WILDFIRE NEWS OF THE DAY - 120313

Wildfire NOTD subscriber Bruce Courtright, Chairman of the National Institute for the Elimination of Catastrophic Wildfire, sent along a paper which proposes actions that could be taken to study areas in California and Oregon impacted by wildfires this year (1). In Arizona, the widows of the Granite Mountain Hotshots gathered to reflect on life following the deadly Yarnell Hill Fire (2); but after a contentious time in which the El Paso County Sheriff and the Black Forest Fire Chief have traded accusations about the origins of Colorado's Black Forest Fire, the Black Forest Fire District has decided to bring in an independent investigator (3). An army of volunteers from the US and Canada planned to plant 780,000 seedlings in Bastrop County, Texas, to repair damage done by wildfires in 2011 (4); while in New York State, Firehouse announced that it is partnering with the Rural Firefighting Academy to provide online training and education programs to small, rural fire departments through its new website (5). A wildfire which scorched 2,600 acres in Burke County, North Carolina, is now 100% contained (6); and in Hawaii, Kohala By The Sea is one of only 34 communities in the United States to receive a Firewise safety award (7). The next item provides an comprehensive look at Australian bushfires through the years (8). The Port Macquarie-Hastings Council and New South Wales Fire and Rescue are teaming up to make a presentation to homeowners on December 7th about how to protect their property from bushfires (9); but during a tour of bushfire-devastated communities near Sydney, the NSW Services Minister once again defended the state government in its cleanup efforts following the October bushfires (10). And finally, four generations of a family in San Diego County, California's, backcountry have found a calling as volunteer firefighters!

(1) Paired Wildfire Study: The Post-fire Effects of the 2013 Douglas Complex & Rim Fires of western Oregon & northern California

(2) Widows of Granite Mountain Hotshots reflect on loss

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