Don Zirbel

Morning! Thanks for the follow! I retired in 2018 from Clackamas County FD in Oregon...was there 28 years...prior to that I was with Piedmont FD in the East Bay for 8 years. We might well have crossed paths somewhere along the way...I was on several deployments during my time in Cali.

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 ...

"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

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...

"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 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

“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.”

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.

"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.

You are most welcome. Thank you for the thoughtful message...be safe!

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.

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.

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.