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Our approach to wildfire all wrong?
Stephen Pyne, author and professor, writes in this opinion piece for the Washington Post that "Our approach to wildfires is all wrong." --- a must read for those of us who work in the wildland and the WUI.
http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-09-13/opinions/42030482_1_w...
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by John Gallagher on
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Bob; I want to preface my question by saying, in 34yrs in the fire service, I have never fought a wildfire. Could you explain "keep it small", is this a referance to a rapid response? Also do differant states use differant tactics and if so, why?
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Permalink Reply by Norm Tindell on
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John,
Hope you don't mind my jumping in...
"Keep it small" does indeed relate directly to rapid response, which can only be done by local and state resources. The feds are farther out, therefore slower.
Every state does things differently when it comes to initial attack, mostly due to the three main factors that affect wildfire spread: weather, terrain and fuels (grasses, shrubs, trees, etc.). Another big factor is policies and procedures vary somewhat from state to state. Example: Texas is almost all private land while Oregon is 92% public land. In Texas volunteer FD's handle wildland fires most of the time. Huge difference in the way wildland fires are handled at the local level.
The biggest challenge we face is the spread of our population into and beyond the WUI, the wildland urban interface. I agree the proposed wildfire danger rating system will help standardize exposure factors, but wish those who built their homes 20 miles from the nearest fire station in a national forest would understand we're probably not going to make an attempt to protect their property. Hopefully they pay exorbitant insurance rates already - if they can get it.
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Bobby,
Wow, you guys are armed to the teeth! Sounds like you are in the eye of the storm in the Northwest. Stay safe out there.
Insurance company participation is one of the keys to the WUI solution.
Nationwide we must get more aggressive with prescribed fire and prevention if we're ever going to even approach getting ahead of our wildland threat. The worst wildfire of all time in the US destroyed several towns and killed 1200 people. It's just a matter of time...
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Bob and Norm; Thanks for the education. Having seen the videos, I think I'm glad I stuck with urban firefighting.
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