Man Charged With Starting CO Wildfire Also Suspected of Posing as a Firefighter and Police Officer
LOVELAND, Colo. (AP) — A Colorado man was charged with arson after an investigation into a wildfire this summer that destroyed 29 homes and caused more than $30 million in property damage, authorities said Wednesday. Jason Alexander Hobby, 49, was arrested Tuesday,...
34-Year-Old Man Arrested on Suspicion of Arson in Line Fire in San Bernardino County (CA)
Ashley Ahn - Los Angeles Times LOS ANGELES — A 34-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of arson in connection with the Line fire, which has burned tens of thousands of acres in San Bernardino County. Authorities on Tuesday arrested Justin Wayne Halstenberg, a...
Brazil Steps Up Fire Prevention Efforts Amid Increasing Wildfires
Brazil is intensifying efforts to improve its wildfire management system, focusing on the prevention of wildland fires. The total area affected by fires and the number of incidents have significantly increased in recent years. A recent order from Brazil's Ministry of...
Fast-Moving Airport Fire in Orange County (CA) Continues To Grow — Now at 8,500 Acres
Nathaniel Percy - The Orange County Register The fast moving Airport fire, which broke out in Trabuco Canyon near Rancho Santa Margarita Monday afternoon, Sept. 9, swelled to more than 8,500 acres overnight, according to Cal Fire. See also: This map shows the location...
NEWS
Man Charged With Starting CO Wildfire Also Suspected of Posing as a Firefighter and Police Officer
LOVELAND, Colo. (AP) — A Colorado man was charged with arson after an investigation into a wildfire this summer that destroyed 29 homes and caused more than $30 million in property damage, authorities said Wednesday. Jason Alexander Hobby, 49, was arrested Tuesday,...
34-Year-Old Man Arrested on Suspicion of Arson in Line Fire in San Bernardino County (CA)
Ashley Ahn - Los Angeles Times LOS ANGELES — A 34-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of arson in connection with the Line fire, which has burned tens of thousands of acres in San Bernardino County. Authorities on Tuesday arrested Justin Wayne Halstenberg, a...
Brazil Steps Up Fire Prevention Efforts Amid Increasing Wildfires
Brazil is intensifying efforts to improve its wildfire management system, focusing on the prevention of wildland fires. The total area affected by fires and the number of incidents have significantly increased in recent years. A recent order from Brazil's Ministry of...
Fast-Moving Airport Fire in Orange County (CA) Continues To Grow — Now at 8,500 Acres
Nathaniel Percy - The Orange County Register The fast moving Airport fire, which broke out in Trabuco Canyon near Rancho Santa Margarita Monday afternoon, Sept. 9, swelled to more than 8,500 acres overnight, according to Cal Fire. See also: This map shows the location...
More Than 36,000 Homes and Structures Threatened As CA Line Fire Grows to 20,553 Acres on Sunday Night
Beau Yarbrough - San Gabriel Valley Tribune, West Covina, Calif. Sep. 8—The out-of-control Line fire in the San Bernardino Mountains grew to 20,553 acres on Sunday evening, up from 17,459 acres on Sunday morning and from 3,833 acres on Saturday morning, with zero...
Product News
Meet Nicole Wiebe – A Wildland Firefighter and MARK-3® Pump Pro!!
Introducing Nicole Wiebe: A former Wildland Firefighter turned artist, Nicole brings her unique blend of experience and creativity to our special project. With seven seasons spent battling wildfires across Ontario, Quebec, BC, Alberta, and Oregon, her dedication to...
Waterax at the Wildland Urban Interface Conference March 26 – 28, 2024 Peppermill Resort, Reno, NV
Join WATERAX’s wildland dealers at this year’s Wildland Urban Interface Conference, March 26 to 28, in Reno, Nevada. The event is the premier gathering for firefighters and industry and community members to explore issues centred on the minimization and management of...
Ax Magazine Vol. 4 Is Out!
We are thrilled to announce the much-awaited release of the fourth edition of Ax Magazine! In this latest volume, we invite you to embark on an exciting journey with us as we explore intriguing stories, groundbreaking insights, and a celebration of our rich heritage...
Waterax Winner of the Innovation Award | SME 2023
The ADRIQ Innovation Awards 2023 shone on November 23 at the Palais des congrès de Montréal during the 33rd Innovation Awards Gala, bringing together over 575 participants. Under the dynamic leadership of Stéphane Bellavance, a distinguished personality in the...
Alpha Gala 2023 Prizes
On October 19, WATERAX attended the Alpha Gala in Montreal, QC. There, the company was presented two awards by the esteemed Chambre de commerce et d’Industrie de Saint Laurent – Mont Royal: Business of the Year and Innovators in Sustainable Technology. The WATERAX...
Wildland Fires
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MARK-3 Mechanics Training
Dive Deeper into Expertise at WATERAX Pump Mechanics Factory Training! Calling all MARK-3® pump enthusiasts! Get ready for a transformative journey at the WATERAX MARK-3® & MARK-3® Watson Edition Pump Mechanics Factory Training. In this immersive 3-day training,...
Perimeter Solutions Addresses Foam Knowledge Gap With “Know Your Foam” Training Sessions
In-Class and Hands-On Application Course Offered at No Cost to Fire Departments, Fire Management Organizations Clayton, MO 11 July 2023 – Perimeter Solutions (NYSE: PRM), a leading global manufacturer of high-quality firefighting products and lubricant additives, is...
Perimeter Solutions Adds Shur-Sales as Marketing Partner to Represent Company in Western US
Shur-Sales to promote Perimeter’s portfolio of foam and retardant solutions Clayton, MO 25 April 2023 – Perimeter Solutions (NYSE: PRM), a leading global manufacturer of high-quality firefighting products and lubricant additives, has entered into an agreement with...
Fire Safety Industry Transitions Focus from Wildfire Suppression to Proactive Prevention
Key Takeaways from the 2022 Wildfire Prevention Summit By Wes Bolsen The Western Fire Chiefs Association hosted its second annual Wildfire Prevention Summit earlier this year, and Perimeter Solutions proudly served as the Platinum Sponsor for the event, which examined...
As Wildfires Become More Prevalent, Fire Safety Industry Looks to the Ground
By Wes Bolsen, Business Director of Wildfire Prevention & Protection at Perimeter Solutions In a new report on wildfire activity, the United Nations says that the number of wildfires that take place around the world could double by the year 2100. Faced with this...
Why Phosphate is the Active Ingredient of Choice for Effective Long-Term Fire Retardant
By Melissa Kim Fire safety leaves no room for error, and it doesn’t offer second chances. That is why it is critical that firefighters are equipped with the best tools when they battle any type of fire, including wildfires. Long-term fire retardant has been dropped...
Aviation
Long-Awaited Federal Wildfire Aircraft Expected to Come to CA; When Can They Fly?
Gillian Brassil - The Sacramento Bee WASHINGTON — California is a step closer to getting long-promised firefighting aircraft in the air. The state and its fire protection agency will have to get them into shape, but the first of the seven C-130 aircraft could be in...
San Diego Sheriff’s Department Unveils Its First Night-Flying Firefighting Helicopter
El Cajon, California - November 20: New Sheriffs Department helicopters were shown during a press conference on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023 in El Cajon, California. The BELL 412EPX cost more than $15 million and the BELL 407GXi cost $5.5 million. (Ana Ramirez / The San...
Three Firefighters Killed in Turkish Firefighting Helicopter Crash
ISTANBUL (AP) — Underwater teams are trying to recover a helicopter that crashed in a lake over the weekend, killing three crew members, while fighting a forest fire in western Turkey, state media reported Monday. Four crew members were aboard the firefighting...
New Firefighting Planes Sought Across the Warming Planet Are on Their Way, With a Little Delay
By JOHN LEICESTER Associated Press LE BOURGET, France (AP) — Production of a workhorse firefighting plane that is eagerly awaited in Europe to combat worsening mega-blazes fueled by climate change is running “a little bit” behind schedule, and the first will not be...
Two Pilots Walk Away from Boeing 737 Water Bomber Crash in Australia
PERTH, Australia (AP) — Two pilots walked away with minor injuries after a Boeing 737 jet converted for firefighting crashed in Australia, officials said Tuesday. The twin-engine tanker owned by Canadian-based Coulson Aviation crashed in Fitzgerald River National Park...
Video: Take a Behind-the-Scenes Tour of Los Angeles County (CA) Super Scoopers
For 27 years, Los Angeles County has had a partnership with Canadian Province of Quebec. Quebec contracts to send Canadair CL-415 Super Scoopers to California for assistance with wildland fires. Battalion Chief Pat Sprengel gives a tour of the Super Scooper...
Watch How Fast This Embraer C-390 Converts from Cargo Plane to Water Bomber
Embraer reported Monday that it has successfully completed the flight testing to receive certification the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS II), which allows the C-390 Millennium to be converted from a cargo plane to perform firefighting missions. Embraer...
CAL FIRE Helicopter Crash Injures Three Returning from Fairview Fire
A helicopter assisting with operations in the Fairview fire near Hemet crashed while attempting to land at the Banning Airport, fire officials said Saturday afternoon. The helicopter was privately owned, officials said, and crashed into a backyard just before 4 p.m....
Videos
Remembering the Yarnell Fire with Brendan McDonough of the Granite Mountain Hotshots
A discussion about guilt, depression, and growth Fire Engineering Host Jim Burneka speaks with Brendan McDonough, the lone survivor of the Granite Mountain Hotshots. This episode focuses on the aftermath of the June 30th, 2013 Yarnell wildfire in which...
Take a Tour of the Missoula (MT) Fire Lab – Where Scientists Study How Wildland Fires Work
Scientists at the Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory research the wind, soil, and fuel conditions that come together to create a wildland fire. The lab opened in 1960, and it's currently trying to develop data that can inform a better forest management policy as...
‘Gone in 30 Seconds’ – Shingle Springs (CA) Loses Two Rigs in Wildfire at Six Rivers National Forest
The Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians Tribal Fire Department lost two rigs when fire burning at Six Rivers National Forest overran the vehicles Monday. The crew from El Dorado County had parked the rigs what they thought was a safe distance from the fire, but a...
Colorado Springs (CO) Fights Multiple Grass Fires, Including One at Airport
Marshall Fire Destroys Hundreds Of Homes In Colorado, Thousands Evacuated
Nearly 600 homes have been destroyed in the Colorado Marshall Fire – along with hotels, shopping centers and businesses. The fire had burned 1,600 acres and was still growing Thursday night.
L.A. County and Forest Service Firefighters Survive Near Miss
On September 11, Angeles National Forest and Los Angeles County firefighters responded to a brush fire near Highway 99. Shortly after they arrived the fire and took hold on both sides of the highway. In the shifting winds the flank of the fire became the head of the...
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Bobbie on Fire
Bobbie Scopa started her career as a seasonal firefighter in 1974. After graduating from Arizona State University, she went on to work in fire and natural resource management. Eventually she left the wildand agencies to work full time for a structure fire department. She finished her Masters in Forestry at NC State then went back to the US Forest Service and BLM eventually becoming the Assistant Regional Fire Director in Region 6. Bobbie has spent many years working as a type 1 and 2 Operations Section Chief. You can listen to Bobbie tell audio stories from her long career at BobbieOnFire.com. She has also recently completed her memoir titled “Both Sides Of The Fire Line”. It will be available through Chicago Review Press late summer of 2022.
What’s the Cost?
Throughout our lives and careers, there will be times that we’re asked a question or asked to do...
Habituation to Risk
Here we are during the time of year where we remember our lost friends and coworkers. Those we...
Questions Aren’t a Threat, They’re the Answer
Awhile back, I was honored to speak at two different U.S. Forest Service fire leadership sessions....
Wildland Firefighting
Remembering the Yarnell Fire with Brendan McDonough of the Granite Mountain Hotshots
A discussion about guilt, depression, and growth Fire Engineering Host Jim Burneka speaks with Brendan McDonough, the lone survivor of the Granite Mountain Hotshots. This episode focuses on the aftermath of the June 30th, 2013 Yarnell wildfire in which...
US Wildfires Are Getting Bigger and More Complex, Changing Firefighting Workforce
By TY ONEIL Associated Press PRESCOTT, Ariz. (AP) — It’s shaping up to be a long wildfire season, with Texas already seeing its largest blaze in recorded history and firefighters becoming overwhelmed with recent blazes in Virginia. Just in the first three months of...
Features
U.S. Prisoners Work Firefighting and Other Dangerous Jobs. But What Happens If They Are Hurt or Killed?
By MARGIE MASON and ROBIN McDOWELL Associated Press PHOENIX (AP) — Blas Sanchez was nearing the end of a 20-year stretch in an Arizona prison when he was leased out to work at Hickman’s Family Farms, which sells eggs that have ended up in the supply chains of huge...
Evacuees: Understanding the Other Side of the Fence
By Chad Costa This job is fantastic, and I wouldn’t want to do anything else. Being able to help during someone’s worst day runs deep in all first responders’ blood. However, the past few years have put us all through the wringer. Having been involved with the...
Lessons Learned from Line-of-Duty Deaths in the Wildland
By THOMAS W. AURNHAMMER After moving from New Mexico to Colorado, I must admit that I had a lot to learn about fighting fire in the wildland. I was used to having resources in my former fire department such as water and somewhat adequate staffing. Providing fire...
Wildland Refresher Training: Don’t Just Go Through the Motions
By Todd McNeal I am confident that most of you reading this would agree that we are in an era of fire years, not fire seasons. Wildland fires are now more numerous, destructive, prolonged, and impactful than at any point in our nation’s history. We have a plethora of...
