Don Zirbel
@oldfiremedic.bsky.social
Watch Duty staff reporter (based in northern NV but reporting throughout the western states) • retired firefighter/engineer/paramedic • animal advocate/sanctuary founder • vegan • nature lover • train buff • defender of human rights and the planet.
"Together with the ongoing dismantling of disaster and emergency response capacity by the federal government–including FEMA and other relevant entities ... California, along with other states/regions, may be much more vulnerable to weather and wildfire-related hazards for the foreseeable future."
As progressive ridge-trough pattern shifts toward more persistent ridging, rising heat in CA and the Southwest likely in late May - Weather West
Recent conditions in California: Unsettled, though mostly drier and windier than average; temperatures mixed The past month has brought a notable unsettled period of weather to much of California and ...
weatherwest.com
May 16, 2025 at 2:13 PM
"Together with the ongoing dismantling of disaster and emergency response capacity by the federal government–including FEMA and other relevant entities ... California, along with other states/regions, may be much more vulnerable to weather and wildfire-related hazards for the foreseeable future."
“The grand show is eternal
It is always sunrise somewhere” - John Muir
It is always sunrise somewhere” - John Muir
April 23, 2025 at 2:54 AM
Reposted by Don Zirbel
“The grand show is eternal
It is always sunrise somewhere” - John Muir
It is always sunrise somewhere” - John Muir
April 22, 2025 at 8:14 PM
“The grand show is eternal
It is always sunrise somewhere” - John Muir
It is always sunrise somewhere” - John Muir
"The administration’s moves will also halt a first-of-its-kind study of the causes of thousands of firefighters’ cancer cases and disrupt a program that provides health care to emergency personnel who responded to the World Trade Center terrorist attacks."
Trump Laid Off Nearly All the Federal Workers Who Investigate Firefighter Deaths
The cuts, which are part of Trump’s slashing of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, will also halt a first-of-its-kind study of the causes of thousands of firefighters’ cancer c...
www.propublica.org
April 22, 2025 at 1:17 PM
"The administration’s moves will also halt a first-of-its-kind study of the causes of thousands of firefighters’ cancer cases and disrupt a program that provides health care to emergency personnel who responded to the World Trade Center terrorist attacks."
“The NFA is a powerhouse for the fire service. It’s not a ‘nice to have’. It is the one avenue we have to bring people from all over the country to learn from and with each other. If we want to continue to have one of the premier fire services in the world, we need to have the NFA.”
Trump administration cancels classes at National Fire Academy amid funding freeze
Free training classes for firefighters and other first responders are provided through Fema at the Maryland site
www.theguardian.com
March 9, 2025 at 2:05 AM
“The NFA is a powerhouse for the fire service. It’s not a ‘nice to have’. It is the one avenue we have to bring people from all over the country to learn from and with each other. If we want to continue to have one of the premier fire services in the world, we need to have the NFA.”
"Around 75% of the USFS probationary employees that the Trump Administration fired had secondary wildland fire duties, according to numbers ... obtained from the National Federation of Federal Employees’ Wildland Fire division."
Mass USFS firings will strain nation's wildfire fighting force
The Trump Administration fired over 2,000 Forest Service employees. Their job loss will strain an already burdened firefighting force.
wildfiretoday.com
March 7, 2025 at 4:49 PM
"Around 75% of the USFS probationary employees that the Trump Administration fired had secondary wildland fire duties, according to numbers ... obtained from the National Federation of Federal Employees’ Wildland Fire division."
With a forecast of up to 2.5 inches of rain for local foothills and mountains and a 15-25% chance of thunderstorms, Los Angeles County Public Works advises residents of recent burn areas to take extra precaution and prepare in advance of the incoming storm.
January 26, 2025 at 1:13 AM
With a forecast of up to 2.5 inches of rain for local foothills and mountains and a 15-25% chance of thunderstorms, Los Angeles County Public Works advises residents of recent burn areas to take extra precaution and prepare in advance of the incoming storm.
Our thoughts continue to be with So Cal…everyone please be safe and be there for each other.
January 20, 2025 at 4:59 AM
Our thoughts continue to be with So Cal…everyone please be safe and be there for each other.
I haven't posted much here yet, despite my best intentions. I plan to be better moving forward. The So Cal wildfires have tested my emotional energy this week as a Watch Duty reporter, but nowhere near what everyone there is going through. Be safe, be strong, and be there for each other, L.A.
January 17, 2025 at 4:30 AM
I haven't posted much here yet, despite my best intentions. I plan to be better moving forward. The So Cal wildfires have tested my emotional energy this week as a Watch Duty reporter, but nowhere near what everyone there is going through. Be safe, be strong, and be there for each other, L.A.
Fire camera view this evening of the
#FranklinFire in Malibu California, looking out across the fire area over the Pacific Ocean. Firefighting activities are now largely focused on mopup and patrolling for hotspots, and continued structure protection. Beauty juxtaposed with tragedy.
#FranklinFire in Malibu California, looking out across the fire area over the Pacific Ocean. Firefighting activities are now largely focused on mopup and patrolling for hotspots, and continued structure protection. Beauty juxtaposed with tragedy.
December 12, 2024 at 2:07 AM
Fire camera view this evening of the
#FranklinFire in Malibu California, looking out across the fire area over the Pacific Ocean. Firefighting activities are now largely focused on mopup and patrolling for hotspots, and continued structure protection. Beauty juxtaposed with tragedy.
#FranklinFire in Malibu California, looking out across the fire area over the Pacific Ocean. Firefighting activities are now largely focused on mopup and patrolling for hotspots, and continued structure protection. Beauty juxtaposed with tragedy.
Great news for the Reno metro area. While both agencies currently have standard mutual aid agreements with each other, this will further streamline and expedite the process of dispatching the closest units to an emergency incident, including wildland fires.
Reno and Truckee Meadows fire departments finalize automatic aid agreement
mynews4.com
November 20, 2024 at 12:40 AM
Great news for the Reno metro area. While both agencies currently have standard mutual aid agreements with each other, this will further streamline and expedite the process of dispatching the closest units to an emergency incident, including wildland fires.