Fire has been around for millions of years, but it has only been in the last 1.5 million years that humans have figured out how use it” (“Facts”). I always have wondered why fire is the only element that isn 't friendly with the human species. For example, water, earth, and air all have species that can have direct contact. Fishes live in water, and people live on land. However, there is no species on this planet that can have direct contact with fire and not get hurt. Maybe that’s the reason that animals and people consider fire to be dangerous, especially if we 're talking about wildfires, which have a massive impact on people and land. But in the end, no matter how dangerous and destructive fire is, people still depend on it, and …show more content…
The Search I decided to begin my first search on the Internet. Since I had access to both a computer, and an Internet connection, I had no issues in that regard. The first article that I explored was called “Wildfires,” from the National Geographic website. In the article I learned that, depending on the wind condition, wildfires can have different reactions. For example, in the article, they stated that, “wildfires can burn acres of land and consume everything in their paths in mere minutes” (“Wildfires”). I also learned the positive effects that wildfires has on the environment. For example, naturally-occurring wildfires are fundamental in nature, as they return nutrients to the soil by burning dead trees, plants, and land. They also act as disinfectant, by removing poison plants, insects, and all sorts of dangerous species (“Wildfires”). That 's the information that I learned from the article, and while it wasn 't much, I did manage to find key information. I also found an article entitled, "The …show more content…
It was called Fundamentals of Wildland Fire Fighting by Carl Goodson. The book started by explaining the basics of each phase of fire. For example, the combustion process which is basically the phase in which fire starts, comes first. I learned that in the Wildland both fuel and oxygen are present, but in order for the combustion process to start, heat must be added to liberate the fuel gasses. In this state, the process keeps repeating. So once the chemical combustion starts, the more heat is released from the energy, and as more heat is released, more fuel gases are liberated, which adds into more fire. However the behavior of oxygen is different, since the amount of oxygen available in the land doesn’t decrease or increase depending on the heat. It does, however, change depending on the weather’s condition, as the wind can definitely increase the oxygen that is available to the fire. Later in the book I saw a discussion of conduction, which Goodson describes happens, “when two objects of different temperatures contact with each other directly; heat transfers from the warmer to the cooler object until their temperature are equal” (17). For example, when a person touches a pot of boiling water, his or her fingers will get burned. That reaction is the conduction process. The heat of the pot transfers from the
There are a number of interesting similarities between the short stories White Heron and Fire. However, there are also fascinating differences. In the two stories, either of the author used foreshadowing as a literature device. In the Heron, the whistle of the ornithologist not only appears at the ornithologist’s first appearance of the story, but also the end of the story, which makes the structure of the story more precise. In the middle of the fire story, “He would be in to camp by six o'clock; a bit after dark” was mentioned while “He was bound for the old claim on the left fork of Henderson Creek, where the boys were already” The foreshadowing echo with each other and tie the whole story together. Moreover, they both have the connection with nature. Also, there are advisors for each of the main characters of the
Fire plays a huge role in natural forests. The let it burn policy allows natural fires to burn unless, they threaten people, property, or endangered species. This policy allows the years and years of kindling that has fallen and piled up on the forest floor to burn up in smaller fires, instead of having huge devastating fire like the ones that burning for months in 1910 and 1988. When the west was first settled, forests were thinned by lumber companies that logged the trees and burned the logging debris, and by ranchers looking to increase pasture land. The last herder coming out of the mountains would set a fire to ensure good forage for the next year.
The Blackwater fire of 1937 was a forest fire that occurred when a lightning strike ignited a tree in the Shoshone National Forest. It lasted for 6 days and killed 15 people, injuring a further 38; David P. Godwin (investigator of the fire) said,“not since 1910 have so many lives been lost on a single national forest fire”. The fire consumed a total of 1700 acres of forest woodland1 in this time. The Blackwater fire’s dire effect therefore resulted in the methods of firefighting that were used at this time being reviewed and updated to try to make firefighting safer for those involved in combating fire.
Wildfires started as an annual and seasonal occurrence in the south western region of California since the early 1930’s in part because of the hot dry summers and the hot dry turbulent Santa Ana winds that blow in from the desert during the fall months. Now it has become a yearlong event (Mckay, 2010). These conditions greatly contribute to the “fire season” throughout this area. This set of circumstances in conjunction with downed power lines and humans that ignited fires took place in October of 2007. This led to a series of fires that burned more than 500,000 acres, destroyed 1,500 homes, killed 9, injured 85, and forced the successful evacuation of around 500,000 people out of harm’s way.
Policies regarding the handling of wildland fires continue to change and evolve as new information is learned each fire season. Attitudes have changed between complete wildland fire suppression to no suppression at all. We now seem to have reached a balance between the two schools of thought and fall somewhere in the middle.
Prescribed fire is a controlled burn of an area done by a team of experienced or educated people in a grassland or forested area. This type of burn is intended to help the health of plant and animal species and restore them to their native state. When certain areas that need to be burned so often do not get burned, they can be a hazard to the ecosystem in which it presides. A forest can get over grown and thick which will create more fuel for a wildfire that can destroy a forest community. In grassland a controlled burn, or prescribed burn, can help eliminate invasive species that can take over grasslands that are harmful to the more desirable plants. This type of fire can be seen as harmful and a disaster by many people, but it has great benefits on the areas in which it is done.
Fires kill plants and trees leaving wildlife without homes and food. Large fires cause lots of smoke and air pollution.
The difference between a fire that is warm and friendly and one that is ferociously hot and destructive is size. A small fire in a campsite can take the edge off the cool night air, and a raging forest fire can destroy a thousand acres in a few hours. Fire has been one of our most important tools on our journey from the beginning of time to the present day. It also poses a severe threat to mankind if it is not controlled. Children often experiment with fire. Any time a child starts a fire he endangers himself and the people around him. Juvenile arson happens on a routine basis, and has very outreaching consequences. Fires statistics reported by fire departments in 2003, show that children started approximately forty-two thousand fires, causing an estimated one-hundred sixty-five civilian deaths, nineteen hundred civilian injuries and two-hundred seventy-two million dollars in direct property damage (United States Fire Administration, 2004). The price that society pays for juvenile-set fires is extremely high. Tragically, the lives of the very children setting the fires account for most of the lives that are lost.
As people of the twenty-first century, we are all too familiar with the frequent occurrence of wildfires in our nation’s forests. Each year millions of acres of woodlands are destroyed in brutal scorches. It has been estimated that 190 million acres of rangelands in the United States are highly susceptible to catastrophic fires (www.doi.gov/initiatives/forest.html.). About a third of these high-risk forests are located in California (www.sfgate.com). These uncontrollable blazes not only consume our beautiful forests but also the wildlife, our homes and often the lives of those who fight the wildfires. The frequency of these devastating fires has been increasing over the years. In fact, in the years 2000 and 2002, it has been reported that the United States has faced its worst two years in fifty years for mass destruction fires (www.doi.gov/initiatives/forest.html.). The increased natural fuels buildup coupled with droughts have been a prevailing factor in contributing to our wildfires and unhealthy forests (www.blm.gov/nhp/news/releases/pages/2004/pr040303_forests.html). Due to the severity of these wildfires, several regulations and guidelines have been implemented to save our forests. In fact, the President himself has devised a plan in order to restore our forests and prevent further destruction of our woodlands.
Thesis: Politicians are proposing sweeping changes in bills, which have caused great controversy, in efforts to correct the problems that the Forest Service has
Thousands of fires occur on a yearly basis throughout the United States. Whether it is forest fires, house fires, or any other event that involves uncontrollable flames, the outcome will always be the same; high amounts of destruction and physical damage. When fire emergencies occur, responding to the incident may not be much of a complication as apposed to determining the source from where the fire started or what triggered its behavior, which is truly the challenge. In order to do so, a fire investigator has to be present at the scene of the fire after it has been eliminated. The investigator, after reviewing any possible marks or behavior trails, will conclude if the incident was indeed an accident or intentional, thus making it an act of arson. According to the U.S. Fire Administration Topical Fire Research Series, “Arson is the leading cause of fires (267,000 annually) in the United States” (usfa.fema.gov). Arson cases are very complex due to the fact that it can be committed virtually anywhere and by anyone, including fire responders as well. The motives behind arson incidents can also be a very complex issue because it may have been used as a cry for help or simply as a mode of cognitive escape. Gathered reports indicate that the main reasons for arsons committed by firefighter personnel are to be viewed as a heroic figure, an escape from personal stress, financial gain purposes, excitement, or even revenge against the fire company and others.
Forest fires kill many animals and usually destroy a large amount of land. Prescribed burns seem like they would be the best idea, but are they? Their claim to fame is to clear out land in order to decrease the burning space for when an actual forest fire occurs. Yet this may seem like a brilliant idea, but one must look at the negative aspects of controlled burnings. People might have a change of heart when they realize the damages and effects of such an interesting act. Keep in mind that not only is your health involved but even such things as the inconvenience of dealing with a smoky town. It is important to understand that prescribed burns cause severe health problems especially to firefighters; these are concerning carbon monoxide poisoning, visibility issues and health risks that will affect the future.
Altho somewhat similar the two stories are very different in many ways. The first story is called “Mystery of Heroism” by Stephen Crane and the other one is “To Build a Fire” by Jack London. Both of the books are part of the short story genre and realism stories. The author's purpose for writing the “Mystery of Heroism” is to tell a story about a brave man who went to get water for a dying man. The purpose for writing “To Build a Fire” is to tell about a man and his dog and how he tried to fight the below freezing temperatures to stay alive. Both authors use realism because they want to tell real stories about people and how they had to overcome struggles in their lifetime. These two stories have similarities but they are way more different than anything else. One of the stories is about a man who has to overcome fear to get water for a man.
I’ve long been familiar with the concept of coal mines, but a common occurrence I was unfamiliar with previous to this class was the concept of coal mine fires, but it is a huge problem, both economically and environmentally.
The Forest fire is occurring very frequently nowadays, reasons for it are a heavy increase in global warming and an increase in temperature.