WIFIRE helps firefighters get a jump on wildfires

04 September 2014

published by National Science Foundation

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USA — Wildfire suppression costs in the United States have averaged $1.54 billion annually for the last 10 years. So how are we becoming more prepared for these disasters?

The NSF supported “WIFIRE” initiative, led jointly by the University of California (UC), San Diego, and the University of Maryland, will better monitor, predict and mitigate wildfires in the future. Take a look to see just exactly how this wildfire monitoring system will help to monitor environmental conditions and predict where and how fast a wildfire will spread.

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In recent years, the number and scale of wildfires in the U.S. has risen, threatening cities and forests, and forcing large-scale evacuations. The National Science Foundation (NSF) is supporting the WIFIRE initiative, led jointly by the University of California (UC), San Diego, and the University of Maryland, to better monitor, predict and mitigate wildfires in the future.

WIFIRE merges observations, such as satellite imagery and real-time data from sensors in the field, with computational techniques like signal processing, visualization, modeling and data assimilation, to monitor environmental conditions and predict where and how fast a wildfire will spread. The project is part of the NSF Hazards SEES program, which enhances sustainability through the use of advanced technologies and new methods.

Participants in WIFIRE include researchers from the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC), the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology’s (Calit2) Qualcomm Institute, and the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) department at UC San Diego’s Jacobs School of Engineering. Also participating in the project is the University of Maryland’s Department of Fire Protection Engineering.

WIFIRE helps firefighters get a jump on wildfires
 

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Vic coalmine fire leaves lasting legacy

05 September 2014

published by https://au.news.yahoo.com

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Australia — Julie Brown couldn’t take it any more.

The air was thick with soot and smoke. The house was black with ash.

Her two-year-old daughter, her twin sons and her husband were taking medication to suppress their asthma and they all suffered from perpetual headaches.

They had to get out of Morwell.

They packed up their car on February 26, more than two weeks after bushfire embers sparked a fire in the open-cut Hazelwood coalmine near the Victorian town.

They drove to a free campsite, because they didn’t qualify for relocation assistance, and lived in a tent for a week.

“My partner still had to travel into work so we were sort of stuck out in the bush,” Mrs Brown says.

“Every day it was just ridiculous,” she said.

The coalmine fire had blanketed the town in toxic ash and smoke.

After a week of camping they returned to Morwell but soon found themselves fleeing to Cranbourne.

Others didn’t have that option.

Deborah Hollis qualified for a government relocation grant but the money wasn’t enough and moving wasn’t practical.

Her daughter Isabella, 11, and special-needs son Isaac, 9, were ill all through the 45-day blaze.

“I’d pick him up and he’d tell me he didn’t want to come home because his home would hurt him,” Ms Hollis says.

Their house is old and had been damaged by the earthquake that shook Gippsland in 2012.

“We just couldn’t seal the heat, the ash and the smoke out,” she said.

She was slugged with insurance excesses but her policy wouldn’t cover a lot of the repair her home needed.

Ash ate into her carpets.

She threw out clothing, bedding and small electrical items that she couldn’t get the ash out of.

“I just had to chuck them,” Ms Hollis said.

“I thought I can’t risk them catching fire.”

Her roof cavity is still full of ash. Every time a truck thunders past, ash falls from vents in the walls.

It took 45 days to bring the blaze under control and it left a $100 million bill.

A board of inquiry was appointed to investigate what caused the fire, its health implications for people in Morwell and how a repeat can be prevented.

On the first day of public hearings, counsel assisting the inquiry, Melinda Richards, said the risk of fires in the mines had been recognised for 40 years and the Latrobe Valley community bore the brunt of burdens associated with them.

In its findings this week the board said the fire was foreseeable and could have been mitigated, if not prevented, if mine operator GDF Suez had taken better precautions.

The board said the government was slow in advising vulnerable residents to relocate.

Those instructions came on February 28, two days after the Brown family decided they’d rather live in a tent than stay in Morwell and two weeks after air pollution peaked on February 16, when particulate matter reached 28 times recommended levels.

Morwell residents say they’re grateful for the inquiry but have been left largely unsatisfied by its recommendations.

They were hoping for GDF Suez to be told to improve their rehabilitation program.

Of all of the issues raised by the community, they say preventing another fire is the most important.

Latrobe Valley Support Network president Simon Ellis says rehabilitation of the mine is the most effective way to do this.

Covering the exposed coal faces so they can’t catch fire again is vital, he says.

“They need to have that plan in place and its got to be a lot more defined than it currently is,” Mr Ellis told AAP.

“I’m worried because we’re three months from summer and if we get a flare-up, if we get another fire in Gippsland again, I think we’ll have the same situation again,” he said.

“I’m dreading it.”

The company says it has an approved rehabilitation plan and will work with the state regulator to clarify long-term rehabilitation plans.

“Rehabilitation of a mine like ours is a fairly complex thing because of the sequence of mining,” a GDF Suez spokesman said.

“It’s a progressive process. We have activity underway right now.”

The community wants more.

“We think that plan’s got a few holes in it,” Mr Ellis said.

For residents, the company’s attitude towards rehabilitation is similar to the approach they have taken throughout the blaze.

“We want them to say `look, we’ve done the recommendations but we’ve also done this’,” Mr Ellis said.

The company launched a series of initiatives worth more than $1.25 million to support Morwell’s revival.

Mrs Brown says this won’t even begin to repair the damage caused by the fire.

“It doesn’t even come anywhere near what they’ve done,” she said.

Even now, more than six months after the mine fire was declared safe, there is more to do.

Latrobe Valley Support Network members have been going door-to-door with buckets and sponges continuing with the clean-up.

They’re doing simple things like helping people move their furniture so they can clean.

“A lot of the houses, especially weatherboard houses, the soot actually stuck to the house,” Mr Ellis said.

“This process is going to take months before its all finished and done.”
 

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Health Dept releases guidelines to help public cope with haze

23 September 2014

published by www.theborneopost.com

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Malaysia — Sarawak is experiencing hazy conditions, with the Total Suspended Particulate Index hovering between ‘moderate’ and ‘unhealthy’ levels.

Reading of 51-100 is considered moderate, while 101-200 is unhealthy. Given the current dry spell, the hazy condition is expected to worsen. This has prompted the Health Department to issue a general advice to minimise health risks.

Its director Datu Dr Zulkifli Jantan said as the respiratory system was susceptible to the haze, common ailments that might arise were upper respiratory tract irritation, coughs, colds, asthma, and eye discomfort and redness.

“Refrain from engaging in strenuous outdoor activities such as jogging, running, mass exercises and games. These activities will increase the rate and depth of breaking, resulting in an increase in concentration of pollutants entering the airways.

“The public should cut down on outdoor activities during this period, particularly when the levels are unhealthy,” he said in a press statement. Dr Zulkifli said certain groups of people tend to be more susceptible to adverse health effects when the air is polluted.

Those who are particularly susceptible are asthmatics (increase in frequency and severity of symptoms and attacks), the elderly (increased risk of lung infections and decrease in lung function), infants and children, people with underlying lung and/or heart disease, and smokers.

He advised the public to stay indoors as much as possible.

“Visit your family physician, clinic, or hospital if suffering from acute respiratory infection, or if there were an increase in frequency of symptoms. Those in the high risk group are advised to take their medicine as prescribed.”

The public should also drink plenty of clean and boiled water, besides cleaning their hands and faces frequently, especially if they had gone outdoors.

“Reduce outdoor activities if the Air Pollution Index (API) is unhealthy. With dry weather, those with poor personal hygiene can get diarrhoea diseases. Therefore, it is important to observe and practise good personal hygiene at all times.

“Wash hands after using the toilet, wash hands before and after preparing food, wash hands before eating, and eat clean and properly cooked food.” He advised smokers to reduce or stop smoking during the haze, especially when the API is at an unhealthy level. They should abstain from smoking when children, elderly people, and sick people are around.

“Respiratory masks should be worn by all motorcyclists, people working outdoors, working in very dusty conditions, and those belonging to high risk groups who have to go outdoors.”

Dr Zulkifli also advised the public to stop open burning as it would worsen the situation.

“If you are advised to stay indoors, there are a number of steps you can take to keep the air inside your home as smoke free as possible, such as keeping windows and doors closed and switch on the air-conditioner, if you have one. Be sure to keep the fresh air intake closed and the filter clean.

“Other steps that can be taken include avoid using anything that burns including wood stoves, gas stoves and candles.”
 

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1,000 more California wildfires than usual in 2014, and fire season just started

23 September 2014

published by www.latimes.com

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USA — the traditional fire season has only just begun, and already in California firefighters have battled at least 1,000 more wildfires than in a typical year.

So far this year, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection has sent crews to nearly 5,000 wildfires, which have charred a combined 92,139 acres on non-U.S. Forest Service land, according to a statewide fire activity update issued this week.

In the last week alone, Cal Fire has responded to 167 wildfires that have cropped up ahead of the fall season, which is notorious for strong Santa Ana winds that have fanned destructive fires in Southern California in the past.

Federal forest land has already taken a huge hit in Northern California, where a series of fires has scorched nearly 275,000 acres combined. The largest fire — Happy Camp Complex at 131,996 — is 85% contained. Just behind that blaze is the devastating King fire, which has burned 89,574 acres.

“These times are unprecedented here in California with respect to fire behavior,” Cal Fire Unit Chief Mike Kaslin said last week during an update on the King fire.

Cooler temperatures and some moisture are expected this week, but the cooler weather will bring strong winds, creating “critical fire weather conditions” for much of the eastern Northern California region, according to the National Weather Service.

Fire officials have said drought has worsened fire conditions and has significantly dried out vegetation, creating fast-moving flames.
 

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Congressman, authorities and conservations join to advocate for stopping raid of forest fire prevention funds

06 September 2014

published by www.lakeconews.com

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USA — With federal resources set aside for combating wildfires rapidly depleting, the federal government will soon be forced to divert funds that are currently reserved for wildfire prevention, like dry brush removal and controlled burns, making future extreme wildfires more likely.

On Friday, Congressman John Garamendi (D-Fairfield), the former deputy secretary of the U.S. Interior Department under President Bill Clinton, was joined by federal and state agencies combating wildfires and conservation groups at a press conference at a Cal Fire facility in Davis to sound the alarm and to urge immediate action to rectify this dangerous situation.

Over the last 12 years, the U.S. Forest Service has had to transfer $3.2 billion from other accounts to pay for active fire suppression. In 2013 alone, they had to transfer $505 million, and critical projects were cancelled as a result.

Federal depletion of funds directly impacts state-managed lands, as wildfires can quickly spread between jurisdictions.

This year, California has experienced 4,503 wildfires, burning nearly 700,000 acres of land.

On Friday, there were eight active fires in California, including the Saratoga Fire in Lake County, which is in Garamendi’s Third Congressional District.

The risk of wildfires is exacerbated by climate change and droughts, making the fire season last 60 to 80 days longer than it did in the 1980s

“We find ourselves in a vicious cycle,” Congressman Garamendi said. “When we run out of money to fight wildfires, and that happens frequently, we dip into the very funds that help prevent wildfires. We ultimately spend a lot more money combating disasters than we would have if we prevented those disasters from ever occurring. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. There’s bipartisan support to end this foolishness. All we need is an opportunity for a vote.”

“An emergency or reserve fund, similar to what California utilizes to address the extraordinary costs of wildland firefighting, is important so that emergency firefighting costs in federal responsibility areas do not impact the federal funds budgeted for forest health, vegetation management and fire prevention program activities,” said Chief Ken Pimlott, Cal Fire director.

The Wildfire Disaster Funding Act of 2014

In July, Congressman Garamendi and 195 Democratic Members of Congress signed onto a discharge petition that would force consideration of H.R. 3992, the bipartisan Wildfire Disaster Funding Act of 2014. If 218 voting Members of Congress sign a discharge petition, the bill is automatically brought to the House Floor for a vote.

H.R. 3992 has 60 Republican and 71 Democratic cosponsors and calls for a $2.7 billion fund each year for seven years to be set aside as a cash reserve that the Forest Service and Interior Department could turn to once their own firefighting allotments ran out.

The bill also treats the worst one percent of wildfires as natural disasters, like earthquakes or hurricanes, freeing up emergency resources for suppression to help prevent the need to raid fire prevention funds.

This legislation has been stalled in committee, with the Majority Leadership unwilling to bring it to a vote on the House floor.

The administration’s solution

At the press conference, officials from the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management underscored the importance of the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy and the President’s Fiscal Year 2015 budget proposal to change how fire suppression costs are budgeted to treat extreme fire seasons the way other emergency disasters are treated.

“We appreciate the opportunity to get together with our interagency cooperators and the Congressman to talk about the critical issue of wildfire in California and across the nation,” said Jeanne Wade Evans, deputy regional forester at the U.S. Forest Service.

“We are confronting a new chapter in wildland fire management, requiring a cooperative, integrated approach to restore and maintain healthy landscapes, prepare communities for fire season, and better address the nation’s wildland fire threat,” said Jim Kenna, Bureau of Land Management California state director.

Concerns of conservationists

When wildfires are made more likely, homes and businesses are needlessly put at risk, natural habitats are pointlessly destroyed, wildlife is needlessly killed and displaced, air and water quality are harmed, and recreational opportunities in the wild are ruined.

“We applaud Congressman Garamendi and his fellow congressional members on their efforts to address one of the biggest, most dangerous problems facing the West,” said David Bischel, president of the California Forestry Association. “We can no longer continue to chase forest fires. It is not sustainable for our forests, watersheds, air quality, and wildlife. Large wildfires have put unnatural stress on our ecosystems, but with proper funding future damage can be mitigated with preventive treatments.”

“Passing the bipartisan Wildfire Disaster Funding Act is one of the smartest actions members of Congress can take this year to help our national parks and federal public lands,” said Neal Desai, Pacific Region field director of the National Parks Conservation Association. “We thank Congressman Garamendi for his commitment to solving real problems facing our nation’s beloved national parks.”

“Research shows forest management restores the forests that support our lives and livelihoods. We need to invest in science-based restoration actions – including selective thinning and controlled burning,” said Ed Smith, forest ecologist for The Nature Conservancy of California. “This proactive restoration work is much safer and less costly than fighting fires reactively, and saves lives and property and benefits nature.”
 

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