California Is Notorious For Its Wildfires

These fires highlighted that there were not enough fire fighters and resources to combat such fires. They highlighted areas that lacked emergency service protection and showed a lack of preparedness (San Diego Fire Facts, 2016). Years after the fires, some changes that came about include: wood shake shingles being banned on new construction and could not be used as roof replacements (Mainar, 2013) and 100 feet became the new defensible space, an increase from 65, between the fuel, for example vegetation, of the fire and the structure (Mainar, 2013). There’s an increase in code compliance officers in the field from two to seven (Mainar, 2013). Evacuation procedures and notices were

Wildfires have always been a part of our lives on this rock we call Earth. Over the years we have developed tried and true ways to battle and extinguish them, but in the recent past it has become more and more of a problem considering their increase in size and weather patterns. These factors have been termed with a phase every American knows all too well, “Global Warming!” The western half of the United States has had to deal with these fires more than any other area of the country. Of the western half, the state of Colorado has seen its share of some of the worst wildfires. Since the 1970 's the normal number of flames in excess of 1,000 sections of land every year has almost quadrupled in Arizona and Idaho, and has multiplied in

The article, “Firefighter dies battling California's 4th largest fire in history, officials say,” explains to the reader about a very tragic wildfire that unfortunately killed a courageous fireman. Reports conclude that the brave man killed was a 32-year-old man named, Cory Iverson. His very upsetting decease will leave behind his pregnant wife and two-year-old daughter. Published on December 14th, 2017, this article captures the reader’s attention right away. Due to the deplorable blaze in Montecito California, thousands of people were forced to evacuate out of their homes, to a safer environment where the oxygen is not littered with smoke and ash. To elaborate, the article, “Firefighter dies battling California's

Since August 1, 2014 over 760 fires have burned through 27,829 acres in Utah. Over 380 of these fires are from human activity. I am writing to inform you of this major problem and to suggest ways to prevent most wildfires from happening. Now, we can’t control lighting and that has been a huge cause of wildfires in Utah, but we still have things we can do to keep us safe, and animals safe. I personally live in a beautiful valley that’s already had two fires in the last six months. These fires have miraculously been controlled, making it so I don’t have to evacuate my home. But many, people in Utah suffer evacuating from their homes and losing most possessions, including their house. Now with these many sufferings from flames there is

Imagine being at a dance concert and a fire happens in a split second. That is what happened in Oakland, California. On December 3, 2016 the fire kills at least 9 people and over a dozen injured. The heat from the fire was so intense it felt like your skin was melting. John Evanofski said, “ You could feel the heat of the flames.” All family members and friends waiting outside crying wondering about their loved ones inside. John Evanofski said, “Most of us were crying or unable to react. It was so hot and so terrible knowing that so many of us were still inside." Officials say that the death toll could go up to the dozens. Most of the victims were on the second floor because the fire started on the stairs and they couldn’t escape.

I have researched and learned so much information about the state of California and its Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. My purpose is to inform and educate readers about the following topics: the history of the department, the jobs and duties of the department, and also the purpose of the department.

On June 4th, 2015, a severe thunderstorm dumped up to 6 inches of rain in only a few hours and inundated the tiny Wyoming town of Lusk. The population of Lusk is roughly 1,500 people, located about 250 miles north of Denver and is the seat of Niobrara County, it is also the least populated county in the least populated state. Flash flooding is not unusual in Wyoming but rare for Lusk, said Tim Trudel, a National Weather Service forecaster in Cheyenne. (Moen, B. & Gruver, M. 2015) This night, Lusk would feel the brunt of a flash flood. How did the Incident Command System respond in such a small town, were mistakes made and what could have been done differently or better?

Day 1: I have arrived in Gatlinburg, Tennessee to help victims of the tragedies that have occurred during the lethal fires spreading throughout the Great Smokey Mountains. The team and I have brought water supplies to last until our last day, along with food and other snacks. So far, we have not yet discovered what started these fires. Our team has decided to put non injured victims into a hotel until finding them a new shelter. 14,000 residents were evacuated from Gatlinburg around noon. The fires continue to grow and roar at the innocent mountains that several claim home. Winds were up to 70 mph, forcing the fires to continue and spread throughout the forests.

Massive wildfire ravaged Northern California’s wine country since Sunday night. Wildfires whipped by strong winds have swept through the region, killing at least 10 lives and more than 20000 people are forced to evacuate and flee their homes. This is one of the most destructive wildfire events in the state’s history. More than a dozen wildfires continued to burn across eight counties, destroying 1500 homes and commercial structures according to losses reported up to Tuesday. More death and destruction are expected. Authorities have not said what caused the fires but October is typically the busiest month for wildfire in California. Therefore, they believed that the hot, extremely dry condition in October created the critical fire conditions.

This article from September 4 presents information about the wildfires that raged along the shores of the world's largest freshwater lake, Lake Baikal, in Siberia late in the summer. At the time it was written, the fires had turned the area into an inferno, "engulfing an area three times the size of land burnt by wildfires in California this year" (Tétrault-Farber). In the process, it threatened the health and way of life of local residents and made many people question Russia's ability to protect this lake and other landmarks of its natural heritage.

The person responsible for the direction and control of a brush fire in San Diego County will the San Diego County Chief of Fire Authority. This position is elected and voted on by the San Deigo County Fire Authority Board and is given full discretion during emergencies (County of San Diego). This discretion includes order evacuations and seizing property as necessary to fight the fire. The Chief of Fire Authority has the power to direct and define the plan of action for the San Diego Fire Department for putting out a brush fire. Additionally, any fire units arriving from other counties and states will also report first to the San Diego Chief.

The response to this statewide disaster requires the combined efforts of all state agencies and the state's model mutual aid system to address. In support of this unified effort, all state agencies with a role in supporting drought mitigation and relief efforts are organized under the Incident Command System and will continue provide emergency planning, response, and mitigation support as long as needs exist and hopefully this need will not be a need for very much longer. The Task Force is currently coordinating with other relevant national and international efforts including the emerging National Multi-Model Ensemble and the international effort to develop a Global Drought Information System and a subgroup of the NOAA Drought Task Force recently released a science assessment looking at the relationship between El Niño and the California drought which states that the impacts of El Niño on California winter precipitation are likely to be greater in late winter than in early winter; southern California has a stronger chance of wet conditions than northern California; and, in case of a very strong El Niño, heavy precipitation is more likely across the entire state. This is a positive sign for Californians everywhere, especially in the Valley as we rely heavily on rain and snow for our

For instance in United States the relationship between wildfire and climate across the southwest United States involves an interaction between wet and dry cycles that evolves over many seasons and years. The fire–climate relationships identified in areas of Arizona and New Mexico dominated by xerophytic forests show that antecedent climate conditions months to years prior to fire seasons can be as important as the actual fire season conditions. Peak fire season (April, May and June) conditions are climatologically hot and dry across Arizona and New Mexico. Above normal temperatures and below normal precipitation would do little to change already harsh conditions during the spring. Precipitation anomalies in seasons to years prior appear to

Much like all events and natural phenomena that pose a threat to civilization, humans have learned to cope with and prevent the loss of human life and destruction of property in devastating blazes that can break out seemingly at random. Fighting fires was not always the science it is today, but due to the use of new technologies and the fundamental understanding of what fire is, how it spreads, how it can kill, and how it is stopped, our protocol when dealing with fires has increased our success rate and continues to grow with applications of engineering, chemistry, and meteorology.

The world has encountered multiple disasters throughout the past decade. The devastation from tsunamis, mudslides, hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding, wildfires, super storms, and terroristic attacks impacts the lives of millions, and the affects will be felt for generations. A "disaster is an event that causes a level of destruction, death, or injury that affects the abilities of the community to respond to the incident using available resources" (Nies & McEwen, 2011, p. 562). The state of Texas has experienced severe drought conditions for several years. Severe drought conditions place Texas at high risk for wildfires and flooding. In 2011 Texas experienced the most devastating wildfire season the state has