DOCSLIB.ORG

Update on Wildfires Impacting Valley Air Quality in 2018

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Update on Wildfires Impacting Valley Air Quality in 2018 Update on Wildfires Impacting Valley Air Quality in 2018 San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District Governing Board Meeting August 16, 2018 Wildfire Air Quality Impacts • Emissions and public health impact from wildfires overwhelm all stationary and mobile sources combined • Wildfires generate particulate, NOx, VOC, and other pollutants • Cause excessively high PM2.5 and ozone concentrations –High PM2.5 levels during summer (typically peaks in winter) –Peak ozone levels this season due to wildfire pollution • District supporting efforts to develop more effective fuel reduction strategies • Extensive public outreach concerning wildfire health dangers and potential solutions 2 Comparison of Emissions from Mendocino Complex Fire to Entire Valley Emissions Inventory (Single Day) 10,000 Mendocino Complex Fire 9,000 Valley (Stationary, Area, Mobile) 8,000 7,000 6,000 5,000 tons per per day tons 4,000 3,000 2,000 1,000 0 PM10 PM2.5 NOx VOC 3 California Forests Primed for Large Wildfires • Unprecedented levels of fuel buildup due to decades of forest mismanagement • Valley and California recently experienced worst drought in over 100 years • Tree mortality epidemic from bark beetle infestation creating additional fuel for wildfires • Fire danger at all-time high • Nearly 1 million acres already burned in 2018 4 Increasing Number of Fires • Wildfire acreage year-to-date in 2018 has already surpassed total acreage for 2017 and 5 year average (Cal Fire jurisdiction) Timeframe Fires Acres January 1 through August 12, 2018 4,168 726,329 January 1 through December 31, 2017 7,117 505,956 5 Year Average (full year) 4,835 202,786 Source: CAL FIRE 5 Major Wildfires that have Impacted Valley Air Quality in 2018 Size Containment Name of Fire Date of Origin County (Acres) (%) Lions June 11, 2018 Madera 10,004 70 County June 30, 2018 Yolo 90,288 100 Ferguson July 13, 2018 Mariposa 96,810 87 Carr July 23, 2018 Shasta 211,038 67 Mendocino Complex July 27, 2018 Mendocino 363,845 64 Donnell August, 1, 2018 Tuolumne 29,756 26 Holy August 6, 2018 Orange 22,986 72 6 2018 Wildfire Season Air Quality Impacts • Prolonged periods of significant smoke impacts throughout entire Valley • Numerous exceedances of 35 µg/m3 standard caused by wildfires this summer season – Summer season PM2.5 often averages in single digits • 1-hr average PM2.5 concentrations exceeded 100 µg/m3 on Valley floor and 400 µg/m3 in Oakhurst • Ozone levels have also spiked during wildfire impact period – Through June 2018, ozone season was on track to break records – High ozone concentrations in July-August 2018 due to wildfire emissions • Despite wildfires, Valley still on track to demonstrating continued ozone improvement 7 PM2.5 Concentration (µg/m3) 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 0 01-Jun 24 - 03-Jun hr 05-Jun StandardPM2.5 Federal 07-Jun 09-Jun 11-Jun Peak Valley 13-Jun 15-Jun 17-Jun 19-Jun 21-Jun 23-Jun 25-Jun County begins Fire 27-Jun 24 29-Jun - 01-Jul hour 03-Jul 05-Jul 07-Jul Ferguson begins Fire 09-Jul PM2.5 Levels 11-Jul Mendocino Complex 13-Jul 15-Jul 17-Jul Carr 19-Jul begins Fire 21-Jul Fire begins 23-Jul Donnell begins Fire 25-Jul 27-Jul 29-Jul 31-Jul Holy Fire begins 02-Aug 04-Aug 06-Aug 08-Aug 10-Aug 8 12-Aug Hourly Average PM2.5 in Visalia (August 6, 2018) 140 120 ) 3 100 80 60 40 PM2.5 Concentration (µg/m PM2.5 Concentration 20 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Hour 9 Hourly Average PM2.5 in Fresno (August 6, 2018) 140 120 ) 3 100 80 60 40 PM2.5 Concentration (µg/m PM2.5 Concentration 20 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Hour 10 Hourly Average PM2.5 in Turlock (August 7, 2018) 140 120 ) 3 100 80 60 40 PM2.5 Concentration (µg/m PM2.5 Concentration 20 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Hour 11 Hourly Average PM2.5 in Oakhurst (August 4, 2018) 450 400 ) 3 350 300 250 200 150 100 PM2.5 Concentration (µg/m PM2.5 Concentration 50 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Hour 12 County Fire (Yolo County) 13 Ferguson Fire (Mariposa County) 14 Ferguson Fire (Mariposa County) 15 Ferguson Fire (Mariposa County) 16 Ferguson Fire (Mariposa County) 17 Ferguson Fire (Mariposa County) 18 Holy Fire (Orange County) 19 Carr Fire (Shasta County) 20 Carr Fire (Shasta County) 21 Carr Fire (Shasta County) 22 California Fires from International Space Station 23 Fires over Western U.S. – August 5, 2018 24 Fires over Western U.S. – August 6, 2018 25 July 27, 2018 Smoke impacting the Valley from the north (Carr Fire and Mendocino Complex) and from the Ferguson Fire in Mariposa County 26 August 5, 2018 Smoke moving into the San Joaquin Valley from northern California fires 27 August 6, 2018 Video loop showing smoke impacts on the Valley 28 August 3-7, 2018 Multi-day view of smoke impacting the Valley 29 Protecting Public Health • Providing accurate and timely health-protective air quality information to the public during wildfires is a top priority for the District • Significant resources dedicated to public notification of air quality conditions and steps public can take to protect their health • Targeted public education and awareness efforts regarding wildfire air quality impacts over the past several weeks has focused on – Alerting public during periods of poor air quality – Educating public on District tools available to stay updated on current air quality – Communicating actions that individuals may take to protect their health – Increasing understanding of the devastating public health impact from wildfires and need for fuel removal through prescribed burning and other methods 30 Protecting Public Health (cont’d) • Working collaboratively with the public, media, land managers, schools, county public health officers, and other stakeholders to communicate latest wildfire air quality impacts and recommendations • Providing timely information to Valley residents to minimize wildfire smoke exposure – Health cautionary statements when air quality is impacted by wildfires – Continued contact with media outlets to promote air quality messages – Promote use of the Real-time Air Advisory Network (RAAN) to notify the public of poor air quality – Communicate general public and schools about actions to take when air quality is poor due to wildfires – Provide wildfire information website that serves as clearinghouse for updated fire and air quality information from various sources including land managers • Respond to public inquiries – 295 public calls and emails responded to by District staff since July 15th 31 Recent Media Coverage • The District manages a media contact list of over 200 local meteorologists, reporters, news directors and opinion editors • The District works to build strong relationships with Valley media to ensure that the District is the first call when air quality issues arise • Daily, communication with the media over the past several weeks during current wildfire episode • Strong coverage via Valley newspapers, TV and radio stations to communicate the daily air quality conditions and smoke impacts • Since July 15th, 2018 – Three press releases/health cautionary statements issued – 66 media interviews included a Q&A feature in Sunday’s Fresno Bee – 55 social media posts 32 Press Releases / Health Cautionary Statements • July 15, 2018 • July 25, 2018 • August 6, 2018 33 Recent News Articles “The district governing board has long advocated for resources and policy changes at the state and federal levels to enhance the management of our forests” – Samir Sheikh APCO/Executive Director in the Fresno Bee 34 Recent News Articles “We don’t create more pollution than other parts of the country, we actually create a lot less pollution. But because we have this topography and meteorology, we have less ability to clear the pollution out.” – California Today Section of the New York Times 35 Recent News Articles “These types of alerts have been popping up all over as satellite imagery shows smoke hovering across state. [District staff member] Melching said this is from winds changing trajectories in the morning and evening, spreading smoke throughout California and beyond. The San Joaquin air district recommends people stay updated on air conditions by using the Valley Air app or going to www.valleyair.org/wildfires.” – Bakersfield California 36 Recent News Articles “Health officials along with the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District are monitoring the fires and air quality conditions and will alert residents if the situation worsens.”– Stockton Record 37 Recent Social Media Instagram 38 Recent Social Media (cont’d) Twitter Facebook 39 Real-time Air Advisory Network (RAAN) Provides general public with instant, real-time access to local air quality conditions 40 41 District Wildfire Resource Website 42 Enhanced Forest Management Efforts • District Governing Board has long-supported efforts to reduce the intensity and frequency of wildfires through prescribed burning, mechanical treatment and other measures to reduce fuel build-up –Working with land managers to pursue enhanced prescribed burning strategies –Working with state and federal legislators/policymakers to enhance policies and increase forest management resources –Promoting demonstration and deployment of new technologies 43.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • CAL FIRE California Climate Investments (CCI) Program - Forest Health Research Grant Applications -- FY 2020/2021 2021/2022
    CAL FIRE California Climate Investments (CCI) Program - Forest Health Research Grant Applications -- FY 2020/2021 2021/2022 Requested Research Project ID Applying Organization Project Title County Brief Project Description Funds Project Type We leverage two existing long-term studies, Treatment Alternatives for Young Stand Resilience and Fire-Fire Surrogate, at Blodgett Experimental Forest to determine how prescribed fire Influence of prescribed burn season on tree season and forest age influence tree survival, soil microbial University of California, 20-RP-AEU-078 survival, soil microbial resilience, and carbon El Dorado $500,000 resilience, carbon strength, and greenhouse gas (GHG) General Riverside cycling in mixed conifer forests emissions in mixed conifer forests. Our team will address whether conducting prescribed fires in spring vs. fall reduces or exacerbates GHG emissions to help inform forest management plans. Fire weather forecasts are typically available for the next 7-14 days. This study will develop and extend fire weather forecast capability out to 6 weeks (i.e., subseasonal time scale), from Development of Subseasonal Fire Weather seven global forecast models. Machine learning will help quantify 20-RP-AEU-118 University of Miami Forecasts for Prescribed Fire and Wildfire Statewide $500,000 and improve forecast reliability and accuracy. A prototype system General Decision Support: Accuracy and Reliability will issue real-time forecasts to the public via a web application, which will allow for improved allocation of resources, planning, and public messaging for land and air managers, emergency response, and other stakeholders. This project will investigate fire spread between discrete fuels separated by a gap, specifically between discrete pieces of vegetation and between vegetation and structures through Worcester Polytechnic Development of Engineering Tools for Exposure 20-RP-AEU-172 Amador $500,000 experiments and modeling.
    [Show full text]
  • P-19-CA-06-0DD2 January 1, 2021 Thru March 31, 2021 Performance
    Grantee: California Grant: P-19-CA-06-0DD2 January 1, 2021 thru March 31, 2021 Performance Grant Number: Obligation Date: Award Date: P-19-CA-06-0DD2 Grantee Name: Contract End Date: Review by HUD: California Original - In Progress Grant Award Amount: Grant Status: QPR Contact: $1,017,399,000.00 Active No QPR Contact Found LOCCS Authorized Amount: Estimated PI/RL Funds: $0.00 $0.00 Total Budget: $1,017,399,000.00 Disasters: Declaration Number FEMA-4382-CA FEMA-4407-CA Narratives Disaster Damage: 2018 was the deadliest year for wildfires in California’s history. In August 2018, the Carr Fire and the Mendocino Complex Fire erupted in northern California, followed in November 2018 by the Camp and Woolsey Fires. These were the most destructive and deadly of the dozens of fires to hit California that year. In total, it is estimated over 1.6 million acres burned during 2018. The Camp Fire became California’s deadliest wildfire on record, with 85 fatalities. 1. July-September 2018 Wildfires (DR-4382) At the end of July 2018, several fires ignited in northern California, eventually burning over 680,000 acres. The Carr Fire, which began on July 23, 2018, was active for 164 days and burned 229,651 acres in total, the majority of which were in Shasta County. It is estimated that 1,614 structures were destroyed, and eight fatalities were confirmed. The damage caused by this fire is estimated at approximately $1.659 billion. Over a year since the fire, the county and residents are still struggling to rebuild, with the construction sector pressed beyond its limit with the increased demand.
    [Show full text]
  • The Northern California 2018 Extreme Fire Season
    THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA 2018 EXTREME FIRE SEASON Timothy Brown, Steve Leach, Brent Wachter, and Billy Gardunio Affiliations: Brown – Desert Research Institute, Reno, Nevada; Leach – Bureau of Land Management, Redding, California; Wachter – USDA Forest Service, Redding, California; Gardunio – USDA Forest Service, Redding, California. Corresponding Author: Timothy Brown, [email protected] INTRODUCTION. The fire season of 2018 was the most extreme on record in Northern California in terms of the number of fatalities (95), over 22,000 structures destroyed, and over 600,000 hectares burned (https://www.fire.ca.gov/media/5511/top20_destruction.pdf; accessed November 24, 2019). The most deadly and destructive fire in California history, the Camp Fire, occurred in Butte County in the Sierra Nevada foothills in early November, and caused 85 fatalities and destroyed nearly 19,000 structures. The largest fire complex in state history, the Mendocino Complex, which included the Ranch fire, the largest single fire in state history, burned nearly 186,000 hectares. It occurred in July and August killing one fire fighter. In western Shasta County nearly 138,000 hectares burned from July through September in the Carr, Hirz, and Delta Fires. These fires caused multiple closures of Interstate 5 and exhibited some of the most extreme fire behavior ever observed in California. The Carr Fire caused eight fatalities, including two fire fighters and two workers supporting firefighting efforts, burned over 1,100 homes in west Redding, caused the evacuation of one-third of the city, and produced an extreme fire vortex with an Enhanced Fujita scale rating between 136 to 165 mph, making it arguably the 1 strongest tornado type event in state history, and one of the strongest documented cases in the world (Lareau et al.
    [Show full text]
  • Ferguson Fire Wreaks Havoc on Valley
    Ferguson Fire wreaks havoc on Valley air By Calley Cederlof Visalia Delta-Times, Wednesday, July 18, 2018 Central Valley residents woke to ashes on their cars Wednesday morning. It's a sign the smoke from the Ferguson Fire, burning near Yosemite National Park, has made its way into Tulare County. The high-pressure system over the West has kept smoke bottled up, limiting the use of firefighting aircraft and endangering people with health conditions. “Use common sense," Mariposa County officials said. "If it looks smoky outside it’s probably not a good time to go for a run. And it’s probably not a good time for your children to play outdoors." The blaze, which has grown to more than 17,000 acres, is being fed in large part by thousands of dead trees that were killed by a drought that has gripped California for several years. Due to the fire, San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District issued a health cautionary for Tulare, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera and Fresno counties. Tulare County's air quality went from moderate to unhealthy for sensitive groups within a day. Like Yosemite visitors, travelers to Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks should also take precautions. On Wednesday, the air quality forecast was worse for the nearby national parks than in the Valley floor, according to air quality officials. “Our air quality isn’t any better,” said Sintia Kawasaki-Yee, spokeswoman for Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks. “Even if you can’t see it.” Air quality is tested through sensors placed at Lodgepole Campground every day at the parks.
    [Show full text]
  • Flash Point the Official Publication of the San Luis Obispo Fire Investigation Strike Team, Inc
    Flash Point The Official Publication of the San Luis Obispo Fire Investigation Strike Team, Inc. In this issue Forensic Fire Death Investigation Class 2018 FFDIC Progress Report Proctor Profiles John Madden Awards Active Arson Cases Carr Fire Jeremy Stoke SLOFIST Executive Board John Madden, CEO Barb Kessel, CFO Dr. Elayne Pope, Chief of Train- ing Another successful class with live fire demonstrations in San Luis Obispo. Dr. Robert Kimsey, Secretary- Students from all over the world came to attend the week long class. A spe- Forensic Sciences Director cial thank you to all the proctors and logistical support staff who made this Tim Eckles, Chief of Safety another great workshop. Dennis Byrnes, Chief of Logistics Jeff Zimmerman. Editor SLOFIST is a 501 © (3) Non-profit organization Box 1041, Atascadero, CA 93423 Www.slofist.org Copyright 2018 SLOFIST Inc. Class Objectives Met with Great Results According to John Madden this was the best class so far. A special thank you SLOFIST Directors to all the proctors and logistical support staff who made this another great Jeremy Davis, Chairman of BOD workshop. Hours of preparation made the program run smoothly . The pro- Eric Emmanuelle, Director posed dates for next years class is June 24-28, 2019, please mark your cal- Jeremy Kosick, Director, Web Master endars and plan on attending. Dr. Alison Galloway, Director Several students had the op- Danielle Wishon, Director portunity to explore career options in both the fire ser- vices and law enforcement fields. Intern Lovey Corneil got to suit up and extinguish one of the live burns and at- tack a fire with CDC fire crew in full PPE.
    [Show full text]
  • Fire Vulnerability Assessment for Mendocino County ______
    FIRE VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT FOR MENDOCINO COUNTY ____________________________________________ _________________________________________ August 2020 Mendocino County Fire Vulnerability Assessment ________________________________________________________________________________________ TABLE OF CONTENTS Page SECTION I- OVERVIEW ........................................................................................................... 6 A. Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 6 B. Project Objectives ...................................................................................................................... 6 C. Mendocino County Description and Demographics ................................................................ 7 D. Planning Area Basis .................................................................................................................. 8 SECTION II- COUNTY WILDFIRE ASSESSMENT ............................................................ 9 A. Wildfire Threat ......................................................................................................................... 9 B. Weather/Climate ........................................................................................................................ 9 C. Topography ............................................................................................................................. 10 D. Fuel Hazards ..........................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Review of California Wildfire Evacuations from 2017 to 2019
    REVIEW OF CALIFORNIA WILDFIRE EVACUATIONS FROM 2017 TO 2019 STEPHEN WONG, JACQUELYN BROADER, AND SUSAN SHAHEEN, PH.D. MARCH 2020 DOI: 10.7922/G2WW7FVK DOI: 10.7922/G29G5K2R Wong, Broader, Shaheen 2 Technical Report Documentation Page 1. Report No. 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient’s Catalog No. UC-ITS-2019-19-b N/A N/A 4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Date Review of California Wildfire Evacuations from 2017 to 2019 March 2020 6. Performing Organization Code ITS-Berkeley 7. Author(s) 8. Performing Organization Report Stephen D. Wong (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3638-3651), No. Jacquelyn C. Broader (https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3269-955X), N/A Susan A. Shaheen, Ph.D. (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3350-856X) 9. Performing Organization Name and Address 10. Work Unit No. Institute of Transportation Studies, Berkeley N/A 109 McLaughlin Hall, MC1720 11. Contract or Grant No. Berkeley, CA 94720-1720 UC-ITS-2019-19 12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address 13. Type of Report and Period The University of California Institute of Transportation Studies Covered www.ucits.org Final Report 14. Sponsoring Agency Code UC ITS 15. Supplementary Notes DOI: 10.7922/G29G5K2R 16. Abstract Between 2017 and 2019, California experienced a series of devastating wildfires that together led over one million people to be ordered to evacuate. Due to the speed of many of these wildfires, residents across California found themselves in challenging evacuation situations, often at night and with little time to escape. These evacuations placed considerable stress on public resources and infrastructure for both transportation and sheltering.
    [Show full text]
  • 2416 Cades Way Vista, California 92081 (760) 599–1813 David
    20190628-5298 FERC PDF (Unofficial) 6/28/2019 4:41:30 PM 2416 Cades Way Vista, California 92081 (760) 599–1813 [email protected] June 28, 2019 The Honorable Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 888 First Street NE Washington, DC 20426 RE: Lake Elsinore Advanced Pumped Storage Project FERC Project No. 14227 Submittal of Study 28 Fire Study Dear Secretary Bose, The Nevada Hydro Company, (the “Company”) filed an application for an original license with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“Commission”) for the Lake Elsinore Advanced Pumped Storage facility, FERC Project No. 14227 (the “Project”) on October 2, 2017. In response to the Commission’s June 15, 2018 request for additional studies, January 22, 2019 request for additional information, and May 13, 2019 letter approving the Fire Study Plan, with modifications, the Company herein submits its Fire Study Report (Study 28). The Commission’s May 13, 2019 letter requested the Company to file the results of the modified Fire Study by June 30, 2019. The Company has actively solicited information required to complete the Fire Study Report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service (“USFS”) and the enclosed study report represents the Company’s best efforts to complete the study in the absence of the USFS information. The Company notes that there are a small number of yellow highlights throughout the document – particularly Section 6 and Section 7 – where additional operation-specific information is needed from the USFS. While more detailed information specific to USFS operations and capabilities will be helpful to understand the impact of the proposed project on USFS fire suppression capabilities, the information provided in the Study Report submitted herewith addresses the objectives of the Commission’s June 30, 2019 study request letter by including a robust analysis of fire risk and fuel loading, potential project effects on fire suppression activities, and the availability of the upper reservoir water for firefighting.
    [Show full text]
  • Serious Accident Investigation
    Serious Accident Investigation: Factual Report and Analysis Fatality of NPS Arrowhead Interagency Hotshot Crew Captain Brian Hughes The Ferguson Fire on the Sierra National Forest, CA, July 29, 2018 Page Intentionally Blank 1 In Memory of Brian Hughes August 1, 1984 – July 29, 2018 Captain Hughes is in the back row, left. The surviving members of the Arrowhead Interagency Hotshot Crew (IHC) have expressed sincere admiration for their fallen friend and leader. “Fortitude Vincimus” By Endurance We Conquer Arrowhead IHC motto 2 Serious Accident Investigation: Factual Report Accident: Tree Strike of National Park Service (NPS) Arrowhead Interagency Hotshot Crew (IHC) Captain Brian Hughes Location: Ferguson Fire, Division-G, Sierra National Forest, near Yosemite West Date: July 29, 2018 Investigation Team Team Leader: Jim Loach Title: Associate Regional Director, NPS, Midwest Region, Omaha, NE Signature/ Date Deputy Team Leader: Randy Draeger Title: Regional Director of Safety, USFS, Ogden, UT Signature/ Date Chief Investigator: Don Boucher Title: Regional Structural Fire Manager, NPS, Midwest Region, Omaha, NE Chief Investigator [Shadow]: Jeremy Murphy Title: Regional Chief Ranger, NPS, National Capital Region, Washington, D.C. Investigator: Lindel Gregory Title: Chief Ranger, NPS, Ozark National Scenic Riverways, Van Buren, MO 3 Investigator: Nick Armitage Title: Ranger, NPS, Grand Teton National Park, Moose, WY Investigator: Patrick Pearson Title: Chief of Fire and Aviation, NPS, Midwest Region, Omaha, NE Subject Matter Expert – Hotshot:
    [Show full text]
  • From Heavy Metals to COVID-19, Wildfire Smoke Is More Dangerous Than You Think 26 July 2021, by Hayley Smith
    From heavy metals to COVID-19, wildfire smoke is more dangerous than you think 26 July 2021, by Hayley Smith fire was particularly noxious because it contained particulates from burned homes as well as vegetation—something officials fear will become more common as home-building pushes farther into the state's wildlands. Another study linked wildfire smoke to an increased risk of contracting COVID-19. The findings indicate that as fire season ramps up, the dangers of respiratory illness and other serious side effects from smoke loom nearly as large as the flames. The 2018 Camp fire was the deadliest wildfire on Credit: CC0 Public Domain record in California. At least 85 people died, and nearly 19,000 buildings were destroyed, mostly in Paradise. When Erin Babnik awoke on the morning of Nov. 8, The fire also generated a massive plume of heavy 2018, in Paradise, California, she thought the smoke that spewed dangerously high levels of reddish glow outside was a hazy sunrise. pollution into the air for about two weeks, according to a study released this month by the California Air But the faint light soon gave way to darkness as Resources Board. smoke from the burgeoning Camp fire rolled in. Researchers examined data from air filters and "The whole sky turned completely black, and there toxic monitors to determine that smoke from the fire were embers flying around," Babnik recalled. "I was in many ways more harmful than that of three remember it smelling horrible." other large fires that burned mostly vegetation that year—the Carr fire, the Mendocino Complex fire and She hastily evacuated to nearby Chico with little the Ferguson fire.
    [Show full text]
  • Symposium Program Proceedings
    Department of Geography Spring 2019 Colloquium May 8th, 2019 7:00 PM – 9:45 PM Program Poster Session – 7:00PM – 9:45PM (Peterson Hall 2nd Floor) Social Vulnerability in Communities Affected by the Thomas Fire Disaster by Lluvia Lastra, Lilian Yang, Segnide Guidimadjegbe, and Andrew Siwabessy The burden of hazard prevention and of loss in communities on the wildland-urban interface (WUI) is often unequally shouldered along socioeconomic lines. The changing nature of social vulnerability in these communities, in light of the dynamic fire regime, is not well studied in the context of southern California. In this study this shift is characterized by analyzing the 2017-2018 Thomas Fire and subsequent debris flow events using a mixed methodology approach. Maps of structural damage are created using Cal Fire parcel-level damage data in a geographical information system (GIS). Demographic data is reduced from Census block group information using principal component analysis (PCA) and is re- represented as a social vulnerability index (SoVI) after Cutter (2003). To identify socially vulnerable groups that are not obvious from Census data, we utilized a content analysis of newspaper articles published by the Santa Barbara Independent to further inform the geospatial analysis. Although the spatial analysis did not identify an explicit correlation between our SoVI and damage extent, qualitative enrichment offered explanations for damage extent outlier block groups and identified vulnerable groups that were missed by the spatial analysis. A Spark of Life: California Coastal sage scrub regeneration post-Woolsey Fire by Derek Emmons Despite California coastal sage scrub (CSS)’s resilience to millennia of human interactions, losing 90% of its historic range to development has left the remaining islands of biodiversity sensitive to variations in disturbance (Engelberg et al.
    [Show full text]
  • Unit Strategic Fire Plan
    Unit Strategic Fire Plan CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire May 2020 CAL FIRE/Riverside Unit Strategic Fire Plan Page 1 Table of Contents SIGNATURE PAGE .........................................................................................3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ..................................................................................4 SECTION I: UNIT OVERVIEW UNIT DESCRIPTION .......................................................................................6 UNIT PREPAREDNESSAND FIREFIGHTING CAPABILITIES ............................... 12 SECTION II: COLLABORATION DEVELOPMENT TEAM .................................................................................................................... 14 SECTION III: VALUES AT RISK IDENTIFICATION OF VALUES AT RISK ............................................................ 17 COMMUNITIES AT RISK ................................................................................. 22 SECTION IV: PRE‐FIRE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES FIRE PREVENTION ........................................................................................ 24 ENGINEERING & STRUCTURE IGNITABILITY................................................... 27 INFORMATIONANDEDUCATION ................................................................... 28 VEGETATION MANAGEMENT ..................................................................... 29 SECTION V: PRE‐FIRE MANAGEMENT TACTICS DIVISION / BATTALION / PROGRAM PLANS .................................................. 41 APPENDIX A: HIGH PRIORITY PRE‐FIRE PROJECTS .......................................
    [Show full text]