2012 Fire Season Outlook Western States

A state-by-state look at 2012 fire season prospects for the West:

ALASKA — Ample snowpack and anticipated cooler temperatures in the south means fire season likely will not start until the end of May, later than normal, according to the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center. Snowpack is near to above normal in northern Alaska — and well above normal in south central Alaska. Longer-range forecasts suggest that colder than normal conditions will prevail across southern Alaska, while the Gulf of Alaska coast will be drier than normal, the center says.

ARIZONA — Arizona had its worst fire in history in 2011, the Wallow Fire that charred more than 840 square miles in the state and parts of New Mexico. State officials say the strong winds that fanned the fire will be less of a factor this year. But an abundance of grass in southern Arizona and drought, some of it severe, means an active season. "I'm anticipating a more normal fire season with the caveat that there's still residual fuel from years past and, of course, there is still drought," said Cliff Pearberg of the Arizona State Forestry Division.

CALIFORNIA — Another active wildfire season for a state that has received little moisture this year and that in recent years has seen huge fires which destroyed hundreds of homes, especially in Southern California. Above-normal fire threats for June and July in mountain areas, the central coast and inland Southern California, according to Daniel Berlant of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. While typical fire season runs from May through October, Southern California always is at risk. "Fire season is just about year-round now because we always have those Santa Ana winds that are always threatening," said Los Angeles County fire Inspector Quvondo Johnson.

COLORADO — Significant fire potential across eastern Colorado's plains, dry Rockies forests and the Western slope due to drought, low humidity and lack of precipitation. Snowpack is below normal and evaporating faster than usual. The National Weather Service has issued red flag fire warnings in many parts of the state on an almost routine basis since March 6. Multiple counties have enacted open-air fire bans.

IDAHO — Idaho expects a normal fire season — for now. The state's mountain ranges have normal snowpack, reservoirs are dumping water for snowmelt and early spring has brought more rain and snow, even in the desert-like south. Federal wildfire analyst Jeremy Sullens cautions early predictions can change with spring precipitation and the growth of grasses and plants that provide initial fuel for forest and rangeland fires.

HAWAII — Drought has produced an above-normal wildfire potential this season along the leeward, or western, sides of the Hawaiian islands, including the western third of the Big Island. Most of the Hawaii islands have received above normal precipitation this year, including the northern and western islands, the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center says.

MONTANA — State officials expect a normal 2012 after cool weather and spring floods all but eliminated the fire season last year. Mountain snowpack is at average levels and, barring a rapid warm-up, fire season is expected to run from July to September, said Bryan Henry, a meteorologist with the Northern Rockies Coordination Center. The state's plains are an exception. "A couple of dry, windy days, it will be ready to burn," Henry said.

NEW MEXICO — Fire officials are preparing for another rough year. Forecasters have been issuing fire weather watches as spring storms bring dry lightning and gusty winds to the state. More than 80 percent of the state is mired in drought, and Gov. Susana Martinez has warned 2012 could be a repeat of a destructive 2011. "What it boils right down to is the potential is still there," says Dan Ware of the State Forestry Division.

NEVADA — An early fire season expected after a late season in 2011 that blackened 665 square miles in 815 fires. A 93-year-old woman died in a January blaze that destroyed 29 homes and forced 10,000 people to evacuate their residences outside Reno. Drought affects virtually all of the state. "We're going to see an early fire season," state Forester Pete Anderson says. "It pretty much hasn't ended, frankly."

OREGON — The Northwest Interagency Coordination Center predicts a normal fire season for Oregon. A wet spring will delay the onset of fire season but not affect its severity. Temperatures are expected to be higher and humidity lower than in 2011, which saw a below average number of fires and acres burning. Large fires typically come from lightning strikes in remote locations. "We anticipate higher temperatures, meaning lower humidity, gradually increasing fire danger up to normal levels, maybe bit above normal, through the summer of 2012," said fire meteorologist John Saltenberger.

UTAH — Fire officials worry about large swaths of fuel, including waist-high grasses, left over from bountiful rains and snow in 2011. Already, farmers clearing land and fence lines have sparked numerous small fires. "We're hoping to get more moisture to green things up, but we have nowhere near the rain and snow we had last spring. Things are dry and it doesn't take much to get a fire going," says Jason Curry of the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands.

WASHINGTON — The Northwest Interagency Fire Coordination Center expects a normal fire season this year in Washington, after four straight years with below-average acres burned. The 31 square miles burned in 2011 was far below the 10-year-average of 200 square miles, in part because major lightning bursts missed the state and ran to the south through Oregon.

WYOMING — Wildfire activity higher than normal with low snowpack in mountains. National Weather Service anticipates warm, dry summer; increased lightning storms can ignite dry grasses and forests, says State Forester Bill Crapser. "It really depends on what the weather does the next couple of months here," Crapser said.

Sources: http://www.predictiveservices.nifc.gov/outlooks/monthly_seasonal_outlook.pdf
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2012/04/12/state/n130743D02.DTL
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Eagle Fire: Los Coyotes Indians get 6-year sentences

Two who set Eagle fire will get 6-year sentences

 VISTA — Two young Los Coyotes Indian reservation tribal members admitted Friday that they started last summer’s Eagle fire, which scorched more than 14,000 acres of the reservation and state park land and cost $15 million to extinguish.

Jeremy Ortieaglez and James Durbin, both 24, changed their plea to guilty in Vista Superior Court and will be sentenced next month under a plea deal to six years each in state prison.

The two men admitted they set fire to a structure and forest land but more serious charges that could have sent them to prison for life were dismissed because, Deputy District Attorney Terri Perez said, authorities do not believe they intended to start a big fire.

Jeremy Ortiz — Charlie Neuman

Instead, Perez told Judge Dan Goldstein, who approved the plea deal, Ortiz and Durbin meant only to burn down a guard shack that a private company had erected on the reservation.

James Durbin — Charlie Neuman

Perez said psychological evaluations, their age, the fact they were drunk at the time of the fire and the “lack of sophistication of their crimes” led her office to conclude they didn’t intend “to cause the extensive damage which they caused.”

Proof that they didn’t mean to start a bigger fire is that after the shack was destroyed, Ortiz and Durbin fled to a house from which they had to be rescued by firefighters as flames approached.

Perez did not comment on motive, but in other court proceedings it has been shown that Ortiz’s and Durbin’s actions were connected to an ongoing dispute involving tribal members and the owners of the Eagle Rock Training Center. The company had entered into a lease the year before with the tribe to operate a military training and filming business on the reservation for 25 years.

The training center has since been evicted from the reservation, and a tribal court judge has ruled the lease was not legal. The business also recently abandoned a federal-court case seeking to uphold the lease arrangement.

The fire, which began July 21, scorched 14,100 acres of grass, brush and trees on the reservation and adjoining Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.

More than 2,100 firefighters, supported by air tankers and helicopters, prevented the flames from threatening the community of Borrego Springs. Eighteen firefighters were injured battling the blaze.

Perez said the deal was struck after consulting with the victims of the fire: Cal Fire, state parks, the training center, and the reservation.

According to court records, Ortiz admitted to Cal Fire investigators that he poured gas on the structure while Durbin lit the blaze. Durbin told investigators Ortiz lit the fire but that he was with him and knew what the plan was.

Source: U-T San Diego - Link

California Fire News 2012 

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San Bernardino City Fire Press Release - City Beautification Project

San Bernardino City Fire

San Bernardino Fire Department City Beautification Project
Posted: 12 Apr 2012 09:59 PM PDT
Objective: Community philanthropy and beautification



Follow up Info: Michael Bilheimer, Division Chief – (951) 532-9872
Event Date: April 14, 2012
Location: 120 S. “D” Street
Time of Event: 08:30 HRS
Persons Involved: SBFD Fire Explorers, Fire Cadets and City Leadership
Participating Partners: SB Police CAP, SB Parks and Recreation and SB Schools
Donations: First Certified Arbor Care (a San Bernardino based company founded in 1983)

Who / What:

• San Bernardino City Fire Department members will be participating in beautifying areas of the city identified as having such need. 
• SBFD Fire Explorers and Cadets are youth from the community that will be aiding in making improvements to the City of San Bernardino.
• First Certified Arbor Care has committed to the donation of dozens of trees that will be planted along bare sidewalks and roadways in parts of the downtown area and near San Bernardino High School along 17th Street. 
• San Bernardino PD CAP students and SB Parks and Recreation will also be involved in the project assisting with the beatification plans.

Additional tasks to be performed are graffiti removal, trash pick-up and other landscaping needs in various areas. Members of the City Leadership Staff have also committed to deliver assistance with the beautification project.

California Fire News 2012 

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Western states prepare for dangerous fire season

DENVER (AP) -- The West's 2012 wildfire season exploded in earnest last month with a wind-whipped blaze that killed three people in rugged alpine canyon country near Denver. It took a 700-strong federal firefighting team a week of labor, day and night, to tame the blaze -- and other states throughout the West took notice.

Fire experts say this year's drought, low snowpack and record-high temperatures in much of the West portend a dangerous installment of what has become a year-round wildfire threat.

Wildfires burned more than 1,500 square miles in Arizona last year and have already torched about 12 square miles this year. Most were caused by people, and fire officials hope the public has learned some lessons from the Wallow Fire, the worst in state history. Campfire embers ignited a blaze that forced nearly 10,000 people to evacuate their homes.

New Mexico, too, experienced its two biggest-ever wildfires in 2011, consuming 245 and 160 square miles, respectively.

"We are approaching this as a season where we still have very high fire danger and there are millions of acres around New Mexico that could burn," said Dan Ware, a New Mexico State Forestry Division spokesman.

January and February were the driest on record in California, where the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection has battled 679 fires in its jurisdiction -- about a third of the state -- since Jan. 1, compared to 210 over the same period last year. Fire threats are expected to be above normal in the mountains, the central coast and inland areas such as San Bernardino County, said department spokesman Daniel Berlant.

Nearly all of Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada and Utah have drought conditions that should persist at least through June, according to the National Drought Mitigation Center in Lincoln, Neb.

For much of the West, snowfall this winter was disappointing. Snowpack in Colorado and Utah is only half of average and diminishing fast. Salt Lake City reported its fourth-driest March ever; Denver had a trace of precipitation in what traditionally is the snowiest month of the year.

"Things are heating up and drying out," said Jason Curry of the Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands in Utah, where fire officials monitor parched high grasses left over from bountiful 2011 precipitation. "We've got our eyes on the hills."

In many areas, grass, brush, timber and other wildfire fuels didn't get a winter soaking that allows them to retain water. California had a few storms in March, but "when you miss three or four months without any rain, it just becomes too late," Berlant said.

The National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, expects to issue its comprehensive regional outlook May 1. Jeremy Sullens, a wildfire analyst with Predictive Services, an interagency group affiliated with the center, said many states are still transitioning to spring and that green-up -- the growth of grasses and plants that provide initial fuel for forest and rangeland fires -- is in the early stages.

"One of the major factors for the fire season is how precipitation patterns develop through the spring," Sullen said. "So even if we're seeing warmer temperatures in many states across the West, it's all really variable at this point."

The West's typical wildfire season has run from May to October, peaking in summer months. But climate change and the decades-old practice of putting out fires that nature intended to burn -- eliminating fuels -- has created a season that starts earlier and sometimes run longer, said Tim Brown, director of the Western Regional Climate Center in Reno, Nev. Fire managers first noticed the trend in the 1990s.

Idaho is one state that expects a mild wildfire season -- at least for now. Its mountain ranges are at normal snowpack levels, reservoir managers are dumping water to make room for snowmelt, and the first weeks of spring have brought more snow and rain, even to the desert-like climate of southern Idaho.

Elsewhere in the northern Rockies, fire officials expect a normal 2012 after last year's cool weather and spring floods all but eliminated fire season. Snowpack in Montana and northern Wyoming is at historically average levels, and barring a rapid warm-up, fire season is expected to start in mid-July, said Bryan Henry, a meteorologist with the Northern Rockies Coordination Center's predictive services.

The exception is the plains of eastern Montana, where snow was less than usual this winter, and brown grass is standing tall as potential fuel before the spring green-up.
"A couple of dry, windy days, it will be ready to burn," Henry said.

It did already in Colorado. High winds fanned a 37-square-mile grassfire on the eastern plains in March, creating blinding clouds of dust and smoke and injuring three firefighters as they tried to escape a stranded fire truck.

The millions of acres of pine forest, from Canada to Colorado, scarred by the telltale red needles of trees killed by the mountain pine beetle pose another fire uncertainty. Residents of small towns worry about firestorms erupting in beetle kill on surrounding mountainsides. But it isn't known whether the red forest canopies pose a more serious threat.

Matt Jolly and Russ Parsons, U.S. Forest Service ecologists, suggested last year that dead needles can ignite up to three times faster than the green needles of a healthy tree. Beetle-killed trees can burn more intensely and carry embers farther, Jolly said.

Jolly and Parsons are using the data to create models to better predict how a fire will act in stands of beetle-killed trees, but those models aren't ready yet, Parsons said.

Jolly said he did observe a fire last year at the Idaho-Montana line that grew by 26 square miles in a single day when the fire danger was moderate at best. The blaze spread quickly in crown fires through stands of beetle-killed trees as though there had been a prolonged drought, he said.

That is a fearsome thought in a region where firefighters and residents are already bracing for what could be another rough year.

In New Mexico, hundreds of wild land firefighters have been already been trained, and state and federal land managers have been meeting with communities and homeowners to talk about preparing for the worst.
Just last week, officials gathered in the mountain community of Ruidoso for a two-day summit dedicated to dealing with fire in communities that border forests, grasslands and hill country. The officials toured burn scars and looked at thinning projects.

Many of the firefighters called in from California and New Mexico to combat the deadly Colorado wildfire had just been hired in what normally passes as pre-fire season, said Rich Harvey, incident commander for the fire and a deputy state forester with the Nevada Division of Forestry. Now, he said, "there is a sense of urgency to get firefighters hired on."

"You should be skiing at 8,000 feet in Colorado, not fighting fires in March," Harvey said. "It looks like July on the ground."

Source: http://www.capitalpress.com/newsletter/AP-western-wildfires-danger-season-041312

California Fire News 2011 

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Stanislaus Sheriff shot and killed, Suspect in Burned out home

Gunman who killed deputy and 2nd man in Modesto is presumed dead

Modesto police are in charge of the overall investigation. ATF agents will handle crime scene inside the house.

fire-gutted, California apartment where they expect to find a suspect in the shooting deaths of a deputy and a civilian after a daylong standoff.

MODESTO, Calif. - Investigators on Friday morning were waiting to get the all clear from fire officials before entering a Modesto apartment that was gutted by fire to check on the status of a suspect in the shooting deaths of a deputy and a civilian, police said.
Modesto police spokesman Chris Adams said it was not known whether the suspect was dead.

UPDATE - 3:05 p.m Body found in home on Chrysler Drive; Identity of dead person unknown, a day after a standoff left a deputy and civilian dead in Modesto, Calif.
 The standoff began Thursday morning after gunfire broke out as two Stanislaus County deputies went to the Whispering Woods development to serve an eviction notice. A deputy were killed, civilian critcally injured the suspect immediately barricaded himself inside an apartment.

UPDATE - 10:45 a.m. The only building damaged in the fire overnight in the 2100 block of Chrysler Drive was the fourplex in which the gunman holed up and then burned down, police report.
That fourplex and four others close by will continue to be blocked off even after the rest of the units in the block are opened to residents later today, Officer Chris Adams said.
Modesto police are in charge of the overall investigation and handling the crime scene outside the building. Federal Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents will handle the investigation inside the shell of the apartment house that burned. They brought dogs with them to scene this morning.
Because no one has entered the structure, there was still no confirmation late this morning that the gunman's body was inside.
No news conferences or press briefings have been scheduled.
----
UPDATE - 10:10 a.m. The 2100 block of Chrysler Drive is still closed, but Modesto police spokesman officer Chris Adams says he expects most of the block will be opened between noon and 2 p.m.
Police have set up an inner perimeter around the apartment house and a few others close by. That area likely will remain closed possibly into Saturday, Adams said.
About 30 people spent the night at the Prescott Evangelical Free Church, where a relief center was set up. More people arrived this morning after having spent the night elsewhere.
-----
UPDATE - 9:45 a.m. Investigators began examining the area outside a home destroyed by fire overnight where a gunman shot and killed a sheriff's deputy and another man Thursday.
Authorities presumed they would find the remains of the gunman in the rubble.
Modesto police spokesman Chris Adams revealed that investigators were certain he was alive Thursday night because when SWAT teams began sending tear gas into the home, someone was turning off and on the lights inside.
A huge fire broke out at the apartment home about 9:45 and burned for several hours.
Jonathon Mullinix, who lives in the neighborhood, said he knew the suspect and that he had rifles, shotguns, tactical gear, generators and other equipment in the house.
Mullinix said he gave police that information Thursday during the standoff.
Ferrario was "a very quiet man. He wasn't social. He didn't car to be around people."
Authorities have not released the gunman's name, nor have the released the name of the second person he killed.
The sheriff's deputy killed was Robert Paris. His name was released Thursday evening.
-----
UPDATE - 8:10 a.m. Investigators are waiting for clearance from fire officials so they can enter what's left of the home that was destroyed by fire overnight. A man who gunned down a sheriff's deputy and another man yesterday had holed up inside the apartment on Chrysler Drive.
Modesto Police officer told KCRA TV in a live broadcast just after 8 a.m. that police expected they'd gain access to the home "within the next six to eight hours."
---
UPDATE - 6:55 a.m. At dawn, fire crews were mopping up hot spots in the home on Chrysler Drive that caught fire and was badly damaged overnight. A gunman who killed a sheriff's deputy and another man there Thursday morning had holed up and a long standoff ensued. Sheriff Adam Christianson said the gunman is presumed dead in the rubble.
----
UPDATE - 6:20 a.m. A sheriff's deputy and another man trying to serve an eviction notice at an apartment complex were shot dead Thursday by a man who holed up and began a long standoff. A raging fire broke out at the home, and as dawn approached today it was presumed the suspect was dead

Sources: http://www.modbee.com/2012/04/12/2155689/deputy-second-man-killed-in-modesto.html
http://www.kcra.com/news/30882144/detail.html#ixzz1rwk2nVMf

California Fire News 2012 

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CCCFPD: Walnut Creek Arsonist arrested

Man, 62, Suspected Of Starting Fires Arrested

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. -- Walnut Creek police have arrested a 62-year-old man suspected of starting several fires near his Rossmoor home, fire investigators said Tuesday.
Investigators with the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District first became aware of the fires on a small parcel of land on Vista Del Valle in Lafayette in January.
The property consists of 90 acres of mostly grass-covered land that also contains three homes, fire officials said. While investigating those incidents, they learned of another fire in the same area in May 2011 that had gone unreported.
Last month, investigators received reports of a third fire on the same property that was similar to the other two.
Witnesses to the third fire led investigators to Brent Robert Kastroff, who lives in Rossmoor, a senior community in Walnut Creek adjacent to the property where the fires were discovered.
Fire officials said Kastroff admitted to setting the fires but said he had merely lit some pieces of paper on fire, which caused small grass fires.
Fire investigators obtained a warrant for Kastroff's arrest and police took him into custody on Friday, fire officials said. He was booked into county jail and his bail was set at $225,000, fire officials said.
Kastroff was previously arrested in San Rafael in 1998 for setting fire to papers in a trash can, investigators said.
Investigators said that while Kastroff told them he didn't think he did anything wrong, his actions could have led to larger fires that would have caused major damage.

Source: KCRA - Link
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County of Sonoma: Emergency 911 backup fails

Faulty rental equipment blamed for emergency dispatch system failure

The County of Sonoma's key emergency backup power source, which failed during a blackout Sunday night and caused the emergency 911 dispatch system to crash, was a temporary unit being used until a replacement system arrives later this spring.

“It was a rental,” said John Hartwig, director of the county's department of information systems. “Unfortunately this temporary solution encountered a . . . failure.”

Delivery of a new, $150,000 emergency power supply system is expected in about a month.

County tech crews have replaced the broken component in the $10,000-per-month rental. Tuesday the system was running properly but crews were monitoring it, Hartwig said.

The county will look into whether a refund might be due because of the equipment failure, he said.

“It's unacceptable when we lose critical systems,” Hartwig said. “This one was a fluke failure.”

The fluke started in Santa Rosa just before 8 p.m. Sunday when a wild turkey flew into a power line near College Avenue and Carrillo Street, sparking a blackout.

About 2,000 customers lost electricity, mostly along the Highway 101 corridor from College Avenue to Steele Lane and the county administration center.

The center houses the Computer Aided Dispatch system, which connects most of the county's police and fire agencies.

The uninterrupted power supply system is supposed to carry the load once power fails. That gives the generators time to start up and keep the county services running.

In a second fluke of the night, the system failed to carry the load.

County generators kicked on within seconds, keeping county buildings in power. But the drop in electrical supply to the computer system meant it needed a complicated reboot.

Emergency 911 dispatch terminals went black at the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office, which takes calls for Windsor, Sonoma and the unincorporated areas of the county. Just down the hall, at the regional fire dispatch center, screens also went dark.

The computers also failed at police departments in Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Rohnert Park and Cotati.

For about an hour, dispatchers at each agency continued to answer 911 calls, making notes with pencil and paper. They contacted officers and firefighters by phone and portable radio instead of computer alerts. 

About a month ago, county tech officials decided to replace the UPS system, which was about five years old, when a power surge caused problems. Such systems typically last 5-10 years, Hartwig said. The rental system was expected to make do until the new equipment arrived.

The faulty equipment also caused extensive computer problems at the county courthouse and jail on Monday, including the near closure of traffic court Monday and elevator failures at the jail.

While the impact was fatal to the turkey, no PG&E equipment needed replacing.

A crew closed the circuit and power was restored in less than 45 minutes.

The utility company tries to protect equipment from various elements, but problems from squirrels and birds are common, said Brandi Ehlers, PG&E spokeswoman.

“You can't really control nature,” said Ehlers.

Source: Press Democrat - Link

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LACFD: LODD Funeral Services Tomorrow

 Los Angeles County Fire Captain David Bailey 

 Los Angeles County Fire Department Funeral Service for Fire Captain David Bailey Tomorrow

 Where: Funeral service for Los Angeles County Fire Captain David Bailey will be held on Wednesday, April 11, 2012 at 11 a.m., at Grace Baptist Church, located at 22833 Copper Hill Drive in the City of Santa Clarita. Interment will immediately follow at Eternal Valley Memorial Park & Mortuary, located at 23287 Sierra Highway in the City of Newhall.

Bailey, 50, died unexpectedly on April 3, suffering a cardiac arrest while engaged in physical fitness activities at Los Angeles County Fire Department Camp 14 in Santa Clarita. Bailey joined the Los Angeles County Fire Department on September 2, 1994. His first firefighting assignment was at Fire Station 94 in the City of Lakewood. During his 18-year career with the Department, Bailey worked at fire stations in eight communities across the County. He also spent two years as a member of Hazardous Material Task Force 76 in the City of Valencia.

In April 2002, Bailey was promoted to the rank of Fire Fighter Specialist, and was assigned to the engine company at Fire Station 131 in the City of Palmdale. He was later assigned to Urban Search and Rescue Task Force 130, Camp 16, Engine 76, and the Homeland Security Section. Bailey was promoted to the rank of Fire Captain in April 2009. His enthusiasm for his work, as well as his attention to detail, was well-known among those he worked with.

"Dave was a great guy to be around," says Assistant Fire Chief Gerald Cosey of Division V. "He was full of energy and liked to handle business."

Bailey availed himself of the Department's many opportunities to develop skills in specialized operations. He developed a wealth of technical rescue expertise in Swift Water Rescue, Hazardous Materials, and Urban Search and Rescue (USAR). He was always proud to share his knowledge with Fire Academy recruits and as a Fire Crew Supervisor at the Department's fire camps. His career highlights include the 2005 deployment to Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana and the 2011 Earthquake/Tsunami disaster in Japan as the Red Team Hazmat Manager of California Task Force 2 (CA-TF2), the Department's elite USAR team. Bailey was actively involved in the USAR and Hazmat communities.

"He was a multi-talented guy," says Battalion Chief Larry Collins, who worked with Bailey on these deployments. "He was a very well-rounded firefighter who had a lot of specialty skills and did them all well. He always had a great outlook and attitude. He really loved his work; for him, it was an adventure every day." Battalion Chief Patrick Rohaley, a fellow CA-TF2 member, agrees. "Dave always had a great attitude. He made sure that when we did something we did it right and to the best of our abilities. He contributed greatly to the team both on deployments and here at home in maintaining our readiness."

This sudden and tragic loss of a valued and respected member of the Department has triggered an outpouring of support from the fire agency community, as well as the public. After Bailey's untimely passing was announced on the Department's Facebook and Twitter sites, condolences immediately began popping up from members of the online community. "Our sincere condolences to the family of Captain David Bailey and the Los Angeles County Fire Department," wrote the Monterey County Fire Training Officers Association. "Rest easy, brother. Prayers to the Bailey family and to LACoFD," posted one resident. "Thank you for your service. Rest in peace, sir," wrote another.

Bailey is survived by his wife, Lisa Bailey, mother Marjorie Bailey, sister Mary Jane Bonilla, mother and father-in-law Charlotte and Henry Villa, brothers-in-law Richard Bonilla and Joey Villa. He was a resident of Acton. For more information, please contact Public Information Officer Captain Mark Savage at (323)-881-2413.

California Fire News 2012 
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LACFD: In Memoriam – Fire Captain David Bailey

In Memoriam – Fire Captain David Bailey

The Los Angeles County Fire Department family is mourning the loss of one of our own this week – Fire Captain David Bailey who sadly passed away on April 3 while in the performance of his duties. Bailey, 50, suffered a cardiac arrest at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday while engaged in physical fitness activities at his work location of Camp 14 in Santa Clarita. Bailey's enthusiasm for his work, as well as his attention to detail, was well-known among those he worked with. "Dave was a great guy to be around," says Assistant Fire Chief Gerald Cosey of Division V. "He was full of energy and liked to handle business." An 18-year member of our Department, Bailey was actively involved in the Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) and Hazmat communities. In fact, as the Red Team Hazmat Manager on our Department's California Task Force 2 (CA-TF2) team that provides search and rescue support to national and international disasters, Bailey was an integral part of the team's deployments to Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the Japan Earthquake/Tsunami in 2011. "He was a multi-talented guy," says Battalion Chief Larry Collins, who worked with Bailey on these deployments. "He was a very well-rounded firefighter who had a lot of specialty skills and did them all well. He always had a great outlook and attitude. He really loved his work; for him, it was an adventure every day." Agrees Battalion Chief Patrick Rohaley, another CA-TF2 member, "Dave always had a great attitude. He made sure that when we did something we did it right and to the best of our abilities. He contributed greatly to the team both on deployments and here at home in maintaining our readiness in activities." This sudden and tragic loss of a valued and respected member of our Department has triggered an outpouring of support from the fire agency community, as well as the public. After Bailey's untimely passing was announced on our Department's Facebook and Twitter sites, condolences immediately began popping up from members of the online community. "Our sincere condolences to the family of Captain David Bailey and the Los Angeles County Fire Department," wrote the Monterey County Fire Training Officers Association. "Rest easy, brother. Prayers to the Bailey family and to the LACoFD," posted one resident. "Thank you for your service. Rest in peace, sir," wrote another. Bailey lived in Acton and is survived by his wife, Lisa. They have no children. Source:  Los Angeles County Fire Department  - Link

California Fire News 2011 

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USFS / NASA Climate Change Early Warning Maps ( ForWarn)

US Forest Service and NASA Team up on Climate Change Early Warning System for Forests

Posted by Stephanie Worley Firley, Biological Science Information Specialist, USDA Forest Service, on April 9, 2012 at 4:10 PM

ForWarn maps normal forest conditions as blue and change from normal as shades that range from green to red. This map shows that the greater part of Texas and Oklahoma were experiencing severe forest stress in late September of 2011 from the effects of drought and wildfire.

The Forest Service recently unveiled a product that helps natural resource managers rapidly detect, identify and respond to unexpected changes in the nation’s forests by using web-based tools.

The satellite-based monitoring and assessment tool aptly called ForWarn, recognizes and tracks potential forest disturbances caused by insects, diseases, wildfires, extreme weather, or other natural or human-caused events believed by many scientists to be caused in part by climate change.

ForWarn was developed by the USDA Forest Service’s Eastern Forest and Western WildlandEnvironmental Threat Assessment Centers, NASA Stennis Space Center, and other federal and university partners. NASA’s satellite imagery is the backbone of ForWarn, which provides maps of forest change throughout the lower 48 states every eight days that users can explore and share. Maps archived since 2010 provide deeper insight into disturbance and forest recovery.

“This tool literally puts space-age technology into the hands of forest resource professionals,” says Danny C. Lee, Director of the Eastern Threat Center. “The tool helps them to better identify and react to environmental disturbances.”

Federal and state natural resource managers throughout the country are currently using ForWarn which complements efforts of other more specialized forest monitoring programs. The tool is intended to generate time and cost savings, and, ultimately, a new network of users working together to sustain the health of the nation’s forest resources. Visithttp://www.forwarn.forestthreats.org to learn more.

Posted 1 minute ago by California Fire news

Labels: Satellite ForWarn forest fire Climate Change USFS NASA Forest

California Fire News 2011 

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