Showing posts with label WILDFIRES. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WILDFIRES. Show all posts

Saturday, June 20, 2015

ALASKA NATIONAL GUARD FIGHTING WILDFIRES IN ALASKA

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 

Army Sgt. Sonny Cooper looks back into the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter after dropping water from a bambi bucket to support firefighting efforts at Russian Lake near Willow, Alaska, June 15, 2015. Cooper is a crew chief assigned to the Alaska National Guard's 1st Battalion, 207th Aviation Regiment. Alaska National Guard photo by U.S. Army Sgt. Kevan Katkus.

An Alaska Army National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter drops gallons of water from a bambi bucket onto the Stetson Creek fire near Cooper Landing in Alaska, June 17, 2015. Alaska National Guard photo by U.S. Army Sgt. Balinda O'Neal.



Tuesday, May 20, 2014

MARINES FIGHT FIRES BURNING ACROSS CAMP PENDLETON

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 



Marines prepare a CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter to assist in containing the Tomahawk fires on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., May 16, 2014. The Marines are assigned to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 364, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. The Marines and the Camp Pendleton Fire Department worked with state officials to prevent fires from spreading off base.  U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Keonaona C. Paulo.




A U.S. Marine Corps CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter lifts off after filling a Bambi bucket to help fight fires and contain the Cocos fire in San Marcos, Calif., May 16, 2014. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Keonaona C. Paulo.




U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Carmen Zangari observes a Bambi bucket being filled beneath a CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter to help fight the Tomahawk wildfires burning across Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., May 16, 2014. Zangari, a flightline crew chief, is assigned to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 364, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Keonaona C. Paulo.

Sunday, May 18, 2014

DOD PHOTOS OF TOMAHAWK WILDFIRE NEAR MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 



The Tomahawk wildfire inches closer to buildings on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., May 15, 2014. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Joshua Murray.



The Tomahawk wildfire burns through a wooded area near Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., May 15, 2014. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Joshua Murray.

Saturday, November 16, 2013

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION EXPLAINS FORECASTING THE PATH OF A WILDFIRE

Credit:  NASA
FROM:  NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION 
Scientists nearing forecasts of long-lived wildfires' paths

Scientists have developed a new computer modeling technique that for the first time offers the promise of continually-updated daylong predictions of wildfire growth through the lifetimes of long-lived blazes.

The technique, devised by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colo., and the University of Maryland, combines cutting-edge simulations of the interaction of weather and fire with newly available satellite observations of active wildfires.

The breakthrough is described in a paper published today in the online edition of the American Geophysical Union journal Geophysical Research Letters.

The National Science Foundation (NSF), which is NCAR's sponsor, funded the research, along with NASA and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

"These scientists have developed a unique mechanism that will predict even a long-lived fire's lifecycle, which has the potential to save lives and property from large wildfires in the future," said Gannet Hallar, program director in NSF's Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences, which supported the study.

Updated with new observations every 12 hours, the computer model forecasts critical details such as the extent of a blaze and changes in its behavior.

"With this technique, we believe it's possible to continually issue good forecasts throughout a fire's lifetime, even if it burns for weeks or months," said NCAR scientist Janice Coen, the lead paper author and model developer.

"This model, which combines interactive weather prediction and wildfire behavior, could greatly improve forecasting--particularly for large, intense wildfire events where the current prediction tools are weakest."

Firefighters use tools that can estimate the speed of the leading edge of a fire, but are too simple to capture critical effects caused by the complex interactions of fire and weather.

The researchers successfully tested the new technique by using it retrospectively on the 2012 Little Bear Fire in New Mexico, which burned for almost three weeks and destroyed more buildings than any other wildfire in the state's history.

To generate an accurate forecast of a wildfire, researchers need a computer model that can incorporate current data about the fire and simulate what it will do in the near future.

Over the last decade, Coen has developed a tool, known as the Coupled Atmosphere-Wildland Fire Environment (CAWFE) computer model, that connects how weather drives fires and, in turn, how fires create their own weather.

Using CAWFE, she successfully simulated the details of how large fires grow.

But without the most updated data about a fire's current state, CAWFE could not reliably produce a longer-term prediction of an ongoing fire.

That's because the accuracy of all fine-scale weather simulations declines significantly after a day or two, affecting the simulation of the blaze.

An accurate forecast would also need to include updates on the effects of firefighting and of such processes as spotting, in which embers from a fire are lofted in the fire plume and dropped ahead of a fire, igniting new flames.

Until now, it was not possible to update the model.

Satellite instruments offered only coarse observations of fires, providing images in which each pixel represented an area a little more than a half mile across.

These images might show several places burning, but could not distinguish the boundaries between burning and non-burning areas, except for the largest wildfires.

To solve the problem, Coen's co-author, Wilfrid Schroeder of the University of Maryland, produced higher-resolution fire detection data from a new satellite instrument, the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), jointly operated by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The new tool provides coverage of the entire globe at intervals of 12 hours or less, with pixels about 1,200 feet across. The higher resolution enabled the two researchers to outline the active fire perimeter in much greater detail.

Coen and Schroeder then fed the VIIRS fire observations into the CAWFE model. By restarting the model every 12 hours with the latest observations of the fire extent--a process known as cycling--they could accurately predict the course of the Little Bear Fire in 12- to 24-hour increments during five days of the historic blaze.

By continuing that way, it's possible to simulate even a very long-lived fire's entire lifetime, from ignition through extinction.

"The transformative event has been the arrival of this new satellite data," said Schroeder.

"The enhanced capability of the VIIRS data favors detection of newly ignited fires before they erupt into major conflagrations. The satellite data has tremendous potential to supplement fire management and decision support systems, sharpening the local, regional and continental monitoring of wildfires."

The researchers said that forecasts using the new technique could be particularly useful in anticipating sudden blowups and shifts in the direction of the flames, such as what happened when 19 firefighters perished in Arizona last summer.

In addition, they could enable decision makers to look at several newly ignited fires and determine which pose the greatest threat.

"Lives and homes are at stake and depend on these decisions," Coen said. "The interaction of fuels, terrain and changing weather is so complicated that even seasoned managers can't always anticipate rapidly changing conditions.

"Many people have resigned themselves to believing that wildfires are unpredictable. We're showing that's not true."

-NSF-

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

THE RIM FIRES

The Rim Fires.  Credit:  NASA
FROM:  NASA 

The Rim Fire in northeastern California continues to burn on the Stanislaus National Forest, Yosemite National Park, and the Bureau of Land Management and State responsibility land.  This fire began on August 17, 2013 and its cause is still currently under investigation.  Over 224 square miles have been affected as of Sunday, August 25.  It is still only 7 percent contained. Inaccessible terrain, strong winds, and dry conditions all present at this fire make for very difficult fire fighting. The ability for this fire to create havoc spreads far and wide, beyond even the area it is consuming.  According to the San Jose Mercury News, "Although the Rim Fire is more than 100 miles from the Bay Area, it still could threaten San Francisco's electric supply if it damages the power system originating in O'Shaughnessy Dam at Hetch Hetchy reservoir."

The latest on the Rim Fire from inciweb.org:  "The Rim incident is expected to continue to exhibit very large fire growth due to extremely dry fuels and inaccessible terrain. Rapid fire growth and extreme fire behavior and hampering suppression efforts. Aerial resources are being effective with MAFFs and VLAT DC-10 air tankers prepping locations in advance of the fires spread toward the Highway 108 corridor and along the eastern perimeter of the fire. The forecasted high winds and high potential for long range spotting however remains a  significant concern for fire to advance beyond the retardant lines and allow for fire spread into the communities of Tuolumne City, Twain Harte and Long Barn to the west of the fire and east into the Hetch Hetchy watershed."

The fire itself is in control of its own weather.  NBC4 in Southern California reports: "Calfornia fire officials say the fire is so large and is burning with such a force, it has created its own weather pattern, making it difficult to predict which direction it will move. 'As the smoke column builds up it breaks down and collapses inside of itself, sending downdrafts and gusts that can go in any direction,'' CalFire spokesman Daniel Berlant told the Associated Press. "There's a lot of potential for this one to continue to grow.'"

Dense smoke from the fire has been a serious health threat as well.  Health officials in Reno, Nevada report the air quality index in their city is in the "unhealthy" range due to the smoke fallout from the Rim Fire. The smoke has also created visibility problems for air ambulance services in the Reno area as well.  The smoke has prevented them from responding to some emergency calls across the region in the last couple of days.

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

SUMMER WILDFIRE BATTLES RAGE ON THE HOMEFRONT

Photo:  A C-130J from the 146th Airlift Wing in Port Hueneme, Calif., drops fire retardant over the trees in the mountains above Palm Springs, Calif., July 19, 2013.  Air National Guard photo by Senior Airman Nicholas Carzis 

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 
California National Guard Battles Several Wildfires
California National Guard
SACRAMENTO, Calif., Aug. 20, 2013 - Nearly a dozen aircraft and crews from the California Air and Army National Guard are battling wildfires across Northern California.
Currently, nine California Army National Guard helicopters and two California Air National Guard air tankers are working in coordination with CAL FIRE and U.S. Forest Service firefighting crews to battle the American, Swedes and Rim fires.
The aircraft have dropped more than 250,000 gallons of water or fire retardant since the first crews were activated Aug. 13.

National Guard units also are involved in fighting fires in Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Utah.

"We train for this fight every year," said Army Maj. Gen. David S. Baldwin, the adjutant general of the California National Guard. "Our ongoing coordination with CAL FIRE and CAL OES ensures that the right people, with the right training, are in the right place when the lives and property of our fellow Californians are on the line."

Three UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters are battling the American Fire, two Black Hawks are assigned to fight the Rim Fire, and three helicopters -- two Black Hawks and one CH-47 Chinook – are engaged in battling the Swedes Fire. Meanwhile, one Black Hawk helicopter is staged in Redding, Calif., on call for medevac support.

Each Black Hawk is equipped with a 660-gallon water bucket, while the Chinook's bucket has a 2,000-gallon capacity. The medevac helicopter is equipped with a specialized crew and a hoist for extracting injured personnel from rugged terrain.

The helicopters have completed more than 229 drops, releasing about 111,500 gallons of water since their Aug. 17 activation.

The two C-130J air tankers are fighting the Rim fire. Both aircraft are equipped with the Modular Airborne Firefighting Systems II (MAFFS) and are capable of discharging 3,000 gallons of water or fire retardant along the leading edge of a fire in less than five seconds, saturating an area one-quarter of a mile long by 100 feet wide.

Since their activation Aug. 13, the air tankers have completed more than 53 drops, releasing about 142,000 gallons of retardant.


Thursday, May 9, 2013

NAVY "MERLINS" AND "BLACKJACKS" RESPOND TO VENTURA COUNTY WILDFIRES




FROM: U.S. NAVY

130503-N-VN372-451 NAVAL BASE VENTURA COUNTY POINT MUGU, Calif. (May 3, 2013) Three flight crews from the San Diego-based "Merlins" of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 3 and the "Blackjacks" of HSC 21 provide firefighting support in response to wildfires at Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC) Point Mugu. The team dropped roughly 20,000 gallons of water using 360-gallon capacity precision helicopter firefighting Bambi buckets to help save vital areas of NBVC including portions of base housing. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Chris Fahey/Released)




In response to a wildfire on Naval Base Ventura County, three helicopters from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 3 and HSC 21, from San Diego, are providing firefighting support. Naval Base Ventura County has evacuated some residents due to smoke concerns as a fast-growing wildfire along the Pacific Coast Highway northwest of Los Angeles has forced residents to leave the area. U.S. Navy photo (Released) 130503-N-ZZ999-006

Saturday, April 20, 2013

SCIENTISTS FIND THE DESTINATION OF CHARCOAL

At NSF's Florida Coastal Everglades LTER site, charcoal is part of the dissolved organic carbon. Credit: Wikimedia Commons

 
FROM: NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Where Does Charcoal, or Black Carbon, in Soils Go?
Scientists have uncovered one of nature's long-kept secrets--the true fate of charcoal in the world's soils.

The ability to determine the fate of charcoal is critical to knowledge of the global carbon budget, which in turn can help understand and mitigate climate change.

However, until now, researchers only had scientific guesses about what happens to charcoal once it's incorporated into soil. They believed it stayed there.

Surprisingly, most of these researchers were wrong.

The findings of a new study that examines the result of charcoal once it is deposited into the soil are outlined in a paper published this week in the journal Science.

The international team of researchers was led by scientists Rudolf Jaffe of Florida International University and Thorsten Dittmar of the German Max Planck Society.

"Most scientists thought charcoal was resistant," says Jaffe. "They believed that once it was incorporated into soils, it stayed there. But if that were the case, soils would be black."

Charcoal, or black carbon, is a residue generated by combustion including wildfires and the burning of fossil fuels.

When charcoal forms, it is usually deposited into the soil.

"From a chemical perspective, no one really thought it dissolved, but it does," Jaffe says.

"It doesn't accumulate for a long time. It's exported into wetlands and rivers, eventually making its way to the oceans."

It all started with a strange finding in the Everglades.

At the National Science Foundation (NSF) Florida Coastal Everglades Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) site--one of 26 such NSF LTER sites in ecosystems around the world--Jaffe studied the glades' environmental chemistry.

Dissolved organic carbon is known to be abundant in wetlands such as the Everglades and plays a critical role in the ecology of these systems.

Jaffe wanted to learn more about what comprised the organic carbon in the Everglades.

He and colleagues discovered that as much as 20 percent of the total dissolved organic carbon in the Everglades is charcoal.

Surprised by the finding, the researchers shifted their focus to the origin of the dissolved charcoal.

In an almost serendipitous scientific journey, Dittmar, head of the Max Planck Research Group for Marine Geochemistry at the University Oldenburg in Germany, was also tracing the paths of charcoal, but from an oceanographic perspective.

To map out a more comprehensive picture, the researchers joined forces. Their conclusion is that charcoal in soils is making its way into the world's waters.

"This study affirms the power of large-scale analyses made possible through international collaborations," says Saran Twombly, program director in NSF's Division of Environmental Biology, which funded the research along with NSF's Directorate for Geosciences.

"What started out as a puzzling result from the Florida Everglades engaged scientists at other LTER sites in the U.S., and eventually expanded worldwide," says Twombly. "The result is a major contribution to our understanding of the carbon cycle."

Fire is probably an integral part of the global carbon cycle, says Dittmar, its effects seen from land to sea.

The discovery carries significant implications for bioengineering, the scientists believe.

The global carbon budget is a balancing act between sources that produce carbon and sources that remove it.

The new findings show that the amount of dissolved charcoal transported to the oceans is keeping pace with the total charcoal generated by fires annually on a global scale.

While the environmental consequences of the accumulation of black carbon in surface and ocean waters are currently unknown, Jaffe said the findings mean that greater consideration should be given to carbon sequestration techniques.

Biochar addition to soils is one such technique.

Biochar technology is based on vegetation-derived charcoal that is added to agricultural soils as a means of sequestering carbon.

As more people implement biochar technology, says Jaffe, they should take into consideration the potential dissolution of the charcoal to ensure that these techniques are environmentally friendly.

Jaffe and Dittmar agree that there are still many unknowns when it comes to the environmental fate of charcoal, and both plan to move on to the next phase of the research.

They've proved where charcoal goes.

Now they'd like to answer how that happens, and what the environmental consequences are.

The more scientists can understand the process and the environmental factors controlling it, says Jaffe, the better the chances of developing strategies for carbon sequestration and mitigating climate change.

The research was also conducted at NSF's Bonanza Creek; Konza Prairie; Hubbard Brook; Coweeta; and Georgia Coastal Ecosystems LTER sites, and at other locations around the world.

Other authors of the paper are: Yan Ding of Florida International University; Jutta Niggemann of the Max Planck Research Group for Marine Geochemistry; Anssi Vahatalo of the University of Helsinki; Aron Stubbins of the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography in Savannah, Georgia; Robert Spencer of the Woods Hole Research Center in Massachusetts; and John Campbell of the USDA Forest Service.

-NSF-

Sunday, August 19, 2012

RECENT PHOTOS FROM THE U.S. NAVY





FROM: U.S. NAVY
Sailors aboard the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Cape St. George (CG 71) watch as the ship travels through the Centennial Bridge during its transit through the Panama Canal on its return to the Pacific Ocean. Cape St. George is en route to its homeport to complete a nine-month deployment during which it supported the Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 9 in the U.S. 5th, 6th and 7th Fleet areas of responsibility. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Christopher S. Johnson (Released) 120813-N-VY256-176

 
 


Naval Aircrewmen 1st Class Patrick Blaise, right, and Patrick Baumia, both assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 3, scan the horizon for wildfires during an aerial firefighting mission. HSC-3 and HSC-21 are assisting CALFIRE by providing aircrews flying specially-equipped MH-60S helicopters to conduct aerial water drops against several wildfires in eastern San Diego County. San Diego HSC squadrons are trained for fire-fighting missions at the Navy's Southern California offshore training ranges and conduct semi-annual joint training with CALFIRE to ensure interoperability and an immediate response capability in support of local authorities for emergency events. U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Sebastian McCormack (Released) 120816-N-MF277-701

Monday, June 25, 2012

USDA FOOD SAFETY TIPS AFTER FIRE DEVASTATION


Photo:  AC130 Hercules Makes Drop On Fire.  Credit:  U.S. Air Force.   
FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety Tips for those Recovering from Wildfires, Other Fire Devastation

WASHINGTON, June 18, 2012 - Due to the potential threat from flames like those recently caused by the High Park wildfire in Colorado and the Whitewater-Baldy Complex wildfire in New Mexico, the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is issuing recommendations to minimize the likelihood of foodborne illness during the recovery or clean-up phase after a fire.

Each year, two million American homes and families experience losses from wildfires or flames sparked by accidental fires.

"Food safety is a critical public health issue, especially during times of emergency," said USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Elisabeth Hagen. "A fire in the home can expose foods to toxic fumes and chemicals, making them unsafe to eat. Loss of power can also create unsafe foods. Consumers can find more information about how to be food safe after fires, power outages and other emergencies through FSIS'AskKaren.gov."

Steps to follow after a fire in your home or business 
Heat from a fire, smoke fumes and chemicals used to fight fire can compromise food.

Food in cans or jars may appear to be unaffected, but if they've been close to the heat of a fire, they may no longer be safe. Heat from a fire can activate food spoilage bacteria. If a can ruptures as a result of a blaze, the food inside will be unsafe.

Toxic fumes, released from burning materials, can kill and they can also contaminate food. Any type of food stored in permeable packaging — cardboard, plastic wrap, etc. — should be thrown away. Surprisingly, food stored in refrigerators or freezers can also become contaminated by fumes. The refrigerator seal isn't airtight and fumes can get inside. If food from your refrigerator has an off-flavor or odor, throw it away.

Chemicals used to fight fires contain toxic materials and can contaminate food and cookware. The chemicals cannot be washed off of food. Foods that are exposed to firefighting chemicals should be thrown away. This includes food stored at room temperature, as well as foods stored in permeable containers like cardboard and screw-topped jars and bottles.

Canned goods and cookware exposed to chemicals can be decontaminated by washing items in a strong detergent and then dipping them in a bleach solution composed of 1 tablespoon unscented, liquid chlorine bleach per gallon of water for 15 minutes.

When in doubt, throw it out!

Consumers with food safety questions can "Ask Karen," the FSIS virtual representative available 24 hours a day atwww.AskKaren.gov or m.AskKaren.gov on your smartphone. Mobile Ask Karen can also be downloaded from the Android app store. Consumers can also email, chat with a live representative, or call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline directly from the app. To use these features on the app, simply choose "Contact Us" from the menu. The live chat option and the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline, 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854), are available in English and Spanish from l0 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET Monday through Friday.

Recorded food safety messages are available 24 hours a day. Podcasts [in English and Spanish] as well as SignFSIS video-casts in American Sign Language featuring text-captioning are available online at:www.fsis.usda.gov/news_&_events/multimedia.

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