WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 010511

We lead off wildfire news today with the announcement of a new blog from Wildfire NOTD subscriber Tony Morris, Communications Director for Wildfire Research Network, in which he discusses the upcoming Aerial Firefighting Conference in Washington DC in March (1); and California State Firefighters Association has unveiled a new plan whereby firefighters in the state can earn a bachelor's degree to further their career in public safety (2). Despite the fact that nearly a dozen homes were destroyed by a wildfire which jumped the freeway in Ashland, Oregon, last year, Department of Transportation officials will not build a firewall to protect neighborhoods there (3); while a burn ban that has been imposed in Paul's County, Oklahoma, will be in place for at least the next 30 days (4). A local railroad in Michigan will have to pay $300,000 in restitution for wildfires sparked by its equipment in 2008 (5); but having fought nearly 2 dozen wildfires in December, Florida Division of Forestry fears that winter wildfires, once a rarity, may become all too routine (6). On the technology front, two articles are of interest: as the Consumer Electronics Show continues in Las Vegas, Nevada, several devices have been unveiled that could be useful to wildland firefighters away from civilization for a while (7); and German scientists have come up with a microwave scanner which can be used from aircraft when conventional infrared scanners are unable to see through dust into the heart of wildfire, and can even detect fires underground, something which would have been useful in Russia's peat fires this past summer (8). As a new year begins, the next article takes a look back at wildfires that raged near 100 Mile House, British Colombia, Canada, last year (9); while Wildfire NOTD subscriber Francis Arnould, Flight Safety Officer for the French firefighting organization La Sécurité Civile, sent along two files: one describing his Bombardier air-tanker (10); and a report on how his organization helped battle wildfires in Russia this past summer (11). The next article provides an in-depth view of the impact of climate change on Israel in the form of worsening forest fires (12); followed by an article in which the Israeli Prime Minister pledged to extinguish future wildfires much more quickly (13). The African nation of Gambia is gearing up its anti-bushfire campaign for 2011 (14); and students in India are being asked to keep an eye out for forest fires in three tiger preserves (15). Firefighters have gotten bushfires under control near Donnelly River, Western Australia (16); but Tasmania has now imposed fire restrictions due to ideal bushfire conditions throughout much of the state (17). And finally, Tasmania Fire Service has unveiled a Facebook "friend" who could save your life in a bushfire!

(1) Wildfireresearcher

(2) CSFA, Brandman University Introduce Bachelor's Degree for California Firefighters

(3) No I-5 fire wall planned to protect wildfire-ravaged neighborhood in Ashland

(4) Burn ban could be here for a while

(5) Saginaw rail company enters no-contest plea in 2008 wildfire cases in Crawford, Arenac counties

(6) Highly unusual wildfires of December feared as portent of things to come

(7) CES Unveils Wilderness/Emergency Preparedness Technology

(8) Microwave scanner sees fires through smoke

(9) Devastating wildfires raged across the Cariboo-Chilcotin

(10) DASH8 Q400MR

(11) Russia Wildfire Report

(12) Dead trees in the Holy Land and warming’s collateral damage

(13) PM: The forest we always knew to be green was burned

(14) Gambia: Forestry Department, Adwac on Anti-Bushfire Campaign

(15) Foresters to students: Help us spot a fire

(16) Bushfire all clear for Donnelly River

(17) Fire permits in force

(18) A Facebook friend that could save your life