California’s Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, CAL FIRE, has reported that over 5,000 wildfires have burned during the State’s 2024 fire season.
California's fire agency, Cal Fire, reports that over 5,000 wildfires have burned in the state's
2024 fire season. As the heat wave continues in the U.S., those in the fire prevention industry
share how to protect homes using technology and sprays. Entity's David Lam reports.
According to a fire expert, fire weather is often overlooked and that poses a serious threat to
homes. Certified wildfire mitigation specialist Stuart Mitchell tells Entity it's no joke when
there's low humidity, high heat and high winds. It's really important that people pay attention
to predicted fire weather and that's given by the National Weather Service and predicted fire.
He talked about a free tool from watchduty.org. It locates where the wildfires are
not only near you but throughout all of California and other states. Mitchell says if there's time
before an evacuation, put away all combustible items far away from the house. So for example
umbrellas, propane tanks, seat cushions, anything that's combustible around the perimeter of your
home, it's really helpful to put that into the garage if you don't have a garage to at least to
move that material away from the home maybe 20-30 feet away. In addition, if dry brush hasn't been
maintained or trimmed, Mitchell says applying fire retardant is another option which are spray-on
substances that prevent burning or slow the spread of fire. Firefighters and pilots use the bright
colored retardant to keep track of where it's sprayed but homeowners can use transparent
retardants or ones that become transparent over time. Jack Kimmick's job at Komodo Fire Systems
is to apply retardant to homes and land even when the fire is burning. Now we can steer the fire
so if there's an archaeological site or there's a home area that we don't want to burn,
we can steer that fire away from it during a controlled burn. With the Park Fire in 2024,
the Pacific Northwest is facing hundreds of wildfires right now. It's a global problem,
right? It's not a west coast of the United States. We have grease burning. We have had fires in the
Mediterranean. Earlier this year we had over 100 people that died in South America, in Chile.
In the long run, the founder of Komodo says fire impacts generations of people, pointing to residue
from burned property, chemicals, vehicles that eventually get seeped into the ground and
potentially connecting to farmland and water streams. He believes new tech, including drones,
can be leveraged to fight against fire. Or we have unmanned systems that are
designed to protect your property, whether you're home or not.
Sabari says education, awareness, and an open mind could help change
the firefighting landscape. In Morgan Hill, California, David Lam, NTD News.
