High Fire Danger Alert

High fire danger alert for central Texas

Texas Forest Service urges extreme caution

October 9, 2008--COLLEGE STATION, Texas--The Texas Forest Service is urging the public to be aware of heightened fire danger in most of central Texas due to prolonged drought conditions.

“Fuel sources remain very dry and susceptible to accidental fire because of the prolonged drought in the central Texas area,” said Tom Spencer fire risk assessment coordinator for Texas Forest Service. “Normally this time of year we see a decline in fires because of decreased temperatures, shorter burning periods and more precipitation.

“While cooling temperatures have helped the situation, there is still a high risk for problematic fires because of the prolonged drought conditions in the area,” Spencer said.

These drought conditions could lead to problematic fires that will spread quickly, pose containment problems and endanger public safety. The public should be aware that these fires, if accidently started, could quickly get out of hand.

For more information on fire advisories and area conditions, go to Texas Forest Service and click on Fire Danger/Advisories.

Hello Dolly!

NEWS
from the Texas Forest Service

DOLLY COULD FAN FLAMES

July 22, 2008--COLLEGE STATION, Texas--While the citizens of South Texas worry about possible flooding associated with Hurricane Dolly, firefighters in most of the state worry that winds associated with Dolly could lead to increased wildfire activity and/or fan the flames of any wildfires that arise.

Rainfall associated with Dolly is expected to be limited to Deep South Texas and within a short distance from the Texas coast. Strong, gusty winds, however, are expected to extend across much of the state where little or no precipitation is expected.

Combined with extremely dry fuels in much of Texas, the higher winds are expected to create conditions favorable for rapid wildfire spread and increased danger for firefighters, said Hunter Wistrand, operations chief for the Texas wildfire suppression team in Granbury.

“With hot, dry conditions expected across most of the state for an extended period, Texas residents must use all possible precautions to prevent accidental fires from occurring,” said Wistrand. “All firefighting personnel must also take extra precautions to ensure their own safety during firefighting operations.”

Wildfires pose a very real threat to lives, homes and communities in addition to natural resources; they also bring heightened risks of heat-related injuries to firefighters working for extended hours in the hot, dry conditions. “For both the public’s safety and that of the firefighters working to protect them, public cooperation is absolutely essential to prevent additional wildfires from occurring,” said Wistrand.

For more information on wildfire prevention visit http://texasforestservice.tamu.edu/main/article.aspx?id=1542.

It's all fun and games until someone starts a fire.

NEWS

from the Texas Forest Service

June 23, 2008

BE CAREFUL WITH FIREWORKS USE

For many, fireworks are an exciting part of Fourth of July celebrations. But the colorful fun they provide can easily turn into a dangerous situation if proper and safe use is not followed.

“It only takes a spark to start a wildfire,” said Tom Spencer, fire risk assessment coordinator for Texas Forest Service. “Fireworks, especially aerial fireworks, can be the source of that spark.”

Much of the state is experiencing drought. As a result, the grasses in these areas have dried and are easily ignited. Spencer recommends keeping fireworks use well away from dry grass and other flammable vegetation, to prevent accidental fires.

The Texas Forest Service recommends the following precautions for safe fireworks use-

• Adhere to all county and city fireworks laws and restrictions
• Use fireworks outdoors, away from dry grass and buildings.
• Follow label instructions on how to properly discharge fireworks.

• Only use fireworks with close adult supervision.
• Keep a bucket of water, wet towels and a garden hose nearby.
• Discard used fireworks; never try to relight them.
• Allow used fireworks to cool thoroughly before handling to avoid possible burn injuries.

Caution is advised on fireworks use because of the potential they pose for starting wildfires. Texas Forest Service urges those celebrating the Fourth of July with fireworks to plan ahead and limit use of fireworks to areas where accidental fire starts will not occur.

“Everyone doing their part will help make sure we all have a happy and safe Independence Day holiday,” said Spencer.

http://texasforestservice.tamu.edu

20,000 Acre Wildfire Threatens Texas Communities

Youngblood Fire in Dawson County -- 4-21-08 from the TFS website.

June 5, 2008--20,000 acre wildfire threatens West Texas communities

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Heavy air tankers, helicopters and ground crews from Texas and New Mexico are attempting to contain the 20,000-acre wildfire burning through Presidio and Jeff Davis Counties, Texas.

According to Texas Forest Service officials, the path of the wildfire is moving northeast at approximately two to three miles-per-hour (mph) and threatens more than 60 homes. Also in the path of the wildfire are the Bloys Camp historic religious site, the Crow's Nest tourist camp, the Bloys Symbolic Oak historic tree of Texas and numerous wind turbines.

High winds, high temperatures and low relative humidity contribute to the enormity and speed of this wildfire and others burning today throughout West Texas.

Today and tomorrow, look for SSW winds in the 30-40mph range and relative humidity (RH) values dropping into the single digits in the Panhandle south of I-40 and in the northern part of the Southern Plains. SSW winds will be 25-35mph with single digit relative humidity in the Trans-Pecos, southern part of Southern Plains, and Panhandle north of I-40.

Current drying weather conditions cause moisture in vegetation and ground cover to decrease. Grasses and twigs less than ¼" in diameter are classified as one-hour fuels. The one hour refers to the amount of time it takes for the fuel to respond to atmospheric moisture. With current one to two percent moisture levels in these one-hour fuels in West Texas, officials from Texas Forest Service predict that wildfire spread would be in the two to five mph range.

"The fuels – grasses, etc. – are critically dry in part of the lower Permian Basin and Trans Pecos areas and not much better in parts of the Panhandle," said Brad Smith, fire behavior analyst with Texas Forest Service. "The conditions are such that we could see very active fire behavior today and tomorrow over a large portion of the western part of the state."

For more information, go to http://tfsnews.tamu.edu and click on Fire Danger/Advisories.

For more information on the Bloys Symbolic Oak, go to http://famoustreesoftexas.tamu.edu.

A little help needed in Eagle Pass

A friend of ours, Mary Jane in Eagle Pass, is asking for a little help on Saturday, May 10.

Dear friends, on May 10 at 11:30 a.m. -- 2 p.m. at Maverick County Lake, my family will be having a chicken plate sale with trimmings and drink for a donation of $5.

This is to benefit my husband Guillermo Hernandez' medical bills. We will greatly appreciate your donation.

Let me know if you would like to purchase a ticket and also help by telling some friends about the plate sale or you can just go by that day of the sale. See you all there. Thank you!!! God Bless!

Heckler story "revisited" in The Brackett News

On April 17th The Brackett News' front page story read, "Heckler hassles firefighters on hose line." The story goes on to say that a BVFD member heckled KCFR during a structure fire. This week, in the April 24 issue, on the very back page in the classifieds under "Corrections" the paper informs us that said heckler is not a BVFD member anymore and hasn't been for at least three months.

I've talked to a few people who were at the fire, including said heckler. It's true that he has not been a Brackettville VFD member since at least January of this year. He volunteers with another department and, for various reasons, he had to resign his position with BVFD when he began volunteering with another department. No criticism there, how many fires can one man fight?

I don't know what KCFR has to say on the matter. The accused heckler says he offered his services, was told his help wasn't needed, offered again, was told no again, and that he then moved back to where he was asked to so that he would be out of the way. He also pointed out that this, ultimately, was not a polite exchange from either side but that he certainly did not interfere or "heckle" KCFR while they were trying to suppress the fire. According to him, once KCFR made it quite clear that in no way, shape, or form would they accept his help--that he got the heck out of the way. He claims his only comment at all to any KCFR members after he stepped back out of the way was to point out that they couldn't get the fire hydrant open because one of the members was turning the valve the wrong way. Is it heckling to point out such a very important fact at the scene of a fire?

Beyond that, according to him, he said nothing. According to another witness at the fire who was close enough to hear the exchange between the "heckler" and KCFR, the so-called heckler offered his services, was refused because of insurance reasons, offered again stating that he wasn't worried about injury to himself and wouldn't press for compensation if he were hurt but was refused again. This witness, who preferred not to be named, says he saw no heckling of any kind that evening. He also pointed out that he wasn't near our former BVFD member throughout the evening and can't vouch for all of his actions at the fire.

I can hardly blame KCFR for saying no to the offer (the liability probably just isn't worth it for a county run department to take on help from unknown strangers at the scene of a fire), nor can I blame our former BVFD member for wanting to help--especially considering his training and experience. KCFR could have been much more professional in saying no, and our former member could have turned the other cheek when he was treated rudely instead of being rude right back. But, hey, stuff happens. And a structure fire is a very stressful place to be for all fire fighters.

I'd like to know what kind of heckling people are claiming our former member was doing and I'd like to know which people are claiming to have witnessed it. I haven't heard a peep about that. Speaking of lack of source material, KCFR still fails to point out under what statutes they have established their department. The powers that be still seem content to disregard our points of law on the matter and refuse to offer points of law that disprove ours.

As long as the citizens of Brackettville, TX continue to allow themselves to be told what to believe, they'll continue to believe what they are told. I encourage everyone in Brackettville to press their city and county leaders to prove what they say to be true and to conduct business according to Texas legal statutes. If you aren't being shown the truth, then you must seek it out for yourselves.

BVFD and The Brackett News

Yes, I know BVFD made it on the front page of The Brackett News last week. Thursday afternoon and evening brought a flurry of hits on the blog, many emails full of question marks and exclamation points, and we burned up a lot of minutes on our cell phones. But I'm told that the newspaper will be revisiting the story again next week so I'm hesitant to respond to the story just yet. Check back next Friday!

Any y'all from West Virginia?

This was posted as a bulletin on Myspace by Rhodell VFD West Virginia. I've put it here to help spread the word.

Rhodell VFD needs your help.

“One cannot underestimate the impact of Hatfield-McCoy trail system on our economy in southern West Virginia…. From 2000-2002…. 55 reported accidents”. - WVSMA President Ron D. Stollings, M.D.

What a statement from a doctor from CAMC in 2004, can you imagine? Can you imagine the accidents that will be in the new Burning Rock ATV trail in Raleigh County? A part of which will be serviced for rescue by the Rhodell Volunteer Fire Department.

The director of Burning Rock has estimated the beginning trail system to contain well over 80 miles of trails. From family to hard scaled trails for riders. A camping area, stores, fueling station, and many other conveniences for the enjoyment of the ATV riders. But consideration for their medical welfare is being neglected. One medical ATV for one fire department, will that be enough?

What about the areas in our department’s rescue area? Are we to walk in, use our large 1 ton vehicle rescue truck, or just not respond?

The Rhodell Volunteer Fire Department needs your help to purchase a medical rescue ATV for this purpose. It may not be you that we help, but it could be your brother, sister, father, mother, son, or daughter.

“It's interesting that in southern West Virginia, where more ATV deaths occur than in any other part of the state, they also have the Hatfield McCoy trail which has had only 2 deaths on the past 5 years at the trail” - Norbert Federspiel

The Rhodell Volunteer Fire Department takes its responsibility seriously. With the knowledge of the trail, firefighters of the department are in enrolling in ATV, search and rescue classes, and first responder courses to prepare for opening day of the trail in July of 2008. Our members would like your support in preparing for this economic growth in the area by helping purchase a medical ATV.

“The ATV traveled 100 feet over the embankment, striking several trees. Sunday’s accident is only the fourth fatality in the seven year history of the Hatfield-McCoy Trail System.” - Hatfield-McCoy Regional Recreation Authority

The benefits of the medical ATV will not only be realized at Burning Rock, but in all other areas we cover and have aid agreements with other fire departments.

“Fatal ATV accidents have increased in West Virginia, with a total of 134 deaths since 2004 - including a record 54 in 2006.Nearly two-thirds of the fatalities recorded between 2005 and 2007 occurred on paved roads, according to a study commissioned by the Manchin administration” -WV Gazette

The benefits will be realized in time, rapid response to the inevitable is vital to the welfare and health of those who fall victim to accidents on ATVs. Please support our efforts by donating a generous portion to the purchase. The members of the Rhodell Volunteer Fire Department thank you for your consideration and support.

Please send donations to:
Rhodell Volunteer Fire Department
ATV Fund
P.O.Box 201Rhodell, WV 25915

Or call 304-683-3420 for more information

Wind Advisory Cancelled for today, storm system still on the way!

Urgent Weather Message

National Weather Service Austin/San Antonio

A wind advisory has been issued for all of south central Texas and the hill country from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. today. An intense storm system approaching from the west has resulted in strong, gusty southeast winds across much of Texas. Southeasterly winds will increase to 20 to 30 mph today with gusts between 35 and 40 mph possible.

UPDATE:

The wind advisory issued earlier for all of south central Texas and the hill country has been cancelled.

Although brisk south east winds of 15 to 25 mph have prevailed throughout much of the day, sustained winds have not reached wind advisory criteria levels. An intense storm system approaching from the west tonight will result in winds continuing in the 15 to 25 mph range tonight.

Be warned!

Red flag warning remains in effect from 11 am this morning to 9 PM CDT this evening.

A dry line will move across south central Texas today. This will bring unseasonably warm and very dry conditions to the area. Relative humidities will fall to between 5 and 15 percent in the afternoon. West and southwest winds will develop and increase to15 to 25 mph and gusty. Highs in the upper 80s to lower 90s can be expected. These temperatures will add to the critical conditions.

Winds will decrease after sunset and relative humidities will slowly recover. A red flag warning means weather conditions will promote firesthat are difficult to control across the warned area. A red flagwarning is completely separate from a local burn ban which isissued by local officials.

Hey, our first official Blogger comment!

just another guy said...

i saw the kens 5 show. it looked like the trucks are in better shape anda better station. i know those guys ( county ) put alot of time and moneys into geting those trucks fixed from where you guys bluntly toar them up. give it up already you guys are done. how can you keep voting on new members with no trucks and no station. if in three years the county guys cant hack it you will have your dept. back.
March 11, 2008 8:13 PM

BVFD said...
Oh, you're a riot "just another guy." The county is putting a lot of time and money in the trucks. BVFD would have done the same if the county and the city had seen fit to give us the money they'd budgeted for us.

Bluntly tore them up? Yeah, that happens on fires, you should know that if you're a fire fighter at KCFR. According to your fire reports with TFS, you've already "bluntly torn up" your "new" trucks. That's just part of fire fighting.

We keep voting in new members because BVFD is incorporated and as long as we keep training, we're still eligible for grant money for yet more training and more equipment. And as some of our guys are 3rd generation BVFD, we are not ready to give up. Fighting fires, as you know, gets in your blood. You almost have to do it. We're not ready to quit training, and we're certainly not ready to quit BVFD. We still have a department, what we don't have is trucks.
---------------------------------
Correction: Actually I am mistaken. KCFR's fire reports don't reflect any truck damage aside from one blown tire. It is from an eye witnesses account at one of their fires that I know one of KCFR's "new" trucks had a malfunction which I don't believe was caused by damage, it just malfunctioned. Regardless of my mistake, brush trucks take a tremendous beating in the field and unless someone is coughing up the bucks for repairs on those trucks, they remain beat up. We've been trying for a very long time to get repairs done on our trucks but the City and County haven't been interested in supporting their VFD for some time.

I would also like to point out that we still have a station. No one has contacted us to tell us otherwise. If they are planning to take our station from us too, I hope they are more considerate about consulting us on the matter than they were in giving away our trucks without so much as a memo for notification.

Regarding KENS 5's take on our story

The real issue for BVFD is that we believe we still own those trucks. The reporter said that the city owns them in one statement, but in another statement he says the trucks were appropriated for BVFD with grant money. To us, the second statement negates any validity to the first statement.

Here's the crux, folks, those trucks were purchased with grant money for BVFD. The grants were very specific in granting that money to BVFD, not the City of Brackettville. In fact neither of the granting agencies involved gives grants to governmental entities. The city insisted, way back when, that they wanted to handle the insurance because it would be cheaper (it wasn't cheaper, but no one at that time did the research) so the trucks were put in the city's name. But when something is paid for with grant money, a process has to be adhered to in order for ownership or use of that thing to be changed. The City never followed that process. According to those grants, the trucks still belong to BVFD no matter who holds title. BVFD should not have trusted the City to honor the agreement. If the City wants to own those trucks free and clear, they have to follow proper procedure to re-appropriate grant purchased equipment.

The trucks may be in the City's name, but they were never granted to the City of Brackettville.

The video.

BVFD on KENS 5 San Antonio TONIGHT!

KENS 5 was in Brackettville today to interview our department and some of the powers that be on the situation of the city and the county jointly deciding (without addressing any of BVFD's legal concerns) that BVFD had no rights to its trucks and that our engines should be handed over to KCFR. Which they were.

We are told that the story will air at either 5 or 6 p.m. Please tune in!

Two new members voted in!

At our business meeting on Wednesday night we voted in two new BVFD members.

Welcome Travis and David!

West Texas under danger alert

March 7, 2008

West Texas under fire danger alert
Vacationers and campers urged to use caution

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – A combination of weather factors forecast for the next few days, plus tinder-dry grasses and vegetation have resulted in the National Weather Service to issue Fire Weather Watches in far West Texas for this weekend. Low relative humidity and strong, gusty wind conditions are on tap for at least the next few days.

With the “Spring Break” season comes those taking vacations that include many outdoor activities, especially in the Big Bend area.

“Our grasses are not in spring green-up yet,” said John Morlock, fire management officer for Big Bend National Park. “We don’t have the flower display that we usually have, and the dry grasses are cured and ready to promote the spread of a wildfire.”

Morlock continued saying that historically during the month of March; three out of four fires in the park are human-caused. “We are asking our visitors to make an impact and help us prevent these types of fires.”

Citizens and visitors are urged to be extremely cautious during this period of critical fire danger. Some precautions suggested by Texas Forest Service include:
· Check with local authorities for Outdoor Burning Bans
· Your vehicles, including ATVs, can start a fire if parked or driven in dry grass
· Be sure tow chains are secure and don’t drag on the roadway
· When grilling, place your barbeque over cement; be sure coals are completely out when you are through (douse them thoroughly with water)

Morlock also urged caution with campfires and backpacking stoves.

For more information on fire weather danger and advisories, go to http://tfsnews.tamu.edu/ and click on Wildfire Information.

Texas Forest Service News

Local and state fire resources remain on alert

Proactive attack saves lives and homes

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – When Texas Forest Service (TFS) and the National Weather Service began forecasting extreme fire weather danger earlier this week, TFS wasted no time activating preparedness measures and pre-positioning firefighting personnel and equipment to areas of the state predicted to be at highest risk. As it turns out, this preparation paid off.

The highest fire danger this year occurred on Monday (Feb. 25), and fire behavior was extreme. All available Texas Forest Service resources were committed to the fire fighting effort, including resources from east Texas and all available aircraft from the Texas Air National Guard. At the height of the fight, 1,000 gallon water drops from helitankers did little to slow advancing flame fronts. Tactics switched from offensive suppression efforts to the direct protection of homes and other assets on that day.

T. K. Kennedy, a helicopter manager in Abilene, summarized the day’s events, “We dropped 38,000 gallons of water today, mostly in people’s backyards.”

“Five communities were evacuated,” said James Hull, state forester and director of TFS. “Luckily, everyone was able to return to their homes that night.”

The severity of this year’s fire season is one of the worst seasons on record. Since January 2008, fires have consumed over 500,000 acres and destroyed 300 structures; however, an estimated 5,622 structures were saved.

Governor Perry has issued state disaster proclamations for 216 of the state’s 254 counties in response to the fire danger.

No significant relief is in sight. The long range forecast calls for a strong cold front to cross the state at the beginning of the week, with showers and thunderstorms likely for the eastern half of Texas and a chance of rain and snow in the Panhandle. Little or no rain is expected across far west Texas. Drier, cooler air will spread over all of the state by Tuesday, remaining in place through the end of the week. Fire risk will remain elevated west of Interstate 35 and critical in the Trans Pecos area. Therefore, local and state resources remain on alert.

“The local fire departments are our first line of defense,” said Mark Stanford, fire operations chief for Texas Forest Service. “They have reported to us that they responded to 3,060 fires so far this year for a total of 148,310 acres of the overall acres burned.”

Cooperating and assisting state agencies during the fire season include: Governor's Division of Emergency Management, Texas Department of Public Safety, TX Air National Guard, TX State Fire Marshall's Office and Texas Parks and Wildlife and Texas AgriLife Extension.

Out-of-state resources from Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Montana and Virginia are providing relief and additional support. Assisting federal resources include the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management.

Citizens are urged to be extremely cautious during this period of critical fire danger. Some precautions suggested by Texas Forest Service include:

• Check with local authorities for Outdoor Burning Bans
• Your vehicle can start a fire if parked or driven in dry grass. ATVs and farming equipment can also start a fire if parked on the grass.
• Store flammable liquids properly.
• Remove dry vegetation from under electric fences.
• When welding, use a spotter, clear the area of dry vegetation, and have a water source handy. • Be sure tow chains are secure and don’t drag on the roadway.
• When grilling, place your barbeque over cement; be sure coals are dead out when you’re through (douse them thoroughly with water).

For more information on fire weather danger and advisories, go to http://tfsnews.tamu.edu/ and click on Wildfire Information.

Aww, shucks.

Thanks to Ann Legg for her glowing Letter to the Editor in this week's The Brackett News. And we're all so sorry about the loss of your property, but very grateful that no one was hurt.

This week's paper also has this in its community news:

Kinney County Commissioner's Court voted in a special called meeting on Monday, to extend a burn ban on Kinney County for a 90 day period which excludes exemptions in the previous ban.

What this burn ban basically means is that no one can burn, period, even if they've followed prescribed burn ban procedure. For various reasons, some I understand and some I'm sure I'm entirely unaware of, Kinney County law enforcement has been unable to enforce the burn ban in Kinney County, it's a shame but those guys have a lot on their shoulders. Here's hoping that this burn ban extension will make it easier to enforce the ban and, with any luck, make people realize that now is NOT the time to burn.

It's no wonder why people are so desperate to burn that they will defy burn bans. A burn kills off, or at least damages, a lot of inedible trees and brush. Even without rain a burned field pops back with lush, green grasses in just a week or two. It's so odd to see a lush green field surrounded by fields of dry, dead grasses. Lush green grasses are free food for cattle, goats, sheep, deer, and various other livestock and wildlife. It's expensive to have to buy feed during a drought for all your animals. And we've been in this drought for a long while. But the danger posed by burning during a drought is great. With the gusty winds we have and the super dry conditions, a wildfire can get out of control in a flash. When this happens, homes, livestock, equipment, structures, vehicles, fences, and people maybe in danger. It's a very big risk and not worth what could be lost.

BVFD members give what they got

Our trucks may be out of our possession at the moment, but we haven't run out of ways to serve.

The Rio Grande Electric Cooperative in Brackettville, TX hosted a blood drive by the South Texas Blood & Tissue Center. Donors got a free t-shirt and some gentle treatment by the "vampires." They seemed like a happy, if thirsty, bunch of folks.

BVFD welcomes its newest member!

Welcome Erica!

Some of the gang

The guys consented to a group shot after tonight's meeting 'cuz Jack (gray shirt, front row) wanted one for his girlfriend. Kissie lovey mushies from Jack to Carla! Seemed as good an excuse as any for a group photo, of which we have few.

The guys are flashing their "Ever Alert" cowboy fireman cups.

I'll fill in the rest of the guys names soon, I don't have everybody sorted out in my head yet. Sorry guys!