Fire

Pile Burning Continues This Weekend

by

LAFD News:

Pile burning will continue this weekend on Los Alamos County lands. 

Smoke from the pile burns will be monitored to ensure that the New Mexico Environment Department’s Air Quality Bureau regulations are being met. Smoke will likely be visible from Espanola, Santa Clara and Santa Fe and from N.M. 502 and N.M. 285. 

Smoke-sensitive individuals and people with respiratory problems are encouraged to take precautionary measures. Information on air quality and protecting your health can be found online at the New Mexico Environment Department’s website at https://nmtracking.org/fire Read More

WIPP Receives New Emergency Response Vehicle

by

Engine 24 has been commissioned at WIPP. Courtesy/WIPP

WIPP News:

WIPP recently placed a new emergency response vehicle into service. The new fire engine “Engine 24” will enhance emergency response capabilities at the WIPP facility.

The new four-wheel drive vehicle was designed to respond to both structure and wild land fires. Capable of carrying 1,500 gallons of water on board, the engine has the ability to spray water or foam through a remote-controlled turret located on the front bumper while driving. Engine 24 was commissioned in the long-standing fire service tradition of driving through Read More

LAFD: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Issues Fire Extinguisher Recall

by

Kidde Disposable Fire Extinguisher with plastic valve. Courtesy/USCPSC

LAFD News:

The Los Alamos Fire Department has announced that the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a recall for a variety of fire extinguisher models that fail to discharge as expected.

Kidde has received 11 reports of the recalled fire extinguishers failing to discharge as expected. No injuries have been reported.

The fire extinguishers are sold at Home Depot, Menards, Walmart and other department, home and hardware stores nationwide, and online from August 2013 through November 2014 for between Read More

Deer Trap Canyon Pile Burn Saturday-Monday

by

Santa Fe National Forest prescribed burn. Courtesy/USDA

SFNF News:

Los Alamos Fire Department and the Santa Fe National Forest plan to conduct a prescribed Saturday through Monday in Deer Trap Canyon.

The burn will occur if conditions, including fuel moisture levels, air quality and weather forecasts, are favorable. 

The Deer Trap Canyon prescribed pile burn will be conducted east of Los Alamos. Small blocks may be treated each day to decrease the daily smoke volume.

Prescribed fires are one of the most effective tools available to resource managers for restoring fire-dependent ecosystems. Read More

Chief Stone: Precautions To Prevent Fall Injuries

by

By BENJAMIN S. STONE
Division Chief, Emergency Medical Services
Los Alamos County Fire Department

In January, LAFD treated 140 patients and 36 of them had injuries from a fall.

According to the CDC, this is a major problem seen across the country. In 2013 2.5 million nonfatal falls among older adults were treated in the emergency room, with a direct medical cost of approximately $30 billion. CDC also states that 20-30 percent of fall patients suffer debilitating injuries from hip fractures to traumatic brain injuries (TBI); in 2011 22,900 older adults died from unintentional fall injuries. Read More

Prescribed Burn Planned On Santa Fe National Forest

by

SFNF News:

SANTA FE – Fire managers on the Santa Fe National Forest plan to continue the Gallinas Watershed prescribed burns on the Pecos/Las Vegas Ranger District this week. 

The burns are planned through March 31, if conditions, including fuel moisture levels, air quality and weather forecasts, are favorable. 

The Gallinas Watershed prescribed burn is 1,000 acres, 20 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

Prescribed fires are one of the most effective tools available to resource managers for restoring fire-dependent ecosystems. These fires mimic natural fires by reducing forest Read More

Pile Burning To Continue This Weekend

by

COUNTY News:

Pile burning will continue this weekend on Los Alamos County lands, but just where and when is dependent on the predicted ventilation.

The Los Alamos Fire Department is looking for an opportunity to burn the remainder of Bayo Canyon and Gonzales Canyon this weekend including 5-8 acres remaining in the bottom of the canyon and a few more piles remaining on the shelf. 

Sunday, LAFD intend to chunk piles and continue to burn what they light Saturday. Read More

Heinrich Continues Work To Reduce Wildfire Risk

by

U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., cosponsored S. 326, the Stewardship End Result Contracting Improvement Act, to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire.

The bill would make it easier for federal land managers and businesses to partner on long-term, large-scale forest treatment.

“Stewardship contracting is one of the most versatile and powerful tools we have to achieve healthier and more fire resistant forests,” Heinrich said. “And like many good tools, it needs to maintained and sharpened from time to

Read More

Researchers: Smoke From Fires Can Intensify Tornadoes

by

A tornado in Shoal Creek Valley in Alabama during a historic severe weather outbreak April 27, 2011. A new study finds that a severe weather outbreak in 2011 was caused mainly by environmental conditions leading to a large potential for tornado formation and conducive to supercells, and that smoke particles intensified these conditions. Photo by Wjalex4/Wikimedia Commons
 
AGU News:
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Can smoke from fires intensify tornadoes? “Yes,” say researchers, who examined the effects of smoke –- resulting from spring agricultural land-clearing fires in Central America
Read More