County firefighters respond to wildfires despite local ban on support for Forest Service
County firefighters respond to wildfires despite local ban on support for Forest Service
19 July 2017
published by http://www.santacruzsentinel.com
USA – SANTA CRUZ >> Special teams of Santa Cruz County volunteer firefighters have spent the last 11 days providing mutual aid at state-managed wildfires flaring early in the season throughout California.
The teams from Boulder Creek, Ben Lomond, Zayante, Felton and Branciforte fire departments, and paid firefighters from Scotts Valley and Santa Cruz, have battled multiple fires in San Luis Obispo, Fresno, Mendocino and Mariposa counties. Those fires include the Detwiler blaze that has grown to nearly 50,000 acres, threatening 1,500 homes and displacing thousands of residents who were ordered to evacuate, according to a Cal Fire incident report issued Wednesday.
Its been very, very busy, said Cal Fire Deputy Chief Jake Hess. Weve been absolutely slammed, going from fire to fire to fire.
The States Office of Emergency Services and Santa Cruz County fire departments have an agreement ensuring volunteer agencies will be compensated with pay similar to overtime rates.
Although the firefighters from Santa Cruz County are being paid for fighting those active wildfires on state lands, there continues to be an unresolved dispute over fires on U.S. Forest Service lands. The Forest Service does not pay volunteer firefighters who respond to help douse wildfires in national forests and national grasslands.
And when firefighters from Santa Cruz and other counties provided mutual aid at Forest Service wildfires more than three years ago, multiple departments were not reimbursed for its volunteer firefighters. As a result, all Santa Cruz County fire departments entered a joint agreement not to respond to Forest Service wildfires.
A similar fallout between local fire departments in California and the Forest Service has happened.
On July 3, Cal OES Director Mark Ghilarducci issued a letter lambasting the federal agency for $18 million in unpaid reimbursements to fire departments statewide.
We are at a precipice, Ghilarducci said. We urge USFS to do what is right and comply with their financial obligations.
The letter bolsters the stance taken three years ago by departments in Santa Cruz County, Santa Cruz Fire Chief Jim Frawley said.
Weve got five different volunteer agencies in Santa Cruz County. Thats a huge impact, Frawley said. When youre getting called to help protect someone elses property, you should get compensated.
He said the Forest Service reimbursement is provided to staff from paid agencies, whose firefighters are compensated with rates they earn at home.
The lack of local support for Forest Service fires could hamper adequate wildfire protection in this busy season, Frawley said.
Most of the fires right now are burning primarily on state lands, but that can easily change, Frawley said.
The States Office of Emergency Services and Santa Cruz County fire departments have an agreement ensuring volunteer agencies will be compensated as long as the fires are on state land.
For wildfires on state and some federal lands, the Cal OES reimbursement rate is roughly $7,000 daily per fire crew and fire engine, Scotts Valley Fire Chief Daniel Grebil said.
In the fiscal year that ended June 30, Scotts Valley Fire Department was reimbursed nearly $450,000 by the state for wildland fire mutual aid, Grebil said.
The firefighters are paid in their regular pay period by their fire department and the fire department typically is reimbursed.
Were expecting those forest agencies to reimburse us in a timely manner, Grebil said. Its the U.S. Forest Service that has stalled out.
Andrew Madsen of the Forest Service declined to comment on the reimbursements but said the agency has strong ties with fire departments throughout the state.
Frawley said something needs to be done to change the Forest Service rule that does not reimburse volunteers for wildland fire mutual aid.
The Forest Service doesnt realize this is a loser all day long, Frawley said of the practice not to reimburse volunteers. We have chosen not to respond to federal fires because the federal agencies are not using fair business practices.
Portugal is to reduce the number of eucalyptus groves after the highly flammable plant was blamed for last month’s deadly forest fires.
Parliament voted for the measure Wednesday as part of ongoing forest law reforms that started in April, before the blaze in the central Pedrogao Grande region that killed 64 people and injured more than 250.
Prime Minister Antonio Costa last week urged measures to prevent a repeat catastrophe, while also highlighting the challenges of forest redevelopment.
“We can’t refuse to curb the growth of eucalyptus because we’re worried about its impact on the paper industry,” he said last week, referring to a sector that represents 4.9 percent of Portuguese exports.
Eucalyptus is Portugal’s most widespread forest plant, according to the country’s Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests.
But it is cited as a cause offorest fires that lay waste annually to around 100,000 hectares of vegetation.
Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2017-07-eucalyptus-deadly-portugal-forest.html#jCpPortugal is to reduce the number of eucalyptus groves after the highly flammable plant was blamed for last month’s deadly forest fires.
Parliament voted for the measure Wednesday as part of ongoing forest law reforms that started in April, before the blaze in the central Pedrogao Grande region that killed 64 people and injured more than 250.
Prime Minister Antonio Costa last week urged measures to prevent a repeat catastrophe, while also highlighting the challenges of forest redevelopment.
“We can’t refuse to curb the growth of eucalyptus because we’re worried about its impact on the paper industry,” he said last week, referring to a sector that represents 4.9 percent of Portuguese exports.
Eucalyptus is Portugal’s most widespread forest plant, according to the country’s Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests.
But it is cited as a cause offorest fires that lay waste annually to around 100,000 hectares of vegetation.
Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2017-07-eucalyptus-deadly-portugal-forest.html#jCpPortugal is to reduce the number of eucalyptus groves after the highly flammable plant was blamed for last month’s deadly forest fires.
Parliament voted for the measure Wednesday as part of ongoing forest law reforms that started in April, before the blaze in the central Pedrogao Grande region that killed 64 people and injured more than 250.
Prime Minister Antonio Costa last week urged measures to prevent a repeat catastrophe, while also highlighting the challenges of forest redevelopment.
“We can’t refuse to curb the growth of eucalyptus because we’re worried about its impact on the paper industry,” he said last week, referring to a sector that represents 4.9 percent of Portuguese exports.
Eucalyptus is Portugal’s most widespread forest plant, according to the country’s Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests.
But it is cited as a cause offorest fires that lay waste annually to around 100,000 hectares of vegetation.
Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2017-07-eucalyptus-deadly-portugal-forest.html#jCpPortugal is to reduce the number of eucalyptus groves after the highly flammable plant was blamed for last month’s deadly forest fires.
Parliament voted for the measure Wednesday as part of ongoing forest law reforms that started in April, before the blaze in the central Pedrogao Grande region that killed 64 people and injured more than 250.
Prime Minister Antonio Costa last week urged measures to prevent a repeat catastrophe, while also highlighting the challenges of forest redevelopment.
“We can’t refuse to curb the growth of eucalyptus because we’re worried about its impact on the paper industry,” he said last week, referring to a sector that represents 4.9 percent of Portuguese exports.
Eucalyptus is Portugal’s most widespread forest plant, according to the country’s Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests.
But it is cited as a cause offorest fires that lay waste annually to around 100,000 hectares of vegetation.
Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2017-07-eucalyptus-deadly-portugal-forest.html#jCp
