Complex Incident Management Course

As budget cuts for CalFire are in the news today they host a National training for Inident management Teams at their training facility in Ione CA. 6 teams from several states (48 students in all) are honing their skills to handle the most complex of incidents. Their training is preparing them for responding to all risks not just wildfires. Already the have been taskes with huricane response in a simulation exercise. They also were challanged with a team exercise called the "spider web" where the goal was to get the team through the spider web with out touching the web.



Not only are there 48 students there is a CADRE made up of some of the best at what they do from Washingtom to Maine to Flordia to California and many states in between.

 California budget: Cuts to wildland firefighting teams loom

The proposed budget that Gov. Jerry Brown rolled out this week contains significant changes to California's environment, from closing some state parks to dropping a program that pays big landowners to keep their property undeveloped.

But perhaps none may prove to be more significant than Brown's recommendation for major changes to the way California battles wildfires.
His plan calls for reducing the number of firefighters on CalFire engine crews from four to three, putting them back to staffing levels that existed before massive wildfires charred the state in 2003. It also would shift to cities and counties a significant amount of firefighting responsibility that CalFire now oversees.

More aout the course

CIMC - Complex Incident Management Course

Hours: 40

Course Description:
CIMC - Complex Incident Management Course
Using classroom lecture and simulated incidents the student will understand the role and function of an incident management team, the applicability of management principles to the incident management job, and the special considerations of incident management within geographic areas of the nation.
Objectives:
The Complex Incident Management Course (CIMC) is a partnership between the National Association of State Foresters and the U.S. Forest Service to provide a national incident management training program that addresses multi-jurisdictional and all-hazard issues, including wildfire, that confront state emergency responders.
Course objectives are to train command staff positions to function as qualified state incident management teams who are able to assist their state forestry organizations and state emergency departments in the management of large or highly complex wildfires and other all hazard incidents. The focus of the course is to better prepare team members to address the unique and challenging management.

Smokey sure is glad there are trainers out there who provide this type of training and is also glad that there are men and women who have dedicated their life to protection the public and natural resources of our great nation.

THANKS

Wildfire Prevention and Education WORKS! BUT there is more work to do!!

Below is the link to the just released fact sheet on Jeff Prestemon's research on the economic value of fire prevention .   

http://www.interfacesouth.org/products/fact_sheets/the-economic-benefits-of-wildfire-prevention-education/index_html

"I'm glad to see all OUR hard work is paying off" Smokey Bear
BUT our work is NOT done!

Oklahoma Firefighters Battle Grass Fires

GUTHRIE, Okla. -- Grass fires erupted in parts of Oklahoma on Saturday, damaging several homes and prompting evacuations in at least one county.

Fire Officials: Ember From Grill Sparked Logan County Grassfire watch news story video http://www.newson6.com/Global/story.asp?S=13932181

Texas Burn pile spreads into 200-acre grass fire

CASTROVILLE, TX - A scary situation for people driving down a stretch of Highway 90 between Castroville and Hondo in Medina County on Saturday afternoon.

Texas Fire Storms

Could these happen in Virginia or your area?
You betcha! When the very same conditions talked about at the following link http://texasforestservice.tamu.edu/main/article.aspx?id=12296
occur it does not matter if you live in Texas, Montans, New Jersey or Virginia. Wildfires occur, maybe not in as dramatic of a way as in TX but its still a situation that demands us all to do our part and not let a wildfire start. If one does it will be very difficult to stop and could be very destructive and/or deadly.

Please take time to read the info and watch the video at the link above.

TIP OF THE BLOG
The recent ice, snow and cold weather in Virginia have lead to a rash of structure fires. If you are using any type of wood stove or electric heater please make sure they are in good condition and properly maintained, and MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A WORKING SMOKE DETECTOR!! If you do not many fire stations will help.

Wildfire Outlook fot the 2011 Southern Region

The graphic below is a draft and will more than likely have a few minor changes in its final. I will post that as soon as its available

February – June 2011 Forecast for the Southern Area

Highest fire potential for the Southern Area for the entire outlook period will remain in our western and southeastern areas with western Texas and Oklahoma, the Central Gulf Coast, Florida, and southern Georgia especially seeing continued periods of high to very high fire potential through the entire period.   Ongoing trends for a drier than average precipitation pattern will also keep areas of the Carolinas and southeastern Virginia in higher fire threat in the coming months.

At this time we see no particular dry signal to suggest that Kentucky or Tennessee will see any abnormally high danger threat.

Specific fuel concerns and other areas of note:

- Texas:  Above normal fuel loading from last year’s growing season and current winter freezing conditions. In addition, since much of this increase has been across the higher populated I-35 corridor, any fire activity will present potential for the occurrence of “high value” fires with urban interface implications.

- Central Gulf Coast:  Water levels are abnormally low. At the Bogue Chitto NWR for example (northeast of Lake Pontchartrain), water levels usually as high as 18 feet are very low and now exposing previously underwater material.

- Southern Georgia/Florida: 

-- Widespread recurring freezing conditions since the beginning of winter has significantly increased dead fuel loading and has set the stage for an extremely volatile and high wildfire threat condition. This has increased the likelihood of spotting problems even when the humidities are in the 40’s and 50’s.  ERC-G indexes overall continue to trend well above average with the KBDI drought measures well above 500 with 600+ reported in many counties.

-- The water table at the Okefenokee NWR, GA is currently close to 10” below the level of the last significant fire outbreak.

-- In the Everglades, hammock soil moisture's are running below 82%; at levels below 82% the hammocks can not be relied upon as a barrier to fire spread.

-- Dead Redbay trees from beetle/fungus damage continues along the Georgia Coast and will add to dead fuel loading. 
-- Southern Arkansas: Ice damage from 2010 storms have amplified significant dead limb fuels adding about 6-12 tons per acre additional fuels in wooded areas.

The main factors influencing the fire potential for this outlook period are:

• Precipitation: Continuation below average La Nina/Negative AO induced Winter/Early Spring precipitation events.

• Drought Conditions: Agricultural and hydrologic drought is fairly widespread across the Southern Area with drought particularly persistent across the southern half of the Southern and of special concern for western half of Texas and deep southeastern Georgia and all of Florida.  

A Snowy Message From Smokey



Smokey want to say that he has enjoyed the snow but enough is enough! His friends in the NE have had their share and then some this year. However not everyone is in the same boat. I just read a story out of FL making reference that they are the only southern state with out any snow cover. With the cold and freezing temperatures the fine fuels have been killed back and are providing a lot of fine flashy fuels which is a concern to firefighters.

Smokey would also like to remind you all about a message he posted in the fall about "Hot Ashes".  Wood stove and fireplace ashes remain HOT for several days after removing them. Please be very careful and dispose of them in a proper metal container. Also be extra cautious when heating with wood.

Tip Of The Blog

Wood Stove Safety

If you're among the thousands who have succumbed to the lure of the wood burning stove,

keep in mind that the return to the "good old days" of wood stove heating can have some

old-fashioned drawbacks.

Fire hazard

The resurgence of the wood burner as a supplementary source of heat has led to an

alarming—and growing—number of fires traceable to careless installation or misuse.

The purpose of this pamphlet is to help bridge a generation gap in wood stove knowledge

by providing some basic information on the selection, installation, use and maintenance of

solid fuel heating equipment.

Here are some principal do's and don'ts:

is one of them.

DO

including floors, walls and ceilings.

—make sure there is enough clearance between the stove and combustible materials,

DO

—place the stove on a noncombustible, fire resistant base.

DO

—have a mason or other competent person inspect the chimney.

DO

—burn only dry, well-seasoned wood.

DO

—consider opening a window a crack for ventilation.

DO

—dispose of ashes in a closed metal container outside the house.

DON’T

alternative.

—extend the stove pipe through a wall or ceiling unless there is no possible

DON’T

sealed off.

—connect a wood stove to a fireplace chimney unless the fireplace has been

DON’T

fuels.

—connect a wood stove to a chimney serving another appliance burning other

DON’T

—start a stove fire with flammable fluids, such as gasoline.

DON’T

—burn trash in a stove; doing so can start a chimney fire.DON’T

—let a wood fire burn unattended or overnight.

It's a new year

I hope you all had a wonderful end of 2010 with all the holidays and time to visit with family and friends. I am slowly comming out of hibernation.

Wish we could start the new year off with better news however the year is not barely 2 weeks old and there is already news of a couple of firefighter injuries on a wildfire.



MISSISSIPPI

Two firefighters injured, three wildfires burn more than 500 acres

HANCOCK COUNTY -- Two volunteer firefighters were injured today in their efforts to put out three separate wildfires that are expected to burn more than 500 acres.

Ansul Jones iwith the Bayside Volunteer Fire Department s undergoing treatment for smoke inhalation at Hancock Medical Center, said Assistant Chief Zeke Hall.

Jerry Welch, also from West Hancock, was treated and released for injuries he received in a traffic accident while on his way to a fire today in his personal vehicle, Jones said.

Also its hard to believe with all the snow storms in the news and the cold weather, there are still some areas that are experiencing drier than normal conditions and are bracing for a bad Spring fire season should these conditions persist.

FLORIDA

Winter ‘dry season’ brings wildfire risk

The peak months for wildfire activity are March through May in Lee County, and local responders typically deal with wildfires until steady rains set in near the end of June. This year, Southwest Florida is anticipated to have a drier-than-normal spring based on the long-term weather forecast.

Tip Of The Blog
Check out this site

http://www.nps.gov/fire/public/pub_photoContestFinalist.cfm?year=2010

The National Park Service has posted the winners from their photo contest. There are some real great shots here like the overall winner below.