Date: Mon, 09 Aug 1999 21:55:36 -0700
From: "J. Foster" <borealis-AT-mail.wellsgray.net>
Subject: Re: silence


Faizi:
>My question is, Sir Forest Ecologist, would it have not been prudent, given the
>extremely dry conditions here, to have more fire-fighting equipment deployed?

I would think that if they have only one helicopter with a tiny bucket
working there and no large fleet of planes that are specifically used for
suppressing fires that (a) they have very little equipment, (b) they have
very little experience in fighting large fires in your area, and (c) if all
they have are volunteers that are not being paid to fight the 1200 acre fire
that they are not going to be able to do much to suppress the fire unless
nature is assisting them. They will need bulldozers, large planes which can
drop thousands of lbs of water on the fire, they will need lots of pumps and
water on the ground. 

In these parts here we have forests dominated by conifers and if they are
dry and a fire breaks out and the conditions are right, in less than a week
maybe as much 200 square kilometers of forest can burn up. We had several
very large fires last year that burned up many homes, and there were a lot
angry people, especially in Salmon Arm. 

If the forest fire in your area is not a crown fire then there is less to
worry about. A wildfire that is a crown fire type will spread rapidly with
the wind, in fact it can travel over 20 kilometers per hour at times. 


>There are no access roads up this mountain.  They are using bulldozers to
make their
>way up the mountain.
>
>I lived in a large city for many years.  There, if a building was on fire,
the fire
>was put out, no holds barred.  Why is it different for a mountain?

Different regions have different wildfire suppression policies. If the
policy is a "ten am" policy, then the fire should be out be 10 in the
morning; however some ecologists are saying that wildfires should not "all"
be suppressed. A natural wildfire disturbance therefore would restore
certain ecosystems to natural former state. There is a certain amount of
valid scientific support for allowing some wildfires to burn and not put
them out, but is not acceptable in an area where private property and human
lives are at risk. Certain species require fire to establish. 

>I understand the difficulties of fighting a forest fire.  I do not
understand the
>lack of resources.

Once a wildfire reaches a certain size it becomes too expensive to put it
out, or it can be impossible to put it out, and conditions may actually be
such that it is too risky to try to put it out. There are a lot factors:
weather, terrain, forest type and condition, for instance, and the human and
physical resources may not be sufficient to put it out.

If the fire is 90 % contained that is a good sign. But that can change
quickly if the wind picks up and there is no rain. 

>Any information will be greatly appreciated by me.

>Thanks.

Your welcome... John
>
>Faizi
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