Texas Fire Officials Expect Another 'Horrific' Fire Season

Fire Marshal David Hickman and Midland Fire Department officials are anticipating "another horrific fire season."

"We are hoping for the best, but we are certainly preparing for the worst," he said during a brown bag luncheon Thursday at the Petroleum Museum.

Hickman discussed the preparation, training and tactical situations involved in combating dangerous, fast-moving wild fires. While his presentation predominantly was about last year's destructive fires, Hickman also addressed the forecast for 2012.

He included statewide statistics from last year's season:

-- There were 29,083 fires,

-- more than 3.9 million acres were burned and

-- about 3,000 homes and 2,800 outbuildings were destroyed.

To combat the blazes, firefighters used 6,145,510 gallons of water retardant solution and more than 28 million gallons of water, he said.

He praised the cooperation between the mutual-aid fire assistance partners -- Greenwood Volunteer Fire Department, Northeast Volunteer Fire Department and the Odessa Fire Department -- as well as the cooperation between Midland and the Texas Forest Service. He also praised the Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System and the new initiative's ability to coordinate resources between many different strike teams, task forces and local fire departments.

Hickman said while he was satisfied overall with TIFMAS's role in helping communities fight large blazes, there were problems with communication because of different terminology and problems with technological compatibility.

Hickman also addressed the types of emergency events, classifications and how each situation is handled. Most emergency calls are classified as a Type V incident, usually requiring only one fire engine and one ambulance. The Hickman and CEED fires were classified as Type IV events, the Rock House fire as a Type II and the Bastrop fire as a Type I. The lower the type number, the more time and resources are needed to combat the blaze, he said.

After his lecture, Hickman took questions from audience members. Their queries centered on what caused the massive fires. Some people asked about trains causing sparks, while others asked about cigarette butts, trucks dragging chains and tire blowouts.

Copyright 2012 - Midland Reporter-Telegram, Texas

McClatchy-Tribune News Service