WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 041213

Firefighters in Phoenix, Arizona, are trying out a firefighter locator device called a GLANSER (1); and a Wildfire Expo will be held in Prescott's Courthouse Plaza on April 20th (2); while the benefits of the Catastrophic Wildfire Prevention Act of 2013, which advocates greater grazing and logging on federal land to reduce wildfires, are revisited in the next item (3). A Colorado State Senate committee unanimously approved legislation on Thursday that would provide $17 million to fund the state's own air-tanker fleet (4); while a new study from the University of Colorado will attempt to determine what sort of information shapes homeowner behavior in fire-prone areas in the Western Slope region (5); the next article taking a look at the wildfire risk faced by counties across the state (6). As Wildfire Awareness Week comes to a close, Texas Forest Service provided some useful tips to homeowners to prevent sparking wildfires in a state in which 90% are caused by debris burning, outdoor campfires and welding (7); while persistent drought conditions combined with high winds and low humidity prompted fire officials in Kansas to issue a burn advisory (8). Kentucky Division of Forestry reported several wildfires burning in Pike County (9); and another did thousands of dollars of damage when it destroyed three structures in Perry County (10); the chief forester of the Kentucky River District providing some background info on fires that have burned in the region so far this season (11). Wildfire concerns about debris deposited by Superstorm Sandy in Myles Standish State Forest has the fire chief of Plymouth, Massachusetts, requesting that the state open blocked fire roads (12); while Washington, DC-based Congressional Fire Services Institute sent along an announcement about the impact the White House's proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2014 will have on the Assistance to Firefighter Grants Program and the US Fire Administration, among others (13). Fire crews battled a 50-acre wildfire in Kanawha County, West Virginia (14); and several departments responded to a 200-acre blaze in Wirt County as well (15). Florida Forest Service provides some useful tips to homeowners on what to do if threatened by a wildfire in the next item (16). As wildfires continue to break out in Jharkhand, India, a war of words has developed between villagers and forest officials over who's to blame (17); the following article profiling women forest guards who do their part to protect Gir Forest National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary from wildfires (18). Police and army troops teamed up with firefighters to battle resurgent wildfires in Gulmi, Nepal (19); and to help with the fight, a space-based forest fire detection and monitoring system was unveiled (20); but the Gulmi Chamber of Commerce and Industry complained about indifference towards wildfires in the region (21). In Australia, the Victorian Bushfire Appeal Fund has launched a new website to keep the survivors of the February 2009 Black Saturday bushfires who have relocated connected (22); while NASA's Aqua satellite provides a striking image of controlled burns in Western Australia in the next item (23). And finally, a B-17 that fought wildfires in the 1980's will be giving some lucky folks rides in Fresno, California, this weekend!

(1) Phoenix fire, Honeywell create locating device for firefighters

(2) Plaza is site for Wildfire Expo

(3) Bill would curb wildfires by boosting ranching, logging on federal land

(4) Colorado Closer To Having Own Air Tanker Fleet

(5) CU study aims to spur homeowner wildfire mitigation

(6) WESTERN WILDFIRE: Life in the red zone

(7) Proactive Measures Can Prevent Wildfires and Help Protect Your Home

(8) Office of State Fire Marshal, Wildfire Council issue joint burn advisory

(9) Forest fires burn across Pike

(10) Forest fire rips through three Perry Co. buildings, destroys equipment

(11) Forest fire season hits Perry with full force

(12) Fire chief urges state to open blocked fire roads in Myles Standish State Forest

(13) White House Releases Fiscal Year 2014 Budget Proposal

(14) Firefighters Battle Forest Fire Near East Bank

(15) Firefighters Battle 200 Acre Forest Fire in Wirt County

(16) Here's What to Do if a Wildfire Threatens Your Home

(17) More forests burning in Jharkhand

(18) In forests, women guards fight fire, leopards alike

(19) Wildfires come back to life in Gulmi

(20) ICIMOD brings forest fire control system in Nepal

(21) Banda enforced in Tamghas to bring forest fire under control

(22) Online community for bushfire appeal

(23) MODIS: Detecting managed bush fires in Australia

(24) B-17 Bomber In The Skies Over Fresno