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Colorado is only state testing military tech to keep firefighters safe

Matt Mauro

November 15, 2018 |

KDVR-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

Under 3 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Colorado

Colorado is adapting a military technology to help crews fight wildfires. The Android Team Awareness Kit, or ATAK, was designed to keep Special Forces safe in combat zones by showing pilots their locations, and now firefighters will be able to use the free app on their phones to find where they are and assess what kind of fire they are seeing on the ground. Colorado is the only state allowed to tweak the app for use in fires, but the plan is to roll it out nationwide after modification.

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Can we design neighborhoods to survive wildfires?

Adele Peters

November 14, 2018 |

FastCompany |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, California

Wildfires are inevitable, especially as forests become drier due to climate change, but it is possible to design the built environment so that fires don’t destroy as much property or as many lives. Architects now can choose different materials that resist ignition from wind-borne embers and can put more distance between homes. Spacing homes farther apart and burying power lines can help, but the changing climate is also making some places unsuitable for rebuilding destroyed communities.

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California Wildfires Destroy Homes and Lives. Why Do Regulators Encourage Building in Fire Zones?

Christian Britschgi

November 14, 2018 |

Reason |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, California

In California, Proposition 103 – a decades-old ballot initiative – disincentivizes homeowners affected by wildfires to rebuild in less fire-prone zones. The proposition – which can only be reversed through another ballot initiative – bars insurers from raising their rates based on future risks, meaning people who live in fire zones are not paying a higher rate. Furthermore, because of these regulations and the lack of response to the problem, insurance agencies often err on the side of caution and won’t sell policies at all, leaving some people uninsured entirely.

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To prevent devastating wildfires, old adversaries are finding ways to work together

Tom Banse

October 21, 2018 |

KLCC |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Oregon

The prospect of mass wild land devastation sparred by both wildfires and logging was enough motivation for people on each side of the debate to sit down and figure out a solution. What came of that conversation was the Blue Mountains Forest Partners that have worked together to propel the management of the forest.

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Fighting fires with goats

Ammar Ebrahim

October 10, 2018 |

BBC |

Broadcast TV News |

Under 3 Minutes

Response Location: Spain, Girona, Catalonia

In northern Spain, the Fire Flocks project uses goats to clear vegetation between grassland, bushes and treetops because this can help stop the spread of future wildfires. This depends on shepherds moving herds to key areas that are vulnerable to fire. It’s a difficult life, so the project supports shepherds by encouraging butchers to sell goat products with the Fire Flocks brand to get support for the organization’s efforts.

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Will More Logging Ease Wildfires? Canada Holds Answers

Nate Hegyi

September 20, 2018 |

NPR |

Radio |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: Canada

As regions look for solutions to fight wildfires in the midst of climate change, some call for logging companies to take greater responsibility. While the argument is not new that less trees means less fires, it's the smaller logging companies that are taking the biggest actions focusing their efforts on removing smaller logs despite potential impact to profits.

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Nosara Firefighters Manage to Respond to 260 Emergencies This Year With Their Cell Phones

Noelia Esquivel

September 18, 2018 |

La Voz de Guanacaste |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Costa Rica, Nosara

In Costa Rica, a group of volunteer firefighters use donated equipment, gear, and their own cell phones to fill in a big gap in emergency services. More residents are now accustomed to calling them directly for fires and other emergencies, and the community supports them financially. The firefighters are trying to integrate their work into the country's emergency alert system and to build their own fire station.

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As the West burns, a town fields its own amateur firefighters

Carl Segerstrom

September 05, 2018 |

High Country News |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Dufur, Oregon

In the town of Dufur, Oregon, local residents have been acting as firefighters to protect their fields and homes, using farming equipment to bury dry vegetation and tanks of water to put out the flames. While this has been the norm for years – because of the length of time it takes professional firefighters to arrive – the recent increase in wildfires is calling into question the safety of this informal fire fighting and figuring out how to work together with professionals.

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Fighting Fire with Fire: California Turns to Prescribed Burning

Jane Braxton Little

September 05, 2018 |

Yale Environment 360 |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Shaver Lake, California

In California’s wildfire-prone Sierras, forest managers are turning to an ancient, if not quite intuitive, tool: more fire. In 2019, the Forest Service will manage 250,000 acres with controlled burns and “mechanical thinning,” using equipment to take out small trees. Though such plans face some hurdles, states across the country are adopting them, reducing wildfire severity while often benefiting ecosystems.

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How Forecasting Models Are Changing the Way We Fight Fires

Jenessa Duncombe

August 17, 2018 |

Eos |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Salt Lake City, Utah

The National Weather Service has been helping firefighting crews better prepare for and fight wildfires. They’ve developed a model called the High-Resolution Rapid Refresh-Smoke (HRRR-Smoke) to show where there’s higher smoke density and what direction it’s heading toward. The agency is hoping to continue their work to become better at preventative measures so that towns and cities can prepare ahead of time.

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