Feinstein, Hunter: Changes needed to lessen future fires
By: ERICA WERNER - Associated Press | ∞
WASHINGTON ---- Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein and GOP Rep. Duncan Hunter called Sunday for policy changes so Southern California would be better prepared for the next wildfires.
Hunter said military firefighting aircraft must be allowed in the air without a "fire spotter" aboard ---- a requirement lawmakers have said kept some helicopters temporarily grounded as the fires broke out a week ago.
Feinstein said that as California's population booms, local communities should tighten building codes and keep big housing developments out of fire-prone areas in the path of Santa Ana winds.
"I think local jurisdictions have to use zoning more to provide for what we know is going to be a drier future and a more fiery future, to be candid with you," she said.
Both lawmakers, appearing on ABC's "This Week," called for more concerted brush-clearing efforts and regulations to keep scrub brush, which can fuel fires, away from homes.
Feinstein cited "community wildfire protection plans" that have defined 100-foot setbacks from homes, gravel instead of bushes around residences, and other measures.
"It works. It works where it's been tried," including some parts of San Diego, said Feinstein. She's included $3 million in a congressional spending bill for such efforts and said more money should be provided.
Hunter, who lost his home near San Diego in the destructive wildfires that blew through Southern California in October 2003, said he had just been notified that rebuilding was complete and he could move back in ---- only to get evacuated again.
Both lawmakers praised the overall response to the fires that devastated communities but were being increasingly contained Sunday.
"I'd give a very high grade to this operation," Hunter said. He said that while the rule about having trained "fire spotters" on military choppers should be changed, state firefighting officials waived it after he and others talked to them early in the week, and it might not have made much of a difference anyway.
"We had very heavy winds, as you know, on Sunday and Monday that would have drastically reduced the capability of those choppers dropping water on the initial fires anyway, so we got them into the fight fairly quickly," said Hunter. State and federal officials maintain the "fire spotters" are needed for safety to help aircraft coordinate with one another and with local jurisdictions.
Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., appearing later on CNN's "Late Edition," also said she was pleased with the fire response despite initial concerns about the National Guard.
"I was worried because we know 50 percent of our equipment is gone; it's either in disrepair or in Iraq," she said, adding she'd met with the head of the Guard and been assured he had acquired equipment from other states.
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Escondeeter wrote on Oct 29, 2007 12:08 AM:Once again we're beset with Monday Morning Politicing. Aircraft were GROUNDED Sunday and Monday by the high winds, almost all the loss of structures occurred on those days. Spotter, or no spotter, it's really hard to drop retardant on a fire when you're not in the air. There are some coordination problems that need to be resolved, but thinking that solving them would have produced a different outcome in the Witch fire is just deluding oneself. With Santana winds, low humdity, and low fuel moisture, there's one thing that will prevent a repeat of these fires, and that's getting rid of the fuel. If the environmentalists won't let us clear brush, nothing the taxpayer could possibly afford to pay for shiny new fire engines and 'professional' firefighters will make a damn bit of difference. Them's the facts.
Clear Your Brush wrote on Oct 29, 2007 7:41 AM:No environmentalist is going to stop you from clearing the brush and other junk surrounding your house. I know the city of San Marcos showed us what we needed to be better about the brush near our home. Take action and stop blaming others.
Escondeeter wrote on Oct 29, 2007 9:44 AM:Cleaning brush around the house may have some limited usefulness when a wildfire actually reaches the urban interface, but it serves no purpose whatsoever when it comes to preventing the fire from running wild in the first place. That problem can only be addressed through aggressive clearing and burning programs in the vegetation areas, a program of construction and maintenance of fire breaks, and the removal and replacement of vegetation with a less flammable type. All those actions are opposed by environmentalists. Pointing out that simple truth is hardly 'blaming others'.
Bush wrote on Oct 29, 2007 10:10 AM:to Escondeeter: Please get in touch with your nearest Fire Safe Council and get your neighbors involved, too. Also, speak directly to your Escondido fire department. They care. Keep in mind that we do not have enough firefighters, firetrucks, highways, hospital beds, etc. The communities i.e., stakeholders must be involved.
Bernard wrote on Oct 29, 2007 10:11 AM:Thank you firefighters, cal-fire, chp, sheriff dept, national guard men and women, volunteers, those that have made donations in all forms including money, clothing, food, time, and many hundreds more. And, thank you for the rescue of the last 2 people in Rancho Bernardo. Also, good to know that there will be a review of info not already incorporated from 2003 and new info from 2007. Perhaps another Governor's Blue Ribbon Fire Commission report; hopefully with major and minor improvements made quickly. Hope fire professionals from the US Federal Government Fire Sciences Lab, Missoula Montana will also be involved. And the communities (society) as stakeholders need to be heard. Educate the people: defensible space, fire breaks, leave early, stay and defend, or shelter in place in public buildings, as well as other appropriate ways we can help ourselves and help our neighbors in a disaster. Make all aware of the work of Fire Safe Councils. And educate the politicians, 5 supervisors, mayors, DPLU employees, etc. so we will have density regulations (before building homes; space to protect people and house from fire), Fire Protection Plans (before building) that would have enough roads inside the development and outside the development and allow enough time for evacuation taking many things into consideration that could go wrong such as trees falling down, accidents because of visibility or fear, stuck vehicles, etc., and additional (more than now) fire-resistant building material musts to be included in the developments already approved and not yet built, and developments in the future; all noted is especially important in the rural and unincorporated areas. Extremely urgent all the time is to build so there is both safe ingress and egress; allow for fire trucks and ambulances, and a choice to evacuate or to stay and defend. Extremely urgent is to consider the water supply, availability and the water sources. Potential clients purchasing homes in the WUI (wildland urban interface) must be notified by realtor in writing of the WUI wildfire dangers. ... Others, like myself tried to learn about the area, many things were easy to find such as school info and earthquake faults. When we moved here in 1977 we had no info about the WUI and wildfires.
Why does Feinstein think wrote on Oct 29, 2007 11:33 AM:we should retrict TAX PAYING American Citizens from building on the edge of canyons but she is MORE than willing to vote FOR every Amnesty bill that comes up for the SQUATTERS in the canyons!
Oh Brother! wrote on Oct 29, 2007 11:45 AM:Aren't these the same recommendations we had four years ago? Will these politicians actually follow up to make the needed changes or are they just posturing? Thank god loss of life was low or the people would be rioting over this. The plans were held up, not by wind, but by the same idiotic bureaucratic process that has allowed homes to be built where they shouldn't be in the first place.
ImprovementOpportunity? wrote on Oct 29, 2007 12:37 PM:With our region's large population, combustible vegetation, inland immigration, and hot/dry easterly winds, we will likely face the threat of major fires on a regular basis. With our region's vast ocean, is it prudent to permanently acquire and locally maintain a large capacity sea plane similar to that used by the Canadians? Perhaps this would reduce the red tape and more quickly extinguish the threat.
Don't be to quick wrote on Oct 29, 2007 1:06 PM:to clear the brush. Remember the Environmentalists will sue you for destroying natural habitat. Our wonderful Senator Feinstein hasn't seen an environmental law she can't support so it is very ironic to see her advocating this. Her biggest supporters, the environmentalist, will shut her up. Mr Hunter, how about getting the tanks on the DC10's at Pt. Magoo that have been promised for 4 years. Also isn't it amazing how tough Arnie is playing with scammers, looters and other law breakers? Very surprising as he won't take a stand or stop the criminals coming across the border illegally.
Janet wrote on Oct 29, 2007 3:49 PM:If you are talking about clearing or thinning brush on your property, you have every right to. But most houses burn because embers get inside them. Retrofit your house so you can close all vents. If you want to put your house on a hilltop in the back country, you shouldn't be allowed to, and you shouldn't get subsidized insurance to do it. This county has a million acres of brush. If you clear it ($$$), you are going to end up with a million acres of weeds, which burn even faster, plus mudslides, erosion, streams clogged with dirt.
Concerned-1 wrote on Oct 29, 2007 4:19 PM:Feinstein and Boxer are so out of touch with reality nothing they say can make a difference. If it were up to them, we'd have open borders, overgrown hillsides and Heroin injection centers on every corner. What NCT, you don’t think this is true, or do you just disagree so much that you won’t post it?
To concerned wrote on Oct 29, 2007 4:27 PM:Boxer and Feinstein care about people while Duncan Hunter, Bilbray and those losers continue to lie to us. Hunter flat out lied about the C-130s and Bilbray is right behind him agreeing. Environmentalist care about the world, they don't care if you clear your own brush.
Concerned-1 wrote on Oct 29, 2007 4:48 PM:Thanks NCT. While I do not think self-proclaimed environmentalists are out to help us, I do believe in sound environmental policy. Feinstein is out of her element with her comments. I have no comment about Hunter or Bilbray.
Karl wrote on Oct 29, 2007 4:59 PM:NCT please set up a blog so that the Republicans can blame Boxer and Feinstein and the Democrats can blame Duncan Hunter and Bilbray. After setting up this blog push all political blogs in that direction. I am personally offended by party politics when it comes to the fire. I would hope that the tradegy of these fires would unite all people regardless of political bent. There will be investigations and plenty of time to point fingers and as always the results will be determined by the political party conducting the investigation. I for one salute all "sung and unsung" heroes of this tradegy regardless of political affilliation. For the record my voting history would place me in the "Conservative" camp.
Castanea wrote on Oct 29, 2007 5:31 PM:To Escondeeter: Get a clue, my friend. First, since you seem to be in the know, give us citations of where environmentalists have opposed reducing fuel loads on the public lands that burned in the recent fires. And second, much if not most of the fires burned on private land. Why don't you blame private landowners for not tending to their own property? Too bad you don't take the time to educate yourself before you start yapping.
jay wrote on Oct 29, 2007 6:48 PM:As far as I can tell, having a really strong opinion about anything doesn't require that you have any facts to support your position. And most of these people just have opinions.
Karl wrote on Oct 29, 2007 7:48 PM:Well said Jay
NCTreader wrote on Oct 29, 2007 10:34 PM:All these politicians do is talk and nothing ever gets accomplished. How surprising that some of these same issues came up after 2003 and still are resolved in 2007. Of course, they want us to think they can fix it. If they can, why didn't they after 2003. Don't expect any results from our state or federal legislatures. They are all bureaucrats who talk and don't say anything.
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