2005 Fire Season: Western States Could Prove Problematic
By: Lance Winslow
The huge storms this winter in California brought torrential rains to many mountain and desert regions. These rainstorms helped keep the dust down and alleviated some particulate matter in the atmosphere as the desert came alive with growth. In the mountains the vegetation got thick. This is great except towards the end of the summer the brush will dry out and become fuel for potential fires started by arsonists or lightening and fueled by Santa Ana East Winds in CA or Monsoons in AZ.
In many states due to droughts there are other worries. Oregon and Washington did not get the water that CA did get this winter and they are worried about fire season. Montana is in its Sixth year of drought. Parts of North and South Dakota are still in droughts like WY, CO and KS. New Mexico, Nevada, California, Utah, Arizona are worried as well. Last summer I visited the Las Vegas Metro fire Department on a trip to determine just how bad the crisis is and what is being done to mitigate the potential threat of one of the worst fire seasons ever last year. As a matter of fact, people and tourists having been dropping like flies due to the early heat from dehydration last summer and they are expecting the same this summer. The Ambulance Contractor AMR has anywhere from 40-45 Ambulances on the street in a revolving grid defense program to handle the demand associated with getting the EMTs to the scene and delivering patients to the emergency centers.
We are experiencing a severe drought situation in many parts of our country and this may adversely affect our abilities to fight fires and decrease already low fresh water supplies. We are suppose to be nearing the middle of the solar minimum, but on April 20, 2005 we had the most intense solar flare in a decade. We were not in an El Nino this winter, but it felt like on, does this mean we will be entering a La Nina cycle with lack of rain in winter of 200-2006?
Are we feeling the effects of Global Warming due to our inconsistent worldwide methods of production, manufacturing, use of chemicals and increased use of burning of fuels to make things work. For this reason; I have pledged himself to do two things. One; look for solutions to the Local, National and Worldwide problems. Two; look for opportunity for our companies to be part of the efforts. We need to look at all these issues and cycles to figure out how they all coincide so we can adjust our efforts to stabilize our infrastructures to deal with our civilizations needs. Why don’t you think on this and join us in the cause if you are able?
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