WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 021011

Wildfire NOTD subscriber Dennis Hulbert, retired USFS Regional Aviation Officer for California/Hawaii, passed along a report prepared by California's Legislative Accounting Office (LAO) that lays out details on the state's options for reducing CAL FIRE's responsibilities in order to reduce the financial burden on the state (the upshot: counties/cities had better start beefing up their fire departments!) (1) Texas Forest Service will be speaking at the Big Bend Regional Sierra Club meeting on the issue of wildfires and property (2); but higher fuel moistures may lead to an average wildfire season in South Dakota this year (3); while officials in Maine debated the issue of whether to relax restrictions on fireworks in that state in light of the wildfire danger they pose (4). Having been stung by copious lawsuits by environmentalists against the US Forest Service over the years, Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced in Washington DC that he will try to work to foster compromise between the groups to move wildfire mitigation forward (5). As North Carolina announced Prescribed Fire Week, fire officials set controlled burns across the state to lessen the danger from wildfires (6); even as the South Carolina Forestry Commission tried to educate people on the dangers posed by debris burns (7). Officials in northeast India announced Fire Prevention Week to educate the population in the states of Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh on the dangers of jhum fires (8). Western Australia's Fire and Emergency Services Authority has roped in a bushfire which was burning in Balga (9); while the role of embers in setting houses ablaze during the recent bushfire in Perth Hills is examined in the next article (10); but contrary to what officials feared, residents of Perth Hills have rallied behind a police officer who inadvertently started the bushfire which destroyed 72 homes (11). And finally, West Virginia Division of Forestry 'got their Smokey on' to educate youngsters on the dangers of forest fires!

(1) Governor’s Proposed Realignment of Fire and Emergency Response Activities

(2) Sierra Club workshop to address wildfires and property

(3) Expert expects average SD wildfire season

(4) Fire chiefs lend cool reception to relaxing fireworks law

(5) Forest Service to stress science over politics

(6) Wildlife officers set forest fire on purpose in Burke Co.

(7) Wildfire Prevention: 101

(8) Mizoram sounds fire alarm as dry season arrives

(9) Bushfire crews give all clear for Balga residents after blaze

(10) Embers in air-conditioning cost homes

(11) Bushfire-devastated Perth community rallies behind charged officer

(12) Smokey Bear educates children about forest fires