In Depth: Are year-round brush fires in California the new normal?

SEGMENT A:  New Wildfire Realities

Firefighters across the region discuss the impact that the worsening wildfires are having on them and their operations. 

They discuss how tactics must change to address the issues of residential building in brushy areas, and fire starts by electrical wires.

Hal spoke with LA City Fire Captain Cody Weireter, LA County fire Captain Tony Imbrenda, Ventura County Fire Captain Tony McHale, and Cal Fire Battalion chief Lucas Spelman about their experiences.

SEGMENT B:  New Equipment

Cal Fire  Regional Chief Dan Johnson tells us about the state’s purchase of 12 new Blackhawk Helicopters and 7 new C-130 airtankers to assist in  brush fire fighting going forward.

They discussed the advantages of the new aerial firefighting apparatus and why it would help battle wildfires.   Battalion Chief Andrew Smith with LA County fire shared the information that they would also be

Bringing new fire choppers on line to assist in aerial firefighting operations, and spoke about why that would be an asset.

SEGMENT C:  Firefighter Fatigue

LA City fire Captain Cody Weireter, LA County Fire Captain Tony Imbrenda, Ventura Co. Fire Captain Tony McHale, Cal Fire Battalion Chief Lucas Spelman, LA County Battalion Chief Andrew Smith and Cal Fire southern  regional Chief Dan Johnson  all shared stories of how their crews handle 24/ 7 firefighting.  They explained how firefighters were shifted on and off active firefighting and emphasized that firefighters need to place a priority on their own health and safety.

They also discussed the impact of changing weather patterns on the manner in which fires are fought.

SEGMENT D: Wrap Up

Hal explains latest “What the Hal” Podcast