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| Legislation: FLAME Act back on front burner Posted: 11 Mar 2009 10:27 AM PDT Bill Addressing Wildfire Funding Crisis Introduced in US House, SenateNew administration means better chance of success for FLAME ActWASHINGTON - March 10 - Like the mythological Phoenix rising from the ashes, the House of Representatives and the Senate today re-introduced a bill aimed at solving a critical part of America's wildfire suppression funding crisis. The Federal Land Assistance, Management and Enhancement (FLAME) Act is designed to help federal agencies address the escalating cost of suppressing wildfires. It would also relieve the burden placed on other vital programs and services each year when the agencies pull money away from them to fight fires. Passed unanimously by the House last year but stalled in the Senate, the 2009 version of the bill is considered to have a much better chance of becoming law because President Barack Obama and even more members of Congress from both sides of the aisle favor its principles. FLAME Act's key sponsors already include: Nick J. Rahall (D-West Virginia), Raul Grijalva (D-Arizona); Norm Dicks (D-Washington); Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) and Greg Walden (R-Oregon). Senate sponsors include Jeff Bingaman (D-New Mexico), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Barbara Boxer (D-California), Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), Tom Udall (D-New Mexico), Maria Cantwell (D-Washington), Patty Murray (D-Washington), Tim Johnson (D-South Dakota) and Jon Tester (D-Montana). "The FLAME Act provides the right framework for managing fire suppression without putting it on the backs of other programs," said William H. Meadows, president of The Wilderness Society. "This embodies the real-world budgeting process favored by the new Administration at a time when the strains of global warming are extending the dangers of the wildfire season driving up the costs of suppression." Specifically, the measure would create a reserve account that the Forest Service and Department of Interior could tap if they exhaust their firefighting budgets. This would prevent the annual practice of taking money away from other vital programs and services in order to fund wildfire suppression. Campground maintenance, land acquisition and watershed restoration are just a few examples of agency tasks that are placed in jeopardy each year. Meanwhile, the cost of suppressing fires has grown enormously in recent years and projections indicate that this trend will only increase as a result of climate change and increasingly populated wooded areas. For example, the Forest Service has spent over $1 billion per year in five of the last seven years to extinguish fires. Wildland fire management activities (the largest component of which is suppression) rose from 13 percent of the agency's budget in fiscal year 1991 to close to 50 percent in fiscal year 2008. "The FLAME Act isn't a silver bullet but it is a step in the right direction on getting firefighting costs under control," said Cecilia Clavet, a national forest policy analyst with The Wilderness Society (TWS), which is working with National Association of State Foresters and American Forests in organizing a coalition of 100 diverse groups in developing recommendation that help solve the fire funding problem. "With longer fire seasons on the horizon, we cannot continue to bankrupt the agencies every year at the expense of protecting and promoting the values all Americans have come to expect from their public lands." The 2009 bill builds on the bipartisan support generated last year. In 2008, the bill was endorsed by the five former Forest Service chiefs, American Forests, National Association of State Foresters, National Association of Counties, National Federation of Federal Employees, the Western Governor's Association, and nearly 40 other conservation and community-based and forestry organizations. Source: www.commondreams.org - Link CONTACT: The Wilderness Society Additional Contacts: Laura Schweitzer Caitlyn Peel |
| Chicago: Reverse discrimination - 75 white Chicago firefighters will share $6 million Posted: 11 Mar 2009 10:09 AM PDT  Ending more than 20 years of legal wrangling, 75 white Chicago firefighters will share $6 million to settle a lawsuit that accused the city of reverse discrimination in a 1986 lieutenants' promotional exam.The city had "race normed" the results of the exam out of concern that it discriminated against black firefighters, but a jury found the test was fair. The city appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled on behalf of the white firefighters. Among the 75 firefighters is John Power, who told U.S. District Judge James Holderman last month that he is owed about $140,000 in back pay because he was not promoted to lieutenant. "I did my part, studying and doing all the things I should have done," Power said. "Frankly, this was unfair," Holderman responded. Still, Linda Friedman, an attorney for the white firefighters, acknowledged that "it's a challenging task for a municipality to balance the need to have an integrated fire department without stepping on the rights of the people to be affected." Friedman said the firefighters, many of whom have retired, can expect to receive their checks by this fall. Attorneys' fees will also come out of the $6 million settlement, said Jennifer Hoyle, a spokeswoman for the city's Law Department. Hoyle said $6 million is on the "low end" of what the city might have wound up paying. The settlement comes at a time when nosediving revenues threaten to poke a $200 million hole in Chicago's 2009 budget, but Hoyle said the city has budgeted for it. A group of 100 other white firefighters previously received tens of millions of dollars and benefits in a separate settlement in the same suit, Friedman said. That group was higher on the hiring list than the 75 firefighters. Friedman said the biggest lesson she has learned from her clients is "how much effort goes into the profession." She also said it took too long for the city to "step up to the plate and pay." Source: Shaved Longcock - Link |
| Seismic Warning System - Earthquake early warning technology Posted: 11 Mar 2009 09:55 AM PDT Bay Area Schools and Fire Stations Ill-Prepared for Large Earthquake Says Seismic Warning Systems Scotts Valley, CA, March 11, 2009 --(PR.com)-- Seismic Warning Systems, the leading provider of earthquake early warning systems, says that despite dire forecasts from the US Geological Survey, the San Francisco Bay Area remains ill-prepared for a large earthquake. The USGS has estimated that a quake of intensity M6.8 or greater is likely to occur on the Hayward fault in Northern California, and yet few schools or fire stations in the Bay Area have taken advantage of earthquake early warning technology that could save lives and property. According to Gary McGavin, AIA, past Chairman of the California Seismic Safety Commission and an expert in Schools Seismic Safety, deaths and injuries are more likely from non-structural hazards such as window glass, improper storage, bookshelves and "owner-supplied equipment," rather than actual building failure. Further compounding the risk to the Bay Area is the vulnerability of fire station doors. According to a report produced by the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute in 2006, 67% of a sample of nearly 300 Bay Area fire stations were of moderate to high risk of not functioning due to their doors jamming. Many fire stations in the Bay Area will be paralyzed when their doors jam due to the intense shaking, as happened in Northridge in 1994. But technology is now available that can greatly reduce this problem. "Earthquake early warning technology can give vital extra seconds of warning, enough to automatically open fire station doors, or move school kids away from the windows and under desks," said George Dickson, CEO of Seismic Warning Systems Inc. "Wherever it's installed, our QuakeGuard™ technology will save lives and prevent injuries in the next big quake." QuakeGuard early warning systems are installed in fire stations throughout the Palm Springs region, fire stations in Vallejo, Albany, and Lawrence Livermore Laboratories, Milpitas Christian Schools, Baymonte Christian School Scotts Valley, El Camino Hospital, Cisco Systems, and other places in Southern California. Designed by Seismic Warning Systems, Inc., QuakeGuard™ detects a quake's P-wave that comes before the dangerous shaking waves arrive. If the device's patented technology calculates from the P-wave that the quake is potentially dangerous, it immediately sounds an alarm and activates safety systems, such as opening doors or parking elevators, before the destructive shaking starts, reducing injuries, saving lives, and protecting property. About Seismic Warning Systems, Inc. Seismic Warning Systems has been providing systems and services for early seismic detection and automated system response to commercial, industrial and government customers for ten years. During this time many potentially dangerous quakes have been detected and acted upon, saving lives and protecting against injury, without a single false alarm. The company designs and manufactures the patented QuakeGuard™ family of seismic detection systems, which help avert human injury, mitigate earthquake damage to property and other assets, and contribute to business continuity. Seismic Warning Systems is headquartered in Scotts Valley, California. Contact: Seismic Warning Systems Tony Lacy-Thompson 408-398-6284 tonylt@seismicwarning.com www.seismicwarning.com |
| Santa Barbara: California National Guard MCI drill Posted: 11 Mar 2009 09:29 AM PDT When: The exercise will take place from 8:30 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Wednesday Where: Drill at the Santa Barbara Bowl. According to a The City of Santa Barbara Office of Emergency Services, the 9th Civil Support team will be using the area to train for a mass casualty incident. Residents can expect to see a lot of equipment and military personnel. The Santa Barbara Police Department will participate in the drill. |
| CAL FIRE - Inmate on the run from Fire Camp crew Posted: 11 Mar 2009 09:08 AM PDT Inmate Escapes From Fire Camp In Riverside County Authorities are searching for a California Rehabilitation Center inmate who escaped while working with a Cal Fire Norco Fire Crew Tuesday according to a news release.The inmate, Douglas Riskas, 49, was committed from San Diego County for grand theft, second degree burglary and disregard for safety. The Cal Fire Captain notified authorities Tuesday afternoon after Riskas walked away while being assigned to Norco Fire Crew No. 4. Riskas arrived at the center on September 26, 2008 and was scheduled to parole in December 2010. Riskas was last seen in the vicinity of Mount Rubidoux in the County of Riverside running toward the Riverside Bus Depot. Riskas is described as about 5'11'' tall and weighs 170 lbs. He has brown eyes and brown hair. If you have any information concerning Inmate Riskas' whereabouts, contact your local Police Department, call 911 or Emergency Operations Center at (951) 273-2986 Source: CBS2 - Link |
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