WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 061612

Wildland firefighters are circulating a petition asking for US Forest Service to extend healthcare benefits to seasonal crews (1). Wildfire NOTD subscriber Bettina Boxall, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter with the Los Angeles Times, discusses a study recently published in PlosOne.org that shows the importance of property location in wildfire-prone Southern California, in which two Wildfire NOTD subscribers, Jon Keeley, a Research Ecologist with the US Geological Survey, the study's co-author, and John Todd, Deputy Chief of Los Angeles County Fire Department, discuss the study's findings (2); while fire officials with the Mendocino National Forest cautioned visitors about the wildfire danger (3); where Ukiah Air Attack Base has been activated by CAL FIRE to help with wildfires in the surrounding area (4); and Grass Valley Air Attack Base has been spun up as well (5); this at a time when wildfires in Butte and Placer counties each burned approximately 100 acres (6); and the Yankee Hill Fire Safe Council coordinated efforts to clear out debris left over by 2008's Concow wildfire near Orville (7). Oak Creek Wildlife officials are buying up land outside of Naches, Washington, to reduce the danger from catastrophic wildfires (8). A firefighter was medevaced from a 1,500-acre wildfire burning in Arizona's Tonto National Forest (9); while the next article touches on the importance of propane safety in regards to barbecues during wildfire season in that state (10); timely advice, considering the fact that US Forest Service has had a busy time handing out citations to homeowners violating fire restrictions (11). A technicality is keeping 7 C-130 transports that could be used as air-tankers on wildfires burning in New Mexico and Colorado grounded (12); but as one injured firefighter from Colorado's 54,232-acre High Park Fire was evacuated, a huge feller buncher was being used to quickly clear defensible space around the perimeter (13); even as more personnel arrive on the fire line to help battle the blaze that has damaged or destroyed at least 112 homes (14); while weather researchers are seeking to deploy more mobile Atmospheric Surface Observing Systems (ASOS) sensors around Colorado's wildfires to better understand the weather changes they generate (15); but with fire authorities more worried about the damage done to the forests by Colorado's wildfires, the next article takes a look at the impact on the tourist industry this summer (16). Although Utah's wildfires are being roped in, new ones continue to pop up (17); and even though firefighters are getting the upper hand on current wildfires, with three quarters of the state under a high fire alert they prepared for more of the same (18). Kansas National Guard deployed aircraft to help fight Colorado's wildfires (19). In Canada, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources's firefighters are making progress on the few wildfires burning in that province as the fire danger remains low (20); while residents of North West River and Sheshatshiu, Labrador, remain on evacuation alert as a wildfire burns 20 km away (21). Wildfire activity in Greece, where firefighters have been injured and homes destroyed by several wildfires, is examined by the next article (22). Wildfire activity along Islamabad, Pakistan's, Margalla Hills is the focus of the next article (23); and in India, 1,304 wildfires have scorched 16,104 ha of forest land in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh (24); while Malaysia is once again being blanketed by wildfire smoke from neighboring Indonesia (25). Queensland Fire and Rescue Service has already begun controlled burns outside of Ipswich (26). And finally, hundreds of people attended British Columbia Forest Service's 100th anniversary gala held at the Kamloops Fire Centre Friday!

(1) Wildland Firefighter Starts Petition for Health Benefits

(2) Wildfire risk to homes is most related to location, study finds

(3) Careful with fire in the forest, especially during heat

(4) Ready: Ukiah Air Attack Base activated

(5) Air tankers return to Grass Valley

(6) Hot, dry conditions spur northern California wildfires

(7) Cleanup from 2008 Concow wildfires continues

(8) Officials trying to prevent 'catastrophic' wild fire in our forests

(9) Firefighter injured fighting uncontained Poco Fire near Young

(10) Propane Safety: Forest Fires & BBQs

(11) Forest Service busy with fire-ban citations

(12) Military air tankers grounded for use against Colorado, New Mexico wildfires

(13) Injured firefighter at High Park fire air evacuated

(14) Additional crews arrive at large Colorado wildfire

(15) Cloudy with a chance of hell: Wildfires change the weather

(16) Wildfire threatens to cast a shadow on Colorado summer

(17) Tooele wildfire comes close to Deseret Chemical Depot

(18) Crews work to snuff latest wildfires, brace for more

(19) Kansas guardsmen conduct first Colorado firefighting mission

(20) Forest fire hazard remains low

(21) Forest fire keeps Labrador towns on evacuation alert

(22) Fire Threatens Houses South of Athens

(23) World Space: Fire on the mountain

(24) Fire damages 16,100 hectares of forest lands

(25) Haze returns to Malaysia

(26) Bushfire battle begins

(27) Firefighting demo highlights Forest Service 100th anniversary bash