Nov
23
fire safety engineer interview questions?
Filed Under Fire Safety | 1 Comment
LK asked:
I am going to appear for FSE interview very soon could anybody please guide what would be questions which are likely to be asked in interview or can anybody share their experiences attending Fire Safety Engineer interview
Powered by Yahoo Answers
I am going to appear for FSE interview very soon could anybody please guide what would be questions which are likely to be asked in interview or can anybody share their experiences attending Fire Safety Engineer interview
Powered by Yahoo Answers
Nov
20
Nov
14
2003 California Wildfire Worst in Its History to That Time
Filed Under Wildfire Protection | Comments Off
Andrew Stratton asked:
In late October 2003 the state of California was slammed with the worst wildfire that it had experienced to that date. Twenty people where killed, and damage to local communities and infrastructure was extensive.
The wild fire extended from the Mexican boarder north to the suburbs of Los Angeles. Hundreds of thousands of acres of forest where destroyed. Local vegetation and animal life suffered very large losses and many communities where effected by the disaster. Thousands of different species where decimated by the fire. It is expected that certain of the larger species like elk, and deer, may take several years to repopulate. Even the local salmon stock feeding in the streams running through the burning acreage suffered losses from the fire.
Damage to the area was devastating. 20 people died including one of the fire fighters. Two thousand seven hundred homes and buildings where destroyed and many businesses had to close. This wildfire was to become the most expensive fire to ever hit the United States. Damage to phone lines, and local utilities caused major outages. People were displaced from their homes and many had to leave the state to find accommodation elsewhere during the clean-up period.
The social impact of this wild fire was a bit unexpected. The personal losses incurred by local residences and the tremendous losses to local wildlife resulted in a push by the United States federal government to pass the “Healthy Forests” bill which allocated seven hundred and sixty million dollars to the urban interface between urban cities and forest areas.
The economic impact of this wildfire was catastrophic. One and a quarter to two billion dollars in damages resulted from the fire, making it the most costly wildfire in American history. Losses to businesses and local municipalities amounted to millions of dollars in lost revenues, not to mention the cost of replacing or restoring lost information, and resulted in hardship for many local area residents. The logging industry, of course, took a major financial hit.
Not all natural disasters kill thousands of people, yet most will spread their effects over huge areas and cause massive damage to our fragile and over-used infrastructure. Telephone lines and utilities like electricity, water and even sewage are easily interrupted. Businesses are not able to operate without these simple services. Lost data means lost revenues. Even something as simple as a forest fire can have a huge social and economic influence on our lives. In this case it appears the best offense is a great defense. Always be prepared.
Anna
In late October 2003 the state of California was slammed with the worst wildfire that it had experienced to that date. Twenty people where killed, and damage to local communities and infrastructure was extensive.
The wild fire extended from the Mexican boarder north to the suburbs of Los Angeles. Hundreds of thousands of acres of forest where destroyed. Local vegetation and animal life suffered very large losses and many communities where effected by the disaster. Thousands of different species where decimated by the fire. It is expected that certain of the larger species like elk, and deer, may take several years to repopulate. Even the local salmon stock feeding in the streams running through the burning acreage suffered losses from the fire.
Damage to the area was devastating. 20 people died including one of the fire fighters. Two thousand seven hundred homes and buildings where destroyed and many businesses had to close. This wildfire was to become the most expensive fire to ever hit the United States. Damage to phone lines, and local utilities caused major outages. People were displaced from their homes and many had to leave the state to find accommodation elsewhere during the clean-up period.
The social impact of this wild fire was a bit unexpected. The personal losses incurred by local residences and the tremendous losses to local wildlife resulted in a push by the United States federal government to pass the “Healthy Forests” bill which allocated seven hundred and sixty million dollars to the urban interface between urban cities and forest areas.
The economic impact of this wildfire was catastrophic. One and a quarter to two billion dollars in damages resulted from the fire, making it the most costly wildfire in American history. Losses to businesses and local municipalities amounted to millions of dollars in lost revenues, not to mention the cost of replacing or restoring lost information, and resulted in hardship for many local area residents. The logging industry, of course, took a major financial hit.
Not all natural disasters kill thousands of people, yet most will spread their effects over huge areas and cause massive damage to our fragile and over-used infrastructure. Telephone lines and utilities like electricity, water and even sewage are easily interrupted. Businesses are not able to operate without these simple services. Lost data means lost revenues. Even something as simple as a forest fire can have a huge social and economic influence on our lives. In this case it appears the best offense is a great defense. Always be prepared.
Anna
Nov
13
What Are Wildfire Attractions In Alaska?
Filed Under Wildfire Protection | Comments Off
MIKE SELVON asked:
No vacation in Alaska is complete without a once-in-a-lifetime wildlife tour. Bird watchers can catch over 450 species, including puffins, bald eagles, osprey, loons and owls. Carnivore lovers may spot lynx, coyotes, red fox, arctic fox, wolves, grizzly bears, polar bears, black bears or brown bears.
Going on an Alaskan cruise? Perhaps you’ll see beluga whales, orcas, blue whales, humpback whales, seals, walruses, sea otters and more! Other mammals to look out for include moose, caribou, sheep, bats, pikas, arctic hares, martens, minks, muskrats and muskox. There are many wild Alaskan tours to help you catch a glimpse!
Whale-watching is one of the main tours that people take in the state of Alaska. “The time the cruise ships are up there is when humpbacks and orcas are feeding, so there’s a good chance you’ll see them,” says Robert Blythman, director for Carnival Cruise Lines.
He says some excursions, like the Whale Watching and Wildlife Quest in Auke Bay, comes with a money back guarantee. “It’s a 100 percent guarantee that you’ll see the otters,” Blythman added, noting that there are 70,000 of these playful critters swimming in Alaskan waters.
He personally recommends the Sea Otter Quest from the town of Sitka. Humpback whales and killer whales can be seen surfacing and breeching the Inside Passage, which is a popular Alaskan cruise route, or in Prince William Sound, the Kodiak archipelago, Glacier Bay National Park and Kenai Fjords National Park. Humpbacks sometimes disappear for thirty minutes at a time, but the orcas usually move in pods with the ships.
Beluga whales are most easily seen in Cook Inlet and Turnagain Arm, near Anchorage. Many drivers pull over between Beluga Point (Mile 110) and Bird Point Scenic Overlook (Mile 96) for a magnificent view of these endangered whales. Bowhead whales, the state marine mammal of Alaska, can be seen in the Arctic Ocean and the Northern Bering Sea.
Another group of wildlife spectators in Alaska come for the bears. There are roughly 100,000 black bears and 30,000 grizzlies, which represent 98% of the total US grizzly population.
You can take a $100 “Bear Search” from the port of Icy Strait Point or take a $300 - $1,600 fly-in to more remote locations, like Pack Creek (Admiralty Island) or the McNeil River State Game Sanctuary. At Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park, grizzlies often feed on spawning salmon during the summer months, which you can see from a viewing deck.
You can catch a glimpse of grizzlies sleeping or browsing on a Denali National Park bus tour. The Kenai River occasionally has fishermen and bear meeting points. Black bears generally congregate at Anan Creek, south of Wrangell.
Polar bears live along the Arctic Ocean and down the Bering Sea coast. The Alaska Zoo in Anchorage is the easiest place to see this elusive creature.
While you may want to choose animal-specific private tours in Alaska, there are a few sights you definitely don’t want to miss! The tours at Denali National Park range from a four-hour Natural History tour, to an eight-hour Tundra Wilderness tour, to a twelve-hour Kantishna Experience tour.
The Anchorage Zoo houses many endangered animals in a captive setting, while the Anan Wildlife Observatory in the Tongass National Forest and the Denali National Park showcase animals in their natural environments. The Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve is a breath-taking experience just off the Haines Highway.
Theresa
No vacation in Alaska is complete without a once-in-a-lifetime wildlife tour. Bird watchers can catch over 450 species, including puffins, bald eagles, osprey, loons and owls. Carnivore lovers may spot lynx, coyotes, red fox, arctic fox, wolves, grizzly bears, polar bears, black bears or brown bears.
Going on an Alaskan cruise? Perhaps you’ll see beluga whales, orcas, blue whales, humpback whales, seals, walruses, sea otters and more! Other mammals to look out for include moose, caribou, sheep, bats, pikas, arctic hares, martens, minks, muskrats and muskox. There are many wild Alaskan tours to help you catch a glimpse!
Whale-watching is one of the main tours that people take in the state of Alaska. “The time the cruise ships are up there is when humpbacks and orcas are feeding, so there’s a good chance you’ll see them,” says Robert Blythman, director for Carnival Cruise Lines.
He says some excursions, like the Whale Watching and Wildlife Quest in Auke Bay, comes with a money back guarantee. “It’s a 100 percent guarantee that you’ll see the otters,” Blythman added, noting that there are 70,000 of these playful critters swimming in Alaskan waters.
He personally recommends the Sea Otter Quest from the town of Sitka. Humpback whales and killer whales can be seen surfacing and breeching the Inside Passage, which is a popular Alaskan cruise route, or in Prince William Sound, the Kodiak archipelago, Glacier Bay National Park and Kenai Fjords National Park. Humpbacks sometimes disappear for thirty minutes at a time, but the orcas usually move in pods with the ships.
Beluga whales are most easily seen in Cook Inlet and Turnagain Arm, near Anchorage. Many drivers pull over between Beluga Point (Mile 110) and Bird Point Scenic Overlook (Mile 96) for a magnificent view of these endangered whales. Bowhead whales, the state marine mammal of Alaska, can be seen in the Arctic Ocean and the Northern Bering Sea.
Another group of wildlife spectators in Alaska come for the bears. There are roughly 100,000 black bears and 30,000 grizzlies, which represent 98% of the total US grizzly population.
You can take a $100 “Bear Search” from the port of Icy Strait Point or take a $300 - $1,600 fly-in to more remote locations, like Pack Creek (Admiralty Island) or the McNeil River State Game Sanctuary. At Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park, grizzlies often feed on spawning salmon during the summer months, which you can see from a viewing deck.
You can catch a glimpse of grizzlies sleeping or browsing on a Denali National Park bus tour. The Kenai River occasionally has fishermen and bear meeting points. Black bears generally congregate at Anan Creek, south of Wrangell.
Polar bears live along the Arctic Ocean and down the Bering Sea coast. The Alaska Zoo in Anchorage is the easiest place to see this elusive creature.
While you may want to choose animal-specific private tours in Alaska, there are a few sights you definitely don’t want to miss! The tours at Denali National Park range from a four-hour Natural History tour, to an eight-hour Tundra Wilderness tour, to a twelve-hour Kantishna Experience tour.
The Anchorage Zoo houses many endangered animals in a captive setting, while the Anan Wildlife Observatory in the Tongass National Forest and the Denali National Park showcase animals in their natural environments. The Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve is a breath-taking experience just off the Haines Highway.
Theresa
Nov
1
Fighting 2,000 Fires at the Same Time!
Filed Under Wildfire Protection | Comments Off
Lou Angeli asked:
Big Sur, CA (July 8, 2008) — With dry winds and low humidity in store, the day doesn’t seem to be a promising one for firefighters working fires on California’s central coast. Basin Complex in the Los Padres National Forest has currently destroyed 74,985 acres and is only 11 percent contained. The complex is burning away at one of the nation’s most beautiful destinations, Big Sur. Highway 1 remains closed and the towns of Big Sur and Carmel are threatened and evacuations are in place.
Not far south in the Los Padres, the Gap Fire and taken 9,924 acres and although it is 30 percent contained, today heat and low humidity may reverse their progress. The Gap fire is located six miles northwest of Santa Barbara and is endangering communities, cultural and historical resources, like J. Paul Getty’s home. Evacuations are in order there as well.
The US Forest Service believes that both the Basin and Gap fires were intentionally set and has asked the general public for its help in investigating those blazes.
“The information the public provides could be crucial to our investigation into who is responsible,” said Forest Service Special Agent Heather Campbell.
The high-profile fires at each end of Los Padres National Forest — in Monterey and Santa Barbara counties — were among 330 state blazes burning out of control. So far, about 1,800 fires have burned over 600,000 acres of forests and woodlands and there is no relief in sight. Fires continue to burn statewide in what many predict will be California’s most damaging wildfire season in decades.
The nation’s fire preparedness level on Sunday remained at Level 5, indicating firefighting resources are at their most strained.The idea of fighting so many fires simultaneously is mind-boggling, especially when you consider that stats for national, state and local agencies are released separately. So how many firefighters, engine and helicopters are working?
At the state level, CalFire (CDF) reports 20,000 plus firefighters operating aboard 1420 engines and in 420 hand crews. The state also has 300 bulldozers, over 400 water tankers and nearly 100 helicopters operating on the frontlines.
National Interagency Fire Command, which coordinates the activities of federal firefighting resources, from its headquarters in Boise, Idaho, reports another 10,000 federal firefighters working in California, with 400 plus engines, 50 helicopters and National Guard C-130’s from Sacramento, Charlotte, Cheyenne, and Colorado Springs.
There are so many fast-moving fires, that they often travel through local fire districts in just a day – sometimes hours. Factor in crews and apparatus from city and county departments that protect areas along the coast, including Carmel, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara City and County, and dozens of volunteer agencies, and the total number of firefighters easily reaches 50,000.
It’s been some time since the nation has stood at Level 5 Firefighting Preparedness, and firefighters and resources from as far away as Delaware and Puerto Rico are serving on the frontlines.
One firefighter safety watchdog group claims that the Federal firefighting system is understaffed. At the start of the season, only 2/3s of the USFS 275 engines were staffed.
“The federal fire system is imploding in California. They are crossing their fingers and just hoping they get through the season without a disaster,” said Casey Judd, who represents government firefighters from five agencies through the Federal Wildland Fire Service Association.
In an interview with the Monterey County Herald, Judd notes that the US Forest Service is 500 firefighters short of its 5,000-member allotment for the Central California region. He argues that Federal firefighters are working alongside CalFire and Municipal colleagues for less money, therefore many seasonal employees don’t return.
With Level 5 staffing already in place – compared to last season’s 2 or 2 –both federal and state government will need to consider additional outsourcing, and red-card training of out-of-state municipal crews. Such needs become extremely critical when you consider that wildfires in populated areas of southern California have not yet begun to burn.
—
Oscar
Big Sur, CA (July 8, 2008) — With dry winds and low humidity in store, the day doesn’t seem to be a promising one for firefighters working fires on California’s central coast. Basin Complex in the Los Padres National Forest has currently destroyed 74,985 acres and is only 11 percent contained. The complex is burning away at one of the nation’s most beautiful destinations, Big Sur. Highway 1 remains closed and the towns of Big Sur and Carmel are threatened and evacuations are in place.
Not far south in the Los Padres, the Gap Fire and taken 9,924 acres and although it is 30 percent contained, today heat and low humidity may reverse their progress. The Gap fire is located six miles northwest of Santa Barbara and is endangering communities, cultural and historical resources, like J. Paul Getty’s home. Evacuations are in order there as well.
The US Forest Service believes that both the Basin and Gap fires were intentionally set and has asked the general public for its help in investigating those blazes.
“The information the public provides could be crucial to our investigation into who is responsible,” said Forest Service Special Agent Heather Campbell.
The high-profile fires at each end of Los Padres National Forest — in Monterey and Santa Barbara counties — were among 330 state blazes burning out of control. So far, about 1,800 fires have burned over 600,000 acres of forests and woodlands and there is no relief in sight. Fires continue to burn statewide in what many predict will be California’s most damaging wildfire season in decades.
The nation’s fire preparedness level on Sunday remained at Level 5, indicating firefighting resources are at their most strained.The idea of fighting so many fires simultaneously is mind-boggling, especially when you consider that stats for national, state and local agencies are released separately. So how many firefighters, engine and helicopters are working?
At the state level, CalFire (CDF) reports 20,000 plus firefighters operating aboard 1420 engines and in 420 hand crews. The state also has 300 bulldozers, over 400 water tankers and nearly 100 helicopters operating on the frontlines.
National Interagency Fire Command, which coordinates the activities of federal firefighting resources, from its headquarters in Boise, Idaho, reports another 10,000 federal firefighters working in California, with 400 plus engines, 50 helicopters and National Guard C-130’s from Sacramento, Charlotte, Cheyenne, and Colorado Springs.
There are so many fast-moving fires, that they often travel through local fire districts in just a day – sometimes hours. Factor in crews and apparatus from city and county departments that protect areas along the coast, including Carmel, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara City and County, and dozens of volunteer agencies, and the total number of firefighters easily reaches 50,000.
It’s been some time since the nation has stood at Level 5 Firefighting Preparedness, and firefighters and resources from as far away as Delaware and Puerto Rico are serving on the frontlines.
One firefighter safety watchdog group claims that the Federal firefighting system is understaffed. At the start of the season, only 2/3s of the USFS 275 engines were staffed.
“The federal fire system is imploding in California. They are crossing their fingers and just hoping they get through the season without a disaster,” said Casey Judd, who represents government firefighters from five agencies through the Federal Wildland Fire Service Association.
In an interview with the Monterey County Herald, Judd notes that the US Forest Service is 500 firefighters short of its 5,000-member allotment for the Central California region. He argues that Federal firefighters are working alongside CalFire and Municipal colleagues for less money, therefore many seasonal employees don’t return.
With Level 5 staffing already in place – compared to last season’s 2 or 2 –both federal and state government will need to consider additional outsourcing, and red-card training of out-of-state municipal crews. Such needs become extremely critical when you consider that wildfires in populated areas of southern California have not yet begun to burn.
—
Oscar