WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 103012

Despite the second-worst wildfire season on record in the US this year, climate change has received little lip service as the cause (1); nevertheless, air-tanker contractors had plenty of business fighting those wildfires, as Wildfire NOTD subscriber Tom Eversole, Executive Director of the American Helicopter Services and Aerial Firefighting Association, points out in a press release, with comments by Wildfire NOTD subscriber Dan Snyder, President of Neptune Aviation (2). A house fire in the Southern California mountain community of Big Bear sparked a vegetation fire before being extinguished by helicopter air-tankers (3); while an Arizona Public Radio segment discusses a ballot measure which would allocate $10 million to thin forests around Flagstaff (4). New Mexico's Santa Fe National Forest is conducting 1,300 acres worth of controlled burns over the next few days (5); but firefighters in Colorado have finally roped in a 2,000-acre wildfire which destroyed 15 homes outside of Wetmore (6). Despite the amount of acreage burned by Idaho's Mustang Fire this past summer, thinning operations in the Salmon-Challis National Forest helped reduce the severity of the wildfire in the Hughes Creek area (7); while firefighters in Rapid City, South Dakota, scramble to extinguish six small wildfires which popped up in town (8). Windy weather has increased the fire danger in southeastern Alabama (9); even as fire crews battled a 20-acre wildfire on Johns Island, South Carolina, that threatened homes (10). Winds from Hurricane Sandy have members of the Georgia Forestry Commission on edge due to the wildfire danger they pose (11); while an eight-acre wildfire was reported on Florida's Black Hammock Island (12). Australian Capital Territory's new Emergency Services Agency Acting Commissioner is drawing fire from the firefighters union for his performance in the 2003 Canberra bushfires (13). Energy Safe Victoria's Director discusses the options concerning power lines which could spark bushfires in the next article (14); but the Minister for Bushfire Response said that the bushfire buyback scheme would not decimate small towns across the state (15). In a radio segment from South Australia, a member of the Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre discusses what to do if a bushfire comes calling (16); while Western Australia's Premier stated that a report on a bushfire near Albany which seriously burned two firefighters will be released within the next 2 to 3 months (17). And finally, although the air-tankers on display at Los Alamitos this weekend are not the firefighting kind, plenty of other wildland firefighting equipment will be there!

(1) A year of extreme weather — and little climate change talk

(2) Aerial Firefighters Saw Increased Utilization, Contract Extensions In 2012

(3) House fire in Big Bear Lake extinguished by Forest Service, county fire

(4) Question 405 Would Spend $10 million to Thin Flag Forests

(5) Prescribed fire prompts Albuquerque smoke alert

(6) Crews contain destructive wildfire in S. Colorado

(7) Firefighters: Thinning helped protect Lost Trail from Mustang Fire

(8) Six suspicious fires pop up near Catron Boulevard

(9) Wiregrass Wildfire Threat Increases in Windy Weather

(10) Crews contain fire threatening Johns Island homes

(11) Wildfire risk high in Sandy's wake

(12) Wildfire burns 8 acres on Black Hammock Island

(13) 'Deep concerns' voiced over new ESA head

(14) Doubts about bushfire powerline plan

(15) Ryan defends fire buyback scheme

(16) Stay and defend, or leave - don't wait for a bushfire to decide

(17) Premier expects bushfire report within months

(18) Air Tanker Convention to Bring Big Planes, Big Noise to Los Alamitos