Clackamas County Fire Case Study

In 2003, possibly one of the worst wildfires in California’s history occurred. This fire, referred to as the Cedar Fire, spread across 273,246 acres.

The hayman fire is the biggest fire in recorded history burning 138,000 acres. The fire has had long lasting damages on the environment. There were many factor that added up that created a dangerous situation where the area was very fire prone. Though the fire was believed to be started by a woman burning a letter but the forest had the right conditions to generate a massive fire.

In the summer of 1910 Northern Idaho and Western Montana were hit by what seemed like a never ending series of destructive forest fires. With the spring bringing hardly any rainfall and drying winds from the Columbia plains, creeks began to disappear and the montane forests became dry. Intense heat along with high winds and dry vegetation create the perfect environment for forest fires. In June and July several dry electric storms hit the mountains and fires began to develop in isolated corners of the forest. The U.S. Forest Service which had just been developed in 1905 consisted of forest rangers on horseback climbing the mountains and protecting the forest from fires (Bergoffen, 1976). As the

Each year in Southern California, the fall is marked by the arrival of the Santa Ana. These winds are described in two different texts, “Brush Fires” by Linda Thomas and “The Santa Ana” by Joan Didion. Both pieces address the relationship between the wind and the community, using rhetorical devices to convey their views. Thomas presents a wind that is essential to nature. Didion, on the other hand, sees the wind as a characteristic Los Angeles, that can sometimes be detrimental. The writers also have contrasting experiences with the fires causes which cause drastic differences in tone, portrayal of the winds, and the overall message within each text.

Nestled deep in the mountains of Western North Carolina, the Linville Gorge is a federally designated wilderness area that is part of Pisgah National Forest. This unique slice of southern Appalachia is managed by the Grandfather Ranger District and is located in the Blue Ridge Escarpment near the town of Marion, NC. To the east, Linville Gorge is bordered by Jonas Ridge, and the slopes of Linville Mountain form the western border. The two steep sides create a terrain that is extremely rugged and rocky, which would seemingly make it difficult for vegetation to establish communities on the canyon walls. However, this is not the case, as the gorge has very dense populations of hardwoods, conifers, and understory shrubs. The intimidating topography of the Linville Gorge Wilderness area enabled it to be

At around 0030 11/16/16 I Sr. Officer Chad Stephenson of Siena Heights University (SHU) Department of Public Safety (DPS) was approached by resident student Stanley Saunders to report that his jacket was stolen out of his dorm room 409 on 11/15/16 between 1400-2300. Saunders stated that after he come back from a meeting at around 1230 he took his jacket off and but it on his bed. Then at around 1400 the left his room to go and hung out with some friends, when he came back at around 2300 he noticed his jacket was missing. Saunders searched his room, and talked with his roommates to see if any of them seen it but they all said no. The jacket is described as an Black North Face theremoball full zip up and is a size XL, Saunders states that he only bought it around a month ago.

The rising number of high severity wildfires in California has significant ecological, economic, and health impacts. Many western American forests are adapted to frequent low severity fires. However, the majority of these forests, and particularly the mixed conifer forests of California, are not adapted to high intensity fires and do not possess fire resistance adaptations such as serotinous cones to protect seeds. Consequently, high severity fires have significant negative impacts on California forests, and the absence of low severity fires has considerably altered many fundamental ecosystem processes (Miller et al. 2008). Prior to 1900, low severity fires would burn every 6-15 years. Low severity fires are generally non-lethal, have minimal change to the overstory, and kill mainly small trees. In the past, these fires were started naturally by lightning, or by Native Americans who used low severity fires to manage the forests.

The focus of this lesson will be teaching the students to examine the history of wildland fires and their impact on society in America and in their community. Students will explore different approaches to living with fire and will examine various fire management techniques including prescribed fire, fire suppression, and fire prevention. They will take a closer look at the Copper King Fire in Montana, and will conduct a research project of wildfire history in another state. Students will also gain a better understanding of the role of fire in a particular culture and the importance of wildfire in the ecosystem. They will also understand ways to reduce wildfire risk around their home and community. Furthermore, students will increase their knowledge

Many fire service personnel that have fifteen or twenty years of service have seem many things change over time. One radical change is the way fires consume structures today when compared structures years ago, these fires have be classified as modern and legacy fires. When responding to a modern construction fire versus a legacy fire, does it change how we fight these fires? Well the answer to that is simply yes! Modern construction physiognomies have greatly changed to accommodate the comfort of the homeowner, which is not firefighter friendly. In modern construction home the floor plans are larger in size to give more living space. As the living spaces grow the footprint of the residence increases as well. As the word modern leads to occupants thinking comfort, when truthfully causes disadvantageous consequences for the fire service with open geometrics, new construction materials, and also include an increased fire load. All these construction advantages only lead to faster propagation of the fire, as well decreases the amount of time for a flashover to occur. Modern construction has led to hasty changes in fire dynamics, which at the same time decreases the amount of time to escape to safety. The structural collapse time is greater since the amount of time as been lessened

On August 12th, Los Angeles Times reported 16,500-acer wildfires grew overnight near Northern California’s wine county. The fire that started August 9th has continued to spread to nearby counties and officials fear gusty winds could continue to spread flames into dry woodlands. According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protections, they have prompted residents near the Napa and Yolo county lines to flee their homes; at least 150 homes were evacuated.

Fire district 13 is located in the forested valleys and steep foothills of the Cascade Mountain Range at the base of Mount St. Helens. Access to our district, primarily reached by one main county road, is limited. With automatic mutual aid to neighboring districts with, major rail, and freeway- interoperability is key. Located above the Cascadia Subduction zone, Clark County is due for a catastrophic earthquake. The area that includes fire district 13 is a transitional zone between unoccupied forest land and human development. Being a part of the wildland urban interface zone puts us at a higher risk for wildfires.

Wildland firefighers are hired by Forest Service Bureaus of land Management, National Park Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U. F. Fish and Wildlife Service, Emergency Services, Fish and Game, and Fire and Rescue. Some local agencies also hire them where a large chunk of area within the city is covered by woodland. The employment would be for year-around or seasonal, which means the wildland firefighters will work only during the time when the probability of wildfire breaking out is high.

83 Archibald Street is at extreme risk in the event of the fire. The house has become hidden from street view due to a large, overgrown garden which poses significant risk. To worsen this risk, the building is largely constructed from wood along with a wooden side fence. Furthermore, chopped logs can be seen in the front yard which would make excellent fuel in the event of the fire.

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.

On the night of 21st June 1979, nearly six months before the Hastie fire, Rosabell Fenton was preparing for bed when she saw a figure of a man stood by her front door. The figure moved away when he became aware that he had been seen. She was convinced it was “Daft Peter”, who she knew and had shouted at earlier that day as he was loitering on her porch acting