SoCal_IC retweeted
Not every wildfire makes the news. Many are stopped before they have a chance to grow.
While California may be experiencing fewer wildfire starts, new fires are still igniting every day.
Over the past week, 157 new wildfires started across the state. CAL FIRE’s goal is to contain 95% of wildfires at 10 acres or less. Meeting that goal takes a fast response and decisive action before flames have a chance to spread.
📸 The Oct. 12 Rock Fire is one example. @CALFIRENEU and partner agencies responded and contained the fire at just 1.5 acres, preventing it from growing larger.
These smaller fires are a reminder of why every response matters, even when it doesn't make the headlines.
ALT A small forest fire seen from a plane. WE also see red retardant lines around it.
ALT A CAL FIRE bulldozer drives near forest land painted red by retardant.
ALT Engines and water tenders at a wooded area. Retardant is on the ground.
SoCal_IC retweeted
I reread this every year.
I cry like a baby every year.
Todd Beamer died a father, husband, and hero.
Todd: Hello… Operator… listen to me. I can’t speak very loud. This is an emergency. I’m a passenger on a United flight to San Francisco. Our plane has been hijacked.
Lisa: I understand. Can they see you?
Todd: No. There are three that we know of. They have knives — razor knives, like box cutters. Someone announced from the cockpit there was a bomb. It sounded fake.
Lisa: Your name?Todd: Todd Beamer. United Flight 93.Todd: They killed one passenger in first class. They forced most of us back. Fourteen of us here. Five flight attendants. The guy with the bomb ordered us to sit on the floor.
Lisa: Are you okay?
Todd: We’re going down… wait. No. We’re leveling off. We changed directions. We’re flying east again.
Todd: A guy named Jeremy called his wife. She told him two planes hit the World Trade Center. Lisa, is that true?
Lisa: I have to tell you the truth. It’s very bad. Both towers are gone. A third plane hit the Pentagon. Our country is under attack. I’m afraid your plane may be part of their plan.
Todd: Oh God. Lisa, will you do something for me? Call my wife and my kids. Promise me you’ll call.
Lisa: I promise.
Todd: Our home number is… You have the same name as my wife. Lisa. We’ve been married ten years. She’s pregnant with our third child. Tell her I love her. I’ll always love her. We have two boys — David, he’s 3, and Andrew, he’s 1. Tell them their daddy loves them and he is so proud of them. The baby is due January 12th. I saw an ultrasound. We still don’t know if it’s a girl or a boy.
Lisa: I’ll tell them. I promise, Todd.(Lisa patches in the FBI.)
Agent: Todd, your plane is on a course for Washington. Best guess is the White House or the Capitol.
Todd: I understand. I’ll be back.
Todd: Everyone knows this isn’t a normal hijacking. We have decided we will not be pawns in their plot.
Lisa: What are you going to do?
Todd: Four of us are going to rush the one with the bomb. Then the cockpit. A stewardess is getting boiling water. We’ll take them out.
Todd: Would you pray with me?They pray the Lord’s Prayer. Then: Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me.
Todd: God help me. Jesus help me.Are you guys ready? Let’s Roll.
SoCal_IC retweeted
25 years ago, they woke up to what they thought would be an ordinary day.
Within hours, everything changed.
And without hesitation, they went into the rubble.
Alongside their handlers, these extraordinary dogs searched through the devastation of 9/11 - hour after hour, day after day, they worked tirelessly to find any survivors of the Twin Towers.
Any…
Their determination, their loyalty, their diligence and their love - even now, it is incredibly moving.
Some would carry the effects of that work for the rest of their lives.
Today, every one of those dogs has gone.
But what they did must never be forgotten.
To the dogs of 9/11, and to the remarkable men and women who worked beside them - we thank you for your service, your courage and your sacrifice.
25 years on - we remember you.
We always will. 🇺🇸🐾
SoCal_IC retweeted
August wildfire activity was significantly below average across our Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit — a welcome development during a time of year when we historically see some of our highest levels of fire activity.
In August our Unit saw just 36 wildfires that burned 17 acres combined. The 36 fires ties with 2009 for the fewest in the month of August over the past 20 years while the 36 acres burned is the lowest August total in that same timeframe.
Also, for the first time since 2001, our North Bay region went an entire August without a wildfire growing beyond 10 acres. Only three fires grew larger than one acre all month.
While the recent moderation in fire activity is encouraging, now is not the time to let our guard down. Some of California’s largest and most destructive wildfires have occurred in September and October. 🍂
SoCal_IC retweeted
The best of the best!
May God protect each and every airborne warrior as they protect others.
Fighting fire demands agility, flexibility and aggressive response. This is the strength of #helitack – the adaptability for inserting and retrieving helitack crews directly on the #fireline , often in challenging terrain, sometimes inaccessible by ground crews. They can deploy nearly anywhere on the fire in support of our goal of aggressive initial attack.
One of our three newest HAWK’s, Copter 615 has flown over 70 hours on multiple fire and rescue missions since arriving at Bieber the first week of July. #aerialfirefighting @calfiresku
