WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 021712

Monterey County Fire Safe Council is concerned that this year's unusually dry winter may lead to earlier-than-usual wildfires (1); while an article from Oregon profiles a wildland firefighter who was actually studying to be a culinary chef! (2) The former manager of the Winthrop Smokejumper Base will be giving a talk Saturday about "The Perfect Conflagration: The Fires of 1910" in Wenatchee, Washington (3); and in New Mexico, the Doña Ana County/City of Las Cruces Office of Emergency Management will be holding public meetings to discuss their proposed Community Wildfire Protection Plan (4). Central Texas leadership attended an Emergency Preparedness Summit in Austin to discuss wildfires past and future (5); the wildfires of 2011 prompting a nearby community to establish the Steiner Ranch Neighborhood Association to enhance wildfire protection (6). With Western South Dakota experiencing exceptionally dry conditions, fire managers in the Black Hills are concerned about the fire danger (7); and an article from Montana profiles the new Interim Regional Forester (8). Firefighters in Wisconsin remarked on the number of early-season wildfires fought so far this year in the next article (9); while the US Forest Service and a number of environmental groups discussed the impact of commercial enterprises on fire safety in Illinois' Shawnee National Forest (10). Fire managers working Georgia's Honey Prairie Fire feel that, after three weeks and no smoke, the fire may be almost out (11); but although Florida's warm, dry winter has been a boon for tourists, it is also proving to be the bane of firefighters (12). A wildfire in southwest China's Yunnan Province continues to rage (13); and while conditions have improved on the Indonesian/Malaysian island of Borneo, forest fires are still amongst the problems facing 22 million ha of rain forest (14). Fire experts in Victoria, Australia, are concerned that 390,000 ha of prescribed burns are taking place in the remote bush where they do little good to protect suburban communities in danger from bushfires (15); but smoke from nearby bushfires which has caused traffic and respiratory problems for residents of Perth, Western Australia, could last through the weekend (16). And finally, firefighters in Boise, Idaho, found a new use for ladder trucks: rescuing burglars!

(1) Monterey County Fire Safe Council Aims To Educate On Wildfires

(2) Le Mars native honored for firefighting, service

(3) Bill Moody: The Fires of 1910

(4) Public input sought on wildfire plan

(5) Leaders discuss Bastrop wildfires at summit

(6) Wildfire evacuation concerns spark action from community

(7) Potential for Wildfires in the Black Hills

(8) Interim forester takes over in U.S. Forest Service's Northern Region

(9) Lack of snow brings early fire season

(10) Arguments made for and against Shawnee National Forest logging injunction

(11) Honey Prairie Wildfire Almost Out

(12) Warm, dry winter has downside

(13) Forest fire rages in SW China

(14) Kalimantan’s forests are doing OK: NGO

(15) Concerns controlled burns not protecting communities

(16) Smoke haze to persist over weekend

(17) Boise firefighters have to use ladder truck to get suspected burglars off roof of local business