Rey defends proposed Bush cuts to fire prevention

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Rey defends proposed Bush cuts to fire prevention

Forest Service losing U.S. firefighters to California fire force's

WASHINGTON—A top federal official says the U.S. Forest Service is losing firefighters to the Cal fire because of the state's better pay and benefits and at the same time out of the other side of his mouth Mark Rey also defended proposed Bush administration cuts to fire prevention programs

Agriculture Department Undersecretary Mark Rey, who directs U.S. forest policy, told a House committee that he's evaluating the issue to see how much of a problem it is and what can be done about it.

The Undersecretary has already missed a congressionally imposed February 1 deadline to come up with a plan to increase recruitment and retention in the wake of October's devastating Southern California wildfires and could be jailed for contempt.

Rey also defended proposed Bush administration cuts to fire prevention programs, saying money could be shifted from other areas.

some of these cuts are mindboggling. But they include:

A $13 million cut to clearing the debris and small trees that can lead to catastrophic fires
A $76 million cut in firefighter training and equipment
A $400 million cut in the budget of the U.S. Forest Service.

All of which can only mean one thing: The great decider George W. Bush wants us to burn.

Or another perspective: We are spending $200 million a day in Iraq and Bush wants to take a critical $500 million in fire prevention funds from the yearly U.S. Forest service budget to finance another two and a half days in Iraq.

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How fires get their names

Every year in California thousands of wildfires start throughout the state. In most cases, the dispatch center sending the initial resources to a wildland fire will designate a name for the fire, but the first on scene engine or fire official can also name the incident. Fires are usually named for the area in which they start – a geographical location, local landmark, street, lake, mountain, peak, etc. Quickly naming the fire provides responding fire resources with an additional locater, and allows fire officials to track and prioritize incidents by name. For example during the Southern California Fire Siege of 2003, the largest wildland fire in California history, the Cedar Fire in San Diego County, was named after the Cedar Creek Falls area where it started. The destructive Old Fire, which burned during the same time period in San Bernardino County, was named after the road along which it started - Old Waterman Canyon Road.

CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States. CDF - CAL FIRE Firefighters answer the call more than 300,000 times a year. CAL FIRE Firefighters make up the fire department for 30 of our 58 counties in California and more than 100 local communities. We serve as the incident command during many of California’s most serious disasters. CAL FIRE Firefighters respond to many various types and forms of calls ranging from structural fires, to auto accidents, to earthquakes, to floods, to the spilling of hazardous materials, to every conceivable disaster; CAL FIRE answer's the calls. CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States . CAL FIRE firefighters protect 33 million acres of State Responsibility Area (SRA). We have over 4,000 members within CAL FIRE and CAL FIRE is associated with the California Professional Firefighters (CPF) and the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF).

CFN - CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS - CAL FIRE NEWS

Tuesday, February 12, 2008