As drought conditions continue in Walker County and firefighters battle more wildfires, financial strain and smoke are now becoming major problems. The Empire Volunteer Fire Department has been assisting personnel with the Alabama Forestry Commission in battling a major wildfire in the community for nearly two weeks, and it is beginning to take a financial toll on the department.
“We’ve been out there everyday, from daylight until dark, sometimes from four in the afternoon until four in the morning, helping Forestry on the large wildfire that continues to burn in our community,” Empire’s Assistant Fire Chief Michael Davenport said. “And it’s putting a strain not only on our firefighters but also our department’s budget.”
Davenport said Empire operates its firefighting operations strictly off fire dues the department receives from the community, and the continuous fire calls of late are draining those funds pretty quickly.
“We’ve gone through a lot of fuel during the past couple of weeks, because we’re continuously having to run our trucks while we’re out there helping Forestry,” Davenport said. “These fires are not only costing us, the local fire departments, money. They’re also costing Forestry money too, because they’re having to be out here running their equipment as well.”
The large wildfire that continues to burn in Empire is believed to be the result of multiple arson fires that were set along various areas of Phillipstown Road over the weekend of Friday, Nov. 4, through Sunday, Nov. 6.
According to Walker County E911 records, fire departments in Walker County have responded to a total of 59 fire calls since Nov. 1, including the wildfire in Empire, which still continues to burn.
According to Interim State Forester Gary Cole of the Alabama Forestry Commission, as long as it burns, there will be smoke.
“Water alone does not successfully ‘extinguish’ these large wildfires,” Cole said. “In wildland firefighting, the standard tactic is to ‘contain’ the flames within plowed lanes, allowing them to burn out.”
Cole said while this practice does eventually control or extinguish a fire, it also produces considerable amounts of smoke.
“Another thing that adds to the smoke problem this time of year is dried leaves and pine straw falling on smoldering ground, which often causes these fires to re-ignite,” Cole said. “So our people have to keep a close watch on areas already burned, and it
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Posted: Nov 18, 2016
WARE, Mass. (WWLP) - A new app allowing enhanced communication between police and fire departments and National Grid during emergency situations in New England was launched Friday. The app is called "First Responder." It is designed to give police and firefighters in New England the capability to report emergency situations involving the company's gas and electric infrastructure.
Using the app, police and fire departments will be able to send photos of infrastructure damage directly to National Grid crews in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. This way, the company will be able to determine the best way to approach the issue before even arriving.
National Grid says they anticipate the app will help reduce overall storm restoration time because they will be able to see storm damage in real-time.
Ware Fire Department helped National Grid develop the app.
“The Ware Fire Dept. is excited to see the roll out of the National Grid First Responder App. We were pleased to help National Grid provide first responders such a great app that will help to swiftly transfer the needed information on what resources are needed on scene,” said Thomas Coulombe, Ware Fire Chief.
Without the app, police and fire departments report field incidents by calling in reports to National Grid. The company says the app will make the whole process much faster because the photos not only depict the damage, but also provide the geographical location.
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