www.theoxfordscientist.com
Alberta, burning
... firefighting is the Achilles heel, for both Notley and Smith
... it is not climate change that is the reason we are breathing the most polluted air on planet earth,
it is the failure of leadership
... firefighting is the Achilles heel, for both Notley and Smith
... it is not climate change that is the reason we are breathing the most polluted air on planet earth,
it is the failure of leadership
... mid-morning sun over Edmonton, 21 May 2023. One of
the first days the air quality was the worst on planet earth
Rachel Notley was Premier of Alberta in the 2016 wildfire season
... it started as a relatively containable wildfire, and little
attention was paid to it over the first 10 days to two weeks
Fire swept through nearly 6,000 square kilometers of boreal forest in northern Alberta, in May 2016. Subsequently, Fort McMurray lost 2,400+ residential and commercial buildings, and 90,000 people were forced from their homes and businesses.
The resultant damage to property alone was calculated to be in excess of $10 billion dollars, making the Fort McMurray region wildfires the most costly natural disaster in Canadian history.
Although reliable estimates as to the costs of the 2016 wildfires in other socioeconomic terms, such as health indicators, are still forthcoming, it is known that in general, the type of air pollution emitted by wildfires contributes to some 20 per cent of all cardiovascular deaths and illnesses, that is, morbidity and mortality.
It will be important for the discussion later in this article, but it should also be noted that the 2016 wildfires in the extensive Athabasca river basin and wetlands system, can still be measured, both in terms of its environmental impact and the continued real costs to the Fort McMurray community, today.
Nearly seven years after the event, among its lasting impacts is the threat the wildfires continue to exert on Fort McMurray’s reservoir and drinking water supply.
In fact, it is known that after it rains, since the massive wildfires of 2016, there are significant increases in ash, potassium, nitrogen, calcium and heavy metals, such as lead, even within the river’s normal load, and the reservoir that is the catchment for Fort McMurray's potable water supply.
The water can still be treated and made safe for public consumption, but at a cost. The fire residue that washes into the reservoir also makes it harder to manage bacteria in the city’s reservoir.
In essence, whereas the city’s water is safe, nonetheless, it is more difficult and increasingly more expensive keep it safe. Fort McMurray officials have determined, they are paying a continued cost because of the fire.
Treatment costs, have increased 50 per cent, since the wildfires of 2016, nearly seven years ago.
During the first few days of the developing 2016 wildfire in the boreal forest and Athabasca river basin in northern Alberta, this author made contact with the office of premier Notley and the individual identified as head of the firefighting effort in the region of Fort McMurray.
Given the emergency nature of the developing crisis, this author requested no more than 10 minutes of the premier's time.
To categorize the response from Notley's office as anything other than negative, would be generous.
The resultant damage to property alone was calculated to be in excess of $10 billion dollars, making the Fort McMurray region wildfires the most costly natural disaster in Canadian history.
Although reliable estimates as to the costs of the 2016 wildfires in other socioeconomic terms, such as health indicators, are still forthcoming, it is known that in general, the type of air pollution emitted by wildfires contributes to some 20 per cent of all cardiovascular deaths and illnesses, that is, morbidity and mortality.
It will be important for the discussion later in this article, but it should also be noted that the 2016 wildfires in the extensive Athabasca river basin and wetlands system, can still be measured, both in terms of its environmental impact and the continued real costs to the Fort McMurray community, today.
Nearly seven years after the event, among its lasting impacts is the threat the wildfires continue to exert on Fort McMurray’s reservoir and drinking water supply.
In fact, it is known that after it rains, since the massive wildfires of 2016, there are significant increases in ash, potassium, nitrogen, calcium and heavy metals, such as lead, even within the river’s normal load, and the reservoir that is the catchment for Fort McMurray's potable water supply.
The water can still be treated and made safe for public consumption, but at a cost. The fire residue that washes into the reservoir also makes it harder to manage bacteria in the city’s reservoir.
In essence, whereas the city’s water is safe, nonetheless, it is more difficult and increasingly more expensive keep it safe. Fort McMurray officials have determined, they are paying a continued cost because of the fire.
Treatment costs, have increased 50 per cent, since the wildfires of 2016, nearly seven years ago.
During the first few days of the developing 2016 wildfire in the boreal forest and Athabasca river basin in northern Alberta, this author made contact with the office of premier Notley and the individual identified as head of the firefighting effort in the region of Fort McMurray.
Given the emergency nature of the developing crisis, this author requested no more than 10 minutes of the premier's time.
To categorize the response from Notley's office as anything other than negative, would be generous.
Notley out, Kenney in
... out of the pan, into the fire
... out of the pan, into the fire
Naturally, the annual wildfire season continued into the Kenney administration.
Through political contacts, this author met with several ministers and former ministers to try and arrange a meeting with Premier Jason Kenney to discuss the advent of a new, highly promising, firefighting technique and technology.
In the interim, on the suggestion of members from various agencies which make up the national training, research and firefighting management bureaucracy, this author developed a discussion paper to share with local fire services, and municipal and provincial officials.
The discussion paper served two main functions, both of which are important in the introductory phase of any new or innovative technique or technology, i.e., it allows one to discuss the broad implications of the technique, and it establishes what everyone contacted knew at the time they first encountered the information in the discussion paper.
When one considers that the budget for protective services, police and fire, represents an ever-increasing share of the municipal budget, the introduction of any new way of doing anything in protective services will have short, medium and long term implications, not only in terms of costs, but the deployment of both human and material resources. This is one reason why cost-benefit analysis studies are so important.
The discussion paper was delivered to the Giroux Road fire station in St Albert. A hose and ladder training session by that fire station is displayed on the cover of the discussion paper. In addition, this author sought a meeting with the then, and current mayor of St Albert, to no avail.
This author visited a fire station in the Riverbend area of Edmonton, as well as, the fire service training and demonstration center, at which time, and from which a copy of the discussion paper was faxed to the chief of the Edmonton Fire Service.
While being utterly dismissive and rather condescending, at the Riverbend area fire station, they mentioned that they were already working on an alternative firefighting technology, if though it was a secret.
The 'new' technology he was speaking around is, of course, various firefighting aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) solutions and flame retardants.
Foams and retardants, which since the pioneering work by medical researchers in 2004, identified increased risks of prostate cancer, Hodgkin's lymphoma, leukemia, as well as, a host of myelomas, few firefighting foams or retardants, including Class B F3s, have been approved for use by any national agency responsible for protecting public health by ensuring the safety, efficacy, and security of products, to which any member of the public may be exposed.
The meetings with the current and past ministers of various levels, did not result in a meeting with Premier Kenney, but this author did receive a telephone call from the junior minister in charge of wildfires in the Kenney administration.
The junior minister seemed agitated, and let me know, in no uncertain terms, that he felt that he had been pressured to extend to me the courtesy of a telephone call. He asked a few questions, to which he was not interested in the answers, and the call ended abruptly.
What is important, is that he never asked about the delivery system that makes the novel firefighting technology work.
There are two plausible explanations for junior minister's less than professional demeanor, one as was made clear to me, was that he did not like the fact that a great deal of pressure had been put upon him to make that call, and the second concerns the highly touted request for assistance from Alberta by the government of Australia to help with their massive wildfires.
Assistance which ended in the demise of several firefighters, associated with the aerial suppression efforts, in which Alberta wildfire service personnel were involved.
The transcript of that call will be discussed later in this article.
Through political contacts, this author met with several ministers and former ministers to try and arrange a meeting with Premier Jason Kenney to discuss the advent of a new, highly promising, firefighting technique and technology.
In the interim, on the suggestion of members from various agencies which make up the national training, research and firefighting management bureaucracy, this author developed a discussion paper to share with local fire services, and municipal and provincial officials.
The discussion paper served two main functions, both of which are important in the introductory phase of any new or innovative technique or technology, i.e., it allows one to discuss the broad implications of the technique, and it establishes what everyone contacted knew at the time they first encountered the information in the discussion paper.
When one considers that the budget for protective services, police and fire, represents an ever-increasing share of the municipal budget, the introduction of any new way of doing anything in protective services will have short, medium and long term implications, not only in terms of costs, but the deployment of both human and material resources. This is one reason why cost-benefit analysis studies are so important.
The discussion paper was delivered to the Giroux Road fire station in St Albert. A hose and ladder training session by that fire station is displayed on the cover of the discussion paper. In addition, this author sought a meeting with the then, and current mayor of St Albert, to no avail.
This author visited a fire station in the Riverbend area of Edmonton, as well as, the fire service training and demonstration center, at which time, and from which a copy of the discussion paper was faxed to the chief of the Edmonton Fire Service.
While being utterly dismissive and rather condescending, at the Riverbend area fire station, they mentioned that they were already working on an alternative firefighting technology, if though it was a secret.
The 'new' technology he was speaking around is, of course, various firefighting aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) solutions and flame retardants.
Foams and retardants, which since the pioneering work by medical researchers in 2004, identified increased risks of prostate cancer, Hodgkin's lymphoma, leukemia, as well as, a host of myelomas, few firefighting foams or retardants, including Class B F3s, have been approved for use by any national agency responsible for protecting public health by ensuring the safety, efficacy, and security of products, to which any member of the public may be exposed.
The meetings with the current and past ministers of various levels, did not result in a meeting with Premier Kenney, but this author did receive a telephone call from the junior minister in charge of wildfires in the Kenney administration.
The junior minister seemed agitated, and let me know, in no uncertain terms, that he felt that he had been pressured to extend to me the courtesy of a telephone call. He asked a few questions, to which he was not interested in the answers, and the call ended abruptly.
What is important, is that he never asked about the delivery system that makes the novel firefighting technology work.
There are two plausible explanations for junior minister's less than professional demeanor, one as was made clear to me, was that he did not like the fact that a great deal of pressure had been put upon him to make that call, and the second concerns the highly touted request for assistance from Alberta by the government of Australia to help with their massive wildfires.
Assistance which ended in the demise of several firefighters, associated with the aerial suppression efforts, in which Alberta wildfire service personnel were involved.
The transcript of that call will be discussed later in this article.
... interesting and potentially revolutionary idea
Engineering & Capability Demonstration Directorate
Engineering & Capability Demonstration Directorate
Canada maintains a specialized group of scientists and engineers, within the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the Engineering & Capability Demonstration Directorate, whose mandate is to assess emerging technologies and provide scientific, engineering and technological expertise, both within and outside the CSA.
The Canadian Space Agency houses the very best scientists and engineers in Canada.
What is most interesting is that from the list of those with whom the discussion paper was shared both within and outside the firefighting services, not one of them, that is, with the notable exception of the CSA directorate, asked a single question about the delivery mechanism.
And it is the delivery mechanism that is the core essential element of what the CSA directorate referred to as an '... interesting and potentially revolutionary idea', in firefighting.
There are several paths the revolutionary firefighting technology might take, as its development and inevitable adoption moves forward.
Given our current circumstances, and reasonable forecasts that anticipate our need to fight increasing larger wildfires for the foreseeable future, the advance of this technology should be deemed a matter of urgent national security, which it clearly is, and prompt an initiative on the order and scale of the Manhattan Project, the research and development undertaking during World War II, from 1942 to 1946, led by the United States with the support of Canada and the United Kingdom.
The purpose of organized professional firefighting is to preserve life, property and our natural habitat, the space within which life and property exist.
In recent events, a chemical transport train derailed and caught fire in northern Ohio, and a plastic recycling plant went up in flames in Indiana, both fires burned for days, spewing large amounts of toxic chemicals and particulate-laden smoke into the air.
Deploying the new firefighting method, both of these fires could have been suppressed and completely extinguished within one day. And that includes the time necessary to bring the firefighting medium to the fire location, which speaks to its abundant and ready availability. There is no fundamental change in using the standard fire engine pumping apparatus, although there are alterations to existing nozzles.
A structural fire in Edmonton, in winter, resulted in an estimated $100,000 dollars in fire damage, and $700,000 in water damage.
It is an torturous saga, but at its core, the explanation as to, how can this continue to happen, in part, helps explain the glacially slow adoption of new firefighting methods, and techniques.
And speaking of glacially slow, among the various pathways that the new firefighting technology might take on its road to adoption and eventual deployment is the IPO route, about which no more will be stated here.
The Canadian Space Agency houses the very best scientists and engineers in Canada.
What is most interesting is that from the list of those with whom the discussion paper was shared both within and outside the firefighting services, not one of them, that is, with the notable exception of the CSA directorate, asked a single question about the delivery mechanism.
And it is the delivery mechanism that is the core essential element of what the CSA directorate referred to as an '... interesting and potentially revolutionary idea', in firefighting.
There are several paths the revolutionary firefighting technology might take, as its development and inevitable adoption moves forward.
Given our current circumstances, and reasonable forecasts that anticipate our need to fight increasing larger wildfires for the foreseeable future, the advance of this technology should be deemed a matter of urgent national security, which it clearly is, and prompt an initiative on the order and scale of the Manhattan Project, the research and development undertaking during World War II, from 1942 to 1946, led by the United States with the support of Canada and the United Kingdom.
The purpose of organized professional firefighting is to preserve life, property and our natural habitat, the space within which life and property exist.
In recent events, a chemical transport train derailed and caught fire in northern Ohio, and a plastic recycling plant went up in flames in Indiana, both fires burned for days, spewing large amounts of toxic chemicals and particulate-laden smoke into the air.
Deploying the new firefighting method, both of these fires could have been suppressed and completely extinguished within one day. And that includes the time necessary to bring the firefighting medium to the fire location, which speaks to its abundant and ready availability. There is no fundamental change in using the standard fire engine pumping apparatus, although there are alterations to existing nozzles.
A structural fire in Edmonton, in winter, resulted in an estimated $100,000 dollars in fire damage, and $700,000 in water damage.
It is an torturous saga, but at its core, the explanation as to, how can this continue to happen, in part, helps explain the glacially slow adoption of new firefighting methods, and techniques.
And speaking of glacially slow, among the various pathways that the new firefighting technology might take on its road to adoption and eventual deployment is the IPO route, about which no more will be stated here.
Victory Through Air Power
The book & the film, Victory Through Air Power, were created to catch the attention of government officials
The animated film, Victory through Air Power, is based on a book by the same name, written by Alexander de Seversky, a Russian émigré, advocating for the strategic, as well as, the enhanced tactical use of air power. And, both were created to catch the attention of those who make decisions about such matters i.e., government, military officials, and the public.
Among the ideas advanced by de Seversky's book, and the Disney self-financed animated film, suggests that single-seater fighters, whose guns are fixed and therefore can only fire forward, would be virtually helpless, when opposed by the kinds of modern bombers, bristling with armament, whose guns are always in firing position, envisioned in the book and dramatically brought to life on the silver screen.
What is important to our discussion, is that the influence of both the book and film was significant, stimulating popular awareness and driving the national debate on strategic air power.
Among the ideas advanced by de Seversky's book, and the Disney self-financed animated film, suggests that single-seater fighters, whose guns are fixed and therefore can only fire forward, would be virtually helpless, when opposed by the kinds of modern bombers, bristling with armament, whose guns are always in firing position, envisioned in the book and dramatically brought to life on the silver screen.
What is important to our discussion, is that the influence of both the book and film was significant, stimulating popular awareness and driving the national debate on strategic air power.
Kenney out, Smith in
... Danielle Smith has no idea how to tackle the wildfires, and no one in her government she can ask,
the sovereignty act will not stop them, and her take Alberta back initiative is an inadequate response
Danielle Smith manufactured a crisis in health care delivery in Alberta, when she removed the board of Alberta Health and appointed, a single individual, a czar, as it were, to run the provincial health service. Agencies like Alberta Health are best run by technical experts, who know the value of stakeholder approval for their actions.
In relation to the wildfire crisis, where a czar might prove beneficial, no such individual, or group equal to the task has been assembled.
And, our current premier will be remembered, like her two most recent predecessors, for ignoring scientific fact, in favour of political patronage appointees in positions they are ill-equipped to handle in the face of a daunting crisis.
You cannot fight wildfires the way you conduct culture war campaigns.
The wildfire season in Alberta, in most years of record, extends from the beginning of the month of March to the end of October.
Wildfires in Alberta destroyed nearly 13,000 square kilometres, a record amount, in 1984, over the usual eight-month wildfire season.
Today, as we approach the end of May, the third month of the wildfire season, more than 10,000 square kilometres of land has already burned, and there are approximately 70 wildfires burning in Alberta, nearly one in three of these fires have been declared out of control, and in excess of 10,000 people have been forced out of their homes.
Smith inherited the officials in her government who are in charge of the wildfire suppression and mitigation effort, the same officials who turned a blind eye to what the CSA called a revolutionary firefighting approach, under the previous administration.
Smith is well on her way to a new record for square kilometres burned during a single wildfire season.
An accomplishment that carries with it immediate and significant health consequences, measurable uptake in morbidity and mortality, and scores of more communities that will have, like Fort McMurray, to work a lot harder to maintain safe drinking water supplies.
And, if your hard pressed anti-maskers won't put a mask on themselves, pray that they will save their own children from the known damage that will occur from breathing air-pollution that is the worst on planet earth, Danielle.
-- in process -- bookmark this page --
In relation to the wildfire crisis, where a czar might prove beneficial, no such individual, or group equal to the task has been assembled.
And, our current premier will be remembered, like her two most recent predecessors, for ignoring scientific fact, in favour of political patronage appointees in positions they are ill-equipped to handle in the face of a daunting crisis.
You cannot fight wildfires the way you conduct culture war campaigns.
The wildfire season in Alberta, in most years of record, extends from the beginning of the month of March to the end of October.
Wildfires in Alberta destroyed nearly 13,000 square kilometres, a record amount, in 1984, over the usual eight-month wildfire season.
Today, as we approach the end of May, the third month of the wildfire season, more than 10,000 square kilometres of land has already burned, and there are approximately 70 wildfires burning in Alberta, nearly one in three of these fires have been declared out of control, and in excess of 10,000 people have been forced out of their homes.
Smith inherited the officials in her government who are in charge of the wildfire suppression and mitigation effort, the same officials who turned a blind eye to what the CSA called a revolutionary firefighting approach, under the previous administration.
Smith is well on her way to a new record for square kilometres burned during a single wildfire season.
An accomplishment that carries with it immediate and significant health consequences, measurable uptake in morbidity and mortality, and scores of more communities that will have, like Fort McMurray, to work a lot harder to maintain safe drinking water supplies.
And, if your hard pressed anti-maskers won't put a mask on themselves, pray that they will save their own children from the known damage that will occur from breathing air-pollution that is the worst on planet earth, Danielle.
-- in process -- bookmark this page --
