Fire Commentary

摘要

If there was ever a time when the fire service found itself at a crossroad regarding the how, what, when, where, how much, and why of fighting wildland fires, it is now. Never before in our history have we faced such catastrophe from wildland fires, most of which we have brought on by decades of a fire restrictive policy and encroachment of the urban interface into the wildlands. The purposes of this article are to find out how best to improve safety and protect lives and property and to address a long-range wildland fire/prevention management plan at the local, state, and national levels. Last summer proved to be one of the most destructive and dangerous in memory. Approximately seven million acres of forest and rangeland burned, nearly double the 10-year average. Administration officials in the White House have called the situation a crisis. We as a vocation need to take a hard, thoughtful, and long look at ourselves, the way we fight wildland fires, and our off-season prevention measures.