Comments on: Only A Matter of Time Before Terrorists Target California Fuels http://firescape.us/blog/2008/01/15/only-a-matter-of-time-before-terrorists-target-california-fuels/ Wildfire Prevention, Wildfire Protection and Defensible Space Evaluations in Northern California Sun, 20 May 2012 03:23:21 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.2 By: admin http://firescape.us/blog/2008/01/15/only-a-matter-of-time-before-terrorists-target-california-fuels/#comment-47 admin Wed, 16 Apr 2008 01:27:50 +0000 http://firescape.us/blog/2008/01/15/only-a-matter-of-time-before-terrorists-target-california-fuels/#comment-47 Chief, I couldn't agree with you more. What really seems to grab people, viscerally, is the shock of a rapidly spreading wildfire. Sure we can throw lots of resources at it and we should continue our efforts at improving the way in which we tap mutual aid but the underlying issue is not who starts the wildfires but rather how much damage they do. For example, I think it would be much more of a strain on the system for terrorists to conduct widespread starts over the Western states in order to keep the resources tapped across long distances thus depleting a potential response locally. I wonder how much financial damage the 2007 Firestorms caused in So. California vs. how much economic stimulus they will end up providing via new home building, building materials sales, trucking, cleanup, etc.? Food for thought! Chief,
I couldn’t agree with you more.

What really seems to grab people, viscerally, is the shock of a rapidly spreading wildfire. Sure we can throw lots of resources at it and we should continue our efforts at improving the way in which we tap mutual aid but the underlying issue is not who starts the wildfires but rather how much damage they do.

For example, I think it would be much more of a strain on the system for terrorists to conduct widespread starts over the Western states in order to keep the resources tapped across long distances thus depleting a potential response locally.

I wonder how much financial damage the 2007 Firestorms caused in So. California vs. how much economic stimulus they will end up providing via new home building, building materials sales, trucking, cleanup, etc.?

Food for thought!

]]> By: RetChief http://firescape.us/blog/2008/01/15/only-a-matter-of-time-before-terrorists-target-california-fuels/#comment-44 RetChief Wed, 05 Mar 2008 00:17:29 +0000 http://firescape.us/blog/2008/01/15/only-a-matter-of-time-before-terrorists-target-california-fuels/#comment-44 I have suggested this possibility for some time and developed one emergency management training exercise based on the very scenario. However, I do not believe it will be an attack on the wildlands for the purpose of damaging resources but rather as a diversion to displace emergency resources from urban areas. We do a good job, and rightly so, of blowing our own horn about the state’s mutual aid system. Those who desire to harm us read the same newspapers and view same news reports about mutual aid every time there is a large fire. Moving large amounts of equipment and manpower from urban areas allows terrorist the opportunity to maximize the impact of their acts in those same urban areas. This is not an argument against mutual aid but rather an observation of a possible downside that can be mitigated by insuring that mutual aid resources are always drawn from wide geographic area. I have suggested this possibility for some time and developed one emergency management training exercise based on the very scenario. However, I do not believe it will be an attack on the wildlands for the purpose of damaging resources but rather as a diversion to displace emergency resources from urban areas. We do a good job, and rightly so, of blowing our own horn about the state’s mutual aid system. Those who desire to harm us read the same newspapers and view same news reports about mutual aid every time there is a large fire. Moving large amounts of equipment and manpower from urban areas allows terrorist the opportunity to maximize the impact of their acts in those same urban areas. This is not an argument against mutual aid but rather an observation of a possible downside that can be mitigated by insuring that mutual aid resources are always drawn from wide geographic area.

]]> By: admin http://firescape.us/blog/2008/01/15/only-a-matter-of-time-before-terrorists-target-california-fuels/#comment-4 admin Sat, 19 Jan 2008 20:21:08 +0000 http://firescape.us/blog/2008/01/15/only-a-matter-of-time-before-terrorists-target-california-fuels/#comment-4 Arsonists have been starting fires for a long time but as I stated in the blog, arson fires caused by terrorist activites may not be protectable. The best offense is always a great defense. We always try to preach "Defensible Space" because it works no matter what the cause of the wildfire is. Thanks for your comment! Arsonists have been starting fires for a long time but as I stated in the blog, arson fires caused by terrorist activites may not be protectable. The best offense is always a great defense.

We always try to preach “Defensible Space” because it works no matter what the cause of the wildfire is.

Thanks for your comment!

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