San Diego Wildfires Powerpoint

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Causes of Forest Fires

Causes of Forest Fires

There are many contributions to forest fires, both due to humans and natural causes. Forest fires need fuel, oxygen, and heat in order to survive. The fuel is provided through bushes, trees, and houses, oxygen is a given since it is everywhere, and the natural climate of California provides the heat. Wood reacts at 572 degrees with oxygen to produce a flame; things such as lightening, camp fire sparks, and flint help wood start this reaction.

Other causes of Forest Fires:

1. Man’s negligence
- along roadways
- in rural areas
- in wooded areas
- along railway lines
- tourists recreational activities
- fire-cracks, rockets, other explosives
- dumping and burning of illegal wastes
- bad maintenance of electrical lines
- broken or fallen wires

2. Forces of nature

3. Earthquakes (1906 San Francisco earthquake)

4. Sparks from trains or other locomotives

5. Burning and clearing of land

6. Intent on seeking advantages, such as opening new trails

7. Arson

8. Weather (temperature, humidity, precipitation, and wind)

9. Steep slopes offer greater potential for increased fire intensity (making it more difficult to fight the fire)

10. In 2006 83% of forest fires were started by human activities

11. smokers (dropping cigarettes or matches into brush)

Solutions

It is important to understand that wildfires may occur as a natural process. It can be a way that the environment can cleanse itself. The key is to look at long term solutions. These solutions will place an emphasis on the root causes of extreme wildfires and how to minimize the impact on communities.

First, there must be a change in fire suppression policies.

• “North American forest management policies and practices over the past 100 years have had the unfortunate consequence of creating conditions that make forest fires burn hotter and with greater severity. During this time, fires have been put out as quickly as possible in order to “protect” timber and private property. The problem is that this allows dead plant matter (dead trees, fallen branches, leaves, small shrubs, brush) to collect on the forest floor, which creates larger and larger “fuel loads”. So instead of small fires that occur frequently, we end up with large fires that create incredible damage.”

Second, there must be a change to how we design our communities.

• More and more people are moving further and further into forested areas, which greatly increase the length of the border between forests and homes. This boundary between forests and human settlement is referred to as the ‘wildland-urban interface’. The ever-increasing size of this interface not only increases the chance of contact with fire, but it dilutes the limited firefighting resources. Firefighters focus on saving houses and families before they work at the source of the fire. This is clearly the right choice, but bringing in more firefighters and water bombers may not be the best way to prevent forest fires from destroying our homes.

Third, there still needs to be a continuation of education on how to prevent man-made fires with a stronger effort to prevent climate change.

• The increase in hot, dry weather is likely the result of global climate change, and it is predicted to get worse. The hot weather dehydrates the fuel on the forest floor, creating perfect conditions for fire. The dryness of the weather also prevents fire dampening from rain.

While there are areas where “thinning” a forest can help, it is a very expensive endeavor. Most of the trees that need to be removed are small in diameter, and have little or no commercial value. Therefore, in order to offset the very high cost of thinning, logging companies are often given the rights to cut the large, old, fire-resistant trees in the forest. This compromises the intent to thin the forest to protect ecosystem values, as this type of logging does not mimic natural patterns, and fire resistant trees are removed. Furthermore, the impact on sensitive soils from machinery used in logging damages the ecosystem. Forest 101 Solutions

California News Article

Lockheed Martin's CC-130J Delivers Solution to Wildfires

Key Terms

Key Terms-Related to Wildfires

• Environmental Sociology

• Environmental Justice

• Global Warming

• Deforestation

• Wildfire Social Inequality

• Loss of Productive Farmland

• Deforestation

• Soil Erosion

• Desertification(desert,dry land)

• Diminish Fertile Land

Premeditated, Structural, Equivocal Betrayals in San Diego

Premeditated Betrayal

“Premeditated Betrayal can be defined as cases where powerful individuals and organizations intentionally act in a craver, reckless and self-serving manner” (Gunter, Kroll-Smith, Volatile Places, 73). In applying this concept to the wildfire that spread throughout many counties in California, including San Diego, there may not be a specific powerful organization whose actions placed the community in harms way due to the fact that no one agencies, governmental or non governmental created this disaster. With that there were many initial reasons for these fires to have ignited. Events like human carelessness, as in arson and climate factors, seasons of droughts. Several fires were noted to have been triggered by power lines damaged by high winds. One fire started by an overturned semi-truck and a 10 year old boy admitted that he accidentally started the buckweed fire playing with matches. These are just examples of how human nature may influence Mother Nature in negatives ways.

When thinking about private companies that may be involved in helping with these fires, the companies involved usually would not have made a profit. The fire departments are there to help and other community organizations are there to help those who have lost many possessions from these fires. There was fire donation centers established where residents that were affected by the fires would “shop” for lost items. In times of crisis, government agencies and local agencies are found in unison. The different agencies are there to help those in need. However, it may be true that local agencies will stay longer to help than governmental agencies. President Bush order federal aid to this area form the U.S. Armed Forces, the U.S. National Guard as well as 3,000 prisoners convicted of non-violent crimes were sent into help. Another governmental agency that had a dominant role was FEMA. As the FEMA website states: “FEMA continues to work side-by-side with state officials and other federal partners engaged in the recovery efforts to multiple wildfires across Southern California.” Other events or agencies that were present at the time of the fires were the community aid group “Fallbrook After the Ashes,” Sally Hales of the Hope Foundation, and Helping hands Disaster Relief Foundation to name a few.

At this time there was a lot of media attention given to the area and attention started to drift away from Hurricane Katerina. Although both areas deserve much attention, the area in California is higher in socio-economic status. Where in Louisiana there was much looting occurring in the area and even though this area may need more attention, the wildfires took over. The socio-economic status of a community definitely plays a large role in gaining media attention and sympathy from the public
History of San Diego

Structural Betrayal / Equivocal Betrayal

“Structural and equivocal betrayal may be closely related. Structural betrayal can be defined as situations where residents perceive serious failure on the part of powerful organizations, but this occurs in the absence of any intent on the part of governments/corporations to behave in a negative manner” (Gunter, Kroll-Smith, Volatile Places, 73). When thinking about the damage wildfires can cause to a community, there is a lot of damage to fix. One major issue is rebuilding the community. This can be thought of in regards to physically rebuilding the community as well as the community’s morale. Rebuilding people homes and lifestyle is another big issue. Also, air quality is damaged as well as soil, plant, and wildlife health. There is a lot of attention needed in many different areas. The fires and their smoke pose a number of health risks including serious respiratory ailments reaching far beyond the wildfire boundaries. Smoke can hurt your eyes, irritate your respiratory system, and worsen chronic heart and lung diseases. US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) publicized the effects fires may have on its victims.
HHS advises that people in the affected areas take precautions, and recommends taking the following protective actions:

• Limit exposure to smoke
• Listen to local air quality reports.
• Follow your doctor's advice if you have asthma or another lung disease.
• Do not rely on dust masks commonly found at hardware stores for protection. These masks will not protect your lungs from smoke.

Citizens in the affected area are urged to listen for messages from state and local emergency officials and be aware of evacuation and sheltering orders in their communities.
California Fires


BBC News article about President Bush

Considering there are not many new problems created from this issue, many agencies are willing to work together to help this community. Also, in situations of natural disasters, citizens of the United States may expect the government to step in and take control of helping the people affected. In San Diego, one notable government agency that helped is FEMA. “President Bush has issued a major disaster declaration for California and ordered greater federal aid to supplement state and local response activities in the affected areas. Federal resources began mobilizing as early as Sunday, October 21, and authorized federal funds to reimburse the state for certain costs incurred under FEMA’s Fire Management Assistance Grant Program. Under those grants, FEMA pays for 75 percent of the state’s eligible fire-fighting costs. Eligible costs include equipment, supplies, and emergency work evacuations, shelters and traffic control. A major disaster declaration for California was granted Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2007, for seven affected California counties (Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara and Ventura). FEMA & Response

Apart of the FEMA website are recommendations on how to re build after a wildfire. Returning to your fire-damaged home will undoubtedly be an emotional experience. But as you go about the task of rebuilding, there are many ways to rebuild safer, stronger, smarter and more resilient to wildfires. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has teamed with Firewise Communities, the Federal Alliance for Safe Housing, and the Institute for Business and Home Safety to provide information about rebuilding after a fire. Strategies for preventing future damage include:

• Consider using materials such as Class-A asphalt shingles, slate or clay tile, metal or cement, and concrete products for roof construction.
• Construct a fire-resistant sub-roof for added protection.
• Use fire resistant materials such as stucco or masonry for exterior walls.
• Prevent sparks from entering your home through vents by covering exterior attic and underfloor vents with wire mesh no larger than 1/8 of an inch.
• Keep your gutters, eaves, and roof clear of leaves and other debris.
  FEMA Suggestions

Another organization that is highly recognizable in the time of a disaster is the American Red Cross. One of the relief efforts seen from The Red Cross was that they reserved motel rooms for the workers who wanted to aide in helping with the California wildfires.
“With more than a dozen fires burning out-of-control over a wide geography and with hundreds of thousands of people evacuated, the Red Cross made every effort in the first days of the disaster to send adequate resources and volunteers to southern California. Part of that preparation meant acquiring space to house disaster workers. As the scope of the response over the next days proved smaller than first anticipated, the Red Cross quickly reduced the number of disaster workers deployed. Despite an overall successful relief operation, the Red Cross has determined that it paid for 6,074 motel room nights which went unused during the response to last October’s wildfires, and the organization pledged to refund that money to the community’s wildfire recovery program. The number of unused rooms was approximately 22% of the 27,714 room nights booked during the wildfires. The rooms, which were reserved as quickly as possible house disaster workers, were booked at several motels in the San Diego area.”
San Diego Red Cross

Costs and Benefits

Cost and Benefits

There are many costs associated with forest fires and many organizations have been designed to help control financial distribution. The San Diego Foundation plays a large role in providing financial assistance. In 2003 nearly 3,500 structures were destroyed due to forest fires. The After the Fire Fund was established to receive donations in order to make grants to non-profit organizations that engaged in disaster relief. Costs associated with forest fires include health and human services, environmental damages, rebuilding communities, and restoring land.

There are many legal restrictions when it comes to distributing costs; these include accounting requirements, designing criteria, and processes to select and verify recipients of the funds. Some organizations need help distributing funds so it is recommended that donations be made to specific non-profit organizations, such as LEAD San Diego, to demonstrate the best practices and lessons learned. It has been suggested that other organizations, such as The Foundation as the Center for Charitable Giving, should create guidelines for funds to achieve their charitable purpose; communities want to use the Foundations methods rather than their own so it will be effective. Guidelines are helpful because although organizations attempt to evenly and fairly distribute money there are tensions among groups. Money is not always evenly distributed to neighborhoods, consumer and merchants, family matters, small businesses, and land lord/tenant issues. This brings on horizontal disputes (groups with different opinions). Unfortunately there is not always a method for solving these disputes and about 80% of mediations end with a voluntary agreement between the parties involved.

Although costs would seem to bring more problems to the people of San Diego they also come with few benefits. For example the community is able to come together; there are certain events that take place to celebrate and mark progress made in forest fire relief. There is also increased communication and shared knowledge throughout the community. People are able to share helpful information by organizing work shops and other such events to better prepare citizens for forest fires and what actions should be taken.

Uncertainty and Disputes

Sources of Uncertainty:

When environmental disasters take place normally there is a dispute over who caused it or who is to blame. The San Diego wildfire disaster is different because there is not a dispute about who is to blame for the fires. The San Diego fires can be classified into two different sorts of disputes. First, it is a Conservancy dispute. Conservancy disputes are described by disagreements over defining and protecting natural areas. This applies to the San Diego Wildfires because since the fires have occurred, disputes have dealt with how to protect the land in the future. One problem that has occurred is with fire hydrants and with water shortages.

The San Diego wildfires can also be considered an exposure dispute. An exposure dispute is a fight against a disaster that has already occurred. This applies to the San Diego Wildfires because the dispute is not a about how the fire started. The community is disputing with each other and the government about how deal with the fires since they have started. Also, since the fires have started the community has come across a number of problems. Some disputes that repeatedly occur deal with insurance and debris removal.

One of the causes of wildfires is global warming. The San Diego Declaration explains that global warming makes wildfires much harder to control and manage. There is a lot of evidence that proves that global warming has a direct link to wildfires.

There is not a lot of controversy about whether the wildfires will strike again in California. Most agree that if efforts to stop global warming are not made, the wildfires will continue to spread in the future. As time goes on without changes being made, the danger in the future increases.

The fires are measured in a few ways. One way is the number of acres that are burnt. When discussing wildfires the percentage of fire that was contained and what percentage was not is also measured. The damage of the fire is also measured in the number of causalities and injuries.

The Vertical Axis of Knowledge Disputes

Local residents are not questioning what experts say about the wildfires. The experts blame a lot of the fires on global warming. The majority of people do not deny that global warming is occurring. San Diego residents heard about global warming’s effects on other parts of the country and are now personally suffering the painful effects.

The San Diego wildfires caused some vertical wildfires. A vertical conflict is a conflict that takes place between the community and the government. Often the disputes are over the validity and reliability of tests and measurements. The reason there is not a vertical conflict is because the people of San Diego realize that the facts are correct. They can not argue the number of fires that started or the damage it caused.

Some disputes between the government did take place however. For example, the disaster area has received some financial assistance. FEMA requires the people of San Diego to register and apply for assistance. Also FEMA completed inspections where the fires damaged property. These inspections were likely to create disputes because many people were unhappy with the how FEMA reported the damage. The people of California had disputes with not only insurance companies but also with the government about how much aid and assistance they felt they deserved. ALE (Additional Living Expenses) issues also are a problem. As a result of the fire many people were left unemployed. People in the San Diego area were forced to look for assistance so that they were able to survive. They went to the government when looking for this assistance.

The Horizontal Axis of Knowledge Disputes

The San Diego wildfires also caused horizontal arguments. Horizontal arguments occur between groups in a community with opposing opinions about environmental troubles. These disputes tend to occur in most disasters because when a tragedy occurs people are under stress and conflicts are likely to arise. People feel as though resources and assistance may not be distributed evenly. Also, people have different opinions on how the disaster should be handled. When controversies like this occur, they can be defined as Horizontal disputes. All together, the community joined forces well to deal with the disaster.