WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 012412

In Texas, the House Culture, Recreation and Tourism Committee is exploring how much damage has been done to the tourist trade by damage from the 2011 wildfires (1); but as the South Dakota Division of Wildland Fire Suppression fire chief retired on Monday, he looked back on a 36-year career in the fire service (2). The Arkansas legislature is taking a closer look at planned cuts which eliminated 36 jobs from the Arkansas Forestry Division (3). In Africa, Gambia's Anti-Bush Fire Campaign Committee has successfully completed a week of training in the West Coast Region (4); but forest fire activity in South Africa's Western Cape in 2005 may have an impact on a forestry operation in the area (5). A 20-hectare bushfire burning near Te Kao, New Zealand, drew the attention of a pair of firefighting helicopters as well as firefighters on the ground (6). With the official commencement of the bushfire season in Victoria, Australia, residents are advised to be on the lookout for bushfire arsonists as part of the Crime Stoppers program (7); however, bushfire survivors denounced graphic bushfire warning commercials aired by the state government (8); nevertheless, an editorial cites the importance of a bushfire escape plan (9); while hundreds of thousands of Victorians may be in the dark as a new power blackout plan to better control bushfires is put into place (10). A study from New South Wales shows that bushfires are critical to the ecosystem supporting dry sclerophyll forests (11). A 50-hectare bushfire burning near the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River in Western Australia has been contained (12); and a 10-hectare bushfire burning near Boyanup is now under control (13); but Chidlow and Mundaring residents had to flee as a bushfire threatened their homes (14). And finally, just like their counterparts in the military who toss a grenade into a room before entering, firefighters in Saskatchewan, Canada, will be using a new high-tech firefighting grenade to reduce fire temperatures in a room by up to 700°!

(1) Drought, wildfires take toll on Texas tourism

(2) Wildland fire suppression division chief retires

(3) Lawmakers eye restoring firefighter positions at forestry agency

(4) Gambia: Anti-Bush Fire Campaign Ends in WCR

(5) Timber supply hurt by fire

(6) Crews continue to fight Far North fire

(7) Bushfire season sparks arson alert

(8) Grief flares with bushfire ads

(9) Bushfire escape plan crucial

(10) Blackout trigger primed

(11) Planned burning can't replace bushfires

(12) Bushfire information for Gracetown

(13) Bushfire under control at Boyanup

(14) Chidlow residents flee bushfire

(15) New firefighting tool introduced