Tag: Fire Prevention

Roseville Fire plans major drone expansion to speed emergency response

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advanced agricultural drone spraying crops

What once required firefighters on the ground can now be done from the sky, and Roseville Fire says it’s only the beginning. While drones have been part of the department’s toolbox since 2020, fire leaders are now looking to expand the program with a long-term vision of placing a drone at every fire station in the city. The goal is to launch drones to emergencies within moments, giving firefighters and police real-time aerial intelligence before crews arrive on scene. Within about a minute of a request, firefighters can already have a drone airborne, streaming live video back to incident commanders.

“We can see if we’re starting to get thermal runaway, an incident that might be too dangerous to put people in,” said Roseville Fire Captain Jonathan Davidson. “We can start getting video and transmitting it down to people on the ground who need that intel.” Davidson became the department’s first licensed drone pilot when Roseville Fire launched its drone program in 2020. Now, city leaders are looking at the next evolution of the technology. “They want to put a drone on every single fire station in town,” Davidson said. “That drone can launch from the fire station, and there would be a person in the control center able to fly that drone and provide the aerial reconnaissance.” The expanded system would allow drones to respond automatically to vehicle crashes, fires and other emergencies while being operated remotely from a centralized control center.

Fire officials say the added aerial perspective can help incident commanders make faster, safer decisions before firefighters enter potentially dangerous situations. As the program grows, so will the need for trained drone operators. Roseville Fire Battalion Chief Thanh Pham believes military veterans are especially well-suited for the role because of their experience making critical decisions with limited information. “We’re pretty much problem solvers,” Pham said. “A lot of times in an emergency, we’re given about 60 to 70 percent of the facts and you have to take action. I think that’s a skill set a lot of veterans have that can translate to civilian life or the fire service.” That’s where the Veterans Workforce Alliance hopes to help, connecting former service members with departments building drone programs. “When an organization needs drones and drone operators, the military has them,” said Veterans Workforce Alliance board member Nathan Champion.

“About 200,000 military personnel transition out of the military every year, so that’s a perfect source for organizations that have that need.” For Davidson, the expanding drone program reflects how much the fire service has evolved over the past 25 years. “There’s so many different things that we do in this profession that are outside of just taking a hose into a burning building and putting water on the fire,” he said. From boots on the ground to eyes in the sky, Roseville firefighters say drones are becoming an increasingly important tool, helping crews gather critical information faster, improve firefighter safety and shape the future of emergency response.

Source: Roseville Fire plans major drone expansion to speed emergency response – CBS Sacramento

“Can anyone hide himself in secret places, So I shall not see him?” says the LORD; “Do I not fill heaven and earth?” says the LORD.
Jeremiah 23:24

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Utah wildfires: Three firefighters killed in Colorado as wildfires rage across the Southwest

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Five firefighters standing on a rocky ridge looking at a large forest wildfire at night

Three firefighters have died battling a fast-moving blaze along the Colorado-Utah border, officials said, as dozens of infernos rage across the Southwest, with Utah imposing sweeping restrictions on Fourth of July fireworks ahead of the nation’s 250th Independence Day. The National Weather Service has issued the highest possible fire weather risk, warning that dry air and windy gusts pose an “extremely critical” risk of fire conditions over the Four Corners region this weekend. The three firefighters died while battling the fast-growing Snyder Mesa Fire, which has burned more than 28,000 acres along the Utah-Colorado border, the US Wildland Fire Service said late Saturday.

Two others were injured and transported to hospital, the service said. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis declared a disaster emergency Saturday in Mesa County in reaction to the blaze, which he said had crossed into Colorado from Utah, and authorized the state’s National Guard to support response efforts. Utah’s governor announced last week firework restrictions for Fourth of July, saying a historic drought, hundreds of wildfires and unprecedented fire behavior have stretched Utah’s firefighting resources to the brink. “Utahns love celebrating the Fourth of July with family, friends and fireworks. I do too. But this year is different,” Cox said. “We are seeing fire behavior that even our most experienced firefighters say they’ve never witnessed before.”

The fire threat is so severe that the National Weather Service office in Salt Lake City issued its first-ever “particularly dangerous situation” red flag warning, which covers central and southern Utah and includes the Cottonwood Fire, the state’s largest active blaze. “This is a temporary measure for an extraordinary year,” Cox said of the fireworks ban. “It protects lives and homes while allowing local leaders, working alongside their fire officials, to identify areas where fireworks can be used safely.” In some municipalities, local leaders working alongside fire officials will designate approved areas where fireworks can still be used under safer conditions. The Cottonwood Fire, burning through the Fishlake National Forest east of Beaver, Utah, has grown to more than 92,000 acres as of Saturday morning, an area bigger than Salt Lake City, in just a few days and remains 0% contained as of Saturday night.

Evacuations are in place for the fire, which state and local officials believe is likely Utah’s most destructive and costly wildfire on record. Its cause is still under investigation. A total of 1,066 personnel are battling the Cottonwood Fire, where crews have been warned to stay vigilant of the dangerous and unpredictable fire behavior. “We always have safety first out there, and as soon as we see things or we start getting feelings, we’ve told the guys they don’t like it, disengage, get to a safe place,” Alyssa Mason, a spokesperson for the fire’s emergency management team, told CNN affiliate KSL. State officials also warned that anyone whose illegal actions ignite a wildfire could face steep criminal charges and substantial civil liability for the damage caused. Beloved cabins and lifelong memories reduced to ashes As officials continue assessing the ongoing damage, the full toll of the Cottonwood Fire remains unknown.

But across the Beaver Mountain community, residents are already grieving the loss of cherished cabins and family retreats that held generations of memories. For Evan Stapley, Beaver Mountain was more than a weekend getaway — it was woven into his family’s history. “To me, nothing’s more beautiful than Beaver Mountain in the fall,” Stapley told CNN affiliate KSL. “The aspen yellow, and you get the reds in there and all the greens. There is nothing more beautiful in the world.” Now, the cabin where those memories were made has been reduced to ash. Stapley said he learned it had burned in the Cottonwood Fire after a friend sent him video of the spot where it once stood. “I saw that and went, ‘That’s just unbelievable,’” he told KSL. “The fire must have moved so fast and twirled around in there and just took it … I cried,” he added.

“I’ve got too many memories, too many memories of that place.” The fire also dealt a devastating blow to Eagle Point Ski Resort, where several buildings were damaged or destroyed. In a Facebook post, owner Shane Gadbaw said the resort will remain closed as it recovers from what he called a catastrophe. “We are thankful that to our knowledge, there have been no human casualties from the fire,” Gadbaw said in a Facebook post. Residents gathered Friday in Piute County as the Cottonwood Fire pushed closer, with flames visible in the distance and smoke settling across the valley, to hear updates and discuss emergency response plans, CNN affiliate KSTU reported. During the meeting, Nick Schenk of Great Basin Team 5, one of the first responders who fought the blaze Monday, delivered an emotional account of the battle against the fire. “We did everything we absolutely could.

We called for every bit of help we could find. And about all we could do was get people out of the way of it,” Schenk told KSTU. Photos shared by the resort Thursday showed a handful of lodges still standing amid a landscape of blackened trees. Farther north, the Iron Fire near Eureka, Utah, has burned more than 40,000 acres after forcing evacuations earlier this week. Nearby, the Cherry Fire, sparked by lightning Friday morning, has already grown to more than 30,000 acres. Another blaze, the Wild Goose Fire, ignited near Holden on Friday, adding to a growing list of active wildfires across Utah. State fire officials estimated by Saturday evening it had burned over 10,000 acres as crews worked to assess and contain its spread.

Source: Utah wildfires: Three firefighters killed in Colorado as wildfires rage across the Southwest | CNN

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.
Ephesians 1:7

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Sonoma County community uses sheep to reduce wildfire risk

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flock of sheep in tranquil autumn landscape

With California’s fire season just around the corner, cutting down the tall dry grass is going to be a priority over the next few weeks. In the North Bay, tractors have been commonly used, but now grazing is gaining popularity. While many contract out grazing services, one woman has been trying to encourage homeowners to take matters into their own hands. Welcome to the Hunters Lane community grazing cooperative. A flock of a dozen sheep chows down on grass and goes from one home to another. While grazing has been around for a long time, Sarah Keiser took this to a whole new level after the 2017 wildfires.

“I just walked around the neighborhood, knocked on doors and said, ‘Hey, do you want the sheep?’ ” Keiser said. “Essentially, the vision came from what was a burden to them was a resource to me. Through sharing the flock, we both benefited from it.” Now, there are about 12 community grazing cooperatives in Sonoma County. Bo Laurent reached out to Keiser, hoping to get a few sheep to graze her property in 2020. She didn’t know she was about to be talked into becoming a part of the community grazing cooperative. “I don’t want to be tied down all the time,” Laurent said. “I’m getting older, and I like to travel. I have to go out places and I just don’t want to have those constant tasks I have to take care of. She said no, no, you’re going to share them with your neighbors. It’s going to grow. I’m going to come over and tell you all about it.”

Source: Sonoma County community uses sheep to reduce wildfire risk – CBS San Francisco

Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6

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