Will Muslim Terrorists Burn the Western States?

Independent Logic | June 12, 2002 | Silas

[Mo1]

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[RightWhale]

Will get back to you, hopefully with some good fire-fighting info.

[stuartcr]

9/11 happened and we know who did it. I made no comment on that. This thread is about unsubstantiated causes of fires, and potential future acts, do not put your words into my replies.

[Travis McGee]

I believe they were involved with Mt. St. Helens also. 5 posted on 6/12/02 6:38 AM Pacific by stuartcr

Your words speak for themselves. You are such a card! Firestorms! HAHAHA!

[Psalm 73]

Hey, I'm with Ann Coulter (I mean, not physically - just in a matter of speech, although...),
anyway - RACIAL PROFILING NOW - deport non-citizen arab/muslims unless they're (individualy) signed off by a US Senators office.
They can come back when (and if) we strighten out the INS.

[RightWhale]

No good fire-fighting info due to our resident firefighter being otherwise busy right now, but . . .
With proper forest management, even set fires wouldn't get far. Also, the big fires tend to put themselves out by attracting rainfall. They might burn for a couple of weeks, but then it is like cloud-seeding and the rain comes. Multiple fires would tend to stop each other, the technique is backfire and firebreaks. They use fuel that would otherwise be used by another fire. Net result: kind of disappointing for a forest fire terrorist.

[Travis McGee]

I see your point about multiple fires stopping one another, I am seeing a single massive fire started on one line by multiple terrorists at the same time, so it would be more like a single battle front advancing, not multiple fires crossing paths.

[RightWhale]

Sure, it is possible and I get the picture, but fires are notoriously undisciplined. They wouldn't maintain ranks for long. A city firestorm like Dresden or Tokyo would be unlikely. Just one factor: wind direction and intensity changes constantly and isn't normally uniform to begin with on that scale.

[Travis McGee]

Just one factor: wind direction and intensity changes constantly and isn't normally uniform to begin with on that scale.

Good point.

But the forest arsonists could just move over a state or two, and repeat the linear attack every few days until much of the west was burning.

Especially upwind of cities and towns. I think another "Denver fire" could be ignited every day, one arsonist could set ten fires on a line 50 miles long upwind of a city in two hours.

What's to stop terrorists from doing it, other than "hoping for the best"?

[Silas]

Beware of Santa Ana

[Travis McGee]

The cat's out of the bag, anyone watching the fire approaching Denver is going to get this idea, so I think that there is now greater benefit in discussing how to deal with it than keeping quiet and hoping the bad guys don't get the idea.

[Travis McGee]

Beware of Santa Ana

That would be optimal for an attack in Kali.

[SJackson]

As a point of interest, those fires started by the Japanese were fought by the 555th Parachute Infantry Company (Triple Nickel-later redesignated the 505th), America's first black paratroopers, functioning as smokejumpers.

[SJackson]

As a point of interest, those fires started by the Japanese were fought by the 555th Parachute Infantry Company (Triple Nickel-later redesignated the 505th), America's first black paratroopers, functioning as smokejumpers.

[Travis McGee]

Cool! I'll bet they can tell some stories!

[Travis McGee]

Ping.

[Jeff Head]

It is a very plausible thing Trav. They'd just have to wait for the right conditions in any region and drive the highways and do it. Five teams, ten teams ... twenty teams. I believe they have the people in the country already to mount it.

They would probably have one or two security guys in the van or car with them armed with assault rifles to take on any state trooper, sheriff, or citizen that tried to interrupt.

How to stop it? Unfortumnately, we're not prepared to stop anything on this scale. We have a lot of volunteer fire departments throughout the west and we have smoke jumpers and the national guard ... but they are all reactive after it's really going.

Until more and more citizens are armed and can interdict it at force of arms when it occurs, all we can do is react IMHO.

[wardaddy]

BTTT!

[piasa]

I don't like the idea of giving these wingnuts ideas, but people need to be extremely observant, need to get out as much as possible and keep their eyes open, and have an idea of what they'll do if they do see something. Instead of the boob tube for entertainment, get out and drive or walk around the area. The more people with open eyes, the less likely an area is to look like a target. Not just for big-time criminals but for the run-of-the-mill vandal. It can even do good if someone is out there just being stupid, or if a lightning strike gets a fire going. A fire caught early is going to be easier to contain, so check out any smoke you see, however small it seems, and any vehicles you see coming from that direction.

Digital cameras are good to record oddball activity quickly and transfer the information quickly- no need to waste time getting images developed. Take a notepad around or recorder- some digital cameras even record sound, by the way- so you can take notes with them. Get to know your local fire department officials and police officers as well, local small business people too as in an emergency situation these folks are all tend to know what's going on at city hall, they tell eachother if suspicious people have been slinging bad checks or hanging around each other's businesses... and likewise local officials frequently rely on small business owners to round up help or organize volunteers because business people know who is reliable. It doesn't hurt to get involved with local organizations of all types, like Coast Guard Auxilaries, Civil Air Patrol, volunteer fire departments, farmer or rancher's associations- the backroom chat can be informative, and people already organized or familiar with one another are the ones best able to respond when needed. You'll also quickly learn who the local bullscat artists are.

[RightWhale]

If arsonists went wild in that manner, no doubt the state police and other police agencies including feds would be all over the highways and in the air taking a good look at any vehicles that were out of place, like stopped where people don't normally stop. The arsonists might set a few fires, but they would all be picked up in short order. I hope.