06/23/05 Reinforcement for fire season

06/23/05 Reinforcement for fire season

So what is the assessment of the upcoming wildfire season in the Northwest? Thanks to the above average precipitation of the spring months, the start of fire season has been delayed. However, the rains have contributed to increased brush growth, especially on rangelands. However, the new brush is combined with existing growth at a time when much of the region remains in a drought like state. According to Rick Ochoa of the National Interagency Fire Council, the rangelands are right now the main concern, even with the above normal rains, as lighting season approaches. OCHOA: The timbered areas & those areas are going to dry out later, so we're looking for more like the middle to latter part of July and in August before we get into that fire season. So that fire season is going to be shorter but the potential is to be an active fire season but for a shorter period of time. However, the rains have bought numerous land management agencies and firefighting crews time to prepare for the upcoming fire season. And the efforts of ground crews will be important in containing fires when they are in the single digits of acres, instead of the thousands of acres. Firefighting efforts though will receive a big boost as several P2V airtankers will return to the fleet. The P2V's were among thirty-three air tankers grounded by the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management last year. The reason was concerns by the National Transportation Safety Board about the airworthiness of the planes due to recent crashes. Since then, eight P-3 Orion aircraft were brought back last July, and now news of as many as nine P2V's may be returning to active duty. However, U.S.D.A. Undersecretary Mark Rey says the P2V's return will be subject to a stricter inspection protocol. REY: The inspections are areas of particular concern about the prospect for catastrophic metal fatigue, and now that we've done the analysis and know where to look, that inspection will be part of our normal inspection process. But we have not previously looked at these aircraft in these places in this way, lacking the information that we have now procured. As it currently stands, two P2V's are expected to return to full duty after the enhanced inspection process, with work on the remaining seven scheduled to begin next month. In addition, various military aircraft, helicopters, and helitankers will be available for firefighting efforts if needed this summer.
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