News and opinion about wildland fire
Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories Uncategorized2 Comments on Proposal for Major Wildfire Action Plan in California 
Retired Fire Chief John Hawkins has written what he calls a “Major Wildfire Action Plan” for the state of California. The Chief describes the document as “comprehensive and broadly addresses the wildfire problem via the four accepted phases of emergency management: Prevention, Response, Recovery, and Mitigation.”
The catastrophic fires of 2017 and 2018 in California are evidence that something needs to change. Maybe this four-page document will help move the conversation along.
Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories Uncategorized8 Comments on Generators causing fires during planned power shutoffs Some power companies in California are turning off the electricity during periods of high wildfire danger to prevent fires
In what Pacific Gas and Electric calls a “Public Safety Power Shutoff”, the company turned off the power to 48,000 customers Tuesday and Wednesday in the Sierra foothills of California.
Following many fires created by their electrical equipment, PG&E began the program to prevent additional fires. Some residents are using generators when they lose their power to pump water and to keep medical equipment and refrigerators running, but on Tuesday and Wednesday three fires in Nevada County were caused by generators.
PG&E and other companies, including San Diego Gas & Electric, have opted to turn off power to their customers during periods of high fire danger rather than harden their infrastructure to prevent failures that start fires.
Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories Uncategorized1 Comment on Santa Fe National Forest fuels & restoration videos, parts 5 and 6 
Here are parts five and six in the series of 12 videos produced by the Santa Fe National Forest on the topic of fuel management and forest restoration.
Fuel Management is defined as:
An act or practice of controlling flammability and reducing resistance to control of wildland fuels [vegetation] through mechanical, chemical, biological, or manual means, or by fire, in support of land management objectives.
Forest Restoration:
Actions to re-instate ecological processes, which accelerate recovery of forest structure, ecological functioning and biodiversity levels towards those typical of climax forest, i.e. the end-stage of natural forest succession.
Part 5, How We Fix This
Part 6, Case Study The Venado Fire
Red Flag Warnings are in the forecast for areas in six states this weekend.
On Saturday an area in California and Nevada south of Reno on the Sierra front of Mono and Mineral Counties will be under a Red Flag Warning for 25 to 35 mph winds with relative humidities of 15 to 25 percent.
On Sunday some locations in Utah, Colorado, Kansas, and Nebraska should expect gusty winds, dry fuels, and low humidities.
(The area shown on the map in Wyoming is for dense fog until 1 p.m. Saturday.)
(Red Flag Warnings can be modified throughout the day as NWS offices around the country update and revise their weather forecasts.)
Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories Uncategorized1 Comment on Texas Forest Service employe earns prestigious Bronze Smokey Bear Award 
A Texas A&M Forest Service employee was honored with the prestigious Bronze Smokey Bear Award during today’s National Association of State Foresters Annual Meeting in Asheville, North Carolina.
Wildland Urban Interface Specialist Samuel McCalip, a self-taught videographer, has harnessed the power of storytelling to bring wildfire prevention awareness across the state.
“As a forester, wildland firefighter, public information officer and prevention team member, Samuel has combined his love of forestry and ecosystems, desire to protect natural resources and skill for educating the public,” said Texas A&M Forest Service Program Leader Karen Stafford. “In a matter of months, McCalip taught himself how to produce high-quality videos to help reach the citizens of Texas.”
Texas A&M Forest Service first utilized McCalip’s videos to increase awareness of wildfire prevention practices when wildfires burned in the Panhandle in 2017.
The following year, McCalip’s video “Dragging Chains,” a PSA meant to educate the public about the risk of causing sparks when dragging chains from a vehicle, was the foundation of the “Do Your Part, Don’t Let a Wildfire Start” series.
“Samuel has taken his skills behind the camera and his passion for prevention and mitigation and combined them into a very unique and effective tool for spreading Smokey’s prevention message,” Texas State Forester Tom Boggus said. “I can’t think of anyone more deserving.”
Since then, McCalip has produced several informational, educational and promotional videos for the agency and hosted multiple video production training sessions for other Texas A&M Forest Service departments to build the agency’s capacity.
“Samuel’s creativity and innovation has sparked those around him to come up with ideas to improve effectiveness and efficiency in delivering core agency messaging,” Stafford said. “He’s turned his passion for wildfire prevention into art.”
Across the nation, only 10 recipients are presented the Bronze Smokey Bear Award each year.
Visit https://bit.ly/2mGIqpE to watch McCalip’s latest video about Texas A&M Forest Service’s Texas Ranch Wildfire Program.
Visit https://bit.ly/2ndyPHv to watch McCalip’s “Dragging Chains” video.
From Texas A&M Forest Service
Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories Uncategorized3 Comments on Veteran-focused BLM crew in Arizona certified as a Hotshot Crew Above: Aravaipa Hotshots. BLM photo.
TUCSON, Ariz. – The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Gila District announced September 27, 2019 that the Aravaipa Veterans Fire Crew has achieved certification as an Interagency Hotshot Crew (IHC). Of the 13 BLM IHCs nationwide, the Aravaipa Veterans Interagency Hotshot Crew is the only BLM-funded hotshot crew in Arizona, and only one of two BLM IHCs in the nation focused on recruiting and developing veterans.
“We’re proud of the Aravaipa Crew’s accomplishments and the continued efforts to develop a workforce of Veterans,” said Gila District Manager Scott Feldhausen. “This hard working and highly skilled crew is now a part of the elite fire resources available to fight fires not only in Arizona, but nationally and abroad.”
Interagency Hotshot Crews are the most highly trained and experienced type of hand crews and they must meet and maintain stringent requirements to achieve the IHC status. Their primary mission is to provide a safe, professional, mobile response to all phases of fire management and incident operations. IHCs are staffed, conditioned, equipped and qualified to meet a variety of strategic and tactical wildland fire assignments, and they are typically relied upon for the most challenging fire assignments. When not committed to fire assignments, IHCs provide a workforce to accomplish a variety of resource management objectives while maintaining availability for incident mobilization.
In 2016, the BLM Arizona fire organization requested that the Aravaipa Veterans Crew begin the process to be certified as an IHC. Over the subsequent two years, the Aravaipa Veterans Crew took steps, including multiple fire deployments across the West, to meet the IHC requirements before being formally certified at the national level.
The Aravaipa Veterans IHC will provide an opportunity for veterans to work in a team environment and build skills and experience. Team members will also learn about opportunities to work for and become competitive for employment with the Federal Government in other natural resource arenas.
Information and Photos of Aravaipa Veterans IHC are available at: https://www.blm.gov/arizona/fire/aravaipa-crew
Submitted by the BLM
Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Tom. Typos or errors, report them HERE.
