news for fire officials in East Texas who are dealing with tinder-dry vegetation that has prompted a wildfire alert (12). A homeowner burning debris ignited a 2-acre wildfire near Bullitt, Kentucky, yesterday (13); but two fire lookout towers in New York's Adirondack Mountains will be maintained as historic sites (14). On the technology front, a new bioluminescent product that can be painted on firefighting equipment has been unveiled in Ohio (15); and a Japanese manufacturer has unveiled a new lightweight set of PPE which offers unprecedented protection from fires (16); while the Israelis have developed a new tilt-rotor UAV that could hover over a fire while feeding intel back to Incident Commanders (17). Wildfires were reported in Moura Morta and Gosende, Portugal (18). First-responders from 15 countries who were involved in Russia's summer wildfires were honored at St.George’s Hall in the Grand Kremlin Palace by President Medvedev (19); but the fallout is beginning to come home to roost for officials (20); while the President pushed for more housing support for survivors of those fires (21); and a humanitarian relief organization in Switzerland stepped up to help (22); even as Russia's Far Eastern Federal District reported some new wildfires (23). Victoria, Australia, will be adding five new $400,000 bulldozers to their firefighting assets (24); while residents of Riverland, South Australia, will have some useful resources provided in the event of future bushfires (25). And finally, our last article ups the 'say, what?' factor considerably by telling the tale of a pioneering wildfire safety expert (who drafted the first wildfire mitigation plan for Arrowhead Communities Fire Safe Council) whose wildfire insurance was dropped due to the perceived fire hazard on his property!

(1) Congressional panel scrutinizes U.S. Forest Service's handling of Station Fire

(2) Panel told fast work might have halted CA wildfire

(3) Politicians grill U.S. Forest Service about Station fire

(4) Station fire's lost 'window of opportunity' recounted

(5) Felton RV fire briefly threatens forest

(6) Fall burning nearly complete on Medford District

(7) Smoke from prescribed fires at Tahoe this week

(8) Save the Forest, Shun the Fireworks

(9) Map shows Fourmile Fire did most damage within hours

(10) Seeding set for wildfire area in Herriman

(11) Texas Forest Service seeking information about recent rash of arson fires

(12) East Texas on alert for Wildfires

(13) Brush fire burned 2 acres in Bullitt

(14) APA changes fire tower stance

(15) Revolutionary “Glow Technology” Products Introduced by MN8 Products Enable Firefighters to Illuminate Surroundings and Be Visibly Located in No Light Conditions

(16) Japanese manufacturer Teijin creates next-gen firefighting suit

(17) Israel Aerospace Industries unveils tilt-rotor Panther UAV platform

(18) EFFIS - Current Situation

(19) Medvedev awards firemen for valour in extinguishing summer wildfires

(20) Russia's Medvedev to speak to governors on wildfire consequences

(21) Medvedev urges to step up housing support to victims of wildfires

(22) ACT Appeal: Fires in Central Russia

(23) Seven wildfires raging in Russia's Far East

(24) New bulldozers to supplement bushfire fleet

(25) Understanding 1062 ABC Riverland Online's bushfire coverage

(26) Insurance Denied to Fire-Safety Pioneer