WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 101513

The fate of the C-27 aircraft which have been touted as replacement air-tankers for the US Forest Service fleet will be decided soon by the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics (1). In the wake of Washington state's Taylor Bridge Fire, a Central Washington University professor is setting up a museum exhibit detailing the blaze in Kittitas County (2); but following fires and floods, Colorado Springs, Colorado, public safety organizations are receiving a budget increase of $5.6 million (3). Record-setting snowfall in South Dakota has allowed the Black Hills Forest Fire Protection District to begin issuing burn permits again (4). The far-reaching financial impact of wildfires in California and Colorado on Minnesotans is examined by the next article (5); while Virginia Department of Forestry reminded residents of that state that today marks the beginning of the fall forest fire season in which, typically, 95% of all forest fires are caused by people (6). Following a report that detailed 4,248 fires which destroyed 23,393 hectares this summer, Greece's Public Order Minister advocated "volunteering" to fight future wildfires more ineffectively (7). A new report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change indicates that Australia faces a significant bushfire challenge as temperatures rise (8); the next article taking a closer look at Amicus software created by CSIRO to better predict bushfires (9). A pair of mighty Erickson S-64 helicopters arrived in New South Wales to help with future bushfires (10); but wildlife officials fear that there may be many dead and injured koala bears following bushfires in Port Stephens (11). The Victorian Emergency Services Minister announced a new location-based bushfire emergency alert system for mobile users (12); while homeowners in high bushfire risk areas of South Australia were warned to have their own generators and water supply as part of their bushfire preparations (13). An independent investigation of the January bushfires in Tasmania found that chaos was the order of the day amongst emergency services (14); the important role of social media responding to that disaster being explored by the next article (15); but in the meantime, the town of Dunalley, which was ravaged by the bushfires, is bouncing back (16). And finally, a photographer will be showing off his collection of photos that show how forest fires alter the landscape at an exhibit in Eureka, California, entitled "Forest Invisible"!

(1) Agencies Await Decision on C-27J’s Fate

(2) Museum exhibit tells the story of wildfire in Kittitas County

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