1,000 Firefighters Prepare For Dangerous Season
Wildfires have been common in parts of America for centuries. Recently, the worst has been centered in California. Large fires started in North and South Carolina and are still burning.
According to the AP, wildfire risk has grown from coast to coast and from the Mexican to Canadian borders. The news service reports, “Many communities marked their driest winters on record, snowpack was nearly nonexistent in some spots, and vegetation remains tinder dry — all ingredients for elevated wildfire risks.” It also reported that over 1,000 firefighters gathered for training in Arizona.
Arizona Training
Last year, the Department of Agriculture Forest Service had 11,400 firefighters. The Trump Administration has cut that number and the level of training, leaving local and state organizations to handle these fires.
Several officials in the Carolinas say that their firefighting organizations are too small to handle current conditions. This leaves local and city fire department operations to assist, but these groups are not trained to handle large fires. Similar hurdles existed during the LA wildfires.
1,000 firefighters are getting training now, which is far too many based on current and future needs. To make the situation more challenging, the federal government has begun cutting spending.
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