DOCSLIB.ORG

Understanding Our New Wildfire Crisis: Can We Tame the Blazing Beast

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Understanding Our New Wildfire Crisis: Can We Tame the Blazing Beast Understanding Our New Wildfire Crisis: Can We Tame The Blazing Beast Chris Ineich Mendocino College and Sonoma State University 1 Since 2015, our region has been hit harder than any other by wildfire… • And it’s reshaping our world and reputation! vividmaps.com 2 An unprecedented fire year • >4 million acres burned1 -more than 4% of total land area in state • 5 of the 6 largest fires in California history occurred in 20202 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_California_wildfires#/medi a/File:2020_California_wildfires.png 1 https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2020/ 2https://www.fire.ca.gov/media/11416/top20_acres.pdf 3 4.0 3.5 3.0 2.5 2.0 Acres Burned in California Wildfires https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/10/briefing/california-wildfires-bob-woodward-coronavirus-your-thursday-briefing.html 3 of the 5 largest fires in California history have affected some combo of Mendocino, Lake, Sonoma or Napa Counties #1: August Complex (2020)-1,032,648 acres #2: Ranch Fire (2018)-410,203 acres #5: LNU Complex Fires (2020)-363,220 acres Regional wildfire toll since 2015 -More than 2.3 million acres burned -More than 15,000 buildings destroyed -52 lives lost Redding Pieces of a 6-year burn Red Bluff scar puzzle August Complex Fire (2020) • Contiguous burn scar covers more than 2-million acres Ukiah Ranch Fire -70 times the size of San (2018) Rocky & Francisco Valley, Kinkade, Jerusalem Tubbs, Nuns, Fires (2015) Atlas, Glass Fires • N-S extent spans entire length of (2015-20) LNU Complex (2020) Inner North Coast Ranges Santa -Equivalent to distance from Rosa Fairfield Fairfield to just south of Redding • roughly 160 miles! 6 Contiguous burn area includes… • Nearly all of Mendocino National Forest -And Berryessa-Snow Mountain National Monument • Entire viewshed of Lake Berryessa Fires burned all or part of: • 3 national forests, 4 state wildlife areas, 7 federal wilderness areas, 3 University of California field stations, 5 state parks or forests, 9 regional or county parks and about a dozen public or private nature preserves 7 Smoky Got It Wrong • Suppressing natural fires for all those years allowed fuel to build up to a point where fires became uncontrollable 8 Wildfires can produce many ecological benefits • Recycle nutrients and detritus • Control pests and diseases • Reduce competition between plants, allowing the survivors to be more robust and healthy • Reduce fuels for more destructive fires in the future • Create a diversity of habitats, benefiting wildlife and increasing biodiversity • Stimulate growth and reproduction of fire-dependent plants 9 Plant adaptations to fire: Fire-induced Reproduction Serotinous cones require calflora Bryant Baker fire to open up and Fire Followers require release seeds fire to germinate -e.g. Knobcone and Bishop -e.g. Whispering Pines, Giant Sequoia Bells 10 Plant adaptations to fire: Sprouting http://sonomavegmap.org/firestory/index.html Trunk sprouting in Coast Redwood Pacific Madrone 1-yr after fire Pacific Madrone 8-yrs after fire 11 Plant adaptations to fire: Thick Bark Thick, insulating bark protects internal tissues -True of many needleleaf conifers (e.g. Redwood, Douglas-fir, Ponderosa Pine) and savanna oaks (e.g. Blue Oak, Valley Oak) 12 Burned landscapes can be more resilient than you might think 13 Burned landscapes can be more resilient than you might think 14 Postfire recovery can be swift alltrails.com alltrails.com Wilson Valley overlook; Cache Creek Same site in 2019, 4-years after Rocky Fire Wilderness 2013 15 California is a fire-adapted ecosystem • Summer-dry Mediterranean climate makes region susceptible to fire • Ignitions have long been provided by lightning and humans -63,000 lightning strikes per year across California1 -Native Californians once intentionally set thousands of fires every year as part of traditional land management practices Van Wagtendonk & Cayan. 2008. Temporal and spatial distribution of lightning strikes in California in relation to large-scale weather patterns. Fire Ecology (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/254921807_Temporal_and_Spatial_Distribution_of_Lightning_Strikes_in_Calif ornia_in_Relation_To_Large-scale_Weather_Patterns) 16 Before European settlement, indigenous Californians used fire as a management tool “Fire was the most significant, effective, efficient, and widely employed vegetation management tool of California Indian tribes…Deliberate burning increased the abundance and density of edible tubers, greens, fruits, seeds, and mushrooms; enhanced feed for wildlife; controlled the insects and diseases that could damage wild foods and basketry material; increased the quantity and quality of material used for basketry and cordage; and encouraged the sprouts used for making household items, granaries, fish weirs, clothing, games, hunting and fishing traps, and weapons. It also removed dead material and promoted growth through the recycling of nutrients, decreased plant competition, and maintained specific plant community types ”1 Professor M. Kat Anderson, UC Davis 1Anderson. 2005. Tending the Wild: Native American Knowledge and the Management of California’s Natural Resources. UC Press. p. 136 17 Certain California plant communities probably owe their existence to indigenous burning Without fire or grazing, coastal prairies transition to scrub community 18 Father Juan Crespi described the Central Coast while it was still under indigenous management We “went over some pretty high hills with nothing but soil and grass, but the grass all burnt off by the heathens…and (we) shortly descried from the height a large arm of the sea (San Francisco Bay).”1 Nov 4, 1769; traveling over Sweeney Ridge (San Mateo County) (1)Recounted in: J. Paddison. 1999. A World Impenetrable coastal scrub covers Sweeney Transformed: Firsthand Accounts of California Before the Gold Rush; p. 16. Heyday Books. Ridge today 19 Native Californians used prescribed fire to maintain prairies and oak woodlands in forested regions 20 Douglas-fir invasion… 21 Fir eventually overtops oaks If there are enough of them, may kill oaks by depriving them of sunlight 22 Many mountain meadows are the product of indigenous burning 1899 1994 George Gruell. 2001. Fire in Sierra Nevada Forests: A Photographic Interpretation of Ecological Change Since 1849. Mountain Press. 23 Yosemite’s former caretakers comment on the change “Some native people, displaced during Euro-American settlement…returned to their homelands years after relocation only to find them overgrown and untended. Maria Labrado Ydrte, granddaughter of Chief Tenaya of the Southern Sierra Miwok…returned to her beloved Yosemite after seventy- eight years. She shook her head and said, “Too dirty, too much bushy.”” Her great-grandson James Rust elaborated: “In the old days, there used to be a lot more game-deer, quail, grey squirrels, rabbits. They burned to keep down the brush. The fires wouldn’t get away from you. It wouldn’t take all the timber like it would now…I remember Yosemite when I was a kid. You could see from one end of the Valley to the other. Now you can’t even see off the road.” 1Recounted in Anderson. 2005. Tending the Wild: Native American Knowledge and the Management of California’s Natural Resources. UC Press. pp. 156-157 24 Reconstructing pre-settlement fire regimes Tom Swetnam Fire scars leave a dateable record of past fire in tree rings 25 Reconstructing pre-settlement fire regimes Redwood Forest: 15 yrs Douglas-fir-Mixed Hardwood Oak Woodlands: 12 yrs Forest: 13 yrs Median Fire Return Intervals Van de Water and Stafford. 2011. A summary of fire frequency estimates for California vegetation prior to Euro-American settlement. Fire Ecology Vol 7, Issue 3, pp 26-58 (https://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs/rmrs_gtr292/2011_vandewater.pdf) 26 2020 burn acreage isn’t so unusual California-Average Annual Wildfire Acres In the context of the pre- settlement fire regime, 2020 was an average fire year! 1950-99 2000-09 2010-19 2020 Pre-1800 Estimate Stephens et al. 2007. Prehistoric fire area and emissions from California’s forests, woodlands, shrublands and grasslands. Forest Ecology and Management: Vol 251, Issue 3; pp 205-216. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378112707004379) 27 The nature of fire has changed Fires intentionally set by Fires started accidentally and Native Californians under burning under extreme mild weather conditions weather conditions Fire intensity limited by Fire intensity amplified by sparse fuels oversupply of fuels 28 Fire suppression allowed fuels to accumulate Feather River Canyon, Plumas County 1890 1993 George Gruell. 2001. Fire in Sierra Nevada Forests: A Photographic Interpretation of Ecological Change Since 1849. Mountain Press. 29 Our forests now have too many ladders… Surface Fire Crown Fire 30 Non-sprouting tree species aren’t adapted to crown fire Douglas-fir forest after a healthy Douglas-fir forest after a stand- surface fire destroying crown fire 31 Local forest/woodland communities destroyed by crown fire Mixed Conifer Forest after 2015 Valley Fire and post- fire salvage logging on Cobb Mountain Blue Oak Shasta fir forest in the Snow Woodland in Mountain Wilderness Area Cache Creek destroyed by 2018 Ranch Fire Wildlife Area destroyed by 2015 Rocky Fire Photos from alltrails.com 32 Modern fires pose an increasing threat to people and infrastructure The Los Angeles Times 33 California has racked up a huge wildfire debt -The bill has come due and were paying it back in interest David McNew Northern Arizona University 34 Luckily, there’s a way we can work off some of that debt… The Nature Conservancy 35 Luckily, there’s a way we can work off some of that debt… The Nature Conservancy The good news: Calfire, the U.S. Forest Service, California State Parks, some local tribes and local prescribed burn associations already have prescribed burn programs 36 The anatomy of a successful forest fuel treatment Large diameter trees are retained to shade the understory -But they are limbed up to minimize laddering Taller understory fuels are mechanically thinned U.S. Forest Service Forest is underburned to remove slash and excess litter 37 Oak Woodland Fuel Treatments Burn off grass thatch and invading conifers, brush, etc.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Fire Management.Indd
    Fire today ManagementVolume 65 • No. 2 • Spring 2005 LLARGEARGE FFIRESIRES OFOF 2002—P2002—PARTART 22 United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service Erratum In Fire Management Today volume 64(4), the article "A New Tool for Mopup and Other Fire Management Tasks" by Bill Gray shows incorrect telephone and fax numbers on page 47. The correct numbers are 210-614-4080 (tel.) and 210-614-0347 (fax). Fire Management Today is published by the Forest Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC. The Secretary of Agriculture has determined that the publication of this periodical is necessary in the transaction of the pub- lic business required by law of this Department. Fire Management Today is for sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, at: Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: 202-512-1800 Fax: 202-512-2250 Mail: Stop SSOP, Washington, DC 20402-0001 Fire Management Today is available on the World Wide Web at http://www.fs.fed.us/fire/fmt/index.html Mike Johanns, Secretary Melissa Frey U.S. Department of Agriculture General Manager Dale Bosworth, Chief Robert H. “Hutch” Brown, Ph.D. Forest Service Managing Editor Tom Harbour, Director Madelyn Dillon Fire and Aviation Management Editor Delvin R. Bunton Issue Coordinator The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communica- tion of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720- 2600 (voice and TDD).
    [Show full text]
  • Fire Codes Used in the Kern River Valley
    i The Kern River Valley Community Fire Safe Plan Created by HangFire Environmental for the Kern River Fire Safe Council and the citizens they strive to protect. October 2002 The Kern River Valley Community Fire Safe Plan was funded by a grant to the Kern River Valley Fire Safe Council by the United States Department of Agriculture-Forest Service, National Fire Plan-Economic Action Program. In accordance with Federal law and United States Department of Agriculture policy, Kern River Valley Fire Safe Council in cooperation with the Kern River Valley Revitalization Incorporated is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs). To file a complaint of discrimination, write the United States Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue,. SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (202)720-5964 (voice or TDD). The United States Department of Agriculture-Forest Service is an equal opportunity provider and employer. ii Table of Contents Kern River Valley Community Wildfire Protection Plan................................................................i The Kern River Valley Community Fire Safe Plan........................................................................ii Table of Contents...........................................................................................................................iii Introduction.....................................................................................................................................1
    [Show full text]
  • The 2007 Southern California Wildfires: Lessons in Complexity
    fire The 2007 Southern California Wildfires: Lessons in Complexity s is evidenced year after year, the na- ture of the “fire problem” in south- Jon E. Keeley, Hugh Safford, C.J. Fotheringham, A ern California differs from most of Janet Franklin, and Max Moritz the rest of the United States, both by nature and degree. Nationally, the highest losses in ϳ The 2007 wildfire season in southern California burned over 1,000,000 ac ( 400,000 ha) and property and life caused by wildfire occur in included several megafires. We use the 2007 fires as a case study to draw three major lessons about southern California, but, at the same time, wildfires and wildfire complexity in southern California. First, the great majority of large fires in expansion of housing into these fire-prone southern California occur in the autumn under the influence of Santa Ana windstorms. These fires also wildlands continues at an enormous pace cost the most to contain and cause the most damage to life and property, and the October 2007 fires (Safford 2007). Although modest areas of were no exception because thousands of homes were lost and seven people were killed. Being pushed conifer forest in the southern California by wind gusts over 100 kph, young fuels presented little barrier to their spread as the 2007 fires mountains experience the same negative ef- reburned considerable portions of the area burned in the historic 2003 fire season. Adding to the size fects of long-term fire suppression that are of these fires was the historic 2006–2007 drought that contributed to high dead fuel loads and long evident in other western forests (e.g., high distance spotting.
    [Show full text]
  • Caldor Fire Incident Update
    CALDOR FIRE z INCIDENT UPDATE Date: 9/9/2021 Time: 7:00 a.m. Information Line: (530) 303-2455 @CALFIREAEU @CALFIRE_AEU @EldoradoNF Media Line: (530) 806-3212 Incident Websites: www.fire.ca.gov/current_incidents @CALFIREAEU https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7801/ @EldoradoNF Email Updates (sign-up): https://tinyurl.com/CaldorEmailList El Dorado County Evacuation Map: https://tinyurl.com/EDSOEvacMap INCIDENT FACTS Incident Start Date: August 14, 2021 Incident Start Time: 6:54 P.M. Incident Type: Wildland Fire Cause: Under Investigation Incident Location: 2 miles east of Omo Ranch, 4 miles south of the community of Grizzly Flats CAL FIRE Unit: Amador – El Dorado AEU Unified Command Agencies: CAL FIRE AEU, USDA Forest Service – Eldorado National Forest Size: 217,946 Containment: 53% Expected Full Containment: September 27, 2021 First Responder Fatalities: 0 First Responder Injuries: 9 Civilian Fatalities: 0 Civilian Injuries: 2 Structures Threatened: 24,647 Structures Damaged: 80 Single Residences Commercial Properties Other Minor Structures 778 18 202 Destroyed: Destroyed: Destroyed: ASSIGNED RESOURCES Engines: 320 Water Tenders: 82 Helicopters: 43 Hand Crews: 59 Dozers: 52 Other: 34 Total Personnel: 4,532 Air Tankers: Numerous firefighting air tankers from throughout the state are flying fire suppression missions as conditions allow. CURRENT SITUATION WEST ZONE The fire continued to be active throughout the night. Minimal growth occurred in the Situation Summary: northeast and southern areas of the fire perimeter. Firefighters worked diligently last night picking up minor spot fires and mitigating threats to structures. Today crews will continue Incident Information: working along the southern edge to secure more control line and keep the fire north of Highway 88.
    [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]
  • 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]
  • 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]
  • Fuels, Fire Suppression, and the California Conundrum
    Fuels, fire suppression, and the California conundrum Eric Knapp U.S. Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station Redding, CA Bald and Eiler Fires - 2014; Photo: T. Erdody How did we get here? 2018: Most destructive wildfire (Camp Fire) Largest wildfire (Mendocino Complex) Most acres burned in modern CA history 2017: 2nd most destructive wildfire (Tubbs Fire) 2nd largest wildfire (Thomas Fire) Mediterranean climate = fire climate Redding, CA (Elev. 500 ft) 8 100 7 6 80 F) o 5 Wildfire season 4 60 3 Precipitation (in) 2 40 Ave Max.Temp. ( 1 0 20 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Precipitation Month Temperature • Very productive – grows fuel • Fuel critically dry every summer • Hot/dry = slow decomposition Fire activity through time Shasta-Trinity National Forest (W of Trinity Lake) 1750 1850 1897 Fire return interval 3 years 12 years No fire since 1897 Fuel limited fire regime | Ignition limited fire regime • Fire was historically a combination of indigenous burning and lightning ignitions • Aided travel, hunting, and improved the qualities of culturally important plants • Many early Euro-American settlers initially continued to burn • Forage for grazing animals • Lessened the danger from summer wildfires • Foresters advocated for Halls Flat, A. Wieslander, 1925 suppressing fire • “The virgin forest is certainly less than half stocked, chiefly as one result of centuries of repeated fires” – Show and Kotok 1925 • Believed keeping fire out would be cheaper than treating fuels with fire Burney area, A. Wieslander, 1925 Change in structural variability (trees > 4 in.) 1929 2008 Methods of Cutting Study – Stanislaus National Forest Lack of fire also changed non-forests A.
    [Show full text]
  • Living with Wildfire in Mendocino County
    LIVING WITH WILDFIRE IN MENDOCINO COUNTY Protecting OURSelveS, OUR property, AND OUR NATURAL RESourceS FOREST FACTS ... WHEN TO MOW ... RESCUING YOUR HORSES ... SAFE growing PRACTICES BURN PILES ... FIRE WATER SUPPLY ... AND MORE! The reality of wildfire A Mendocino scenario Suddenly the water stops flowing. The one wildfire can move. And they don’t know power line along the road has burned, so that most people killed by wildfires die IT’S A HOT DAY in early October. It’s 2:30 the pump has quit. Phones go dead too. while trying to evacuate—too late. and the afternoon wind has just kicked up. There’s been no rain since May, and Now really in panic, Joe and Barbara make Fire engines from other counties begin everything is tinder dry. Our CDF air one last attempt to capture their animals. to arrive. They check in with the chief in tankers, command plane, and helicopter With heavy hearts, they leave without them. charge. He tells them to stop at the local are fighting a fire near Santa Cruz. Nearly fire station for maps. In the confusion, The drive downhill takes a long time. In half our county’s fire engines are near L.A., the maps can’t be found. Radio waves are places the road is only one lane, so they where160 homes burned earlier this week. jammed and instructions aren’t clear. must back up to turnouts to let fire engines A wildfire breaks out in Mendocino County. pass. Other cars are collecting behind A fire chief from Napa is assigned to them, making matters worse.
    [Show full text]
  • Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit 2020 Strategic Fire Plan
    Figure: 1 Capell Incident Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit 2020 Strategic Fire Plan Unit Strategic Fire Plan Amendments Description of Updated Date Section Updated Page Numbers Updated Update By 5/26/2020 ALL ALL Annual Update S.Cardwell 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS SIGNATURE PAGE ........................................................................................................ 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................ 5 SECTION I: UNIT OVERVIEW ....................................................................................... 6 SECTION II: UNIT PREPAREDNESS AND FIREFIGHTING CAPABILITIES ............... 9 SECTION III: VALUES .................................................................................................. 12 History of Large Fires ................................................................................................. 12 Values at Risk ............................................................................................................ 12 Section IV: PRE-FIRE MANAGEMENT STRATAGIES & TACTICS ........................... 13 Communication and Collaboration ............................................................................. 13 Pre-Fire Planning ....................................................................................................... 14 Section V: MONITORING PROGRAMS EFFECTIVNESS .......................................... 16 Emergency Command Center ...................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Ojai Community Builds Wildfire Resilience
    Best Practices Federal Emergency Management Agency / Region IX February 2019 Disaster Mitigation Working in California Ojai Community Builds Wildfire Resilience Ventura County, CA Since its founding in 1874 the beautiful town of Ojai, ringed by rugged mountains and steep chaparral-covered can- yons, has been threatened with de- struction at least nine times. The Wheeler and Day Fires in 1985 and 2006 burned over 280,000 acres and destroyed homes and other struc- tures near the town. The Ojai com- munity placed a bronze plaque to express gratitude for the heroism of firefighters who successfully battled the Wheeler Fire during extremely dangerous conditions. years; developed high-quality years of Ojai Valley preparation Those experiences brought an online resources; and built strong and planning. Extremely hot, dry awareness of vulnerability, along effective partnerships with the and windy conditions caused that with a determination to become a USDA Forest Service, Ventura fire to grow and move with incredi- wildfire resilient community. Ojai County Fire Protection District, ble speed. Readiness and detailed Valley residents realized that aware- City of Ojai, County of Ventura, evacuations plans were critically ness and vigilance alone would not Ventura County Sheriff Depart- important, since the two-lane coun- suffice. To develop a plan of action ment, Ventura County Resource ty egress roads can be overwhelmed a group of fire professionals, educa- Conservation District and others. by traffic. Fortunately, the wind tors, insurance experts, homeowner direction during the Thomas Fire associations and others formed the The board of directors and adviso- spared the City of Ojai the fate of Ojai Valley Fire Safe Council ry council have been able to effec- Paradise, California, but this lesson (OVFSC), a nonprofit organization tively engage and coordinate with has not been lost on the Ojai Valley dedicated to promoting wildfire other agencies, organizations, vol- community.
    [Show full text]