Wildfire, what are our government agencies and utilities doing to improve response? A lot read about it here.

Smoke follows beauty we said around campfires, if that is so everyone in California must be extremely pretty, it's following all of us. 

Wildfires are bad news every summer in the western U.S.

The sky is once again filled with smoke the fires are 100 miles north, and are burning with minimal controlled. Northern California is on fire again, the wind is up, the air is dry, and the terrain is dried, perfect conditions for these events. 145,000 acres have been eaten up by the Campfire. (It is as of Sunday 11/18/18 55% contained.) The Northern California Utility, Pittsburg Gas, and Electric have developed a new strategy, and I don't blame them. The origin of last years fires are firmly placed in their lap. The cause of ignitions of seventeen of the states 21 wildfires during the 2017-2018 season have been placed on the giant company. Being human we always need someone or something to blame for everything that takes place. Most of the time it is the taxpayers that end up footing the bill. In this article, we will explore the relationship between Wildfires, their possible causes, and what proactive measures are being exercised.

(Follow this Link for insight on Smokey Bears prevention of wildfires tips)

90% of wildfires are caused by humans due to campfires being left unattended, burning of debris, or arson being common sources. Most fires can be traced to the point they originated, the causes are identifiable. Arson is a different story, the perpetrators are very rarely identified, about the only way is through eye-witness accounts. Lightning, machinery sparks, and electrical distribution failures are other common wildfire starters.

Wildfires can start anywhere, the largest of them begin in isolated areas where there are few humans to sound the alarm. Forested areas, grasslands, and residential areas adjacent to isolated wild areas are typical of places where they begin. Discarded cigarettes tossed next to roads cause many fires, as do neglected campfires.

They start any time of the year, although the most common time is during the hot summer months when the landscape dries out. Low humidity, high winds, and hot temperatures are prime conditions for the blazes to start. Winds contribute greatly to the intensity and the speed of travel, the Campfire burning now in Northern California has destroyed the entire city of Paradise.

The wind gusts between 25 and 50 miles per hour during the summer months, winds as high as 80 miles per hour are not real common, however when they do occur the fires are impossible to control. The winds gain velocity when they are directed through the valleys, canyons, and over the top of steep hills.

PG&E has initiated the "Wildfire Center", a new department dedicated to preventing wildfires caused by their equipment. Two days prior to the Campfire starting the Utility issued a warning they were studying if the service would be disconnected. The assumption was by many people (myself included) they had made the decision to do just that. That was not reality, the electrical service remained on, 2 hours before the fire started an interruption in a line close to the epicenter was reported. It is still too soon to commit any resources to uncover the causes, leaving it an unknown if they are culpable. The new Department has been designed to reduce fires, PG&E distributed a statement defining their intent, this is a direct quote as reported on the Yuba.net website.

“For your safety, it may be necessary for us to temporarily turn off electricity to your neighborhood or community when extreme fire danger conditions occur. We know how much you rely on reliable electric service and would only consider temporarily turning off power in the interest of safety, and as a last resort. If we need to turn off your power, we will attempt to contact you in advance to ensure you have enough time to prepare. We will also provide updates until power is restored.”

A downpour is a firefighters dream during the fire season.
The dream may come true as early as Monday in the North,
the prediction for Southern California is much more positive.

What does "Extreme fire danger conditions" mean in a real-world situation? Critically dry vegetation, low relative humidity, and a period of high winds. The decision will be the conclusion of an involved discussion including how large an area is affected. It is a step in the right direction if just one wildfire is prevented the new procedure and formation of the Wildfire Center will be well worth the effort. This is the first wildfire season this new program has been involved with, it will get better.

California Fires mission is to prevent wildfires, they are active in a variety of preventative measures of which they undertake throughout the year. Vegetation management, engineering of wildlands before fires begin, along with education and law enforcement are some of the tasks they are actively involved in. Firebreak construction, reduction of fuel, and controlled burning of areas of extreme fire danger conditions.  Cal Fire clears brush in communities, roadsides, and evacuation routes. Planning comes into play as well, emergency evacuations must be planned and practiced well before an event occurs. The implication of the State Fire Plan, fire investigations to determine the origination and cause, arson investigations, and supporting local governments wildfire planning are all included under their umbrella. Cal Fire is active in the education of the public through social media, as well as school presentations, fair exhibits, flyers, posters, television commercials, and any other means of informing as many citizens as possible. Their efforts to reduce the outbreak of fires, making the programs well worth the expense, time, and energy.

The state of California has spent $250 million over the past 10 year period dedicated to cleaning up the wildlands. That's a fairly large investment, one that we can only assume has reduced the damage of the fires. That is impossible to judge, we will never know how much it helped, but it most certainly must have. A bill has been introduced in the state Legislature to allocate $750 million over the next ten years, it may be raised to $1 billion. The Federal Government will reimburse the state $388 million. It's a good commitment at $75 million per year.

The U.S. Forest Service program is called "The Firewise Program", a multi-agency department created to assist homeowners, community leaders, planners, and developers. Organizing and working together in their effort to protect people, property, and natural resources from the wildfire outbreaks. The Firewise program encourages wildfire readiness, encourages wildfire conscience community designs. The recommendation of the use of fire-resistant building materials, wildfire resistant landscaping, and prevention methods. The forest service is active in every state of the Union, aviation, communications, fire science are all part of the service. The "Ready, Set, Go!" program enables residents to prepare for wildfires, knowledge of what to do when an evacuation is in order, and conducting an organized successful evacuation.

(Follow this Link to learn more about the "Firewise Program".)

Wildfires in the west affect all of us living here, during the summer months the air is constantly filled with smoke. It is late in the season, zero rainfall has created extreme dry conditions, with the introduction of the "Diablo" (Northern Calif.) and "Santa Ana" (Southern Calif.) winds combining to become a perfect storm. Yesterday the sun was obscured by it, each day that passes introduces another that is more smoke filled. Yesterday visibility was 1/2 mile, today it is 1/4 of a mile. The degradation of the air is evident, the smoke has nowhere to go. (This morning visibility is 50 feet, but it's mixed with a measure of fog.)

Fire prevention agencies have reached the point that the wildfires are accurately predictable, under certain conditions which PG&E defines as "Extreme fire danger conditions", and recognizable to most people residing here. They have achieved such a high level of prediction that with the Campfire predictions the fire started shortly after it was issued. (within 24 hours)

San Francisco, 11/15/2018

I wonder how many are started by an arsonist, a man was arrested last year for starting the fire in Southeastern Colorado from a campfire left unattended. The Concord fire of last year was started when a vehicle pulled off the road experiencing trouble, it ignited a blaze. We know they are coming, its good to know that there are public and private entities working together to reduce, and hopefully at some time put an end to them. Arson is a subject for another blog, my next one.

( Link to a commercially available Wildfire Emergency Kit.)

Thank you for reading and sharing this article, leave a comment or story, and take a look around to make sure you are in a good position if a fire begins near you.

jacquesandkate emergencykitsplus.com