U.S. Forest Service on hauling firefighters in cargo trucks
We asked the USFS to comment on the California National Guard’s practice of hauling their firefighting troops in the back of cargo trucks, which we wrote about earlier.
A spokesperson for the agency, Mike Ferris, said:
This is not an activity that the Forest Service practices. The California National Guard was deployed on three different incidents in Northern California: Little Deer; Log; and Lodge fires. National Guard resources were ordered and managed by Cal Fire.
When we asked if the USFS was concerned about firefighters being injured if there was a truck rollover or another type of accident, Mr. Ferris said:
Firefighter and public safety are the top priorities in wildfire management. Safety Officers at large fire incidents identify and address known risks and implement mitigations consistent with incident objectives.
We offered the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) an opportunity to weigh in on the issue, but they declined.
Florida motorists warned about wildfire smoke
Smoke from a wildfire has prompted the Florida Highway Patrol to issue a warning for motorists in St. Johns County. The agency issued a Travel Advisory for travel on Interstate 95 south of International Golf Parkway.
Smoke from a wildfire nearby might affect roadways. Visibility may deteriorate quickly due to smoke or fog-type conditions especially during the evening and early morning hours. Motorists should reduce their speed as necessary to avoid a collision, and use their low-beam headlights in order to adapt to the changing weather conditions, according to the highway patrol.
Efforts continue to pass wildfire funding bill
In spite of several failed attempts over the last several months to pass a bill that would fully fund wildfires in a manner similar to other natural disasters, some senators and representatives in Idaho and Oregon have not given up.
Below is an excerpt from an article in the Spokesman-Review:
…The House version of the bill has 131 co-sponsors, including Idaho 1st District GOP Rep. Raul Labrador. The Senate version has 18 co-sponsors including [Idaho Senator Jim] Risch.
In the House, “Some folks are concerned about changing the spending matrix, primarily Paul Ryan, head of the budget committee,” [Idaho Senator Mike Crapo’s press secretary Lindsay] Nothern said. “We did go out and get a CBO report that showed it is budget-neutral, because we already spend disaster money on disasters such as this.”
He added, “There is support for it among leadership in both the Senate and the House, on both sides of the aisle.” But on its first attempt at passage, Nothern said, the proposal got lumped in with other issues including the president’s border proposal, and it didn’t pass. “We are hoping for a stand-alone bill, and then the only opposition we have is Ryan.”
Mr. Ferris makes a classic canned response with no real value at all. If they are concerned with safety how about addressing the actual issue? Some things never change.
JMT – yeah, Mr. Ferris was being “discreet” in his response, but remember that this was a Cal Fire incident and CA National Guard troops – totally unrelated to the USFS. Not Ferris’ role to start a pissing contest between Agencies. Now, as for the Cal Fire refusal to respond, or address the safety issues, that’s what has to change.
Yes and no, at least one of those fires I believe was USFS, but it was an interagency effort. It may be that CDF was using the guard and the trucks on the CDF portion of the incidents. I think Log was FS and Lodge was CDF
I am a SOF2 and am wondering just how the IMT Safety Officers mitigate the risk of riding in the back of an open truck.