WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 022813

Discussions about improvements at Southern California's Santa Maria Airport, which has a US Forest Service air-tanker base associated with it, will be conducted at a board of directors meeting this evening (1); even as firefighters have nearly contained a 408-acre wildfire near Lone Pine (2). A new report for Colorado's El Paso-Teller Counties E911 Authority notes serious problems with their wildfire alert system (3); while Utah firefighters were honored for their yeoman work battling 1,528 wildfires that scorched 413,626 acres in 2012 (4). West Virginia Division of Forestry offered some tips to reduce the danger of sparking wildfires as that state's spring forest fire season begins (5); the impact of the pending sequestration cuts on Alabama's Talladega National Forest being examined by the next article (6). A forest fire in Southwest China's Yunnan Province is being battled by approximately 2,000 personnel (7); and the continued drought in Vietnam is breeding forest fires there (8). Australia's Bureau of Meteorology reflected on the wild weather of 2012 and its impact on bushfires across the country in the next article (9); while the importance of inlet barrier filters preventing engine damage to helicopter air-tankers in adverse environments around the country is examined by the one that follows (10). Two bushfires which have burned 85,000 ha between them in Gippsland, Victoria, have finally been contained (11); while a Black Saturday class-action suit with over 7,000 plaintiffs is scheduled to begin in Melbourne (12); and prosecutors are demanding a heavier sentence for a former volunteer firefighter accused of starting a Black Saturday bushfire that killed 10 people (13). BlazeAid continues to help farmers repair fenceline destroyed in recent bushfires at Bookham, New South Wales (14); but with 56,000 ha up in smoke, Coonabarabran needs more fodder for livestock (15). Western Australia's Department of Fire and Emergency Services hopes that favorable weather will allow them to gain the upper hand on a bushfire near Perth which has already burned over 1,000 ha (16); sparks from a passing train being blamed for starting several blazes in the Swan Districts (17); but four blazes at Bakers Hill are believed to have been deliberately set (18). Despite losing hundreds of animals and thousands of hectares to bushfires in Dunalley, Tasmania, a farmer plans to continue farming (19). And finally, we have two stories which show the long and the short of the fire service: a 6'8" firefighter from the UK is doing his part to raise cancer donations; while a 4'1" firefighter from Greensburg, Pennsylvania, can bench press 285 lbs!

(1) Air tanker base lease on SMX board agenda

(2) Firefighters close to getting ring around wildfire

(3) Report notes concerns with wildfire alert system in El Paso County

(4) Lawmakers honor local firefighters after a record wildfire season

(5) Spring forest fire season opens

(6) Managing the Forest

(7) 2,000 battling SW China forest fire

(8) Drought raises forest fire risk

(9) 2012 brought wild weather, not more rain

(10) Donaldson barrier filters assist Australian aerial firefighters

(11) Gippsland bushfires contained

(12) Bushfire survivors demand justice in record civil case

(13) Bushfire arson sentence inadequate: court

(14) Riverina support for Bookham after bushfires

(15) Bushfire victims in urgent need of fodder

(16) Crews battle to control bushfire near Perth

(17) Train may have sparked Perth fires

(18) Bakers Hill bushfire deliberately lit

(19) Unbroken By The Dunalley Bushfires

(20) Halstead: Too tall for the Army but not for firefighting

(21) Dwarf firefighter benches 285 pounds, inspires community