#wildfire-preparedness

#wildfire-preparedness

Pratt, who starred in the MTV reality show The Hills, is front and center again in LA, comfortably playing the role of an outsider political candidate ready to take on an establishment Democratic machine that has failed to address public safety concerns in one of America's great cities. Can the MAGA-adjacent Pratt, who has pitched beefing up the city's police force and addressing water concerns after the Palisades Fire, actually win a race in a city that is among the most liberal in the country? Probably not. But for Pratt, the LA mayoral race is likely less about winning and more about excelling in an environment that can act as a proving ground.

I didn't think we could ever live here, let alone own a home, become part of a community, and eventually serve as mayor, outgoing mayor Matthew Hudes said. What a privilege all of that is.

Think about your own home. How often do you blow the leaves off your roof? Or sweep the debris off your front porch? Those are important because if an ember lands on them, they can catch fire. But we aren't doing that kind of maintenance on a regular basis. Anywhere we have debris accumulating on roofs, porches, decks, patio furniture - you might see piles of leaf debris on the corners of your deck - those are areas where embers are going to catch.

Prescribed burns are an important tool to burn excess vegetation, keep landscapes healthy and reduce the risk of destructive wildfires. But starting last week, some Forest Service staff were told not to conduct burns in preparation for a potential shutdown. "We were told, 'No ignitions,'" said a Forest Service fire management officer, who didn't want to be named for fear of losing his job. "'Don't even start.'"

Gavin Abundis watched as firefighter Adrian Chairez demonstrated how he uses pulleys and harnesses to rappel down buildings. You've probably seen it in the movies where they're going down Mission: Impossible style, Chairez said with a laugh one day this past winter as he prepared to step off a tower. We get to do that. Abundis, a then senior at Aptos high cchool in Santa Cruz county's Pajaro Valley unified school district,

It didn't cross Damon Covington's mind to become a firefighter until, he said, a voice "out of the blue" in his early 20s urged him to do it.

More than two hundred firefighters tackled three separate grass fires in east London on Monday evening. The fires burned eight hectares of grass, shrubland, and trees.

The fire service responded to a large grass fire covering a hectare of shrubland in Rainham, attended by 60 firefighters in eight fire engines.

The city had purchased firefighting equipment, including shovels, rakes, gunny sacks, and electric lanterns, to prepare for the 1925 wildfire season.

“Aguilar was among several students from Campbell Unified high schools awarded tools, equipment and scholarships at the May 16 event.”