Fighting Wildfires: California Drought Style
PART 1
Living in a state where there are record lows in water resources paired with record highs in wildfires poses a serious threat. You might be asking yourself, "How are Californian's fighting these fires?". Don't be alarmed, because there are other techniques Fire Departments use to tame these beasts.
1) Fire Retardant is used when Airplanes, or Helicopters drop gallons of this substance over the flames. The intensity of the flames is lowered causing a decrease in the spread of the fire, and this is accomplished by chemical reactions reducing flammability.
2) Back Fires is a term used to describe "fighting fire with fire". This technique is used to burn dry wood, or possible fuel for the fire that the flames haven't reached yet. This is done in a controlled setting, so when the wildfire reaches these dead areas it runs out of fuel ceasing to burn.
3) Fire Breaks are ditches dug out by bulldozers, or inmate crews. These fire breaks cause a barrier for the flames not allowing them to jump to the nearest form of fuel. Once the perimeter is set up the fire can be completely contained.
PART 2
Trump Tweet #1
“California wildfires are being magnified & made so much worse by the bad environmental laws which aren’t allowing massive amount of readily available water to be properly utilized. It is being diverted into the Pacific Ocean. Must also tree clear to stop fire spreading!” – tweet Sunday that was deleted, then reposted on Monday afternoon.
“California wildfires are being magnified & made so much worse by the bad environmental laws which aren’t allowing massive amount of readily available water to be properly utilized. It is being diverted into the Pacific Ocean. Must also tree clear to stop fire spreading!” – tweet Sunday that was deleted, then reposted on Monday afternoon.
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection:
“We have plenty of water” for battling the massive blazes burning in hills north of San Francisco, said Scott McLean, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The current spate of wildfires happens to be within range of large Northern California lakes and the state’s biggest river, McLean said. Nor is having enough water a problem in battling California wildfires in general. Firefighting aircraft can dip in and out of cattle ponds or other small bodies of water to scoop up water for dropping and spraying on flames. When fires burn in an area that happens to be without ponds, lakes or rivers, state officials typically call in more planes to ferry in water, McLean said.
“We have plenty of water” for battling the massive blazes burning in hills north of San Francisco, said Scott McLean, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The current spate of wildfires happens to be within range of large Northern California lakes and the state’s biggest river, McLean said. Nor is having enough water a problem in battling California wildfires in general. Firefighting aircraft can dip in and out of cattle ponds or other small bodies of water to scoop up water for dropping and spraying on flames. When fires burn in an area that happens to be without ponds, lakes or rivers, state officials typically call in more planes to ferry in water, McLean said.
Trump Tweet #2:
“Governor Jerry Brown must allow the Free Flow of the vast amounts of water coming from the North and foolishly being diverted into the Pacific Ocean. Can be used for fires, farming and everything else. Think of California with plenty of Water – Nice! Fast Federal govt. approvals.” – tweet Monday.
“Governor Jerry Brown must allow the Free Flow of the vast amounts of water coming from the North and foolishly being diverted into the Pacific Ocean. Can be used for fires, farming and everything else. Think of California with plenty of Water – Nice! Fast Federal govt. approvals.” – tweet Monday.
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection:
"Trump is raising an old dispute in California, the country’s top farm state: the competition for water between agricultural and environmental groups, fishermen and others who want more water for wildlife and habitat. But the dispute has little to do with firefighting."
"Trump is raising an old dispute in California, the country’s top farm state: the competition for water between agricultural and environmental groups, fishermen and others who want more water for wildlife and habitat. But the dispute has little to do with firefighting."
In conclusion, we are able to understand there are many different ways to fight wildfires. Water is typically thought of as the only way to put out a fire, but there has been many adaptations to our current predicament in California. We must continue to fight these fires together, and come up with alternative processes to ensure our state is safe with the continual decrease of water.
Keywords:Wildfire, Firefighting, Water, Resource, Retardant, Fire, Breaks, Back-Fire, President, Trump, Twitter, Tweet
By: Austin 'A.J.' Holman
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