WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 062513

Wildfire NOTD subscriber Tom Eversole, Executive Director of American Helicopter Services & Aerial Firefighting Association, sent along a press release that discusses Neptune Aviation's plans to send some of its air-tankers to fight fires in Australia, Spain and Brazil (1); but with nearly 70,000 US communities at risk from wildfires, more air-tankers will be needed in this country (2). A veteran firefighter has been named Chief of Southern California's Los Padres National Forest, Wildfire NOTD subscriber Andrew Madsen, Public Affairs Officer for Southern California's Los Padres National Forest, commenting on fire trends in that forest (3); but unusual weather in the San Francisco Bay Area is giving firefighters a breather (for now) (4). The next article takes a closer look at Washington state's wildland firefighting "guard school" (5); Nevada Interagency Wildland Fire Management Team conducting some training of their own for rookies (6). The fire danger in Arizona's Tonto National Forest has been increased to "extreme" (7); but as wildfires continue to burn in that state, Aetna Insurance is doing what it can to help people impacted by the blazes (8). As a 117 mi.² wildfire continued to advance in Colorado's Rio Grande National Forest, crews were hopeful that the winds would die down giving them a chance to rope the massive blaze in (9); the next article providing an update on other wildfires in the state (10); where a wildfire in Summit County was quickly contained (11); the next article providing a handy glossary of wildfire terms and slang to the uninitiated (12); an NBC News article taking a closer look at how beetle-killed trees and climate change are worsening Colorado's wildfires (13); the impact on the state's tourism being examined by the next article (14). In Kansas, firefighters battled a stubborn blaze burning on the grounds of the Manhattan Country Club (15). The Alaska Division of Forestry provided an update on several massive wildfires burning in the interior in the next article (16); current conditions prompting Anchorage Fire Department to perform inspections of property to assess the wildfire danger (17). Parks Canada tried unsuccessfully to light a 750-hectare controlled burn in Alberta's Jasper National Park (18); but windy, dry conditions have allowed a wildfire in Western Labrador to burn between 5,000 and 6,000 ha (19). Wildfires continued to pop up across Europe in Portugal, Spain, Italy and Greece (20). Indonesian military aircraft fought deliberately-set wildfires on the island of Sumatra (21); where rampant graft was blamed, in part, for the blazes (22); and eight farmers have been arrested for setting some of the fires, which have cloaked the region in thick smoke (23); but the Indonesian Forum for the Environment is calling for immediate action by the government to halt those blazes (24); and the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil demanded that palm oil companies hand over digital maps of their holdings within 48 hours to better ascertain who is responsible for the rampant wildfires (25); smoke from the fires causing concern among officials at the International Hockey Federation in regards to a scheduled Hockey World League Semi-Final due to take place in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, Saturday (26); the smoke also impacting joint Thai/Indonesian Air Force exercises taking place at Pekanbaru Air Force Base on Sumatra Island (27). And finally, Purdue University's firefighting robot made a significant impact helping fight a fire at an Illinois tire plant!

(1) With Modern Airtanker Fleet, Neptune Aviation Services Pursues International Markets

(2) Nearly 70,000 U.S. Communities at Risk as Wildfire Season Approaches

(3) Landon Named Chief of Los Padres National Forest

(4) Unusual Bay Area Weather Sparks Flight Delays, Alerts Firefighters

(5) Firefighter recruits break in their boots at Central Washington school

(6) Rookie School prepares future wildland firefighters

(7) Fire danger extreme at Tonto National Forest

(8) Aetna Helps Members Affected by Wildfires in Arizona and Flooding in Wisconsin

(9) Colorado wildfire crews look to change in winds

(10) Bear Gulch Fire 100% contained; crews continue to battle second Jeffco fire

(11) Teams stop wildfire in Breckenridge Sunday

(12) FOX31 Denver’s glossary of wildfire terms and slang

(13) Beetles to blame for Colorado's fires? Blame climate change instead

(14) Wildfires impacting tourism

(15) Firefighters Tackle Brush Fire At Manhattan Country Club

(16) Crews battle wildfires across Alaska

(17) Anchorage Homeowners Prepare for Wildfires

(18) Jasper National Park forest fire 7 years in the planning

(19) Forest fire spreads in western Labrador

(20) EFFIS - Current Situation

(21) Singapore smog eases as Indonesian planes waterbomb fires

(22) Haze update: Rampant corruption fanned forest fires, say watchdogs

(23) 8 arrested for allegedly setting forest fires in Indonesia; 1,000 flee choking haze on Sumatra

(24) WALHI warns authorities on forest fires in Riau

(25) Haze fires: Influential group demands maps from Malaysian plantations

(26) Forest fires may effect England men in the world league semi final in Johor

(27) Indonesian forest fires hamper joint air force exercises

(28) Purdue's firefighting robot goes where crews cannot at Illinois tire fire