Wildfire danger: Governor declares a state of emergency
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SALEM, Ore. - Gov. John Kitzhaber declared a statewide state of emergency on Thursday due to the imminent threat of wildfire.
"Oregon and the nation are heading into a challenging stretch of fire season,” the governor said in a news release announcing the state of emergency. “As national firefighting resources are constricted, my top priority is to ensure the state is able to effectively contain wildfires to keep the public and our firefighters safe."
Here's the rest of the statement from the governor's office:
In accordance with ORS 401.165, the Governor determined that a threat to life, safety, and property exists with the State of Oregon in a critical fire danger situation. Specifically, the Governor’s declaration authorizes the immediate use of National Guard helicopters to aid in fighting the Barry Point Fire as well as additional crews and resources as needed.
Much of the state is now in extreme fire danger and red flag warnings are predicted to be issued for hot, dry, windy conditions and thunderstorms. Other parts of the country continue to experience large-complex fires and similar fire weather which will limit national firefighting resources. The imminent threat of wildfire exists over a broad area of the State including forests in the Cascades and eastern and southern Oregon.
In fact, six significant fires are actively burning over 130,000 acres in Oregon at this time. More than 1 million acres has burned over the course of six weeks in Oregon.
By declaring a State of Emergency, the Governor ordered the Oregon Military Department and the Oregon Department of Forestry to coordinate the use of personnel and equipment of the State for wildland firefighting in Oregon with National Guard resources. This determination of a fire emergency is statewide and is limited to the use of state resources and personnel for wildland firefighting.
Our esteemed gov could just have declared a moratorium on wildfires as long as he is in office?
The link they posted looks pretty good. The http://www.nifc.gov/nicc/sitreprt.pdf site shows different details than the http://www.inciweb.org/Â site. Both are good for checking what is going on.
Well how about this information............firefighting jobs are hot...........
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By the way if you are seeking work in the woods today, you are required to check the box that states bilingual
Is Kitzhaber going to declare a state of emergency over the $42 million in unemployment overpayments? Or, maybe just declare Oregon is in a State of Emergency due to incompetence?
 @I812 Neither of these things have anything to do with fires.
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It's weird how some conservatives and liberals are wound up so tight into their politics that they can't stop talking about it, and if you step back and observe them, you can change the name of the guy they hate buy the all still sound the same.  This is not a story about politicians but some people can't help themselves.
 @Dienekes4160 One reason that some of us feel compelled to bring politics into a unrelated story is that the media otherwise ignores the particular downsides and weaknesses of certain politicians, particularly democrats. That's why.Â
 @Dienekes4160 You are correct, all valid points in my opinion. My excuse for my constant rants is just of course, only an excuse. But after so many years of holding my opinions to myself, and watching the outcome as well as experiencing the results of 27 years of a particular political group control every aspect of Oregon and it's economy, I have found an outlet to vent my frustrations and express my viewpoint. I'm sorry that my posts usually carry a political theme, but I can't help but connect them with the story if I feel there is a direct connection however distant it may seem to most readers. Thanks for the conversation:-).Â
 @last boyscout Thank you for sharing that perspective. Personally, I think it's toxic, habit-forming for the presenter and fatiguing for the audience.Â
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I listen to traffic reports on 101.1FM or KEX every day, and you can't listen for ten minutes without somebody trashing the liberals, Democrats, the President, the governor, the mayor of Portland, environmentalists or critics of the right wing. 101.1FM and 1190 AM are broadcast media, ie, the media, and to say that they ignore these issues is false. KATU.COM is news media but it doesn't have as big an audience as the rush-hour talk radio guys.
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I respect the rights of those with opinions to speak them, and hope they will respect my occasional request to give it a rest. It's like having to listen to the neighbors fight all the time. It's their right, I guess.
Not sure what unemployment payments have to do with wildfires though, but some just want a soapbox.