Posted on 12/14/2006 3:23:15 PM PST by La Enchiladita
Australia is considering bringing in US firefighters to help bring the bushfires which have swept across four states under control. The country is bracing itself as soaring temperatures are expected. Bushfires still rage out of control across Australia.
In the southern state of Tasmania, large plumes of smoke rise above the village of St Mary's, clouding the town in smoke. And in the southeast state of Victoria, bushfires sparked by lightning strikes continued to burn in rugged bush land.
Fires there have already destroyed more than 280 000ha. Two of the larger fires have linked to form a 250km front which is being battled by a 2 000-strong force of firefighters, troops and 45 water-bombing aircraft.
Teams are working overtime Teams are working overtime to gain control over the blazes before the forecast return of soaring temperatures later in the week. Firefighters say Australia faces an extreme fire danger this summer after a drought that has left many rural areas bone dry. Scientists fear climate change will bring more frequent higher temperatures and less rainfall to the country.
Bushfires are a regular feature of Australia's summer. Over the past 40 years, more than 250 people have been killed in bushfires in Australia. - Reuters
This calls for a ping to KAC..do you think her hubby would like to go to Australia???
Any later in the season, they ought to recruit in Canada. Should be plenty of takers to go to Australia in January!
My idea about launching ice comets from Antarctica takes on a new purpose and urgency, wouldn't you agree?
Picture a "Ski Flier" coming down after having set yet another record flight. Now run that mental image in reverse, except that the figure is now a huge freight train of ice accelerating magnetically up a slope in Antarctica, and then launching into suborbit.
Once it reaches its destination, charges fragment it into tens of thousands of small pieces which melt from atmospheric friction, and fall precisely where needed within minutes of launch.
Originally devised as a means of irrigation, this technique would make a dandy fire-fighting tool, wouldn't it?
You'll raise global ocean levels. Some climatologist publishing in the third world science journal Science will be alarmed.
Wouldn't friction melt the ice before it reached it's destination?
I have to think about this, NNB.
Thinking . . .
:)
Idaho regularly lends firefighters to the Aussies and vice-versa... wonder if this is just them wanting the usual exchange, or something more?
They look to be in a lot of trouble so I'm guessing ... something more.
They'll probably be looking for crews, not public information specialists...they send people when we're stretched thin, too...and there are probably a few guys who do both seasons whenever possible...
Friction would take an enormous toll on the ice, particularly if you wanted to launch to a farther destination, such as the Sahara.
For that reason, you would simply scale up to account for the loss. It's one of the reasons I chose Antarctica as the ice source.
On the startup scale, for putting out brush fires in Australia, and test operations for ice irrigation, such an effect would be minimal.
By the time the concept was proven, every desert across the globe could be made to flower, and the worth of that will put a lot of political power behind whatever else needs to be done.
(And of course, I would suggest putting a sufficient quantity where it could never cause an increase in the ocean's level, and where it would be most appreciated.)
You'll shoot your eye out.
I wouldn't be aiming at Jupiter. I'd be aiming at Mars.
I can see thel iberal press headlines now "U.S troops responsible for spread of flames after they invaded and occupied Australia"
But seriously- there's been some wicked fires this year- hope they get a handle on this one soon! http://sacredscoop.com
Actually crews, in general, probably aren't needed - we have tens of thousands of volunteer firefighters (I'm one myself and have been out there this week) who can handle the actual workload of fighting the fires pretty well.
What we can't do - we are amateurs and volunteers remember - is coordinate and handle the command side of the fires. And that's typically the help we'd be looking for now - experienced leaders and managers who can make sure the rest of us are where we need to be.
Extra crews are useful, especially specialists, but it's the latter I think we really need.
So, I believe 'verum ago' in post #9 was surmising correctly.
Glad that you checked in naturalman and reported. I am very concerned for you all.
I am sure there will be the manpower where they need it..whether it's overhead management, crewbosses or whatever. We are lucky that Australia's and the American West's fire seasons fall at times where they can help each other!
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