Smoke from the Canadian Wildfires

[TJC]

I'm not interested in the politics, either, but I do have some insight that maybe others don't. I have served on the town Finance Committee and was serving at the time our engines were approved by Town Meeting. I also serve as the chair for the town Financial Management Planning Committee, which is a fancy name for the capital and budget forecasting committee.

There really aren't any data-based metrics for how many first responders will be needed. There are loose guidelines but every municipality, large or small, has to balance all the competing needs into a balanced budget. In MA, we have Proposition 2.5 that limits property tax increases just as CA has Proposition 13, so in both states that sets a ceiling on budgets below the state level.

When we ordered our pumpers, we were told 2 years. Then it became 3 and it may well turn into 4. We did order in advance and it's likely that LA did, too, because no FD wants to come up short on equipment and the fulfillment delays have been going on since before COVID. They just got worse after COVID.

But the industry is now such a monopoly that the suppliers don't care. Municipalities have to sign orders that allow the supplier to change prices if costs increase before delivery. You can't cancel an order once signed and it doesn't matter anyway because any other supplier will be owned by the same or similar private equity group.

With respect to the hydrants, here's an LA news article describing what happened. Attach what credibility you will to the comments from the water department, but it definitely was a cascading series of events due to the scope of the fire and the speed with which the winds pushed it along.

https://abc7.com/post/los-angeles-w...es-during-fire-did-hydrants-run-dry/16349652/

This is exactly what happens when corporations are allowed to consolidate until there are just few large corporations that basically monopolize entire industries. The Sherman Act (1890) was supposed to prevent this from happening.

Sponsored

 

[got3fords]

It was pretty thick again today. Then some afternoon storms came though and cleared the skies some. It was so thick, you could not see the rain coming, it just started thundering and then the rain.

 

[TJC]

It was pretty thick again today. Then some afternoon storms came though and cleared the skies some. It was so thick, you could not see the rain coming, it just started thundering and then the rain.

We had a hard rain and are solidly in the GREEN now! Looks like the whole band of smoke has moved north.

 

[Fordup]

This is what we use to track it
https://firesmoke.ca/forecasts/current/

 

[AzScorpion]

This is what we use to track it
https://firesmoke.ca/forecasts/current/

That really puts it into prospective on how many there are across both countries. Hopefully these areas get some rain soon to help out the firefighters battling these.

 

[Motorpsychology]

This is what we use to track it
https://firesmoke.ca/forecasts/current/

I like the time lapse, mine is static.
Most of the smoke appears to be moving due east., but it's still North America Burning.

 

[Fordup]

I like the time lapse, mine is static.
Most of the smoke appears to be moving due east., but it's still North America Burning.

It really helps plan outdoor activities and is fairly accurate.

 

[Todd Chapin]

DC here. It was really bad Friday and Saturday here. Finally got some rain and its much better today. Found out amber lights work well in smoke.

 

[TJC]

Fog and smoke! Amber is the only way to go!

 

[Grumpaw]

There is an up-side to the smoke....
Hang your meat outside on the clothesline for that "naturally smoked flavor"......

Sponsored