University of Nevada, Reno and DigitalPath technicians deploy latest technology onto mountaintop camera platform One of the two thermal cameras in place for the Caldor Fire shows active flames heading into the Lake Tahoe Basin with a dozen or more spot fires already...
NIST’s Emberometer Could Gauge Threat of Wildfire-Spreading Embers
As wildfire fronts advance through landscapes or communities on the ground, they also attack from above, launching volleys of glowing embers into the air. Also known as firebrands, these specks of burning debris can glide for up to 40...
Lightweight Respirator on the Way for Wildland Firefighters
Source: USFA Wildland firefighters are exposed to many of the same naturally occurring respiratory hazards as structural firefighters. They are also exposed to many of the same man-made respiratory hazards, especially when fighting fires in or near the wildland urban...
Dangerous Conditions Complicate Wildfire Fight in Western U.S.
BLY, Ore. (AP) — Erratic winds and dry lightning added to the dangers for crews battling the nation’s largest wildfire on Monday in parched Oregon forests, just one of dozens burning across several Western states. The destructive Bootleg Fire, one of the largest in...
Fuel Shortage Could Ground Firefighting Aircraft
By KEITH RIDLER Associated Press BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Airport officials facing jet fuel shortages are concerned they’ll have to wave off planes and helicopters that drop fire retardants during what could be a ferocious wildfire season, potentially endangering...
U.S. Seeks Ways to Recruit, Retain Wildland Firefighters
By KEITH RIDLER Associated Press BOISE, Idaho (AP) — U.S. wildfire managers are considering shifting from seasonal to full-time firefighting crews to deal with what has become a year-round wildfire season and making the jobs more attractive by increasing pay and...
Report: California Governor Overstated Fire Prevention Work
Fuel reduction efforts dropped from the year before SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom has vastly overstated wildfire prevention work completed by his administration, according to a Capital Public Radio investigation released...
Vacaville, CA Prescribed Burn
Controlled burn and training Solana NewsNet May 26, 2021: Crews from the Vacaville Fire Department and nearby allied agencies set fire to dry vegetation on Callen Hill near Allison Drive on Wednesday as part of a controlled burn and training event ahead...
Calls to Increase Prescribed Burns Face Obstacles
"The program has to last forever." By ANDREW SELSKY Associated Press SALEM, Ore. (AP) — In the 1950s, when University of California forestry professor Harold Biswell experimented with prescribed burns in the state's pine forests, many people thought he...
Arizona Lawmakers Advance $100M Fire Fund
Fires have been burning with increasing frequency across Arizona By BOB CHRISTIE Associated Press PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Legislature advanced bills Wednesday creating a $100 million fund to respond to a wildfire emergency after hearing dire warnings...
Report: California Encourages Rebuilding in Fire-Prone Areas
1.4 million California homes are in areas identified as having a high risk of burning By OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California state and local officials are encouraging rebuilding in areas destroyed by wildfires at a time...
Bringing Tech Innovation to Wildfires
Four recommendations for smarter firefighting as megafires menace the U.S. Natasha Stavros, University of Colorado Boulder (THE CONVERSATION) Record-breaking fires over the past decade suggest the western U.S. has entered a new era of megafires. Fire...