WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 082813

We lead off today with a document submitted by Wildfire NOTD subscriber Bruce Courtright, Chairman of the National Institute for the Elimination of Catastrophic Wildfire, with the following comments:

Here is another short ,but informative paper on the issue of the Forest Service borrowing money from critical programs including Fire Prevention to pay for this year's fires. It is written by Hank Kashdan a former Deputy Chief of the Forest Service and does not pull punches. I would encourage your readers to pass this on to their Legislators since this practice sets us up for even more catastrophic Wildfires (1).

Wildfire NOTD subscriber Darrel Kenops, Executive Director of the National Association of Forest Service Retirees, also sent along three items with the following comments:

Please share with your readers, these letters and today's news release from our coalition working on the "FY13 fire fund transfers" also known as the "U.S. Forest Service fire suppression costs borrowing issue" recently announced to total $600 million from U.S. Forest Service non-fire funded programs (2)(3)(4).

Elsewhere in the news, the impact of sequestration cuts on federal firefighters is revisited in the next article (5); followed by two National Geographic articles: one which addresses the military roots of modern wildfire fighting (6); and the issue of larger, more intense wildfires in the West being examined by the second (7). Firefighters made quick work of a 40-acre wildfire that broke out in Southern California's Angeles National Forest yesterday (8); while a Los Angeles Times article indicated that the 187,466-acre Rim Fire is 23% contained after destroying 111 structures, including 30 homes (9); shutting down the Tioga Road (10); while Wildfire NOTD subscriber Ed Story, CEO of Aerial Fire Response & Research Network, sent along an extended version of a video that's been making the rounds showing a pilot's-eye view from a National Guard C-130 performing a MAFFS drop on the Rim Fire (11); the Air Force providing an update on positioning of C-130s with MAFFS helping to battle that blaze (12); and the Army tallies up the resources they have on the fireline as well (13); while US Forest Service's Fresno Air Attack Base is providing support to nearly a dozen aircraft battling the blaze (14); Wildfire NOTD subscriber Ty Bonnar, Vice President of Global Operations at Flexible Alternatives, sending along a collection of 174 photos from the firelines (15); smoke from the Rim Fire triggering air-quality alerts as far away as Nevada (16); but the worst may be yet to come (17); some blaming human policies for the destruction done by wildfires (18); a CBS News segment taking a look at the impact on the tourist trade as Labor Day weekend approaches (19); but almost lost in the media glare on its larger cousin, Sequoia National Forest's 1,900-acre Fish Fire is now 7% contained (20); while a two-acre wildfire in Novato destroyed an outbuilding (21); NASA satellites once again providing a spectacular view of wildfires in California from space (22); Wildfire NOTD subscriber Jerome Laval sending along the latest newsletter from the California Fire Pilots Assn (many of whom are pretty busy right now!) (23); the impact of social media on fire crews battling Yosemite's Rim Fire being examined in the next article (24). Rain and higher humidity is helping firefighters in Oregon gain the upper hand on wildfires (for now) (25). A National Public Radio segment from Arizona discusses the contribution of Native American firefighters on firelines in the West (26); while US Forest Service dispatched a helicopter to help battle a small wildfire burning in Colorado's Roosevelt National Forest (27). In the wake of Idaho's Beaver Creek Fire, a fundraiser in Wood River Valley raised more than $30,000 for the Wildland Firefighter Foundation (28); fire officials in the Sawtooth National Forest reflecting on the dangers high elevation fires pose for firefighters (29). A summary of wildfire activity in Montana is provided by the next article (30); where fire crews were performing structure protection in advance of the Lolo Creek Complex Fire (31); Canadian firefighters arriving to help on the firelines (32); but a single-engine air-tanker was damaged on landing at Ronan Airport August 17 (33). Firefighters from around the country have been helping with wildfires in the West: upwards of 100 firefighters from Arkansas are manning those firelines (34); the contribution of an Illinois Department of Natural Resources fire crew is examined by the next article (35); and the governor of Massachusetts thanked wildland firefighters from the Department of Conservation and Recreation for their efforts as well (36). Disputes between New Jersey's Governor and forestry officials have broken out in regards to his conditional veto of the Healthy Forests Act (37); while a climate group estimates that wood biomass, some of which is already being harvested as part of wildfire mitigation efforts, could replace 30 to 50% of the fossil fuels used in British Columbia, Canada (38). In Europe, eight new wildfire starts were reported in Spain and Greece (39); even as deadly wildfires in Portugal brewed up again (40). A wildfire which has burned 2,340-acres in the African nation of Burundi's Vyanda Natural Reserve is now 60% contained (41). With an early declaration of the Bush Fire Danger Period, fire crews in New South Wales, Australia, are lighting 100 controlled burns a week to reduce bushfire fuel (42); a 12-hectare bushfire at Lake Munmorah perhaps a harbinger of things to come (43). As bushfire season approaches, South Australia's Country Fire Service will have 17 aircraft - 11 air-tankers and six air attack planes - available to battle bushfires (44); but SA Power Networks' tree-trimming efforts in Gladstone aimed at reducing the bushfire threat stirred controversy instead (45). And finally, a teenager from New Jersey has come up with an app that helps firefighters size up a structure fire sooner than they could otherwise!

(1) Here We Go Again – This Senseless Process Can Be Fixed!

(2) Partner Caucus on Fire Suppression Funding Issues (Senate Version)

(3) Partner Caucus on Fire Suppression Funding Issues (House Version)

(4) Broad Forest Coalition Asks Congress to Address Persistent Firefighting Deficit

(5) Reeling from Sequestration, Forest Service Fights Rim Fire

(6) The Military Roots of Fighting Modern Wildfires

(7) Why Big, Intense Wildfires Are the New Normal

(8) 40-acre Azusa brush fire draws about 150 firefighters

(9) Containment of Yosemite fire now 23% as blaze climbs record books

(10) Wildfire to shut down another road into Yosemite National Park

(11) MAFFS 6 146AW Channel Islands Air National Guard

(12) Aircraft deploy to California to aid firefighting effort

(13) National Guard battles Northern California wildfires

(14) Firefighters battling Rim fire from the air use Fresno as 'pit stop'

(15) Heroes battle Yosemite fire in high-res (174 HQ Photos)

(16) Smoke from expanding Yosemite wildfire triggers air-quality warnings 100 miles away

(17) Wildfire damage expected to worsen this fall

(18) Nature, human policies led to giant wildfire at Yosemite

(19) Wildfire near Yosemite threatens local economies

(20) Fish Fire near Porterville in Sequoia National Forest 7% contained, still growing

(21) Wildfire in western Novato burns 2 acres, building

(22) Raging Wildfires in California Seen From Space

(23) CFPA Newsletter August 2013

(24) Social Media Good and Bad for Crews Battling Rim Wildfire

(25) Rain, higher humidity and firefighter's efforts keep Oregon wildfires in check for now

(26) Elite Native American Firefighters Join Crews At Yosemite

(27) Moody Fire burning in Roosevelt National Forest in Larimer County

(28) Wood River Valley raises more than $30K for wildland firefighters

(29) Dangers of Forest Fires

(30) Bitterroot National Forest fires show minimal growth

(31) Firefighters work to protect structures near Lolo Creek Fire

(32) Canadian firefighters arrive to help battle Western wildfires

(33) Air tanker damaged in Ronan

(34) Arkansas helping battle wildfires out West

(35) Illinoisans helped battle Oregon forest fire

(36) Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick thanks state DCR firefighter team for combating western wildfires

(37) Officials Say Squabbles Mar N.J. Forest Plan

(38) Wood biomass an untapped resource, climate group says

(39) EFFIS - Current Situation

(40) Deadly Portugal wildfires rage anew

(41) Forest fire ravages Burundi's natural reserve

(42) Fears of 'intense and early fire season' add urgency to hazard-reduction burns

(43) Homes threatened by bushfire on NSW central coast

(44) Country Fire Service boosts aerial firefighting fleet to 17 for upcoming fire danger season

(45) Trees chopped 'due to bushfire hazard'

(46) Englewood Cliffs' teen channels passion for firefighting into mobile app