Jay Balagna
@jaybalagna.bsky.social
I’m a researcher focused on disasters, their causes, and the ways communities reduce risk. I think and write about all hazards but with a special focus on wildfire. I used to be a wildland firefighter and an EMT. Nevada to Chile to Montana to SoCal. he/him
Reposted by Jay Balagna
Residents impacted by the Southern California wildfires can now access information about the status of their property through CAL FIRE's damage inspection maps. While inspections are ongoing, information—including images—is being uploaded daily to keep communities informed.
#LAfires
#LAfires
January 17, 2025 at 8:29 PM
Residents impacted by the Southern California wildfires can now access information about the status of their property through CAL FIRE's damage inspection maps. While inspections are ongoing, information—including images—is being uploaded daily to keep communities informed.
#LAfires
#LAfires
I used to be a helitack firefighter. This story scared the hell out of me. Great writing from Thomas Fuller and @nytimes.com. I've known LACoFD Air Ops are giants in the field, but this really shows how elite they are--and the danger of what we saw last week.
The Terrifying Ride of Copter 17
A former Army pilot. An aging helicopter. Furious winds. The race to put out the Eaton fire tested Los Angeles County’s night-flying firefighters like never before.
www.nytimes.com
January 17, 2025 at 5:47 PM
I used to be a helitack firefighter. This story scared the hell out of me. Great writing from Thomas Fuller and @nytimes.com. I've known LACoFD Air Ops are giants in the field, but this really shows how elite they are--and the danger of what we saw last week.
Reposted by Jay Balagna
Is there a link between #ClimateChange & increasing risk/severity of #wildfire in California--including the still-unfolding disaster? Yes. Is climate change the only factor at play? No, of course not. So what's really going on? [Thread] #CAfire #CAwx #LAfires iopscience.iop.org/a...
January 9, 2025 at 10:05 PM
Is there a link between #ClimateChange & increasing risk/severity of #wildfire in California--including the still-unfolding disaster? Yes. Is climate change the only factor at play? No, of course not. So what's really going on? [Thread] #CAfire #CAwx #LAfires iopscience.iop.org/a...
Reposted by Jay Balagna
RAND colleague and former firefighter @jaybalagna.bsky.social : "A system built on luck is not a durable system. It is already strained, and it risks breaking down in a world of greater and more frequent wildfires."
www.rand.org/pubs/comment...
www.rand.org/pubs/comment...
The L.A. Fires Show a Need to Rethink Our Wildland Firefighting Systems
The wildland firefighting system is based on resource-sharing across local, state and federal agencies. But in a world of greater and more frequent wildfires, change is needed.
www.rand.org
January 16, 2025 at 9:37 PM
RAND colleague and former firefighter @jaybalagna.bsky.social : "A system built on luck is not a durable system. It is already strained, and it risks breaking down in a world of greater and more frequent wildfires."
www.rand.org/pubs/comment...
www.rand.org/pubs/comment...
I've seen people say the homes lost were movie stars and rich tech folks. Plenty of people of means lost homes. But so did plenty of people living modest lives. If the American Dream still exists, it was alive in places like Altadena. A great piece from the @jessicagelt.bsky.social and @latimes.com
For a particular creative community, Altadena represented one of the last great affordable places in L.A. to raise a family. The Eaton fire left those homes in ashes, and destroyed one vision of the L.A. dream.
How Altadena became the L.A. dream for Gen X and millennial artists, writers, musicians
For a particular creative community, Altadena represented one of the last great affordable places in L.A. to raise a family. The Eaton fire left those homes in ashes, and destroyed one vision of the L.A. dream.
www.latimes.com
January 16, 2025 at 2:34 AM
I've seen people say the homes lost were movie stars and rich tech folks. Plenty of people of means lost homes. But so did plenty of people living modest lives. If the American Dream still exists, it was alive in places like Altadena. A great piece from the @jessicagelt.bsky.social and @latimes.com
Reposted by Jay Balagna
For a particular creative community, Altadena represented one of the last great affordable places in L.A. to raise a family. The Eaton fire left those homes in ashes, and destroyed one vision of the L.A. dream.
How Altadena became the L.A. dream for Gen X and millennial artists, writers, musicians
For a particular creative community, Altadena represented one of the last great affordable places in L.A. to raise a family. The Eaton fire left those homes in ashes, and destroyed one vision of the L.A. dream.
www.latimes.com
January 16, 2025 at 2:27 AM
For a particular creative community, Altadena represented one of the last great affordable places in L.A. to raise a family. The Eaton fire left those homes in ashes, and destroyed one vision of the L.A. dream.
Reposted by Jay Balagna
A thoughtful meditation and reminder of the scale of the reforms needed.It's not just that people are moving into fire-prone lands; in Mediterranean Europe the problem is people moving out of fire-prone lands.It's not where you live but how you live on the land. www.nytimes.com/2025/01/11/o...
Opinion | The Best Time to Fireproof Los Angeles Was Yesterday
Can a city lose an entire neighborhood now and simply shuffle on, dragging the local memory like a ghost limb?
www.nytimes.com
January 11, 2025 at 12:22 PM
A thoughtful meditation and reminder of the scale of the reforms needed.It's not just that people are moving into fire-prone lands; in Mediterranean Europe the problem is people moving out of fire-prone lands.It's not where you live but how you live on the land. www.nytimes.com/2025/01/11/o...
As bad as the fires in the Los Angeles area have been, they could have been even worse. We got lucky but a system built on luck is not a durable system. It is already strained, and it risks breaking down in a world of greater and more frequent wildfires. Thanks to @latimes.com for running my latest:
Opinion: L.A. was lucky, with lots of help fighting fires. But no one should count on luck
Local firefighting systems need more permanent, reliable employment, because sometimes neighboring communities, states and nations won't be able to lend resources.
www.latimes.com
January 15, 2025 at 8:15 PM
As bad as the fires in the Los Angeles area have been, they could have been even worse. We got lucky but a system built on luck is not a durable system. It is already strained, and it risks breaking down in a world of greater and more frequent wildfires. Thanks to @latimes.com for running my latest:
Reposted by Jay Balagna
New commentary from @jaybalagna.bsky.social. Jay is a former firefighter, a thoughtful researcher, and an Angeleno. www.latimes.com/opinion/stor...
Opinion: L.A. was lucky, with lots of help fighting fires. But no one should count on luck
Local firefighting systems need more permanent, reliable employment, because sometimes neighboring communities, states and nations won't be able to lend resources.
www.latimes.com
January 15, 2025 at 7:50 PM
New commentary from @jaybalagna.bsky.social. Jay is a former firefighter, a thoughtful researcher, and an Angeleno. www.latimes.com/opinion/stor...
Reposted by Jay Balagna
I've been on lots of large fires in states red and blue. I've seen thousands of homes destroyed, ranging from small tailers housing a retiree on Social Security to large custom homes where the most wealthy among us live. I've talked to many who lost everything. 1/
January 14, 2025 at 10:34 PM
I've been on lots of large fires in states red and blue. I've seen thousands of homes destroyed, ranging from small tailers housing a retiree on Social Security to large custom homes where the most wealthy among us live. I've talked to many who lost everything. 1/
This is good and important and I have been sickened by the misinformation on it this week. Even the dire situation we see in LA can spare a few moments for firefighter safety. Vehicle accidents are the leading cause of emergency responser line-of-duty deaths. I have a personal stake in this, too…
Hundreds of out-of-state or country resources are already in Southern California assisting in these historic fires. The first stop for these resources is to visit a California Mobile Equipment Facility to go through a safety and mechanical inspection. youtube.com/shorts/InA33...
Out-of-State Fire Engines Get Inspections, but no SMOG check
YouTube video by CAL FIRE TV
youtube.com
January 14, 2025 at 8:21 PM
This is good and important and I have been sickened by the misinformation on it this week. Even the dire situation we see in LA can spare a few moments for firefighter safety. Vehicle accidents are the leading cause of emergency responser line-of-duty deaths. I have a personal stake in this, too…
Reposted by Jay Balagna
Here’s some of the bite-sized thinking that @jaybalagna.bsky.social, @jimwhittington.bsky.social, and I have been doing on wildfires over the years (🧵 1/n)
January 14, 2025 at 7:57 PM
Here’s some of the bite-sized thinking that @jaybalagna.bsky.social, @jimwhittington.bsky.social, and I have been doing on wildfires over the years (🧵 1/n)
"America's structural and wildland fire response systems were never intended to address blazes at the scale and complexity witnessed today."
The wildfire crisis demands long-term thinking that focuses decades into the future. www.rand.org/pubs/comment...
The wildfire crisis demands long-term thinking that focuses decades into the future. www.rand.org/pubs/comment...
The Los Angeles Fires and the Need for Long-Term Strategy Building Wildland Fire Resilience
The fires in Los Angeles highlight an urgent need for policy reforms in land management and community preparedness. Without sustained investment and effort, future disasters are inevitable.
www.rand.org
January 14, 2025 at 1:57 AM
"America's structural and wildland fire response systems were never intended to address blazes at the scale and complexity witnessed today."
The wildfire crisis demands long-term thinking that focuses decades into the future. www.rand.org/pubs/comment...
The wildfire crisis demands long-term thinking that focuses decades into the future. www.rand.org/pubs/comment...
Reposted by Jay Balagna
Since the LA fires started, I've seen some great writing and outstanding media appearances by good people I know personally or through their work. Everyone is doing their best while being caught up in the swarm of mis- and dis-info. 1/
January 13, 2025 at 4:36 PM
Since the LA fires started, I've seen some great writing and outstanding media appearances by good people I know personally or through their work. Everyone is doing their best while being caught up in the swarm of mis- and dis-info. 1/
Reposted by Jay Balagna
Wildland firefighters face a big pay cut if Congress doesn’t act − that’s taking a toll on a workforce already under stress
Wildland firefighters face a big pay cut if Congress doesn’t act − that’s taking a toll on a workforce already under stress
Firefighters work long hours to protect communities, often in dangerous conditions and for low starting pay. Surveys show the impact that can have on their physical and mental health.
buff.ly
January 13, 2025 at 12:02 AM
Wildland firefighters face a big pay cut if Congress doesn’t act − that’s taking a toll on a workforce already under stress
Reposted by Jay Balagna
The belief was that urban fires no longer exist, but they’ve come back. “It’s like watching polio return,” he said. “It’s happening repeatedly.””
Ooof
www.latimes.com/california/s...
Ooof
www.latimes.com/california/s...
January 12, 2025 at 8:42 PM
The belief was that urban fires no longer exist, but they’ve come back. “It’s like watching polio return,” he said. “It’s happening repeatedly.””
Ooof
www.latimes.com/california/s...
Ooof
www.latimes.com/california/s...
This is a fantastic quote in this @latimes.com piece today. I’ve been trying to say some version of this to people for the last few days www.latimes.com/california/s...
January 12, 2025 at 5:34 PM
This is a fantastic quote in this @latimes.com piece today. I’ve been trying to say some version of this to people for the last few days www.latimes.com/california/s...
Reposted by Jay Balagna
Global climate change worsens disasters, but blaming climate change alone deflects responsibility from effective local governance, infrastructure, and warning systems to multinational corporations and international climate mitigation efforts. Time to re-read @frediotto.bsky.social.
January 9, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Global climate change worsens disasters, but blaming climate change alone deflects responsibility from effective local governance, infrastructure, and warning systems to multinational corporations and international climate mitigation efforts. Time to re-read @frediotto.bsky.social.
Reposted by Jay Balagna
Whenever a wildland fire hits the national news & all the Internet fire experts/explainer bros show up, you can bet they have no understanding of scale, topography, fuel types, fire behavior, decision-making in a time-constrained environment, or how things have changed over the last 25 years.
January 11, 2025 at 3:23 PM
Whenever a wildland fire hits the national news & all the Internet fire experts/explainer bros show up, you can bet they have no understanding of scale, topography, fuel types, fire behavior, decision-making in a time-constrained environment, or how things have changed over the last 25 years.
Reposted by Jay Balagna
And now, for something a little more lighthearted, here's @marymac22.bsky.social on a new and uniquely L.A. phenomenon: water-drop fan cams.
"To a city reeling with loss, water drop videos are “Battle of Britain” and Snoopy beating the Red Baron."
www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
"To a city reeling with loss, water drop videos are “Battle of Britain” and Snoopy beating the Red Baron."
www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
Column: For Angelenos suffering fire fatigue, ace water drop videos are sweet revenge
Videos of fire-fighting pilots nailing flames with miraculous precision have given Angelenos something to root for during a week of shock, terror and grief.
www.latimes.com
January 11, 2025 at 7:37 PM
And now, for something a little more lighthearted, here's @marymac22.bsky.social on a new and uniquely L.A. phenomenon: water-drop fan cams.
"To a city reeling with loss, water drop videos are “Battle of Britain” and Snoopy beating the Red Baron."
www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
"To a city reeling with loss, water drop videos are “Battle of Britain” and Snoopy beating the Red Baron."
www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
Reposted by Jay Balagna
A THREAD on how disaster donations can be extremely harmful instead of helpful to communities experiencing a disaster.
I'll be using the movie Clueless to illustrate this issue but there is also decades of disaster research about this and plenty of first-hand accounts. #GreySky
I'll be using the movie Clueless to illustrate this issue but there is also decades of disaster research about this and plenty of first-hand accounts. #GreySky
January 11, 2025 at 7:41 PM
A THREAD on how disaster donations can be extremely harmful instead of helpful to communities experiencing a disaster.
I'll be using the movie Clueless to illustrate this issue but there is also decades of disaster research about this and plenty of first-hand accounts. #GreySky
I'll be using the movie Clueless to illustrate this issue but there is also decades of disaster research about this and plenty of first-hand accounts. #GreySky
This is a beautiful piece by a RAND colleague of mine. I have felt (from the same Eagle Rock neighborhood) many of the same things he writes about here over the past few days...
The L.A. fires have brought out the sharp difference between vague preparedness and real emergency, Ryan Francis Bradley writes:
“I hadn’t thought that it could happen down the street. I hadn’t considered that it could happen to me and my family.”
“I hadn’t thought that it could happen down the street. I hadn’t considered that it could happen to me and my family.”
When the Flames Come for You
Our family’s flight from the L.A. fires brought the difference between vague preparedness and real emergency into shockingly sharp focus.
www.theatlantic.com
January 11, 2025 at 7:52 PM
This is a beautiful piece by a RAND colleague of mine. I have felt (from the same Eagle Rock neighborhood) many of the same things he writes about here over the past few days...
Reposted by Jay Balagna
As wildfires swept through Los Angeles this week, misinformation circulated online, leading to significant confusion.
RAND experts break down what happened—and highlight the challenges of communication during emergencies: www.rand.org/pubs/comment...
RAND experts break down what happened—and highlight the challenges of communication during emergencies: www.rand.org/pubs/comment...
When Fire Information and the Desire to Help Collide Online
As wildfires swept through Los Angeles, misinformation circulated among citizens, celebrities, and some journalists, leading to significant confusion. This scenario highlights the challenges of ensuri...
www.rand.org
January 11, 2025 at 12:41 AM
As wildfires swept through Los Angeles this week, misinformation circulated online, leading to significant confusion.
RAND experts break down what happened—and highlight the challenges of communication during emergencies: www.rand.org/pubs/comment...
RAND experts break down what happened—and highlight the challenges of communication during emergencies: www.rand.org/pubs/comment...
Reposted by Jay Balagna
As fires continue to burn around Los Angeles, here are some resources and recovery tips from RAND emergency response and disaster recovery experts: www.rand.org/pubs/comment... @aclarkginsberg.bsky.social
As Fires Continue to Burn Around Los Angeles, Here Are Some Recovery Tips and Resources
As Los Angeles battles ongoing wildfires, tens of thousands face displacement. Recovery begins now, but long-term healing will take years, requiring community support and resources for rebuilding and ...
www.rand.org
January 11, 2025 at 4:17 PM
As fires continue to burn around Los Angeles, here are some resources and recovery tips from RAND emergency response and disaster recovery experts: www.rand.org/pubs/comment... @aclarkginsberg.bsky.social
Excuse the listicle but @aclarkginsberg.bsky.social and I wanted this out fast. Even as many remain displaced by evacuation zones recovery is already beginning--but will stretch on for years. Here are some tips for my fellow Angelenos in the short, medium, and long terms www.rand.org/pubs/comment...
As Fires Continue to Burn Around Los Angeles, Here Are Some Recovery Tips and Resources
As Los Angeles battles ongoing wildfires, tens of thousands face displacement. Recovery begins now, but long-term healing will take years, requiring community support and resources for rebuilding and ...
www.rand.org
January 11, 2025 at 7:04 PM
Excuse the listicle but @aclarkginsberg.bsky.social and I wanted this out fast. Even as many remain displaced by evacuation zones recovery is already beginning--but will stretch on for years. Here are some tips for my fellow Angelenos in the short, medium, and long terms www.rand.org/pubs/comment...