Interagency Declaration for the 2013 Wildland Fire Season

Friday, April 26, 2013

Interagency Declaration for the 2013 Wildland Fire Season

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Bakersfield, CA – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Tule River Reservation Fire Department and Kern County Fire Department (KCFD) will announce an “Interagency Declaration for the 2013 Wildland Fire Season” at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, April 29, 2013.

Fire officials, representing all agencies, will make the announcement at the press conference to be held at Olive Drive Fire Training Facility, located at 5642 Victor Street, Bakersfield, CA.

The declaration will cover all lands within the following jurisdictions:

· Forest lands managed by the Sequoia National Forest located in Fresno, Tulare and Kern counties and will include the Giant Sequoia National Monument;

· public lands managed by the BLM Bakersfield Field Office throughout Tulare, Fresno, Kings, Kern, Madera, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties;

· public and private land under the direct protection of the Kern County Fire Department;

· and land within the boundaries of the Tule River Indian Reservation located in Tulare County.

Fire season officially begins when seasonal firefighting equipment and personnel are in place, prepared, and ready to respond.

Homeowners living in the Wildland Urban Interface are reminded to complete their defensible space by clearing hazardous dry vegetation away from their homes, outbuildings and property. State law requires property owners to clear a minimum of 100 feet from any structure. Property clearance for fuels reduction work must be completed by June 15.

If you plan on visiting the Sequoia National Forest or BLM lands, visitors must have a California campfire permit in their possession for the use of wood fires, charcoal barbecues, and portable gas stoves using gas, jellied petroleum, or pressurized liquid fuel. These permits are free and can be obtained from any Forest Service, BLM or California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection office.

With the potential for a hot and dry summer ahead, fire officials urge the public to “Please Be Fire Safe,” when visiting our forests and public lands. Communities need to be prepared!! Wildfires can be damaging. It’s a clear choice, “Be Fire Wise!!!”

Public Information Officers
Contacts:
Ruth Ellison, BLM (661) 391-6000
Cody Norris, USFS (760) 376-3781 ext. 635
Corey Wilford, KCFD (661) 391-7000
Richard Brown, TIA (559) 784-1590

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

Friday, April 26, 2013