FR Brainstorming: Solving Southern California's Wildfires [Vanity]

10/22/07 | Vanity

[Coyoteman]

some of these areas were burned 2 years ago, so its not all just fuel buildup....

unless you live in the West, you can't imagine how hot and dry it gets.....

in my area....eastern Washington..it was as dry this past June as it usually is at the end of August...

throw in the wind, and you get a disaster....

I am familiar both with southern California and eastern Washington.

One of the problems with normal forest fires is that they do not burn everything. I documented one fire, about 160,000 acres, in south-central California a decade ago. It generally burned every other canyon, or every third canyon as it climbed a ridge. The canyons in between were not burned, and are loaded with fuel and ready to go any time.

Google the subject of fuel buildup for some interesting articles.

[Ben Bolt]

The truth is most people figure that in the worst case, Uncle Sugar will be there to bail them out. And, judging from recent history, he will be.

Hebrews . Here is a guy that get’s it . And yes I am addressing you . Your thread had the potential to converse into several social conservative and even some Biblical reminders . Fiscal accounting . The potential was unlimited .

Keep your 15 million village . Like you are the only 1 who places a value on time , but it was YOUR special space and time here .

[Ben Bolt]

SK was IMO a vile, ugly man who made fame out of violent acts toward women on MTV

It is true Cherry . For me , always figured I could love the passion even if it was somewhat ... misdirected ? The bigger issue I was kind of having some fun with in the post was people should stand on the decision they make .

This thread could have been wonderful for hundreds of people .. I gotta go place a bid .

[aimhigh]

Solution - LA needs to repent and turn to God.

[dmz]

unless you live in the West, you can’t imagine how hot and dry it gets.....
___________-

In the southeast (parts of alabama and georgia), they are 2 feet below normal in rainfall this year. Here in my native MD, the resevoir I take my dogs swimming at is dropping nearly a foot a week, at the lowest levels since they started recording such things.

We are not Phoenix hot here certainly, but we’re pretty clear on hot and dry.

[george76]

Please thank your daughter’s boy friend for his service.

There are several options : home owners and communities can listen to their local fire marshall before ( not just during ) the fire season on effective efforts to help the fire fighters when ( not if ) the fires come.

Removing fuel around one’s home is a good first step. This gives the fire fighters help by providing a defensible area. A fast moving fire forces the fire fighters to make hard choices...what can be defended in a safe manner and what can not. This may sound harsh, but it is reality.

Communities should listen to their local foresters on re-creating a healthy forest or healthy arid desert.

We have to deal with reality, not just some past, dream world where there were a few nomadic peoples who could run away.

[Hebrews 11:6]

Very interesting! Oil fires tend to be very concentrated geographically, as around an oil well, do they not? Whereas brushfires spread rapidly. Are there any documented uses on brushfires?

[Hebrews 11:6]

Thank you. That was very helpful.

[InsensitiveConservative]

There were several home owners who claimed their home was saved because they had removed the fuel around the structure. The neighbors were not so lucky. I wonder if it was cutting the brush or plain random luck. How does cutting the brush off your fence save your home when flames are 150 feet tall and the wind is blowing 50+ miles per hour?

I have no solutions as it seems to me the fire is as wide as it is tall. How does a sprinkler system from a water storage shed manage that? Fires double back or they merge. Then again, if it only saves the clone zone then it would have done its job. I’ll be interested to hear what the boyfriend firefighter has to say about it.

I heard that AIG Insurance is sending out representatives to check on the homes of their policy holders. If the home is in danger or could be in danger they call in a crew to foam the house and drop fire retardant material on the property. It’s cheaper than the payout of a 100% loss. I had to wonder how the fire department felt about this… welcomed help or are they in the way and become a possible hindrance in terms of having to be rescued. In any event, I think they should rip off the ‘good hands people’ slogan.

[Hebrews 11:6]

My admiration for firefighters is boundless--I will most certainly thank him.

Preventive measures fully employed are often overwhelmed by the ferocity of these flames. I am searching for additional measures to augment them.

[Hebrews 11:6]

I've watched SoCal TV fire coverage for fifty years and this is the first occasion I can recall of foam being used on houses. I saw firefighters using it, so it does not surprise me to hear of insurers doing so, too. I wonder if this is another new method being tried.

As a matter of fact, firefighting methods are evolving rapidly. Lessons learned from the last big fire have been trumpeted in the media. But implementation is uneven. For example, San Diego County has "reverse 911" in effect, where authorities call everyone in an area to, in this instance, evacuate. But my wife says she heard LA County does not use it. Which makes one wonder if foam is also being deployed only in certain areas. Again, I'll check with the firefighter boyfriend.

[InsensitiveConservative]

This is the first I recall of it as well. There was a quick blurb about a multi-millionaire movie director in Malibu with his own fire team. They showed several men on his roof with huge hoses foaming the sides of his home. Brillilant idea but I would not want to be the sucker left standing on the roof when the fire blew in.

I was in the Malibu for the 1993 fire. The height of those flames was something out of your worst nightmare.

Perhaps more homeowners will look into foam or roof sprinkler systems.

[r9etb]

I suppose one of the big issues here is simply this: wtf are all those houses doing in known fire zones, and why are they so extremely vulnerable? Is it easier to address these fires when you're not having to focus on saving some new and stupidly-sited subdivision?

Seems to me that that is the first issue to address: would this be such a big deal if the developers hadn't been pushing houses into these areas? Or, if those developments are going to be there, why is it that so many thousands of houses are so extremely vulnerable?

This is one of those places where land use regulations need to be seriously reassessed.

[Hebrews 11:6]

I've mentioned several times here how foolish some of these folks are. However, not all is like that. The San Diego County fires are amazing. They start seventy miles inland and jump west to the coast, burning homes in genteel suburbs.

Moreover, the population pressure in California is intense. Even though it is a large state geographically, much of it is practically uninhabitable, leaving upwards of thirty-five million people to settle the rest. Venturing into previously uninhabited land is bound to be hazardous, considering the hot, dry Santa Ana winds. What is needed are better prevention and firefighting methods.

[george76]

The fire fighters will appreciate our thanks.

Preventive measures will not always work. But trying to help the fire fighters will often be useful.

There are many additional measures available ...( one )
forestry decisions should be made by foresters ( instead of now where forestery decisions are being made by lawyers, judges, and politicans with no forestery training nor knowledge ).

Second...