such that a few firefighters here or there are not going to make a real
difference. The "spectacular, out-of-control fires" are in fact, truly
out-of-control. It's not abnormal for a fire to rage completely unchecked
until the weather changes. During the Old Topanga Fire of 1993, I heard one
chief answer a question with, "We ain't stoppin' nothin'!" And indeed, that
fire burned to the sea.
However, we have many fires where the initial response makes all the
difference. This is where having the resources and not being afraid to
commit them early can determine whether we have a 50-to-100-acre fire or we
have days of conflagration with dozens of homes lost. It's in this type of
scenario that the presence or absence of a few firefighters can make all the
difference, the difference between spending a few hundred thousand dollars
more in a year or spending a few million dollars more on one fire.
That difference in resources wouldn't have mattered in the 1993 Old Topanga
Fire, or in the Kinneloa Fire a week earlier. In fact, all kinds of
resources hit those as early and as hard as possible, but in the Kinneloa,
at least, the fire took off so fast that the worst damage was done before
resources could drive to the scene. (At about a half hour into the fire, the
command post was nearly overrun and was moved two miles south! By that time,
several homes had been burnt, including a whole block which was separated
from the fire by a quarter-mile-wide flood control basin.)
However, it has been alleged that the Station Fire could have been
controlled with air support the morning of the second day (fire started
midday of August 26; the alleged critical time would have been early morning
of August 27), but that concerns over budgets prevented that
decision/commitment (to the ultimate cost of millions, and two lives). Under
the current proposal, the commander might not have the *option* of making
that mistake, since the resources might not even be there to call or fail to
call.
Now that's restricted to your subject of wildland fires. CalFire also
provides contract "municipal" firefighting. We've already addressed the
issues of staffing in that arena.
----- Original Message -----
From: "debbygirl55" <debtidwell@yahoo.com>
To: <californiadisasters@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Friday, January 14, 2011 11:50 AM
Subject: [californiadisasters] Re: CA budget proposal to eliminate 4th
Ok, so the proposed cuts are to the CDF! WHAT! I was there when Goleta,
Santa Barbara and Montecito practically burnt to the ground! In fact every
time I hear of a wild fire I wonder HOW we are going to STOP it before
someone gets killed or hurt! It strikes me as ludicrous and plain ignorant
to cut that department here in California when we have (unfortunately)
spectacular, out-of-control fires every single year! SO, yes! I am /have
written those in charge to really consider the results of such a cut and
Brown especially! And I will continue to do so until they listen. I have to
say, maybe, I am over reacting, but anyone who has witnessed more than once,
fires that are so close they singe the paint from your home and melt your
patio furniture and heat that takes the breath out of your body understands
the danger that is always there just waiting to ignite. We had cleared the
property more than 1,000 feet and still experienced this damage. Fire has
it's own energy and mind! Thanks to all fro listneing!-deb
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