WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 100313

A 6-acre wildfire broke out in the Southern California community of Glendora yesterday [editor's note: from my upstairs bedroom I saw LA County Fire's Erickson Aircrane and both Super Scoopers assist a local LA County fireship in a ferocious air assault, knocking the blaze down in less than half an hour] (1); LA City Fire Department explained how they determine wildfire danger in their area of operations (2); but despite the federal shutdown, fire agencies in the Inland Empire are making preparations as Santa Ana winds are in the forecast (3); a KNX 1070 radio segment discussing how US Forest Service crews are preparing (4); however, the federal shutdown has idled mechanics necessary to maintain California Air National Guard aircraft equipped to fight wildfires (5). The next article takes a closer look at how inmate firefighters assist Oregon Department of Forestry battling wildfires (6); and the proactive approach to fighting wildfires in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest may have saved millions of dollars in suppression costs (7). More analysis of the air-attack situation over Arizona's Yarnell Hill Fire is offered by the next article (8); while one of the consequences of the federal shutdown is the loss of funding for US Forest Service's wildfire mitigation efforts in Colorado (9). Warm weather and a lack of rain prompted the New Jersey Forest Fire Service to announce an early start to the fall forest fire season (10); but with the delivery of Florida-based GelTech Solution's Emergency Manhole FireIce Delivery System to New York State's ConEd, wildland firefighting gel FireIce will be going someplace new: underground! (11) Only two new wildfires were reported in Europe: one in Xàbia, La Granadella, Spain, and another on the French Mediterranean island of Corsica (12); while the next article provides an update on Nagoya, Japan's, plans to purchase a Eurocopter AS365 for firefighting purposes (13). In Queensland, Australia, the Bundaberg Regional Council is recommending that homeowners take precautionary steps to reduce the bushfire risk as a hot, dry season is predicted (14); bushfire smoke forcing closure of the Warrego highway near Plainland (15); a cattle rancher near Wandoan reporting on damages from a 2,830-hectare bushfire last week (16). Fire crews continued to battle a bushfire in Crowdy Head National Park on New South Wales' mid-north coast (17); but four a half years after Victoria's Black Saturday bushfires, red tape has delayed the opening of the only community fire refuges to be built in that state (18). And finally, firefighters from Tennessee's Murfreesboro Fire & Rescue Department probably felt like they were establishing Noah's Ark as they evacuated wildlife from the blazing Discovery Center!

(1) Update: Firefighters Battle Glendora Brush Fire Off of 210 Freeway, Suspect Arrested

(2) How Does LAFD Determine Wildfire Danger in Los Angeles?

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