The William J. Worthen Foundation’s Post

How can aerial support revolutionize wildfire management? The SOUTH CAROLINA FORESTRY COMMISSION (SCFC) demonstrated its new Air Tractor, Inc. 802A Fire Boss planes on October 11 at Santee State Park. These amphibious aircraft, acquired through a contract with Dauntless Air, can haul up to 800 gallons of water and play a vital role in combating South Carolina’s 1,200 annual wildfires. During the demonstration, the Fire Boss planes scooped water from Lake Marion and dropped it on a controlled burn at Manchester State Forest. Capable of staying airborne for over three hours, these planes allow for repeated water or fire-retardant drops, significantly enhancing the state’s firefighting capacity. SCFC Fire Chief Darryl Jones emphasized the planes’ role in protecting homes, lives, and timber resources across South Carolina. Taking place during National Fire Prevention Week, this event highlights the critical need for advanced tools and strategies to effectively manage wildfires and protect vulnerable communities. What impact do you think aerial firefighting tools will have on wildfire management in the region? Share your thoughts below! For more insights on SCFC's new firefighting strategies, visit our blog: https://lnkd.in/gZuHKfjY #AvfoilNews #WildfireManagement #AerialFirefighting #SouthCarolinaForestry #FirePrevention #FireBoss #AirTractor #WildfirePrevention #ForestryCommission #SCFireManagement #DauntlessAir #FirefightingTools

🌩 Lightning Strikes: The Leading Cause of Wildfire Acreage Burned in 2023 🔥 Every year, wildfires devastate vast landscapes, and while not every lightning strike poses a threat, the ones that do can lead to catastrophic consequences. Identifying these high-risk strikes is key to wildfire prevention. According to recent data from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), lightning was responsible for over 80% of the total acreage burned by wildfires in California in 2023. This staggering figure highlights the critical need for timely and accurate detection of High-Risk-Lightning™ strikes. At Fire Neural Network, we are committed to detecting these dangerous lightning strikes and providing rapid alerts to help prevent devastating wildfires. By using advanced technology, we're able to focus on the small portion of lightning strikes that actually ignite fires, keeping communities safer and better prepared. #FNN #FireNeuralNetwork #HRL #WildfirePrevention #FireSafety #LightningDetection #FindingFiresLightningFast

As #wildfires continue to burn across #California, firefighters from local, state, tribal, and federal agencies are providing a coordinated response managed by #CALFIRE Incident Management Teams. Did you know that 95% of wildfires are human caused? This statistic underscores the vital importance of fire prevention and education. If you don't believe you will be impacted by wildfire you are mistaken, are you prepared, do you have an #evacuationplan? Watch the #CALFIREReport to learn more and visit www.fire.ca.gov for incident details. California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) Joe Tyler Anale Burlew Daniel Berlant David Fulcher George Morris III Christine McMorrow Jason Knight Nate Armstrong, Scott Gregory, MBA Tim Edwards California Professional Firefighters Brian Rice California Association of Public Information Officials (CAPIO) Andy VanSciver Thomas Shoots Brent Pascua Seth Schalet Justin Freiler, CEM, MEP, MPIO, NEMAA Eddie Sell National Association of Government Communicators (NAGC) AerialFire Magazine United Aerial Firefighters Association (UAFA)

We are committed to bringing updates to you, both the good and the bad, but we are devastated at how many fires we have already had to report only halfway through the year. Right now, the largest active fire in the nation, in Butte County, California. It is tragedies like these that keep us committed to our mission, to bring technology and communication together, to save lives. Follow our journey as we strive to bring live wind direction and wind speed tracking capabilities through our Dropblock devices to every wildland firefighter team in the country. THAT is how we will help save lives. THAT is our GOAL. Check out the article below by NPR with live and up-to-date coverage on the Butte County wildfire. #wildlandfire #fireandsafety #fireandrescue #rogocommunications #technology #thales #iridium #metocean #yarnellhillfire #communication #artificialintelligence #buttecountywildfire https://lnkd.in/gJNt3pJZ

🔥 Western Megafires: Record-Breaking Wildfire Season 🔥 Wildfires are raging across the western United States. The Park Fire in Northern California has exploded from 178,000 to over 380,000 acres in days, becoming one of the largest in state history. Oregon's "flash drought" and intense fires have burned over 1 million acres, and The Oregon Department of Forestry has called in The National Guard to help fight fires. 🔥 Stats at a Glance: - 89 active large wildfires - 2,123,318 acres burned - 27,982 wildfires this year across the US  - 4,247,895 acres burned in 2024 Earthvisionz can help you prepare for wildfires by sending you alerts when wildfire conditions are present as well as when a fire starts. You can share this information with your clients to build trust or use it to look for new clients that need your help recovering from a wildfire. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gedfg9VU #WildfireUpdate #StaySafe #Firefighting #ClimateChange #WeatherImpact #FireSafety

September is National Preparedness Month! 🚧 At the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), we take preparedness very seriously, especially before fire season rolls around! In order to prepare your home and your family for wildfires, remember the “Ready, Set, Go” steps for preparation: Get Ready - Being ready for wildfire starts with maintaining an adequate defensible space and by hardening your home by using fire resistant building materials. Get Set - Create a plan with your family to evacuate your home should wildfire strike. Put together an emergency supply kit. Learn how to talk with young children about fire safety. Be Ready to Go - Give your household the best chance of surviving a wildfire by being ready to go and evacuating early. Being ready to go also means knowing when to evacuate and what to do if you become trapped. Interested in a career where you can help prevent wildfires? Visit https://lnkd.in/g4nFeWGH to learn more about careers with CAL FIRE! #IgniteYourPassion #CALFIRECareers

It is alarming hearing numbers such as 207,000 acres burned this year in California. This is why we focus on wildfire resiliency. We understand it's inevitability, so how can we take action to better prepare ourselves and our community? We do the work now, to be ready later. We think about wildfire mitigation year round, and not just in fire season. We work to reduce fire fuels, implement fire breaks, educate residents on defensible space, and create sustainable long term solutions to wildfire resiliency. It's through collaborative partnerships and individual responsibility we can accomplish these goals. To quote Director of California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) Joe Tyler, “We are not just in a fire season, but we are in a fire year.” https://lnkd.in/dvu4stHg #wildfireresiliency #wildfire #calfire #california #firesafety #napacounty

Keeping pigeons at bay 🐦 This case study demonstrates our ability to install relevant bird proofing solutions that not only look the part but also play an effective role in keeping pest birds off your property. 🐦🚫 Read more about this case study at 👉 https://lnkd.in/ea24TDcH #Contego #BirdSpikes #PigeonProofing

Multiple concerns for this weekend from Nevada, California, and Arizona: wildfire and flooding. Such outstanding cooperation between CalOES (Nancy Ward and Brian Marshall) Nevada and Arizona (Gabriel Lavine ) for intel and information sharing. Within Nevada: great collaboration between Forestry, National Guard, and Emergency Management/Homeland Security. Preparing for statewide lightning storms, red flags from now to Sunday (including overnight), plus the flood following fire which is uncommonly covered in a federal declaration. Give us room to work: clear 30 feet from your home! Wildfire is emergency management!

🔔 Community Alert: Wildfire Update We have been informed by Alberta Forestry about a wildfire approximately 0.50 hectares in size between Allison Bay and Fort Chipewyan. Crews are on scene with two helicopters working to control the situation. Currently, there is no threat to our community. We are closely monitoring the situation and will keep you updated with any new information. For real-time updates, please visit Alberta Wildfire Website https://lnkd.in/gs-psiEh or download the Alberta Wildfire App. #FortChipewyan #WildfireUpdate #CommunitySafety #AlbertaWildfire