ARE WE READY?Byline: Jesse Hiestand Daily News Staff Writer Already, fast-moving, intense grass fires are ravaging the Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley in the high desert. It is an ominous sign for Los Angeles-area hillsides and canyons, where firefighters say a typically hot summer and unusually dry La Nina La Niña n. A cooling of the ocean surface off the western coast of South America, occurring periodically every 4 to 12 years and affecting Pacific and other weather patterns. winter will produce dense carpets of tinder - sagebrush sagebrush, name for several species of Artemisia, deciduous shrubs of the family Asteraceae (aster family), particularly abundant in arid regions of W North America. The common sagebrush (A. , California buckwheat Noun 1. California buckwheat - low-growing shrub with spreading branches and flowers in loose heads; desert regions of western United States (California to Utah) Erigonum fasciculatum, wild buckwheat , pine trees and eucalyptus that grew tall and lush during El Nino's record rains. ``With any kind of Santa Ana wind The Santa Ana winds (or Santana winds) are warm, dry winds that characteristically appear in Southern California weather during autumn and early winter. Meteorology condition, any winds at all, all bets are off,'' said Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County Fire Capt. Steve Valenzuela. ``That's the wild card for the whole fire season.'' Faced with a potentially devastating dev·as·tate tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. brush fire season, firefighters say they are training harder than ever and honing their attack plans for how best to save homes from destruction. Twenty new engines stand ready, each specially outfitted to douse douse 1 also dowse v. doused also dowsed, dous·ing also dows·ing, dous·es also dows·es v.tr. 1. To plunge into liquid; immerse. See Synonyms at dip. 2. homes with a soapy foam that firefighters say can halt a fire's advance. And city fire inspectors already have issued more than 15,000 warning notices, the most in recent memory, to residents who failed to cut brush back at least 200 feet from their buildings. Fortunately, the record rains that have spawned unprecedented plant growth in Southland foothills and mountains have delayed the onset of the fire season and given firefighters more time to prepare. A first priority: enforcing regulations to clear brush. ``There's just more than we've ever seen out there. Some of the stuff goes eight, nine, 10 feet tall,'' said Assistant Chief Herbert Spitzer of the Los Angeles County Fire Department's Forestry Division. ``Obviously, that poses a threat to us.'' Thirty-four fire inspectors have been visiting the 180,000 properties in mountain fire districts to make sure all grass and weeds has been cut to three inches within 200 feet of a building. So far, 15,000 are out of compliance - some 3,000 more than last year, said city Fire Capt. Scott Miller Scott Miller may refer to:
For those homeowners who don't clear their brush, the county will do it - and charge them. About 10 percent of those lots with overgrown overgrown said of a part that has not been kept trimmed. overgrown hoof overgrown hooves put unusual stresses on bones and tendons and allow for distortion of the wall and sole. brush will end up being cleared by city-contracted crews at a cost exceeding $250, depending on the type and amount of brush and terrain. The county has similar regulations, as well as the threat of making a scofflaw scoff·law n. One who habitually violates the law or fails to answer court summonses. Noun 1. scofflaw - one who habitually ignores the law and does not answer court summonses property owner explain his actions to the District Attorney's Office, which can then impose fines. County inspectors are also stepping up their enforcement of the laws, which affect about 32,000 parcels. Fighting fire with fire Even before the last raindrop fell, firefighters from Los Angeles and Ventura counties were planning for the worst. On Aug. 16, they will conduct what they call war games, a multi-agency drill. ``The big concern is the campaign-type fire or large fire that typically happens in October. Those are the most dangerous.'' said Battalion Chief Rod Wilmot, who oversees the Los Angeles City Fire Department's brush fire response program. One of the greatest tools for fighting fire is to burn dangerous brush under controlled conditions. Last week, to rid Fern Canyon Fern Canyon is a canyon in the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park (managed in cooperation with Redwood National Park) in Humboldt County, California, USA. A hiking trail follows the canyon, with ferns covering the 10-15m sheer walls of the canyon giving a prehistoric feel; in Altadena of overgrown brush, the U.S. Forest Service conducted a controlled burn Prescribed or controlled burning (back burning) is a technique sometimes used in forest management, farming, prairie restoration or greenhouse gas abatement. Fire is a natural part of both forest and grassland ecology and controlled fire can be a tool for foresters. of 20 acres. The county also is conducting controlled burns in the Santa Clarita Valley The Santa Clarita Valley is the valley of the Santa Clara River in Southern California. It stretches through Los Angeles County and Ventura County. Its main population center is the city of Santa Clarita. The valley was part of the 48,612-acre (19,672. and Whittier hills. ``We're currently training firefighters at these prescribed burns, training them not to panic under actual conditions,'' Valenzuela said. Ground and air Anticipating an all-out fight, firefighters are assembling a virtual squadron of firefighting helicopters and planes. The county has contracted the use of a Sky Crane, a helicopter valued for its ability to pinpoint drops of 2,000 gallons of water at a time. Standard fire helicopters, used both as air ambulances and for brush firefighting, have a capacity of 300 to 350 gallons. The county will share the helitanker with the city, since without the contract, it would cost $7,500 an hFour to hire the craft from a private company, he said. The helitanker is often more effective than the fixed-wing SuperScooper, which has trouble in windy conditions and must fly to the ocean, Lake Castaic or another large body of water to get its typical load of 1,700 gallons of water. The helitanker, based at Van Nuys Airport Van Nuys Airport (IATA: VNY, ICAO: KVNY, FAA LID: VNY) is a public airport located in Van Nuys, California in the San Fernando Valley, within the Los Angeles city limits. , can replenish its water supply at smaller reservoirs or anywhere an engine company can set up a catch basin catch basin n. 1. A receptacle at the entrance to a sewer designed to keep out large or obstructive matter. 2. A reservoir for collecting surface drainage or runoff. of water. The county plans to contract for the use of two SuperScoopers as well, Valenzuela said. Eyes in the sky New technology will give firefighters more of a chance - they hope. One city helicopter will be fitted with a camera that can relay video and infrared images to commanders on the ground so they can track a fire's progress and target hot spots hot spots acute moist dermatitis. through thick smoke. The county is spending $250,000 on an infrared camera that when mounted in a helicopter can sense the heat of a fire smoldering smol·der also smoul·der intr.v. smol·dered, smol·der·ing, smol·ders 1. To burn with little smoke and no flame. 2. underground. ``It can sense heat embers where the naked eye is not able to see the fire or even indications of smoke,'' Valenzuela said. ``Then we can go back in with our camp crews and overhaul the area so we know the fire is out.'' Both the city and county fire department are gearing up with another promising firefighting technology: compressed-air foam. The shaving creamlike substance can stick to the side of a building for hours and slow or stop a fire's advance, he said. ``We can coat a house and leave it,'' Wilmot said. ``Without it, you would have to leave an engine company at the house to try and protect it.'' This would be particularly valuable, Wilmot said, in a heavily populated area like Laurel Canyon Laurel Canyon can refer to several things:
Twenty new county fire engines will be equipped with the foam, and the city is buying six ``patrol tanks,'' pickup trucks with 150-gallon compressed-air foam tanks in their beds. Two years of threat If this fire season looks bad, then firefighters say wait for next year.F El Nino rains have spurred a tremendous amount of grasses that are already drying and plaguing the Antelope Valley with intensely hot but short-lived fires. Yet the heavier brush - like sages, California buckwheat, scrub oak, ceanothus ce·a·no·thus n. Any of various shrubs or small trees of the genus Ceanothus, native mostly to western North America and having showy clusters of usually blue or whitish flowers. Also called redroot. and mountain lilac - is brimming with moisture and much less likely to grow dry this season and fall prey to fire. On average, more than half the weight of brush around Los Angeles is water, said Assistant Chief Spitzer, whose crew analyzes cuttings of the plants every two weeks. The live-fuel-moisture index shows brush now retaining 107 percent of its weight in water, compared to a normal amount at this time of year of 88 percent, he said. This year's fuel-moisture index is not expected to drop below 80 percent, while 60 percent or less is considered the critical level at which brush is more prone to catching fire, he said. The net result is that the brush may hold its own against fires. But that could change by next year, if predictions hold true of a La Nina season, which would bring less rain than usual, the opposite of El Nino. ``Historically, it's not the year that you have the big rains that you have the fires, it's the year after,'' Spitzer said. Fire watch Starting today and through the end of fire season, the Daily News will list the brush-fire danger level for Greater Los Angeles, the number of wildfire and preventive tips. After today, look for it on Page 4. Fire danger: moderate Brush fires: Two small fires in Antelope Valley. Fire prevention: Have an escape plan, and discuss and rehearse it with your family. Know at least two different exits in your home. Always keep a flashlight near your bed; most fires happen at night. CAPTION(S): 4 Photos, box PHOTO (1 -- color) A firefighter begins a controlled burn in Agoura Hills in June, part of an effort to prepare for a potentially severe fire season. Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News (2 -- color) Brush fed by recent storms gives fuel for a controlled burn, a tactic used to hone firefigFhting skills. Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News (3 -- color) Tractors clear brush from a Pacoima hillside to reduce the threat of fires fed by plant growth. A heavy fire season is predicted. (4 - color) Dry brush, hot weather has firefighters bracing for what could be a tough season Tom Mendoza/Daily News Box: Fire watch (see text) |
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