UPDATE: Wildfire Response Sparks Criticism In Local Papers

By: Joe Strupp As in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, it took a couple of days for criticism of the official response to the Southern California wildfires to appear in the media, but now that may be at hand. With the wildfires entering another day of destruction and evacuations, criticism has begun to mount, with major newspapers urging better preparedness and response to the tragedy.

In San Diego, which is feeling the brunt of the fires that began Sunday, the Union-Tribune is weighing in with two strong editorials today, including a sharp rebuke of federal and state officials.

The Los Angles Times, in its lead news story online, hinted at the problematic preparation and response to the fires, stating, "Fire crews threw everything they had at the fires, but though there were notable successes, the toll of acreage, homes and lives lost continued to rise -- as did the volume of criticism from those who said the region was woefully unprepared for the cataclysm."

The lead editorial in the Union-Tribune declared: "The wildfires taking a stunning toll in San Diego County and throughout Southern California make obvious the urgent need for federal and state lawmakers and regulators to get their acts together and take a far more aggressive approach in heading off such blazes," the editorial began. "After the Cedar fire and other devastating blazes in 2003, both Congress and the Legislature took several steps. But much remains to be done. The federal government needs to resolve the constant conflicts between fire control efforts and environmental rules. Green activists who worry about thinning efforts being a back-door way to promote logging or other exploitation of federal and private lands consistently use process challenges to block reasonable efforts to manage fire risk. The Bush administration has taken steps toward limiting this monkey-wrenching; many more are needed.

"Unfortunately, the problems don't stop there," the paper continued. "Federal fire policy is often incoherent, thanks to a failed effort to balance environmental, political, legal and turf concerns. One example: Officials have finally woken up to the value of controlled burns to reduce the brush and dead trees that can lead to conflagrations. But such burns are often blocked by federal clean-air regulations ? and waivers are very hard to come by."

In the Orange County Register, editorial writers took issue with one specific firefighting device, a DC-10 plane carrying fire retardant, claiming too much bureaucracy had limited the use of the planes. "It would be nice to have more such planes available, don't you think? If the federal government had had its way, even this one almost certainly wouldn't be flying this week. Gov. Schwarzenegger cut through some red tape a few months ago to get this one lined up?.One can understand a certain amount of caution from the Forest Service, but this is bureaucratic overkill."

The L.A. Times highlighted a quote from Orange County fire chief Chip Prather: "If we had more air resources, we would have been able to control this fire. Instead we've been stuck in this initial attack mode on the ground where we hopscotch through neighborhoods as best we can trying to control things."

The Press-Enterprise in Riverside related: "Critics said inadequate resources and other problems challenged firefighters already struggling with high winds and dry conditions.

"Assemblyman Todd Spitzer, R-Orange, lambasted his fellow lawmakers for not implementing recommendations made by a blue-ribbon commission in 2004. The commission, formed by Schwarzenegger following the deadly 2003 wildfires, recommended devoting more personnel and equipment to fighting fires. Although the Legislature implemented some of the commission's recommendations, it didn't follow all of them.

"Spitzer, who represents Corona and parts of Orange County, visited an Orange County fire Tuesday, joining that county's Fire Authority Chief Chip Prather in lashing out at the state."

In an L.A. Times Op-Ed, Daniel James Brown added: "What does it mean to manage fire more realistically and effectively? For starters, it means gradually undoing the harm we have done in allowing vast accumulations of fuel to build up. We need, where feasible, to unleash the cleansing power of fire to clear and renew the land. It means seriously restricting residential growth in areas where the fuel loads can't be reduced -- no matter how badly people might want to live there or how much they might be willing to pay to do so."

The North County Times in Escondido hinted at some blame, but focused on the positive reaction by residents and emergency crews. "It's too early to tell whether the actions taken by the county and other government agencies in the three years since the last conflagration made a difference this time around," an editorial stated. "We'll leave that analysis for the days and weeks to come. What we can say without reservation is that the response to the fires by regular folk has, once again, been remarkable."

A North County Times story, however, cited examples of a lack of manpower for the fire resistance, using the same source as a Los Angeles Times story, Fire Chief Chip Prather, who told reporters that firefighters' lives were threatened because too few crews were on the ground.

The Los Angeles Times included a quote from the governor in a TV interview denying a poor aerial response: "Anyone that is complaining about the planes just wants to complain, because there's a bunch of nonsense. The fact is that we could have all the planes in the world here -- we have 90 aircraft here and six that we got especially from the federal government -- and they can't fly because of the wind situation."

The second Union-Tribune editorial observed: "From rural Ramona to the heavily populated coastal zone, hundreds of thousands of residents fled their homes, most carrying just a few hastily packed valuables and many others with precious pets in tow. Remarkably, this broad exodus was carried out in orderly fashion, with tens of thousands of reverse 911 calls providing advance warning to residents and helping to keep the loss of life mercifully low."

Other area papers focused on the great work of such volunteers, residents and police and fire rescue crews. Those included:

Long Beach Press-Telegram:

"If the ashen clouds that hang over Southern California this week seem depressing, they haven't been dispiriting, at least insofar as the rest of the populace, those not directly threatened by fire, went on about their business, many in cars covered with fallen ash. Those who lost their homes in Malibu already are telling reporters they intend to pay the price and rebuild, sometimes in the very places burned out in previous fires."

Ventura County Star:

"As the fires continue to burn, firefighters are heroically battling to save homes and lives. When the smoke clears, you, through your donations, become heroes of a different sort."

Los Angeles Daily News:

"As easy as it is to get frustrated with the quality of government at all levels - with all its waste, corruption and special-interest favoritism - at times like this, we see government as it ought to be. Throughout the Southland, brave firefighters battle the blazes day and night, exhausted and at great personal risk. Theirs can at best be described as an uphill battle, trying to contain multiple wildfires fueled by hot, hurricane-force winds."