WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 040412

We lead off today with an Op-Ed piece discussing the US Secretary of Agriculture's response to a letter drafted by several senators concerned about the heavy air-tanker shortage (1). Wildfire awareness will be the topic of a discussion in the Southern California mountain community of Idyllwild April 28th (2); and San Diego Gas & Electric unveiled new mobile command and control centers that are roving wi-fi hotspots, which could prove useful when the next wildfires hit that region (3). Oregon's Linn-Benton Community College will be offering wildland firefighter training towards the end of this month (4); where, despite recent rainfall in Jackson and Josephine counties, Oregon Department of Forestry officials warned that the danger during wildfire season is undiminished (5); but even though 13 forest fires have already been reported in the state, Washington State Department of Natural Resources indicated that wildfire season would officially begin April 15th (6). Arizona's Apache Sitgreaves National Forest has a new Supervisor (7); while a presentation by the Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association at the New Mexico Wildland-Urban Interface Summit touched on the concept of insurance companies sharing the cost of wildfire damage with homeowners who insist on living in wildland-urban interface communities (8). Confusion reigned supreme as panicked residents outside of Denver, Colorado, phoned about the Lower North Fork Fire when it broke out of containment last week, as evidenced by 911 calls released yesterday (9); recent wildfires and tinder dry conditions having prompted residents of Vail to review their evacuation plans (10); illegal target shooting being blamed for a wildfire that burned near Loveland last week (11); and an Op-Ed piece discusses the human factor in wildfire ignition in that state (12). A video from Minnesota shows CL-215 Super Scoopers being prepped for aerial firefighting by Aeroflite personnel (13); while wildfire activity in Michigan is the topic of the next article (14). Officials at the Illinois Department of Natural Resources warned residents of that state that the warm, dry conditions are ideal for wildfires (15); but Cook County Forest Preserve District personnel will be expected to help fight wildfires if they live in deeply-discounted government housing (16). A 485-acre controlled burn was performed in Ohio's Wayne National Forest (17). The National Weather Service has issued Red Flag warnings for much of southern New England due to warm, windy conditions (18); as is the case with New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania and northern Delaware (19); the current fire danger been underscored by the report of a bushfire in Alsace Township, Pennsylvania (20). An early-morning wildfire on Hackensack Mountain, New York, scorched nearly 4 acres (21). A 25-acre wildfire in Collier County, Florida, prompted some evacuations (22); and the moderate drought in Lake County is also causing wildfire concerns (23). Efforts to protect John Hay Forest Reservation in Baguio, Philippines, are discussed in the next item (24); while forest officials in Jamshedpur, India, have alerted visitors to the extreme wildfire danger dry conditions have produced in the surrounding forests (25). Heading to Australia, family losses due to a deliberately-set bushfire during Black Saturday were recounted before a court hearing in Victoria (26); but Margaret River bushfire survivors will have a day at the circus in Western Australia (27). And finally, Alabama Forestry Commission has unveiled a new secret weapon to locate wildfire arsonists: bloodhounds!

(1) Secretary of Agriculture responds to Senators' concerns about air tankers

(2) Fire and Forest: A Day of Fire Awareness…

(3) SDGE Unveils New Firefighting Tool

(4) LBCC to offer wildland firefighter training

(5) Rains Haven't Changed Forecast For Fire Season

(6) Wildfire season officially begins April 15th

(7) Eastern Arizona Forest Names New Supervisor

(8) Insurers want shared risk on wildfires

(9) Calls show residents panicked over Colo. wildfire

(10) Wildfires prompt Vail to review evacuation plans

(11) Forest Service: Illegal target shooting sparked fire west of Loveland

(12) William Hamilton: Wildfires, we are a major cause

(13) Super, duper water scoopers

(14) Weather, staffing fuel forest fire fears

(15) IDNR urges caution to prevent wildfires

(16) Forest preserve resident staff will have to fight fires, use chainsaws

(17) Safe forest fire

(18) Red flag warning in effect for southern New England

(19) NWS Warns Dry, Windy Day Boosts Fire Risk

(20) Firefighters battle brush fire in Alsace Twp.

(21) Warrensburg forest fire burns nearly 4 acres

(22) Officials: North Naples fire 'par for the course,' sign of what's to come

(23) Despite weekend rainfall, Lake County mired in 'moderate' drought

(24) Camp John Hay villages vow to prevent forest fires

(25) Dalma forest fire alert

(26) Bushfire family 'annihilated', court told

(27) Circus fun for bushfire victims

(28) Dogs showing they can help sniff out arsonists