By Dr. Randall Hanifen
Disaster recovery funds are skyrocketing in recent years. To stymie such spending, should people be required to pass a test in order to qualify for federal response and recovery funds? Should emergency management agencies conduct hazard assessments on homes and businesses in high-threat areas to determine the one-time replacement value of the property and, once paid out, not allow rebuilding?
By Kurt Binversie
California wildfires are causing massive and widespread devastation. Learn about the indispensable Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) technology that first responders and the public are using to get real-time information about these unpredictable fires.
AMU graduate Peter Jensen has spent 27 years fighting wildfires in California. He shares why these latest fires are so destructive and how the state's nearly year-long fire season has taken a major toll on local firefighters.
On July 12, a civilian-operated drone forced firefighters battling a 35-acre wildfire in Southern California to ground supporting air tankers. This was the fourth such incident in a month where a drone disrupted firefighting efforts in California. These civilian-operated drones pose significant dangers for firefighting operations.
However, the use of drones by the fire service holds many potential benefits. “Drones would be a generous increase in our capabilities regarding communication, safety, and command and control,” said Captain Peter Jensen, a 26-year wildland firefighter with the Ventura County Fire Department in California. Learn more about how unmanned aerial systems (UAS) could assist firefighters fight wildfires.
The Incident Command System (ICS) is an all-hazards management system suitable for responding to incidents of all sizes and complexities. Learn more about how ICS has been applied beyond the public safety realm and been adopted by public-health agencies, disaster-relief organizations, and environmental-regulatory agencies.
