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In America, you can solve ANY problem with a gun

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Author Topic: In America, you can solve ANY problem with a gun  (Read 2135 times)
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reality
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« on: August 23, 2015, 08:10:16 am »

...get the Kiwis in...problem solved..no guns required Tongue



US summons firefighters from New Zealand, Australia to battle blazes  video
 
A federal state of emergency has been declared in Washington state, as more than 30,000 firefighters battle wildfires sweeping across the bone-dry region. Jillian Kitchener reports.

First they called in the US military - and Canadian firefighting support.

But with the nation still at wildfire preparedness Level 5 - the highest there is - and spending US$150 million (NZ$224 million) per week fighting fires, it still hasn't been enough.

So now, 71 firefighters from half the world away, Australia and New Zealand, are being called up to help, according to the National Interagency Fire Centre.

A firefighter pulls a fire hose as he works to battle the so-called "Cabin Fire" in the Angeles National Forest near Los Angeles, California.
JONATHAN ALCORN/REUTERS
A firefighter pulls a fire hose as he works to battle the so-called "Cabin Fire" in the Angeles National Forest near Los Angeles, California.

FAST FACTS

• 76 fires are burning across the US
• NZ$244 million is being spent per week fighting them
• In Washington state, three firefighters have been killed
• Fire season started with a 20,600 square kilometre fire
• In comparison, Wellington is 290sq km, Auckland is 1086sq km

READ MORE: A fire chief called for help. There was no-one to respond

"We currently remain at National Preparedness Level 5, our resources are fully committed and there are no season-ending weather events in the foreseeable forecast," said National Multi-Agency Co-ordinating Group chair Aitor Bidaburu in a statement.

"Because of the current level of commitment and forecast, having fire management expertise from Australian and New Zealand firefighters will be of tremendous help as we continue suppressing ongoing fires."

Okanogan County Firefighter Tyler Stevenson sprays down a hillside near a structure after the Okanogan Complex Fire swept through in Riverside, Washington.

Okanogan County Firefighter Tyler Stevenson sprays down a hillside near a structure after the Okanogan Complex Fire swept through in Riverside, Washington. Photo: REUTERS

As of Thursday, there were 76 large fires across the United States, including 14 in California, 17 in Idaho, 11 in Montana, 12 in Oregon and 16 in Washington.

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To see why more help is needed, you need only read this Los Angeles Times story, about a Washington state fire chief in Stevens County, Rick Anderson, who had to fight off a blaze with a "small crew of volunteers" after his repeated calls for help went unanswered.

As the story reads:

First, he called surrounding fire agencies for help. They were already overwhelmed by other wildfires.

"Nobody came," he said.

Next, he called the county.

"Nobody came," said Anderson, who also works as a communications specialist for the sheriff's office.

Then he called the Washington Department of Natural Resources.

"They had nobody to come help us," he said.

Also in Washington state, three firefighters died this week, fighting a blaze when their vehicle apparently crashed and a fire overtook them.



Firefighters work to dig a fire line on the Rocky Fire in Lake County, California, on July 30. Photo: MAX WHITTAKER/REUTERS

"These were three big heroes protecting small towns," Washington Governor Jay Inslee said on Thursday. "These are people who were lost doing what firefighters do, which is to rush toward the fire, rather than away."

This is not the first time that the United States has relied on firefighters from so far away. There's a history of such international collaboration with Australia and New Zealand, going back to the year 2000, which the National Interagency Fire Centre says is "the first time their firefighters fought fires on American soil."

The United States has also sent its own firefighters to these countries when they need aid: 67 to Australia in 2007 and 73 in 2009.



Firefighters watch the Rocky Fire advance in Lake County, California. Photo: MAX WHITTAKER/REUTERS

The reason this works, according to the NIFC, is that the two countries are "very similar to the United States national fire organisation in training requirements and structure".

Superlatives are warranted when discussing this year's US wildfire season. It started out with a large burst of activity in Alaska — where 2.06 million hectares (20,600 square km) have burned so far, in the second worst wildfire year on record - and then shifted to the lower 48.



A firefighter flees as the Twisp River fire advances unexpectedly near Twisp, Washington, on August 20. Photo: DAVID RYDER/REUTERS

Here, the total acreage burned has not been so large (it's hard to compete with Alaska in this respect). But so many large fires have erupted in so many different states in the past week or more that the Level 5 preparedness designation was needed to attempt to fight them all simultaneously.

As of now, 2,918,171 hectares have been consumed, putting 2015 ahead of the pace of burn for all of the past 10 years.

It is only since 2004 the United States has seen a national wildfire season with over 3.2 million hectares burned, with reliable records going back to 1983. Starting with that year, there have been six of them.

MORE PHOTOS:

Fires burning in Oregon, Idaho and Washington state are shown captured by NASA's Terra satellite in this August 19, 2015 handout photo released to Reuters August 20, 2015.  Crews battling a flurry of wildfires raging unchecked in the Pacific Northwest braced on Thursday for high winds forecast in the region a day after three firefighters were killed and four others were injured in Washington state.  REUTERS/NASA/Handout via ReutersATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. THIS PICTURE IS DISTRIBUTED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS IMAGE. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS.

Fires burning in Oregon, Idaho and Washington state are captured by Nasa's Terra satellite in this August 19 photo.



A CAL FIRE spotter plane monitors the so-called "Rough Fire" in the Sierra National Forest, California, on August 20. California is suffering its worst drought on record. Photo: MAX WHITTAKER/REUTERS



A firefighter monitors a backfire in California in early August. Photo: STEPHEN LAM/REUTERS



Firefighters flee as the Twisp River fire advances unexpectedly near Twisp, Washington on August 20. Three firefighters in Washington state were killed and four injured while battling a wildfire threatening the town this week. More than a dozen major blazes burned in parched Western US states. Photo: DAVID RYDER/REUTERS



Smoke rises from the Twisp River fire near Twisp, Washington in this August 20 aerial photo. Photo: MIKE BONNICKSEN/WENATCHEE WORLD



Lake Roesiger firefighters keep an eye on flareups during the Okanogan Complex Fire in Riverside, Washington. Photo: JASON REDMOND/REUTERS



Smoke plumes rise from the so-called "Rough Fire" in the Sierra National Forest, California on August 20. Photo: MAX WHITTAKER

 - The Washington Post
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