How is fire fighting different during a pandemic. I explore that today in my article published in Voices of Monterey Bay about firefighting, the Plaskett fires, and our pandemic. Here are the first few paragraphs. One can go here: https://voicesofmontereybay.org/2020/06/26/wildfire-in-the-time-of-coronavirus/ to read the rest of it.

FEATURED

By Kate Woods Novoa

I’ve been following wildland fires since I moved to the Big Sur backcountry in 1994 and survived my first close encounter in 1996. Big Sur has had a lot of fires since then, and I’ve closely monitored them all. But I had a new fire experience earlier this month that I hope never happens again: two fires in two weeks along the road leading to my house.

The first, on June 3, was called the Plaskett Fire and was caused by humans. The U.S. Forest Service says it is under investigation. The second, the Ridge Fire, started June 17. They were both put out quickly, but before describing how, I want to talk about the science of firefighting first.

I have studied the language of firefighting in my online interactions. Every year, I am immersed in the wildland fire culture in person and online. Fire is why I first learned how to blog and has been an all-consuming summer unpaid occupation for 12 years now, as more and more people use the backcountry, some of whom don’t have a clue about the dangers.

Read the rest. Go to Https://voicesofmontereybay.org