It’s not even August yet, and the National Interagency Coordination Center’s Incident Management Situation Report showed today that over 19,000 personnel are assigned to wildfires. On Sept. 19, 2020 there were 32,727, the highest number ever recorded.
Will the highest daily number this year be OVER or UNDER that record set last year?
Choose Over or Under in the poll below, then click on the hard to see VOTE button. The poll will close at the end of the day July 31, 2021.
Will the highest number of personnel mobilized at one time for fires this year be OVER or UNDER the record of 32,727 set in 2020?
- Over (72%, 482 Votes)
- Under (28%, 192 Votes)
Total Voters: 674
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Delta variant of Covid hit the Texas Democrats that strategically left the state, likely on their chartered plane (FAR Part 135) that requires masks be worn (flight crew did not enforce rules). Does not make one want to get on a plane and fly to a fire assignment during resurgence of Covid, vaccination or not. Air Tactical plane loses wing and crashes in Arizona killing pilot and RETIRED Fire Chief (ATGS). Many firefighters that could go help have figured out how to live without fire assignments, especially if retired and not needing to work. The big fire position hiring spree of 1999-2000 has a number of fire employees hitting 20 year retirement, and they have spent a lot of time away from their families in 20 years, and they would rather not bring a Covid Delta or Epsilon variant surprise home to their residence (if they are still married after all those days away from home). Job fatigue and being burnt out on fire assignments (pun intended) is starting to take its toll on the willingness to saddle up and go hit it again. The Aussies and Kiwi’s from New Zealand are facing an increased awareness of Covid, and very strict quarantine rules when they return home from the USA’s virus petri dish, so their governments may not honor a request for help (if it were even to occur). My vote is less numbers of total firefighters on a single day, but that those firefighters that do go will be going on longer and more frequent assignments.
Probably not exceed the 32,000 as far fewer qualified fire folks on rosters this year than last year even though need may exceed that by several thousand
Are you counting National Guard troops in the total? Because I’d say lower based on the number of empty federal and state fire jobs but if they can backfill with troops, probably higher because of an increased sense of urgency with the western drought and heat waves.