WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 042911

Wildfire NOTD subscriber Chuck Bushey, President of the International Association of Wildland Fire, announced Global Wildfire Awareness Week from May 1-7, 2011, with a theme of “Your Home...Your Responsibility.” (1) Two articles explore reactions to a meeting in Altadena, California, yesterday in which the GAO and US Forest Service responded to a request from Congressman Adam Schiff for an update on post-Station Fire activities (2)(3). Various groups met in Northern California to discuss using prescribed burns to reduce the wildfire danger in the Klamath National Forest (4); and as the second Lake Tahoe Basin Wildfire Awareness Week kicks off at the end of May, the theme this year is "Get Defensive: We're Counting on You!" (5) The next article chronicles the Forest Service activities to implement wildfire protection in Oregon's Curry County (6); and as Wildfire Awareness Week begins in Washington state, campfire safety is being emphasized by outdoor experts (7). Wildfires in Mexico are making for smoky skies in Southern Arizona (8); but with a Red Flag warning in effect for much of that state today, fire officials have asked visitors to the national forests not to use campfires (9). There's a bit of a mystery over what was the exact source of a 9,000-acre wildfire in southern New Mexico (10); while nearly a dozen agencies battled a wildfire in Lincoln County, Colorado (11). A meeting at Boise, Idaho's, National Interagency Fire Center touched on the reduced wildfire threat to that state this year, as well as efforts to control wildfires in Texas (12). A summary of wildfire activity across Texas is provided by the next item (13); where a 10-acre wildfire was reported outside of College Station (14); and wildfires in Clay County destroyed several structures, killed some livestock, and burned about 20,000 acres (15); while residents of Odessa were warned about smoky haze invading their airspace from wildfires in South Texas (16); followed by a video segment that shows Blackhawk helicopters in action over the Texas wildfires (17); even as Governor Rick Perry complained at the Texas Emergency Management Conference about the lack of response to his request for emergency assistance from the US Government (18). Firefighters in Marion County, Missouri, kept a close eye on a controlled burn intentionally set to engulf a mobile home (19); while officials in New Jersey are fighting a losing battle against the Southern Pine Beetle, which devastated 14,000 acres of timber in the state last year alone (20). Firefighters in Virginia's Shenandoah National Park are planning a 500-acre controlled burn (21); and the Governor of Florida praised the efforts of firefighters battling a 2,300-acre wildfire in Collier County on a visit to the fireline (22). Fire officials in British Columbia, Canada, are enjoying a quieter wildfire season than they did this time last year (23); followed by a summary of wildfire activity in Ontario, provided by the Ministry of Natural Resources (24). Firefighters in the Scottish Highlands have recommended that landowners prepare wildfire "battle plans" (25); while a wildfire burning in Belgium passed the 1,000 ha mark for vegetation burned, and fires continued in Spain, Portugal, and elsewhere in the Mediterranean Basin (26). Although buying back Australian properties in high risk bushfire areas of Victoria was recommended by the Royal Bushfire Commission after the Black Saturday bushfires, communities targeted for the controversial plan are reacting cautiously (27). And finally, a Philadelphia firefighter who posed for a calendar photo shoot to benefit widows of fallen firefighters is in hot water with the brass!

(1) Global Wildfire Awareness Week

(2) Foothill residents, representative criticize Forest Service over Station fire

(3) More night-flying helicopters OK in LA-area forest

(4) Officials endorse use of prescribed burns; obstacles to suppression include scale, resources

(5) Announcing Lake Tahoe Basin Wildfire Awareness Week May 28 to June 5, 2011

(6) Wildfire prevention programs sit atop priority lists for Forest Service

(7) OUTDOOR NOTEBOOK: Campfire safety emphasized for Wildfire Awareness Week

(8) Haze result of wild fires burning in Mexico

(9) Avoid outdoor fires during red-flag conditions today

(10) Tank was likely source of wildfire

(11) Lincoln County wildfire 50% contained

(12) 2011 Idaho fire outlook depends on elevation

(13) Current wildfire status - April 29, 2011

(14) Firefighters battle grass fire on F.M. 2818

(15) Wildfire scorches acreage, structures

(16) Emergency dispatch: Smoky haze is from wildfires in South Texas

(17) VIDEO: Fighting wildfires from the air

(18) Texas governor fumes over wildfires

(19) Hannibal firefighters called to controlled burn

(20) Wharton State Forest trees felled to battle Southern pine beetle

(21) Shenandoah National Park plans controlled burn

(22) Collier County brush fire blackens more than 2,300 acres

(23) Centre ready to get fired up for 2011

(24) MNR sets forest fire hazard rating at High across Northwest

(25) Landowners urged to prepare ‘battle plans’ for tackling fires

(26) EFFIS - Current Situation

(27) Caution urged over bushfire land buyback plan

(28) Philadelphia Firefighter’s Charity Pose Ignites Departmental Controversy