In Depth: Preps for fire season
LOS ANGELES - Segment One: Hal interviews Chief Kristin Crowley, of the L.A. City Fire Dept. She talks about her experiences as Los Angeles’s first female fire chief and the challenges and gratifications of the job.
They discuss fire preparedness in the city, and the various "tools" that the department uses to fight fires, both trucks and aircraft that belong to the department and those, like the Super Scoopers, that can be leased.
She talks about what people can do to protect themselves during fire season.
Segment Two: California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara joins Hal to discuss his new proposal called "Safer from Wildfires" which would mandate that insurance companies give discounts to consumers who perform fire mitigation tactics.
The proposal also involves community-level fire mitigation, and Lara explains why that is effective.
Lara talks about when this proposal might become law and allow people to take advantage of these discounts.
Segment Three: Dr. Merrill Shum, the Medical Director of the Oncology Institute of Hope and Innovation talks to Hal about the health impacts of living near the smoke from brush fires.
A recent study showed that people living within 30 miles of wildfires were found to be more likely to develop lung cancer and brain tumors.
Shum discusses the import of that study, talks about what people can do to mitigate the health effects and when to see a doctor,
Segment Four: Hal promotes his podcast and we end with a clip of a film made by a youth environmental group called "Fridays for Future U.S."