Firebomber Publications Blog

Wildfire News Of The Day (the Firebomber Publications blog) provides comprehensive international wildfire news. Subscribers include over 10,000 personnel from fire agencies, contractors, and government entities on five continents. "BEST NEWSLETTER I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY 32 YEARS IN THE FIRE SERVICE" - San Diego Fire Department Chief Brian Fennessy.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 022713

First up today, the International Association of Wildland Fire sent along an invitation to a webinar today that will address some of the myths about wildland fire held by the general public (1); and Wildfire NOTD subscriber Tom Eversole, Executive Director of the American Helicopter Services and Aerial Firefighting Association, called on US Forest Service to resolve delays in modernizing the air-tanker fleet in a press release (2). Fire crews battling a 406-acre wildfire near Lone Pine, California, hope to have the blaze contained by Wednesday (3); while the deadline to sign up for the Arizona Wildfire and Incident Management Academy is fast approaching (4). The Colorado House of Representatives has postponed consideration of an insurance reform bill which would strengthen coverage for wildfire survivors (5); but a man from Emmett, Idaho, has been charged with setting a 315-acre wildfire last August (6). The Utah Senate has approved a bill which would limit target shooting during wildfire season (7); while in Texas, the Austin City Council unveiled a new Wildfire Mitigation Fund which will funnel nearly $1 million into year-around projects to reduce the wildfire danger to the city (8). A runaway trash fire has been blamed for last September's Horsethief Canyon Fire, which burned 3,373 acres in Teton County, Wyoming (9). The New York Army National Guard demonstrated a FireHawk firefighting system over the Hudson River earlier this month (10); but the U.S. Department of Agriculture indicated that sequestration cuts of $2 billion could leave homes in Virginia vulnerable to wildfires due to a lack of fuel clearance (11). Authorities in Mysore, India, hope that the arrest of an alleged arsonist in the Nagarahole Tiger Reserve will be the break they need to stop a series of arson wildfires that have plagued the region since last year (12); however, several forest fires have been reported in Vietnam's Ca Mau province and outside of Ho Chi Minh City (13). As New Zealand fields the second largest deployment of firefighters ever to Victoria, Australia, ministers from both countries will meet to discuss emergency plans (14); but closer to home, a car fire in Welcome Bay started a bushfire (15). Rainfall has helped fire crews rope in two bushfires in Victoria, Australia, which have burned 70,000 ha between them (16); but concerns that the Harrietville bushfire was not attacked effectively within the first 72 hours has led to an investigation by the Emergency Services Commissioner (17); the next article offering a look at the communications traffic flow Country Fire Authority systems sustained during bushfires last month keeping 61,000 personnel at 1,253 fire stations in touch (18). A bushfire in Upper Swan, Western Australia, which closed some highways has been contained (19); but bushfires near Medina and York are still active (20). A riding club in Tasmania urged horse owners across the country to be prepared for bushfires (21). And finally, Wildfire NOTD subscriber Andrew Madsen, PAO at Southern California's Los Padres National Forest, sent along a cartoon from 1964 that shows an arsonist getting his comeuppance at the hands (paws?) of Smokey Bear!

(1) Webinar Announcement: Debunking Myths in Wildland Fire

(2) Forest Service Inaction Continues To Delay Airtanker Fleet Modernization

(3) Lone Pine wildfire

(4) Friday is last day to sign up for Arizona Wildfire Academy

(5) Colorado House postpones insurance reform bill that would strengthen coverage for wildfire victims

(6) Feds charge Idaho man with setting 2012 wildfire

(7) Utah Senate approves bill on shooting limits during wildfire season

(8) Austin program cuts risk of wildfires

(9) Probe: Trash-burning sparked Horsethief wildfire

(10) New York: Army National Guard Testing Fire Fighting System Over Hudson River Friday Morning

(11) Possible Budget Cuts Could Make it Difficult to Fight Wildfires

(12) One arrested for forest fire

(13) Forest fires in Ca Mau, HCM City

(14) Australian, New Zealand ministers to discuss bush fires, emergency work

(15) Car fire starts bush fire in Welcome Bay

(16) Two Victorian bushfires contained

(17) Probe launched into Harrietville bushfire amid claims of mishandling by emergency services

(18) Victorian firefighters extinguish online congestion during bushfires

(19) Warning downgraded for bushfire in Upper Swan

(20) Firefighters battle Medina, York blazes

(21) Horse owners urged to be prepared for bushfire

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