An Incendiary Corollary

Rethinking Fire Policy in the Tinderbox Zone - New York Times

So it appears my post last week about people not being able to prevent wildfires was surprisingly topical given the recent fires in southern California. What still remains distressing about the whole situation is how truly preventable it was, and how preventable future fires really are. These fires are only fought with such stringent measures because people and their property are in the danger zones. I don't want to sound heartless, and I do feel sorry for the families of those that lost their lives, but they really should have known better.

I think this line from the article sums up my frustration: "Many Californians say they want the best of both worlds — life in the danger zone and more fire protection — and are frustrated that they do not have it." Oh, really? It's like wanting all these great government programs and ridiculously low taxes at the same time. So they really want hundreds of overworked forest service men and women and firefighters risking their lives practically year-round to protect houses that should have been built elsewhere in the first place? Forget the houses, let's give a break to the firefighters and stop asking them to join a futile and foolish fight.

I said this before and here's some scientific validation:

"Fire-management experts like Professor Minnich, who has compared fire histories in San Diego County and Baja California in Mexico, say the message is clear: Mexico has smaller fires that burn out naturally, regularly clearing out combustible underbrush and causing relatively little destruction because the cycle is still natural. California has giant ones because its longtime policies of fire suppression — in which the government has kept fires from their normal cycle — has created huge pockets of fuel that erupt into conflagrations that must be fought." (emphasis my own)

So what's the solution? Change cannot happen overnight, but a strict change in policy should be enacted as soon as possible. If Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to fight these fires once and for all, then he must first call for housing restrictions in danger zone areas. I would also like to see a waiver for protection should things go awry (i.e. another raging blaze). If we can strip this expectation of senseless protection from people's minds, then maybe we can make them think twice of what they're about to do. If you know the cavalry won't be coming, it's a lot harder to start a fight you know you can't win on your own.

For a state that is traditionally so environmentally progressive (see automobile emissions requirements), it's rather shocking that these environmentally devastating policies are still on the books. Sometimes the best way for humans to make a positive impact on their environment is to just let Nature do all the hard work and stay out of her way.