Word: fires
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...there is more than just the Los Angeles fire for the state to worry about. A string of major wildfires has hit California over the summer. Addressing reporters on Sept. 3, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger tried to sound reassuring, "Even though we have a budget crunch and we have an economic crisis and we just solved a $23 billion deficit, we will always have the money available to fight the fires because public safety is our No. 1 priority...
...this season's firefighting in California comes just as the state has made vast and deep cuts in nearly all services to balance its books. Can California afford to fight fires given its budget woes? And when does the federal government step in? (What things should you save if your home is threatened by fire...
...case of the Station Fire, the U.S. Department of Forestry will pick up a majority of the tab because more than 90% of the fire is in the Angeles National Forest. "One of the ways the federal government is supporting the state and local government in the Station Fire effort is that the U.S. Forest Service is providing over 1,600 of the 4,800 personnel fighting the fire," says Forest Service spokesman Caleb Weaver...
Indeed, in the recently approved state budget, Schwarzenegger kept the budget of Cal Fire, the state department of forestry and fire protection, roughly level at $518 million (which is used for salaries of the department) and doubled the emergency fund for wildfires from $69 million to $182 million. But with high summer temperatures, the California fire season is off with a roar and from July 1 to Sept. 2 the state spent $108.7 million. "We have literally burned through more than half of the emergency fire fund," says Department of Finance spokesperson H.D. Palmer...
FEMA spokesman Clark Stevens explains the process: "Fire-management assistance grants [from FEMA] provide impacted states with the financial support they need during a major fire event. These grants, requested by a governor, cover an array of firefighting expenses such as field camps, equipment use, repair and replacement, tools, materials and supplies and mobilization and demobilization activities." Stevens adds, "Since Aug. 28, Governor Schwarzenegger has requested and been granted five fire-management-assistance grants." He says FEMA will continue to work closely with California to make sure the state has the financial resources to combat wildfires. In short, if California...