Wildfire Today

News and opinion about wildland fire

Wildfire Today

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Wildfires in the news

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories Uncategorized

Here is a collection of tweets about wildfires across the United States over the last 24 hours.

Continue reading “Wildfires in the news”

California decides not to assess fire prevention fee for homes destroyed by wildfire

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags ,

CAL FIRE logoThe California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, CAL FIRE, has announced that they will not collect the annual Fire Prevention Fee this year from citizens whose homes were destroyed in last year’s wildfires.

After the fee was signed into law in 2011, homeowners with habitable structures in the 31 million acres protected by CAL FIRE have been assessed a fee each year, currently $153.33, for “fire prevention services”. Those services include strategic fuel reduction activities, defensible space inspections, fire prevention engineering, emergency evacuation planning, fire prevention education, fire hazard severity mapping, implementation of the State’s and local Fire Plans, and fire related law enforcement activities such as fire cause determination and arson investigation.

Officials have endeavored to remove addresses of homes known to have been destroyed by natural disasters since July 1, 2015. However, should homeowners still receive a bill, CAL FIRE has resources to assist them through the exemption process. The exemption form can be found at www.FirePreventionFee.org.

Red Flag Warnings, March 11, 2016

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags

wildfire Red Flag Warning March 11 2016

The National Weather Service has issued Red Flag Warnings and Fire Weather Watches for areas in South Dakota, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Texas. The forecast calls for strong winds and relative humidities in the teens. The warnings and watches in New Mexico and Texas are for elevated fire danger on Saturday, but in South Dakota and Nebraska they are for today, Friday.

The map was current as of 10:35 a.m. MDT on Friday. Red Flag Warnings can change throughout the day as the National Weather Service offices around the country update and revise their forecasts and maps. For the most current data visit this NWS site.

Pleasant Valley prescribed fire — updated with video

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , ,

(UPDATED March 10, 2016: added the video above.)

The South Dakota Wildland Fire Division completed a 244-acre prescribed fire today west of Pringle in the Pleasant Valley Game Production Area. Assisted by firefighters from the U.S. Forest Service and local volunteer fire departments, their objectives were to reduce pine regeneration and encroachment and to improve elk habitat.

Here are a few photos from today’s activities. Later we will add more.

Pleasant Valley Prescribed Fire South Dakota
Pleasant Valley Prescribed Fire South Dakota

Pleasant Valley Prescribed Fire South Dakota

Pleasant Valley Prescribed Fire South Dakota Pleasant Valley Prescribed Fire South Dakota

Wildfire burns 5 acres in Frederick County, Maryland

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags 1 Comment on Wildfire burns 5 acres in Frederick County, Maryland

Sixty firefighters worked on the fire for several hours.

Above: Firefighters suppressing a fire in Gambrill State Park March 8, 2016. Photo by Trevor James.

Tuesday night firefighters corralled a wildfire that burned about five acres in Gambrill State Park near Frederick, Maryland. Department of Natural Resources and Maryland State Park Service personnel responded to assist the Frederick County Fire and Rescue crews.

Trevor James was kind enough to allow us to use these photos he shot at the scene.

fire Gambrill State Park Maryland

fire Gambrill State Park Maryland

fire Gambrill State Park Maryland

Fire and Rescue New South Wales acquires additional technolgy

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , ,

Fire and Rescue New South Wales (FRNSW) recently introduced to the Australian public examples of a multi-million-dollar batch of new technological devices they have added to the firefighters’ tool box.

FRNSW drone

Drones are the latest weapon in the fight against fire, chemical spills and natural disasters, providing firefighters with real-time images of areas too dangerous to access and enabling rapid damage assessments. Two new drones are part of this new package, which also includes two custom-built mobile command centers and the installation of more than 180 mobile data terminals in fire trucks across NSW. FRNSW drone

Below is an excerpt from an article at Mashable:

The two mobile command centres feature radio and video feeds, as well as communication services such as high-speed satellite and 4G. The mobile data terminals will give firefighters access to weather data and local hydrant, gas and electricity maps as they head to incidents.

The drones, paired with six trained firefighters to operate them, will give response crews a view of the emergency site from above, whether during a fire, flood or chemical spill.

“Each vehicle has high speed internet and a 100-meter Wi-Fi bubble which could be invaluable to communities cut off from technology following a catastrophic fire or storm event,” Fire and Rescue NSW Commissioner Greg Mullins said in the statement.

“This new technology improves the information available for first responders and will ensure that we remain a world class fire, rescue and hazmat service.”

FRNSW mobile command