WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 010411
Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) is cutting back its personnel on duty by 15% per day in order to correct an estimated $30 million in financial shortfalls at that Southern California department (1); while the US Forest Service has issued a request for light, fixed-wing aircraft which will be used for, among other things, firefighting in California and Hawaii (Region 5) (2). What appears to have been an accidental wildfire burned a 10 mi.² area near King Ranch, Texas, over the holiday weekend (3); continued dry conditions prompting Cooke County, Texas, and Garvin County, Oklahoma, to implement full burn bans (4); even as continued dry weather increased the threat of wildfires in Central Oklahoma (5); and in Southern Texas, where Texas Forest Service redeployed firefighting resources in anticipation of trouble (6). An Ohio fire Department will be getting grant money to buy wildland firefighting turnout gear (7); while a volunteer fire department in North Carolina received a small grant to help with wildfire fighting, but hope that a larger one is in the offing (8). Alafia River Corridor Nature Preserve, located in Southwest Florida, was closed due to a wildfire (9); but two youngsters were arrested for starting a wildfire near Miami over the holiday weekend (10); with 10 additional blazes being reported in Alachua, Marion, Putnam, Levy and Gilchrist Counties (11). The Department of Homeland Security's Fire Prevention & Safety Grants program is now accepting applications for $35 million in available grant money for organizations throughout the US (deadline for applications is 5 PM on 2/4/11 - or more information, go to the following link) (12). With the United Nations announcing that 2011 is the "International Year of Forests", the next article takes a look at the impact of wildfires, both accidental and deliberate, on endangered forests across the globe (13). Poland's Government Center for Security has deployed a new text-messaging system which can warn people of natural disasters, including wildfires (14). Malaysia indicated that Sabah state, which lies on the north coast of the island of Borneo, had double the number of wildfires in 2010 that it had had in 2009 (15); and a bushfire on New Zealand's North Island kept firefighters on alert overnight (16). Police across Victoria, Australia, are gearing up to implement 'Operation Firesetter ', a program designed to reduce the incidence of arson bushfires (17); and at the same time, 'Fire Ready' meetings are being held throughout Gippsland (18); but there is a storm brewing over the Bureau of Meteorology locking the public out of their bushfire information website (19). Car thieves sparked a bushfire outside of Esperance, Western Australia, after they set a stolen car on fire (20); while officials in New South Wales reminded campers to keep their fires under control due to the high bushfire danger (21). And finally, an important safety tip for firefighters: resist the urge to set a coworker on fire, as this could be a career-limiting move!
(1) L.A. Fire Officials Announce New Round of Cutbacks
(2) Call-When-Needed Light Fixed Wing Aircraft - California (USFS Region 5)
(3) Huge wildfire burns 10 square mile near King ranch
(4) 2 Texoma counties under burn bans
(5) Dry weather increases wildfire potential
(6) More brush fires, agricultural impacts ahead for the Coastal Bend
(7) Clearcreek Fire to receive grants for equipment
(8) Grant will help Monticello VFD fight wildfires
(9) Alafia River Corridor Nature Preserve is temporarily closed
(10) 12-Year-Old Arrested for Starting Forest Fire
(11) 10 wildfires reported in area over holiday weekend
(12) Department Of Homeland Security-FEMA Issues Grants Notice on "Assistance To Firefighters Grant Program, Fire Prevention and Safety Grants"
(13) The History and Frightening Future of Forests
(14) Proposed text-message system warns of floods, fires
(15) More Bush, Jungle Fires In Sabah Last Year
(16) Firefighters still at Wairarapa blaze
(17) Operation Firesetter - action against arson
(18) Fire ready meetings in Gippsland
(19) BOM bushfire info ban
(20) Car thieves start bushfire
(21) Campers urged to take care with fires
(22) Police: Apopka firefighter resigns after lighting co-worker on fire
Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) is cutting back its personnel on duty by 15% per day in order to correct an estimated $30 million in financial shortfalls at that Southern California department (1); while the US Forest Service has issued a request for light, fixed-wing aircraft which will be used for, among other things, firefighting in California and Hawaii (Region 5) (2). What appears to have been an accidental wildfire burned a 10 mi.² area near King Ranch, Texas, over the holiday weekend (3); continued dry conditions prompting Cooke County, Texas, and Garvin County, Oklahoma, to implement full burn bans (4); even as continued dry weather increased the threat of wildfires in Central Oklahoma (5); and in Southern Texas, where Texas Forest Service redeployed firefighting resources in anticipation of trouble (6). An Ohio fire Department will be getting grant money to buy wildland firefighting turnout gear (7); while a volunteer fire department in North Carolina received a small grant to help with wildfire fighting, but hope that a larger one is in the offing (8). Alafia River Corridor Nature Preserve, located in Southwest Florida, was closed due to a wildfire (9); but two youngsters were arrested for starting a wildfire near Miami over the holiday weekend (10); with 10 additional blazes being reported in Alachua, Marion, Putnam, Levy and Gilchrist Counties (11). The Department of Homeland Security's Fire Prevention & Safety Grants program is now accepting applications for $35 million in available grant money for organizations throughout the US (deadline for applications is 5 PM on 2/4/11 - or more information, go to the following link) (12). With the United Nations announcing that 2011 is the "International Year of Forests", the next article takes a look at the impact of wildfires, both accidental and deliberate, on endangered forests across the globe (13). Poland's Government Center for Security has deployed a new text-messaging system which can warn people of natural disasters, including wildfires (14). Malaysia indicated that Sabah state, which lies on the north coast of the island of Borneo, had double the number of wildfires in 2010 that it had had in 2009 (15); and a bushfire on New Zealand's North Island kept firefighters on alert overnight (16). Police across Victoria, Australia, are gearing up to implement 'Operation Firesetter ', a program designed to reduce the incidence of arson bushfires (17); and at the same time, 'Fire Ready' meetings are being held throughout Gippsland (18); but there is a storm brewing over the Bureau of Meteorology locking the public out of their bushfire information website (19). Car thieves sparked a bushfire outside of Esperance, Western Australia, after they set a stolen car on fire (20); while officials in New South Wales reminded campers to keep their fires under control due to the high bushfire danger (21). And finally, an important safety tip for firefighters: resist the urge to set a coworker on fire, as this could be a career-limiting move!
(1) L.A. Fire Officials Announce New Round of Cutbacks
(2) Call-When-Needed Light Fixed Wing Aircraft - California (USFS Region 5)
(3) Huge wildfire burns 10 square mile near King ranch
(4) 2 Texoma counties under burn bans
(5) Dry weather increases wildfire potential
(6) More brush fires, agricultural impacts ahead for the Coastal Bend
(7) Clearcreek Fire to receive grants for equipment
(8) Grant will help Monticello VFD fight wildfires
(9) Alafia River Corridor Nature Preserve is temporarily closed
(10) 12-Year-Old Arrested for Starting Forest Fire
(11) 10 wildfires reported in area over holiday weekend
(12) Department Of Homeland Security-FEMA Issues Grants Notice on "Assistance To Firefighters Grant Program, Fire Prevention and Safety Grants"
(13) The History and Frightening Future of Forests
(14) Proposed text-message system warns of floods, fires
(15) More Bush, Jungle Fires In Sabah Last Year
(16) Firefighters still at Wairarapa blaze
(17) Operation Firesetter - action against arson
(18) Fire ready meetings in Gippsland
(19) BOM bushfire info ban
(20) Car thieves start bushfire
(21) Campers urged to take care with fires
(22) Police: Apopka firefighter resigns after lighting co-worker on fire
Labels: air-tankers, bushfires, firefighting, forest fires, wildfire news, wildfire news of the day, wildfires
posted by Michael Archer @ 11:26 AM
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