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.

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.

Last Night's City Council Meeting

City Council met last night and on the agenda was discussion of the recently formed Kinney County Fire & Rescue and a proposed agreement between KCFR and the City for fire suppression and support (from the City in the form of money, water, and equipment). There are fancier terms for how it was written on the agenda but I don't have the agenda here in front of me.

When item number 14 came around, KCFR discussion (with possible action), it started off okay. Everybody talked about making nice. An interim fire chief has been appointed for KCFR and there is reportedly one dozen volunteers just waiting to get out there and protect Kinney County in the name of KCFR. No one with the City or the County seems to care that Texas statutes prevent a county run fire department from having volunteers. This is perplexing. Seems kind of dangerous to accept all the grants Bruce Hudgens (Kinney County Emergency Services Director) reports he has acquired for KCFR because once Texas Forest Service realizes that KCFR is county run, not member run, KCFR is gonna have to give that money back, y'all. That is, providing, those grants were given with the understanding that KCFR is a volunteer department. The only way you can have a paid/volunteer department is to have a department that is established as not-for-profit and is run by its members. KCFR is not a not-for-profit organization nor is it run by its members.

Anyway, after all this 'make nice' talk one of the council members began his bid to give two of BVFD's trucks over to the county. BVFD only has three working trucks. Matt Bland, the council member bent on handing over BVFD equipment, pushed and pushed and pushed to give those trucks to KC. He's ready to write a check for $10,000 (part of the proposed agreement between KC and the City) to the County and give over two trucks (some seriously damaged trucks but running trucks noneth less) to the County so they can start their fire department up right.

When I complained about giving such run down trucks to the county he said some things that implied that the trucks aren't worth keeping anyway, run down as they are. If that's true, what the heck does KCFR want them for? They've already ordered themselves a nice, new pumper truck. They can't get a grant for a couple of brush trucks? They have to take our busted up trucks? Texas Forest Service paid for one of our brush trucks. That money was given to BVFD, not the City of Brackettville. That much is online at TFS for anyone to read. We're 99.9% sure that the City has no right to give away that particular truck and we're pretty sure they can't give away our other trucks either.

Does it make sense to you why a volunteer department has to be crippled so that a new, county run, supposedly grant-rich fire department can get on its feet? Have I mentioned that county run fire departments cannot legally drive around in beat-up old fire engines? Nope. There are standards with a paid, county run fire department. Volunteer departments can bypass those standards thus saving rural communities like ours a bundle of bucks.

BVFD would be glad to have a well-funded, highly trained, super duper equipped paid department to work with in Kinney County. But not if it means we have to give up our trucks to make it happen.

I don't know how long it takes to repair those big fire engines. These are in bad shape. They're in bad shape because neither the city nor the county has seen fit to pony up the funds for repairs on the trucks in at least one year. But now they're willing to fund a brand spanking new, paid fire department and fix up our old trucks but only if the new department is driving them? Is it me or is this starting to sound personal?

But back to how long it takes to fix out of date fire engines. What's Brackettville and Kinney County supposed to do for fire suppression while KCFR is fixing up their (our) new (used) trucks? There are two fires in the county right now, at this very moment. One is a controlled burn (not authorized by the state but reportedly following the state's guidelines for a controlled burn) north of town and grassfire east of town. No idea yet on the cause of the second fire, it was called in by a pilot who saw it from the air about and hour and a half ago.

What happens if a fire sparks up while both engines are in the shop? BVFD cannot fight any fire effectively with one brush truck. And brush trucks aren't pumper trucks. Pumper trucks can hook up to fire hydrants and poor endless amounts of water on a structure fire. Brush trucks carry a limited amount of water and are not designed for structure fires. Speaking of which, why in the heck is KCFR getting a brand new pumper truck when well over 90% of the fires in KC are wildfires? You can't fight a wildfire with a pumper truck.

Fortunately three council members did not agree with Matt Bland last night. The Mayor seemed to and certainly tried to support Mr. Bland as well as he could at the meeting. But Mary Flores, Ponce Padron, and Chica Garza voted to table the whole affair so that it could be hashed out between BVFD and KCFR. Thank you Ms. Flores. Thank you Mr. Padron. Thank you Ms. Garza.
By the way, no one approached BVFD prior to this meeting to discuss giving away their trucks. The City continues to ignore BVFD's insistence that those trucks don't belong to the City. It is our belief that those trucks are ours. No one has bothered to research it further than to look at the titles on the trucks. Unfortunately, the City of Brackettville has a lot of blank spots in its records. BVFD may never be able to prove through City documentation that their trucks are their trucks. But they can get affidavits from several people who were at those meetings and can testify that, yes, the trucks were put in the City's name for insurance purposes only and that the trucks have always been BVFD equipment. Also, no one ever asked BVFD to come together with KCFR to discuss the needs of either department and what one might be able to provide the other. You'd think before you decided to cripple an entire volunteer fire department (with somewhere around 20 members) by giving away 2/3's of their vehicles you'd let them know ahead of time. Not in Brackettville, TX.

One other thing about the meeting that was rather annoying was that Mr. Bland insisted on talking about the "city's fire department" and how no one was suggesting that the "city's fire department be disbanded." Mr Bland, the City of Brackettville does not have a fire department. BVFD is its own entity. It is run by its members. The City can't disband them. No one can except its own members. We suggest, Mr. Bland, Mr. Mayor, and the entire City Council, that you educate yourselves a bit on these issues before you allow BVFD to be crippled and before you allow the only protection against fire that Kinney County currently has to be taken away.

Burn Bans don't apply to everyone

This is what can happen when you think you know better than the Texas Forest Service about Burn Bans. The owner of the Kinney County property pictured in this series of photos (just click them to enlarge them) decided late yesterday afternoon to burn a little patch of his land despite the burn ban. His fire got out of control and threatened farms and ranches on every side of his property. It was literally within feet of one of the fire department member's family's property. It was right across the road from a very large and active farm in the county.

In Texas you can have a controlled burn on your property if you will allow the state to help you. It's free! But not during a burn ban. The reason is because it's too dangerous. If this landowner would have had just a little patience he could have had all the help he wanted with his controlled burn with very little risk to his property or that of his neighbors. But, no, like so many farmers and ranchers everywhere he decided he was experienced enough and smart enough to organize his own controlled burn and this is the result.

Instead of burning a tiny sliver of land on his property as he intended, he instead burned at least half or more of his property. No structures were damaged. The land will pop right back up from this fire. Ultimately this fire will be a help to his property. He'll probably have to replace some fencing. But he's very lucky that the Brackettville Volunteer Fire Department was able to come out and get the fire under control before it spread to other properties where it could easily have destroyed crops, homes, structures, vehicles, livestock, or even people.
Burn bans DO apply to everyone and with good reason. Please, if you must burn, just wait until the burn ban is lifted. The state will help you. It's free. And it's oh so much safer.

Above: Just this narrow strip of caliche separated the property with the uncontrolled "controlled" fire and the working ranch next to it. Sparks can cross a caliche road as easy as you please.

Below: This two lane road was the only thing in between a large, local, working farm and the raging grassfire a stone's throw away. Thousands of dollars worth of equipment (just out of shot) were at risk not to mention the property itself.

Lucky for this landowner, Kinney County law enforcement doesn't have the man power to enforce burn bans. This landowner will not be fined unless one of his neighbors chooses to press charges for endangering their property. In any other county with law enforcement that has the time and man (or woman) power, this landowner would have had a hefty fine filed against him. As it stands, there will be no consequences to this landowner for his actions. For this reason many Brackettville residents and Kinney County landowners burn whenever it suits them. Thankfully, they are few. Most people are smart enough to know how dangerous this is. But it only takes one fire on the right day to destroy more than just weeds, brush, and a few thousand feet of mesquite fencing. A dry enough day when the winds are just right and a fire like this will be truly devastating.