CFN - CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS - CAL FIRE NEWS : USFS - Region 5 Fire situation and outlook -July 15, 2009

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

USFS - Region 5 Fire situation and outlook -July 15, 2009

Pacific Southwest Region - Regional Fire Situation and Outlook
National Forests in California

Outlook:
As high pressure settles in the west, a heat wave throughout most of California is expected to continue for the next 10 or more days. Under these conditions vegetation will continue to become dryer, which is typical for the time of year. Despite the dry conditions no widespread winds are forecast, but there is a slight chance of lightning in Sierra Nevada through the weekend. Under the forecasted conditions initial attack activity is expected to be moderate.

Forest Service Initial Attack Resources:

Availability of Forest Service initial attack resources fluctuates on a daily basis due to staffing schedules, vehicle maintenance, and firefighter commitment to ongoing incidents. The numbers reported below reflect a “snapshot” of Forest Service resource availability in California as of 10:00 am on the day this report is disseminated.

Engines: 194
Hotshot Crews: 10
Type 2 Initial Attack hand crews: 5
Type 2 hand crews: 13
Helicopters: 24

Out of Region Support:

During the past week, Region 5 has dispatched approximately 28 individual firefighters to provide overhead/management support in Alaska, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, and Oregon.

Current Significant Incidents:

Backbone Fire, Six Rivers National Forest and Shasta-Trinity National Forest

The Backbone Fire is currently 4,848 acres and is 25% contained. The fire is burning on the Shasta-Trinity and Six Rivers National Forests approximately 36 miles northeast of Willow Creek in the Trinity Alps Wilderness. Due to the complexity of the fire situation the Atlanta based National Incident Management Organization (NIMO) assumed command of the fire under Incident Commander George Custer Wednesday July 8th. The fire is burning within the footprint of the1999 Megram Fire. Forest Service officials are working closely with the Hoopa Tribe and keeping tribal members and fire service personnel updated on the Backbone Fire. Protection of cultural sites within the fire area is a priority.

Resources Currently Assigned to the Backbone Fire:

24 Type 1 Hand Crews
12 Type 2 Hand Crews
12 Helicopters
7 Engines
11 Water Tenders
1,209 Total personnel

YTD fires and acres:

National Forest System lands:

Fires: 678
Acres: 11,941

All Jurisdictions:

Fires: 3,840
Acres: 28,805

No comments:

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