Posted on 07/18/2012 7:42:17 AM PDT by BenLurkin
Al Qaeda is reportedly exploring a new way to attack the U.S., encouraging terrorists to make homemade “fire bombs” to start massive wildfires in California and the western U.S.
Al Qaeda magazine gave step-by-step instructions on how to build and use an “ember bomb,” which sends flaming embers out into the dry fields.
Battalion Chief Julie Hutchinson said that’s when CAL FIRE jumped into action.
“The magazine had very specific outlines and drawings and details on how to create that ‘fire bomb,’ so we felt it was in our interest to go ahead and put that together and determine what kind of threat it was,” she said.
An unclassified bulletin from CAL FIRE and the California Threat Assessment Center described how the agencies wanted to test out the al Qaeda “fire bomb,” so they followed the instructions. But the bomb didn’t ignite on the first try.
They lit it with a match and it burned for nearly 12 minutes, but it sent out no embers, and failed the test.
“It wasn’t as effective as they alluded to in the magazine,” said Hutchinson. “That doesn’t mean they couldn’t create something else, (but) we don’t see it being a real serious problem that they’re going to be able to use those here.”
Fire officials said the ineffectiveness of the “fire bomb” in testing is encouraging. However, they urge residents to report any suspicious activity and take the normal precautions that should be taken every year during fire season to protect their homes.
California Officials Beta Test Al Qaeda Weapon; Make Test Results Public; Encourages Al Qaeda to Try Again
OK, I'll take "Completely Missing the Point" for $400, Alex.
Perhaps those fine California officials could make some helpful suggestions as to how to improve the product. They’re just frigging stupid enough it seems.
If you really wanted to destroy the American West that's how you would do it.
My thoughts exactly. They would have served the public a bit better if they had said, “Oh no, this thing is terrible and it would be horrible, just horrible, if people made these and set them off!! That would be our worst fear.” But no, they said “They didn’t work,” prompting improvements so maybe the things actually deployed, WILL work. D’oh!
Execute arsonists.
Incompetent amateur bureaucrats! You get bigger budgets by scaring the public, not by making the bad guys look harmless. Suspend their Democrat party membership cards at once!
One thing to consider....Muslims are very shame based. Could this be a tactic to shame them, make them lose face?
If the terrorists are being made to look foolish, well...I could see advantages to that given the Muslim mindset.
Two things must be done immediately or the muslim vermin in this country will continue to multiply until they destroy us.
1) Make the obvious the official law of the land; that Is-Slime is an unlawful hate cult that has declared war on not just the USA but the entire world and certainly is not a religion deserving 1st Amendment protection.
2) Deport all muslims! No mud-slime shall be allowed to enter the country by any means. They are our sworn enemy.
Why do they need a ‘fire bomb’ at all? What’s wrong with a little lighter fluid and a book of matches?
Nothing, as long as no one tells them lighter fluid contains pork fat...
... or maybe the fire bombs actually worked as advertised, but the officials acted like they didn’t, so AQ would spend their time developing something else rather than using the existing idea.
Shhhhhh
“They lit it with a match and it burned for nearly 12 minutes,....”
How many times have we read about wildfires starting from discarded cigarette butts? Cigarette butts smolder, and yet cause a fire. They are saying the “firebomb test” burned for nearly 12 minutes, but aren’t worried!?
I’d be worried whether the damned thing worked as intended, or as they tested. Burning is burning.
Some years ago, a California airship company had a really good idea, a fire fighting airship. They did all the math and made the blueprints, but went out of business before they could build a prototype.
An airship has some huge advantages over fire fighting helicopters and aircraft, and would make a superb complement to their use. In much of the western US, they would be invaluable for most of the year, saving billions of dollars and many lives.
One of their biggest advantages is that they can haul an enormous amount of water, far more than aircraft can haul, and they can maintain their position over a fire, so they don’t have to dump their entire load at once, but can “rain” both on the fire and to restrict its movement by wetting the area in its path. It could keep up this heavy rain for an hour.
This is why fire hose nozzles give off a broken spray of droplets, almost a heavy mist, rather than a straight stream of water, except at a great distance, because that is a far more effective way to fight fire.
But an airship could also deliver high expansion fire fighting foam. Marvelous stuff, it could cover an area twice the size of a football field in short order, just by dumping HE-FFF in their water tank.
A few of the hotter forest fires do create a dangerous column of very hot air, which could be avoided by detecting it with a common infrared camera. In such a case, the airship could descend a fire hose connected to guidance cables, and rain offset to their position.
Refilling its tank is much easier than refilling an aircraft, as the airship could just land on a lake or open water tank with its tank value open. To handle the great change in cargo weight, it would have a compressor to store the excess helium when the ship was lightweight, and release it to life a full load.
Its propulsion would be two side fans, much like a Goodyear blimp, which could also be used to assist a vertical take off and landing.
All told, a dozen such aircraft would be invaluable in stopping the dozens or hundreds of wildfires every year, saving much forest land, homes and wildlife.
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