Comments on: Cali Fires Spark Idaho Concerns

By: Go Doug Jones

Go Doug Jones — Thu, 14 Dec 2017 02:01:49 +0000

It would be better fitting to have the older areas of town try to fight a raging fire. Kaboom go the meth labs, the garages full of debris, and the overgrowth – all fully under the control and regulation of the Boise city code for the safety, health and welfare of the residents.

Whaaattt?

By: Boisecitizen

Boisecitizen — Tue, 12 Dec 2017 23:51:37 +0000

I just love when the foothills developers put evergreen trees in and around the new houses. Ensuring that when the fire comes, and it will eventually, lots of fuel to spread the fire.

By: It's a business

It's a business — Tue, 12 Dec 2017 15:25:49 +0000

Firefighting is big business. Huge profits and payrolls. Surely you don’t expect they will do anything to change that fact.

By: rabula

rabula — Mon, 11 Dec 2017 22:17:34 +0000

Interesting that you would invoke Kali, the black tongue of the seven flickering tongues of Agni, the Hindu god of fire, in your intended reference to California. As a 30-year resident of one of the oldest foothills developments and a strong advocate for careful planning of further “improvements,” I appreciate your concerns about fires in the “urban/wildlands interface.”
There are of course ways to landscape properties and design their structures so as to virtually eliminate fire risk. Perhaps these should be written into foothills building ordinances. The city is actively engaging foothills neighborhoods in the “fire wise” effort.
Thankfully, we do not yet have the sustained, hot, dry Santa Anna winds here. Global warming may change that.

EDITOR NOTE–I agree with your sentiments. I actually photographed an entire chapter of the Fire Wise book over in Bend, OR. While xeriscaping and other efforts can reduce the risks of fire, older developments and flammable materials abound.

By: erico49

erico49 — Mon, 11 Dec 2017 20:39:30 +0000

1. Perhaps its time to remove the fire departments from the property tax roles and charge each property owner a fee based on the cost of protecting that property. 2. Failing that, how about a surcharge for properties that abut fire-prone areas. 3. We must have more personnel and equipment than we need anyway. I note that we sent people and equipment to California. Surely they aren’t leaving us with less protection.