FirefightingHistoric drought complicates firefighting in California
The twenty-one wild fires which have erupted in different parts of the state have already cost lives, dozens of homes, and millions of dollars in damages. To fight fires, firefighters need water – and although state water and fire officials say that, so far, there is no danger of running out of water, they are conscious of the state’s water predicament and they are trying to be more careful in the use of water. The persistent drought has forced crews to get creative, using more dirt and retardant on wildfires. Firefighting response to several blazes has been slowed down by the drought, because firefighting helicopters found it impossible to siphon water from lakes and ponds where water levels were lower than in previous years. In the past, property owners whose properties were threatened by fire, would allow firefighting crews to tap water on their property, and would then be compensated by cash reimbursements from the state. Now, many property owners demand instead that the state replenish the water used by firefighters to protect the owners’ property.
The historic, five-year drought in California has already prompted the state authorities to impose the first water restrictions in state history, but it also serves as an example of how climate change-driven developments may have unanticipated cascading consequences.
The twenty-one wild fires which have erupted in different parts of the state have already cost lives, dozens of homes, and millions of dollars in damages. To fight fires, firefighters need water – and although state water and fire officials told the Wall Street journal that, so far, there is no danger of running out of water, they are conscious of the state’s water predicament and they are trying to be more careful in the use of water.
The WSJ notes that this water-conscious approach to firefighting means, for example, that air tankers are being sent farther to a water source, using dirt or flame retardants instead of water, and that firefighters are doing more controlled burns to prevent the spread of major blazes.
The state’s dire water situation has another manifestation: In the past, property owners whose properties were threatened by fire, would allow firefighting crews to tap water on their property, and would then be compensated by cash reimbursements from the state. Now, many property owners demand instead that the state replenish the water used by firefighters to protect the owners’ property.
“People are beginning now to think that water is more valuable than money,” Janet Upton, a deputy director for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFire) told WSJ. “It just shows how precious the resource is.”
CalFire says that the effects of global warming require a dynamic approach to mapping water resources available for firefighting, and that the mapping should be constantly updated identify where water is still available — and where it is not.
“Just because we’ve used Farmer Johnson’s duck pond five years ago, we may not be able to do that today,” Upton said.
California Governor Jerry Brown did not mince words on Friday, when he declared a state of emergency and said historic drought and sweltering temperatures “turned much of the state into a tinderbox.”
Firefighting response to several blazes has been slowed down by the drought, because firefighting helicopters found it impossible to siphon water from lakes and ponds where water levels were lower than in previous years.
“Many traditional water sources have dried up or are too shallow,” Mark Ghilarducci, director of the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, told WSJ. Sending aircraft farther “slows the process down a little. We try to fill the gaps with fire retardant.”
Ghilarducci said officials have been surveying and mapping water sources for months and sending out field observers to investigate the firefighting viability of water sources as the drought transformed the state’s water landscape.
A spokesman for the California Department of Water Resources said that state fire officials may order the use of reservoirs if necessary, but that the state does not track the use of reservoirs for firefighting purposes. He said that, in any event, the use of reservoir water is “relatively negligible.”
The U.S. Forest Service said that, currently, 14,800 firefighters from the agency were engaged across the U.S. West in fighting twenty-six uncontained blazes in eight states. Fire officials say that what used to be a seasonal event has now become a year-round battle.
