+1 We get fires around here often too. One yr the powers that be wouldn't let the dozers in to cut fire lines. I was mad as hell ( with ash falling on my home no less) At least "they" are now attempting to clear out brush and dead trees doing some forest management in our area.( I'm in a forest ) Unfortunately some of their " controlled burns" have become un-controlled forest fires ( the 3rd time we evacuated).
Lew L
There are many places were government has banned the use of any mechanized equipment. Including fire suppression equipment. This really hampers what crews are able to accomplish. It would be like restricting a large military operation to hand guns only. No tanks, no artillery, no fully automatic rifles.
And yes, 'Controlled' fires always run the risk of getting away. But controlled fires are set in conditions which are not nearly as difficult as these random fires which start in the worst possible conditions.
We had fires in the desert east of San Diego (yes, the desert will burn given the right conditions). Sometimes mechanized equipment, like a dozer, would stray onto 'Mechanized Equipment Restricted' land. Of course the fire has no such restrictions. It goes where ever it wants. But you have to realize that fire is 'Natural' and mechanized equipment is not. Neither are hand tools. But you don't want to stray too far into the realm of logic in these discussions.
When this happened, sand was disturbed and rocks were overturned. Sometimes we would spend weeks smoothing out the sand with hand tools, obliterating any signs of mechanization in the sand. Sand that would, eventually, smooth itself out with the wind. In addition to that, we had to correctly re-orient any rock the size of a pumpkin or larger so the sun-burned side was up. Also, the rock had to be buried into the sand up to the original sun-tan line. We are talking thousands of dollars of tax payer money wasted. And a very poor use of fire suppression resources. Of course, no mechanized equipment could be used in the effort. We had to park outside of the restricted zone and hike into the work area.
Definitely fire suppression prevention is part of the problem, there is no doubt also that PGE has not dealt well with maintaining it's infrastructure over the years.
I am not necessarily a fan of PG&E. They do have their issues. But there are areas where they are not allowed to clear vegetation because of government regulations. Since PG&E has requested permission to clear more brush from their installations, and been repeatedly denied over the years. I think they would do more if they were allowed.
hyea:
