fire prevention News

California Overtime Law Threatens Use of Grazing Goats to Prevent Wildfires

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – Hundreds of goats munch on long blades of yellow grass on a hillside next to a sprawling townhouse complex. They were hired to clear vegetation that could fuel wildfires as temperatures rise this summer. These …

California Urges Power Conservation Amid Heat Wave

LOS ANGELES (AP) — California’s power grid operator called for voluntary energy conservation on Thursday as the state sweltered under a heat wave that has blanketed the West and brought dangerously high temperatures to many areas. The California Independent System …

More Fire-Prevention Power Shutoffs Possible in California

SAN FRANCISCO — Electricity may be shut off to about 54,000 Northern California utility customers this week to try to prevent power lines from sparking and igniting new wildfires during a predicted new round of gusty, hot and dry weather. …

California May Boost Rules for Homes at High Wildfire Risk

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Years of increasingly deadly California wildfires spurred lawmakers to consider regulations Tuesday that would toughen local governments’ requirements for approving housing developments in high-risk areas. A state Senate committee voted 8-3 Monday to advance a measure requiring …

Insurers Oppose Premium Tax to Fund Washington’s Wildfire Prevention

Lobbyists for the property and casualty insurance industry are trying to prevent a $125 million increase in Washington state premium taxes that would fund wildfire prevention and suppression. The tax would affect home, auto and business insurance in an action …

GOP Bill Aims to Reduce Environmental Constraints on Logging to Reduce Wildfire Risk

House Republicans are targeting environmental rules to allow faster approval for logging and other actions in national forests in response to deadly wildfires in the West. Lawmakers are set to approve a bill to loosen environmental regulations for forest-thinning projects …

Utica, N.Y., Gets $364K Federal Fire-Fighting Grant

The city of Utica, in New York, is getting $364,000 in federal funding for fire prevention. Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand say the money for the Utica Housing Authority will be used to increase smoke alarm inspections citywide and …

Arizona Bill Granting Immunity for Fire Prevention Measures Passes

An Arizona Senate committee has approved a bill that would grant the state immunity from lawsuits similar to those filed after last year’s deadly Yarnell Hill Fire. House Bill 2343 was amended to require the state Land Department facilitate the …

Despite Recent Death, House Fire Safety Has Improved

Gary Vaughn was mentally ill and homeless, but neighbors on Humber Street in South , Tenn., had known him for years and took care of him. On the evening of Sept. 28, they saw smoke and flames erupting from the …

Fire Museum of Memphis Adding Exhibits

Thanks to a few big grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Plough Foundation, the Fire Museum of Memphis is pressing ahead with a slew of upgrades to its educational programs and exhibits focused on fire prevention and …