Cal Fire boosts fire season staffing after 'extremely' dry winter

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Cal Fire boosts fire season staffing after 'extremely' dry winter

CalFire hand crews from the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation cut brush in the mountains north of Fillmore on April 9 to get full containment of a brush fire that damaged two homes and threatened more. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection is beefing up its staffing in anticipation of a fire season officials worry could be affected by an "extremely" dry winter, the agency announced.

CalFire has hired and trained seasonal firefighters that will help staff seasonal stations and some helicopters "around the clock," according to a department statement.

The agency announced Monday it had begun "transitioning into fire season" in San Diego, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

The agency said a snow survey conducted in late March indicated low snow levels, as the Northern Sierra Nevada received only 5 1/2 inches of rain between January and March--a potential record low. Cal Fire officials are "concerned about the impact to this year's fire season."

Officials asked Southern California homeowners to take recommended precautions, including: clearing 100 feet of defensible space around their homes; removing needles and leaves from roofs and rain gutters; trimming branches 6 feet off the ground, and using powered lawn and landscaping equipment in cooler morning hours.

Source: http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-calfire-staffing-20130416,0,6135117.story

CFN - California Fire News 2013

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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

Wednesday, April 17, 2013