Unburned: Wildfire Safety Despite Climate Changes

FEBRUARY 12, 2018 — BY JACKIE DANZEL

In the summer of 2017, I turned to investigating wildfires in California and along the western states that are prone to the key ingredients of fire: dryness and fuel. Life on the West Coast is hard to come by without mention of the unthinkable road closures, families relocating, natural resources, and severe loss. The culprit being the forces of nature’s most destructive temper. In the West Coast, nearly everyone considering themselves to be a resident has a story about wildfires, some more upsetting than others. With every new wildfire in the area, a fear of uncertainty looms nearer. Each ember sparks a sense of responsibility in citizens to inform anyone who will listen about fire safety.

 

“You aren’t allowed to smoke here,” says a photographer to a few hikers. Out of breath from the uphill climb on the Hollywood Sign, he hangs his camera on one of the Wisdom Tree’s low-hanging branches. Despite his warning, the hikers keep smoking. They are facing South, away from where the wildfires torched parts of Burbank not more than a week earlier.

 

The national headlines sputter a barrage of sad stories every time a flame gets loose, and every time a house burns down when the wildfires get out of control or when a person is caught in the flames, reports surge around the nation. It is an attempt to prepare the masses for consequences of a changing climate and keep people updated as scientists search for solutions. Despite personal belief in climate change, or political affiliation, the value of human life is at stake, and nobody questions the appreciation for the emergency workers fighting fires. In the interest of preserving human life, the fire shelter is invented and used by all wood-land firefighters, but it is in need of funding if its design is going to improve.

West Coast Wildfires Cause Great Concern

November 15, 2017 — BY JACKIE DANZEL

National News

Climate change is shown by the increase of natural disasters, but wildfires aren’t always nature’s choice. Research suggests four out of five wildfires are caused by people, including acts of arson and campfires gone horribly wrong. These deadly and horrifying occurrences are more frequent when the climate is hot and dry. To make matters worse, the forests near “at risk valuables” are making a steady supply of fuel (creating their own fuel). Plenty of forest management practices have been developed by generations of firefighters, native peoples and farmers— practices which are in some ways stunning the impact of a climate change on areas prone to wildfires.

Actions being done to slow down or reverse a climate change are covered in this in-depth report. Sadly, this situation is getting out of hand, and valuable in the form of lives, natural resources and property are being lost during some uncontrollable wildfires. This  investigation reveals what is at stake for those effected by wildfires and the report issued by the scientific community.

 

• In 2017, Los Angeles County experienced some of the worst wildfires in its history. This story gives real accounts from West Coast residents living next to the blaze.

 

• Experts in design for fire protocol are continuing to perfect their patented, life-saving technology. Marvel over what experts in the South East US are doing to bring emergency workers home safe after battling blazes in this profile of modern-day American heroism. The back-up plan if fires get out of hand is known as The National Strategy.

• Major natural disasters happen all over the world, but when they happen within national borders it seems that the solution at hand to deal with this crisis lies in organizing and planning. There are certainly ways for the Mid-Atlantic to get involved in this issue.