Printer Friendly
The Free Library
19,198,192 articles and books
Member login
User name  
Password 
 
Join us Forgot password?

Dryness signals start to fire season.


Byline: Serena Markstrom The Register-Guard

After a wet spring, but anticipating drier conditions, Lane County foresters declared Tuesday the start of fire season.

That means "our fuels are getting dry enough to sustain and contribute to the spread of fire," said Charlie Redheffer, protection supervisor for the South Cascade District of the Oregon Department of Forestry.

Hot, windy weather with low humidity can dry out vegetation and increase fire danger in a hurry, even when conditions have been wet, as they have been the past few months.

Recent rain postponed the season's start, which some years is declared as early as May, but foresters and fire officials said Lane County is by no means out of the woods in terms of wildfire danger.

"Ma Nature, whatever she does is going to set the tone for fire season," said Redheffer, who's in charge of training seasonal firefighters for the South Cascade District. "Basically we are at a point now that even if we do get rain, it will be right back where we were in a day or two. Everything is slowly but surely drying out now."

So while the holiday weekend came and went without a major fire, officials urge continued vigilance VIGILANCE. Proper attention in proper time.
     2. The law requires a man who has a claim to enforce it in proper time, while the adverse party has it in his power to defend himself; and if by his neglect to do so, he cannot afterwards establish such claim, the
 and fire safety and for people to not let the wet weather fool them into complacency.

Fire officials say the downside to all that rain is more rapid vegetation growth. Once grasses and other fine fuels dry out, they can catch fire quickly and ignite larger fuels.

"This year it's just as critical for people to be diligent dil·i·gent  
adj.
Marked by persevering, painstaking effort. See Synonyms at busy.



[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin d
 in their prevention as it is any other year," said Redheffer, whose agency covers 660,000 acres of mostly private land in eastern Lane County. "It just means a different set of problems, it doesn't really mean less or more."

Foresters on both sides of Lane County agreed on a start date for fire season. Western Lane District Forester Rick Rogers, based in Veneta, said his side so far has seen one major fire, which was about 25 miles west of Cottage Grove Cottage Grove, village (1990 pop. 22,935), Washington co., SE Minn., near the St. Croix River; inc. 1965. There is farming (cattle, sheep, corn, and soybeans) and manufacturing (chemicals and machinery). .

Rogers and South Cascade District forester Lena Lena (lē`nə, Rus. lyĕ`nə), river, easternmost of the great rivers of Siberia, c.2,670 mi (4,300 km) long, rising near Lake Baykal, SE Siberian Russia.  Tucker said they expect an average season, but that could change.

"The fire season depends on how much rain we get in the summer and how much lightning events we have, and both are unpredictable," Rogers said. Fire season most directly affects businesses such as logging operations with additional precautions precautions Infectious disease The constellation of activities intended to minimize exposure to an infectious agent; precautions imply that the isolation of an infected Pt is optional, but not mandatory. .

Adjacent counties such as Douglas and Linn linn  
n. Scots
1. A waterfall.

2. A steep ravine.



[Scottish Gaelic linne, pool, waterfall.]
 declared the start of fire season in June.

In Lane County, restrictions on recreation have yet to be put in place.

Firefighting 1. firefighting - What sysadmins have to do to correct sudden operational problems. An opposite of hacking. "Been hacking your new newsreader?" "No, a power glitch hosed the network and I spent the whole afternoon fighting fires."
2.
 agencies work year-round to prevent fires through education and try to be ready for anything during the hot season, regardless of predictions.

"We don't have as many fires as we used to and that's good," said Lane Rural Fire/Rescue Chief Chip Darling.

One message is consistent, Darling said. "Continue to be thoughtful about it," he said. "Always be thinking about the potential for fire and how you can go about avoiding it. Don't expect fire agencies and enforcement to take all the burden for protection. Everyone has a responsibility in it."

PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY FROM FIRE

The Federal Emergency Management Agency The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is the federal agency responsible for coordinating emergency planning, preparedness, risk reduction, response, and recovery. The agency works closely with state and local governments by funding emergency programs and providing technical  offers these tips for those living in areas susceptible to wildfire. For more information, visit www.fema.gov.

Remove vegetation and combustible com·bus·ti·ble
adj.
Capable of igniting and burning.

n.
A substance that ignites and burns readily.
 materials such as wood piles within a 30-foot radius of your home.

Hire a contractor to remove large trees that are too close to the house.

Be sure outbuildings, such as storage sheds, are at least as far away from the house as their height.

Replace flammable flam·ma·ble  
adj.
Easily ignited and capable of burning rapidly; inflammable.



[From Latin flamm
 roofing materials with fire-resistant materials.
COPYRIGHT 2005 The Register Guard
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright 2005, Gale Group. All rights reserved. Gale Group is a Thomson Corporation Company.

 Reader Opinion

Title:

Comment:



 

Article Details
Printer friendly Cite/link Email Feedback
Title Annotation:Fires; Officials say fuels are dry enough to contribute to the spread of flames
Publication:The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR)
Date:Jul 6, 2005
Words:605
Previous Article:Man drowns in Willamette while fishing near Dexter.(Accidents)(Richard Brown had been on an island below the dam when he disappeared and was spotted...
Next Article:BRIEFLY.(General News)(REGION)



Related Articles
WINDS FUEL CANYON BRUSH FIRE 3,500 ACRES SCORCHED AS SANTA ANAS HIT VALLEYS.(News)
FIREFIGHTERS WARM UP FOR SUMMER CONTROLLED BURN PROVIDES PRACTICE.(News)
ABNORMALLY HOT, WINDY, DRY WEATHER LEADS TO WINTER FIRE ALERT.(News)
FIRE IMPERILS HOMES; BLAZE SPARKS FEAR IN PORTER RANCH.(News)
FIRE STOPPED AT BORDERS OF HOUSING TRACTS; FLAMES RACE TO WEST PALMDALE.(News)(Statistical Data Included)
Oregon wildfire danger often highest in the fall.(Fires)
Firefighters brace for more wind.(Fires)(An incoming weather system promises gusts that could revitalize the B and B blaze)
California wildfires.(Environment)
BRUSH GROWTH STOKES FEARS OF FIRESTORM.(News)
CLEAR BRUSH BEFORE BLAZES.(News)

Terms of use | Copyright © 2010 Farlex, Inc. | Feedback | For webmasters | Submit articles