News and opinion about wildland fire
The Joint Fire Science Program announced on Friday which research projects are being funded for fiscal year 2017. Of the 22 approved proposals, about 16 of them are various ways of studying vegetation.
It would be refreshing to see more funds put toward projects that would enhance the science, safety, and effectiveness of firefighting.
Click HERE to see the list of approved research projects.
Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories Uncategorized1 Comment on Videos of the first 5 hours of the Fairview Fire in Nevada Above: Screen grab from the NVSeismoLab video.
The cameras operated by the Nevada Seismological Laboratory detected and recorded the ignition and spread of a wildfire near Fairview Peak south of U.S. 50 between Fallon and Austin in western Nevada. Below we have the time-lapse videos, each compressing about one hour to one minute.
According to KOLOTV the Fairview Fire burned at least 50 acres of Fallon Naval Air Station land.
Below the descriptions (provided by nvseismolab) are the applicable videos.
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Although the fire starts at 12:50 PM, it begins in earnest around 1 PM … First fire discovery for 2017! Starting to pick up speed by hour’s end.
Although early in the season, the fire still manages to expand and move uphill in plain sight of the Fairview Fire Camera. Time lapse covers from 2 PM to 3 PM.
Fairview Fire continues to grows as air resources begin to drop water on the fire …
4th hour time lapse of the Fairview Fire as more helicopter delivered buckets hit the flames.
This one hour long time lapse video starting at 8 PM shows continued wildfire activity. Near-IR filter is turned on 42 seconds (8:42 PM) …
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, CAL FIRE, has a new application for smart phones that provides wildfire alerts. After downloading Ready for Wildfire users can sign-up for customized alerts that will send a text or a push notification to their device when CAL FIRE is responding or assisting at a wildfire in their area. Additionally, users can set up alerts for single counties, multiple counties, or statewide. If traveling, the app lets them enable an alert system when a wildfire is reported within 30 miles of their device.
The Ready for Wildfire app also gives homeowners tips for creating defensible space, hardening their homes with fire-resistant construction, assembling an emergency supply kit, and creating a family communication and evacuation plan.
“One of the many benefits of our new Ready for Wildfire app is the timely and accurate information it provides to residents about a wildfire in their area,” said Chief Ken Pimlott, CAL FIRE director and California’s state forester. “I am excited about this new valuable tool that will provide early alerts to the public to help ensure their safety.” To download the app, visit the App Store or the Google Play Store – search for CAL FIRE and install.
For more information visit ReadyForWildfire.org
On June 1 the Predictive Services section at the National Interagency Fire Center issued their Wildland Fire Potential Outlook for June through September. The data represents the cumulative forecasts of the ten Geographic Area Predictive Services Units and the National Predictive Services Unit.
If it is accurate it looks like firefighters could be busy at times in Arizona, California, and Nevada, but not so much in the rest of the Western U.S.
Below are:
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“Florida and Georgia experienced slight relief during the latter half of May as moderately wet systems produced widespread precipitation in both states. Activity across the southwest including Southern California began to increase toward month’s end as the region began to enter its core fire season. Nationally, the acres burned were above average at the end of May largely due to the fire activity that occurred in early March across the southern Great Plains where more than a million acres burned. The number of fires may be a more reflective number this year and remains below average for 2017.
Above normal precipitation and soil moisture is leading to a robust green-up across the West. Overall cooler than average temperatures and a heavy snowpack have led to slower than normal melting of the mountain snowpack in nearly all locations across the West. This should lead to a delayed start to the fire season in the higher elevations which may, in turn lead to a compressed season.
Above normal large fire potential will continue across southeastern Georgia and Florida into mid-June before the cumulative effects of precipitation events begin to take hold. Below Normal potential is expected across most of the remainder of the southeast through July before returning to Normal for August and September. Recent dry conditions across the southwest will lead to Above Normal potential across southeastern Arizona and Southern California. Below Normal to Normal large fire potential is also expected in the a majority of the higher elevations across the West in June and July.
July and August may be periods of concern. Above Normal potential is expected across the western portion of the Great Basin and across the middle elevations in California in July and August after the abundant grass crop cures. Fire activity will be mostly driven by short term weather events. Looking north, Alaska appears to be transitioning into a normal fire season for June and July with late summer rains ending the season across the interior in August. Extended dry conditions on the west side of the big island in Hawaii will lead to Above Normal potential that should last into September.”
Continue reading “Wildfire potential June through September”
Above: Static test firing of a SpaceX rocket, May 28, 2017 at the Kennedy Space Center. The smoke is from the rocket, not the vegetation fire. SpaceX photo.
The static test firing of a rocket at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida started a vegetation fire in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge May 28. SpaceX was conducting a test of a Falcon 9 rocket at Launch Complex 39A when the fire accidentally started on what the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service called a small island. With the aid of water drops from a helicopter the spread of the fire was stopped at four acres.
SpaceX plans to actually launch the rocket Thursday June 1 at 5:55 p.m. EDT to ferry a Dragon cargo ship to the International Space Station.
#USFWS firefighters report the #RedRibbonFire is showing little smoke after numerous bucket drops #FLfire pic.twitter.com/dDACGhfNH0
— USFWS Fire SE (@USFWSFireSE) May 28, 2017
Watch a replay of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket firing its Merlin engines today in hold-down test at pad 39A in Florida: https://t.co/wSQ6uIQd83 pic.twitter.com/MStYjoiYCN
— Spaceflight Now (@SpaceflightNow) May 28, 2017
Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories Uncategorized1 Comment on First National Legacy Award presented to Forest Service retiree Above: Dr. Jack Cohen makes a presentation at the 2011 Fire Litigation Conference in San Diego. Photo by Bill Gabbert.
Dr. Jack Cohen received the first National Legacy Award given by the U.S. Forest Service, National Association of State Foresters, National Fire Protection Association, and International Association of Fire Chiefs in recognition of outstanding career-long contributions to wildfire mitigation as an alternative to suppression. Dr. Cohen helped develop the U.S. National Fire Danger Rating System and developed calculations for wildland firefighters’ safe zones; created defensible space principles, which resulted in the Firewise program; the Home Ignition Zone; and conducted research on ember ignitions and structure ignitability.
His research laid the groundwork for nearly all of today’s work on wildland urban interface risk reduction. Until his 2016 retirement, he was a research scientist at Missoula Technology and Development Center. The award was presented at the IAFC WUI Conference in Reno, Nevada.
Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Robert.
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