After Years of Lag, Stakeholders Discover 'Prevention' Worth Just as Much as 'Cure'

In the usual run-up to summer, the wildfire industry is getting ready for another "hot one", as they seemingly have every year for the last decade or more.

Even if it's just media bluster, it's nifty to know someone's on the case, ready to strike pop up fires and head off crises before they can spin out of control. The US National Guard signaled their readiness after a small roundtable designed to bring attention to readiness, though not everyone is on the same level of wildfire risk. The high, hot, and dry southwest faces very different conditions than the swampy southeast, but Florida National Guard director of military support says they're ready for their problems too. Lieutenant Colonel Blake Heidelberg said “Our saying in Florida is that you’re either in hurricane season or you’re preparing for hurricane season. We dedicate an annual drill to hurricane response and domestic operations training." 

The Florida NG apparatus boasted of its "structured approach to hurricane preparedness", with coordination at the state, county, and national level. Much of the conference focused on wildfires, however, since they offer a ripe opportunity to drum up awareness for the administration's climate goals. California finally did the needful in its bid to increase 'prevention' over 'cure' since 2019, setting off the very cheesily named "Task Force Rattlesnake". That initiative brought out CANG members to work with the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to clear forest debris and mitigate fire risks along some of their highest risk corridors. California NG Brigadier General Robert Paoletti said the state was more proactive on the response end, keeping 300 guardsmen on emergency state duty under Rattlesnake. They work in hand with 14 crews throughout fire season, operating as helpers for CALFIRE to keep up the momentum in reducing risk. Members clear fuel sources, complete controlled burns to remove tinder vegetation, and create defense lines where needed.

“California’s significant investment with CALFIRE will hopefully limit how much play time that we have to spend fighting fires, because they’re so much more ready to react than they were five years ago,” said Paoletti. Their Air National Guard just got a new C-130 Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System, significantly boosting their ability to plop some retardant where it counts. 

“We responded in the last few years to floods and California’s first hurricane,” added Paoletti. “I know Florida is much more experienced with those than we are, but we stand ready to uphold the National Guard motto of, ‘Always Ready, Always There,’ to respond to the needs of Californians when they need it most.”

FMI: www.nationalguard.mil