Wildfire risk rising again; no extreme risk periods apparent yet but that could change
A record-strength ridge will bring a major and prolonged heatwave to much of the West this week. Some places, though not all, will set daily and possibly Oct monthly records.
After another temporary reprieve period in mid-Sep, with cool weather and even some (localized) precipitation in patchy areas throughout CA, fire season is back in full swing this week. The Line Fire, which had been pretty inactive in recent days since it started during the record heatwave in SoCal during early Sep, roared back to life yesterday from within containment lines and various evacuation orders and warnings have been reissued. As of this writing, additional new fires are popping up in NorCal amid hot, dry, and breezy conditions. I would expect fire activity to continue to increase through this week as temperatures stay sustainedly high, even closer to the coast, and then also begin to pick up across the interior West again by this weekend as persistently very hot temperatures continue. As earlier noted: I suspect that places in the West that don’t usually see major wildfire activity in Oct or even Nov may do so this year (i.e., not just coastal CA, where such activity is not that unusual even later into fall given the typical seasonal lag in temperature there). There are no strong offshore wind events currently on the immediate horizon, though, which is the one piece of good news at the moment from a fire weather perspective.
The Fire Safe Council of Siskiyou will meet on October 9, 2024, starting at 5:30 PM via Zoom (link below and “DRAFT agenda attached)There will be the latest updates on projects and more timely information.See you then!
California Certified Prescribed Fire Burn Boss (CARX) Training
I’m pleased to share that Yreka will be hosting a session of the California Certified Prescribed Fire Burn Boss (CARX) training on January 13-17, 2025. If you’re receiving this, it’s because you are a potential candidate for the session and/or know others who may be (so please forward accordingly). After having spent since January working with the Siskiyou Prescribed Burn Association, one of the limitations I’ve seen to increasing the pace and scale of private property burning in Siskiyou County is the lack of this CARX burn boss capacity. Having the Fire Marshall’s course hosted in Yreka is a tremendous opportunity to address this limitation. We need to fill the seats! Some Background From the Office of the State Fire Marshall’s website: https://osfm.fire.ca.gov/what-we-do/state-fire-training/professional-certifications/state-certified-prescribed-fire-burn-boss The CAL FIRE-Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) State-Certified Prescribed-Fire Burn Boss is for persons seeking Certification to plan and manage prescribed fire on State or private lands. A State-Certified Prescribed-Fire Burn Boss may possess authority to engage in a prescribed burning operation and to enter into the necessary contracts with the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The qualifications are documented in the State Certified Prescribed-Fire Burn Boss Certification Training Standards (CTS). A State-Certified Prescribed-Fire Burn Boss performs prescribed-fire planning, obtains state or local approval and permits, develops and implements a burn plan, monitors fire effects, maintains prescriptive requirements, and conducts an After-Action Review. From the California Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force Website: https://wildfiretaskforce.org/prescribed-fire-liability-claims-fund-pilot/ Obtaining the CARX qualification also allows access to the Prescribed Fire Liability Claims Fund, which provides up to $2 million in coverage for prescribed fire projects led by a qualified burn boss or cultural practitioner. (Note: Claims fund project enrollment is also available to those holding a current NWCG RXB1 or RXB2 qualification.) Pre-Requisites For the CARX Course Coursework Requirements 1. IS-100 Introduction to the Incident Command System 2. S-190 Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior 3. S-130 Firefighter Training 4. S-290 Intermediate Wildland Fire Behavior (classroom only, online courses not accepted) Firing Requirements Qualified NWCG/CICCS Firing Boss (FIRB) or both equivalent firing experience and one of the following courses: S-219 Firing Operations, CA-219 Wildland Firefighting – Firing Operations, C-234 Ignition Operations, or S-234 Ignition Operations Leadership Requirements S-131 Advanced Firefighter or L-280 Followership to Leadership or Qualified NWCG/CICCS Firefighter Type 1 (FFT1) or Equivalent leadership experience After successfully attending the CARX course, initiating and completing a task book is required prior to certification. https://34c031f8-c9fd-4018-8c5a-4159cdff6b0d-cdn-endpoint.azureedge.net/-/media/osfm-website/what-we-do/state-fire-training/professional-certifications/state-certified-prescribed-fire-burn-boss/burn-boss-task-book.pdf A Save-the-Date Advertisement is expected in mid-October, and registration sometime in late November/early December. Please let me know if you questions or if I can assist you in considering this opportunity. Please forward this email to anyone you think may be interested. Thank you! Patricia Grantham Coordinator, Siskiyou Prescribed Burn Association Email: pgrantham@svrcd.org Mobile : 530-340-1691 215 Executive Court, Suite A Yreka, CA 96097
Fire Safe Council of Siskiyou County | 206 Shasta Ave | Mt. Shasta, CA 96067 US
Thursday, October 31st 9am-12:30pm Mt. Shasta, Ca You are invited to join Cal Poly’s Fuels and Vegetation Education Program for a field-based training in Mt. Shasta at the Wherrit Forest, a Siskiyou Land Trust property. This is an informative and interactive field workshop focused on enhancing home protection and forest resiliency in Siskiyou County. Representatives from key organizations, such as CAL FIRE, NRCS, and more will give insight to the resources and services available to landowners and community members for improving forest health and fire preparedness on their own property. Participants will have the opportunity to engage directly with the speakers in a Q&A discussion about what organizations can offer and identify specific resource needs. This workshop is ideal for landowners, community members, and anyone interested in learning more about forest management and wildfire resilience in the Mount Shasta region. https://files.constantcontact.com/a48600ca901/b39269e5-e9a4-4537-8fa9-dc89d3fbb75f.pdf Educational Field Workshop: Home Protection and Forest Resiliency in Siskiyou County
There are 12 spots remaining for the Home Protection and Forest Resiliency in Siskiyou County Field Workshop on October 31st. The website current shows 9 open spaces, but we are removing some duplicate registrations this week, which will open up a couple more spots.
On Friday, September 20, 2024 at 11:02:30 AM PDT, Patricia Grantham <pgrantham@svrcd.org> wrote:
Hello. I’m pleased to share that Yreka will be hosting a session of the California Certified Prescribed Fire Burn Boss (CARX) training, January 13-17, 2025. If you’re receiving this, it’s because you are a potential candidate for the session and/or know others who may be (so please forward accordingly). After having spent since January working with the Siskiyou Prescribed Burn Association, one of the limitations I’ve seen to increasing the pace and scale of private property burning in Siskiyou County is the lack of this CARX burn boss capacity. Having the Fire Marshall’s course hosted in Yreka is a tremendous opportunity to address this limitation. We need to fill the seats! 😊
Some background:
From the Office of the State Fire Marshall’s website ( https://osfm.fire.ca.gov/what-we-do/state-fire-training/professional-certifications/state-certified-prescribed-fire-burn-boss ): The CAL FIRE-Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) State-Certified Prescribed-Fire Burn Boss is for persons seeking Certification to plan and manage prescribed fire on State or private lands. A State-Certified Prescribed-Fire Burn Boss may possess authority to engage in a prescribed burning operation and to enter into the necessary contracts with the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The qualifications are documented in the State Certified Prescribed-Fire Burn Boss Certification Training Standards (CTS).
A State-Certified Prescribed-Fire Burn Boss performs prescribed-fire planning, obtains state or local approval and permits, develops and implements a burn plan, monitors fire effects, maintains prescriptive requirements, and conducts an After-Action Review.
From the California Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force Website ( https://wildfiretaskforce.org/prescribed-fire-liability-claims-fund-pilot/ ): Obtaining the CARX qualification also allows access to the Prescribed Fire Liability Claims Fund, which provides up to $2 million in coverage for prescribed fire projects led by a qualified burn boss or cultural practitioner. (Note: Claims fund project enrollment is also available to those holding a current NWCG RXB1 or RXB2 qualification.)
Here are the pre-requisites for the CARX course:
Coursework Requirements
1. IS-100 Introduction to the Incident Command System
2. S-190 Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior
3. S-130 Firefighter Training
4. S-290 Intermediate Wildland Fire Behavior (classroom only, online courses not accepted)
Firing Requirements
Qualified NWCG/CICCS Firing Boss (FIRB) or both equivalent firing experience and one of the following courses: S-219 Firing Operations, CA-219 Wildland Firefighting – Firing Operations, C-234 Ignition Operations, or S-234 Ignition Operations
Leadership Requirements
S-131 Advanced Firefighter or L-280 Followership to Leadership or Qualified NWCG/CICCS Firefighter Type 1 (FFT1) or Equivalent leadership experience
After successfully attending the CARX course, initiating and completing a task book is required prior to certification.
A Save-the-Date Advertisement is expected in mid-October, and registration sometime in late November/early December.
Please let me know if you questions or if I can assist you in considering this opportunity. Please forward to anyone you think may be interested. Thank you. Patty Grantham
Patricia Grantham Coordinator, Siskiyou Prescribed Burn Association Email: pgrantham@svrcd.org Mobile : 530-340-1691 215 Executive Court, Suite A Yreka, CA 96097
Wednesday 9/11/24 starting at 5:30 PM via Zoom will be the Fire Safe Council of Siskiyou County’s Monthly meeting. Link below.Stopping by to share information will be
Jill Drinkwater, Regional Business Manager | Pacific Power Siskiyou, Modoc, & Del Norte Counties
