dry winter

[wildlandfiretom]

WELL WE HAVE HAD ANOTHER DRY WINTER HERE IN THE GREAT BASIN . 3 DRY WINTERS IN THE ROW. SHOULD BE ANOTHER GOOD FIRE SEASON. THEY ARE TRYING TO HIRE SO MANY FIRE FIGHTERS BUT NOT ENOUGH PPL AROUND.SO IT SHOULD BE INTRESTING.

[shammrock54]

The news finally mentioned it here in Mass, that w/ almost no snow and very little rain the reservois are lower than normal and the brush season is not looking good from the FD standpoint. So dont feel alone, even here in the northeast, were getting ready for possibly one hell of a brushfire season.

[wildlandfiretom]

i know what u mean the weather is very strange this yr. the whole east coast is going to burn this year. the west is going to burn like hell this yr.drought season big time this yr.

[Dalmatian90]

Hmmm, any guesses on where the "hot spots" probably will be?

Southern New England already had the first multi-department brush fire I've heard of in the Springfield, MA area yesterday. My dept fought an acre+ that caught fire secondary to a Barn Fire last week...woods in New England should not be burning at 8pm in February!

My spring-fed pond at my house is 2.5' below normal, and several communities in Massachussets are down to 40% capacity or below on their reservoirs when they should be at 85-100%.

Biggest fear I have in my area is we've had a serial arsonist strike seven buildings in two neighboring towns over the last couple months. If he turns to fields & forests as things really start to warm up and dry out in March, we could be in for a long spring...

[chief4102]

There has been VERY little snowfall in my area of west Michigan this winter. Areas north and south of us have had significantly more snow than us. But, we might have a busy spring unless things turn around in the next few weeks.

[lady_in_turnouts]

Dalmatian90, you wouldnt happen to know what area of Springfield the fire occured in do you? Springfield is my hometown and my grandparents still live there..I get a little concerned.

Thanks.

Lady.

[stillPSFB]

It's weird weather over in this part of the world as well, it's been our coolest wettest summer in SE Australia for a long time, unfortunately that means that next summer we will probably be facing a huge season due to the huge amounts of undergrowth. I guess it isn't all bad, because if we had of been having a bad summer we mightn't have been able to send 80 trucks to help out at the Sydney Bushfires. We might need their help next summer.

[Dalmatian90]

Lady...
I keep forgetting the name of the town...it was near Granby, CT (which is my understanding was one of the mutual aid departments).

We do have some relief tonite -- a 1" rainstorm following a couple inches of snow last Wednesday. Put in perspective, we're 14" below normal since last July 1st, and many communities in New England recorded the driest February ever. These two storms have probably bought us relief until mid-March.

[lady_in_turnouts]

Thanks Dalmatian. I'll have to ask my grandpa about it when we talk next. He's a huge fire buff and keeps close tabs on the Springfield FD. My uncle was also a LT up in that area for many years--I think W.Springfield but cant remember for sure.

We just moved to WA from Groton CT and I cant believe the weather you all are having. I'll be more than happy to send all the rain we get here!

Lady.

[smketer]

Hello,
well we have a rule, if you dont get any snow or a good rain before easter you will have a good fire season. I think the East coast will be a hot spot this year and most of the forest service hotshot crews and others will be back there it sounds like.

Also remember to try to get as much training as possible with everything that is going on it will come down to what you know.

With our forest being so dry this year, all it will take is one group of people to test our resources.

Stay Safe,