Thomas fire

Thomas fire

Thomas fire started December 4, 2017, and burned for forty days. It destroyed 281,893 acres of land in California, consumed structures of more than one thousand, consumed many homes and killed seventeen people. More than a hundred thousand people were forced to vacate their homes. The cause of the fire was a tire that blew apart on the pavement of the state route 299 as a couple dragged the tire sparks arced from the steel rim and reached the grass and shrubs that were nearby. These ignited the fire which then spread to the Whiskey town National Recreation Area. Several criminal violations by Edison were also linked with the fire; like arson, murder and a health care code breach.

There were failures of planning that led to the fire in Carolina. Inaccurate estimation of cost is one of the shortcomings of planning. A project proceeds with more than general opinion. Everything needs to be budgeted for. The kind of resources required for the project to start should be enough and the money to purchase them should also be enough. The workforce needed should also be budgeted for, and the payment to keep the project running should all be calculated to avoid the high overall cost. The senior federal officials’ budget was inaccurate because the money they budgeted for clearing the bushes and small trees was five hundred thousand dollars per year. This money was not enough for making six hundred acres annually, and Garcia wanted to clear five thousand acres which could not happen because the money set aside for clearing of the bushes was not enough at first. The bushes that were not removed bushes, therefore, acted as a catalyst. Ignorance can cause failure. One may detect a problem but choose to ignore it because maybe it is minor or decides to address it later. This slight problem can lead to a bigger problem. The Whiskey town officials were called by the transportation officials who were responsible for upgrading route 299 to clear the shrubs, grass and trees that were covering the heated roadway but they did not. These shrubs acted as catalysts in spreading the fire.

Lack of proper planning for a resource can lead to failure. Support should be reliable and of good quality to give good results. The emergency managers in California tried alerting the residents of the fire outbreak to no avail because of technological faults. If the emergency managers had suitable devices for communication, they would not have experienced communication problems. They would have always ensured that the communication system was intact and functioning well or instead had an option if the first one did not work. Due to this, many residents did not get information about the fire. Failure to plan the party responsible for decision making is another problem. The shifting of decision making authority for the wildfire management which was away from the communities’ involved contributed to the mega-fire. The shift in decision making led to late choices and failure to work. Instead of them seizing the fire, it continued to spread and destroy acres of lands. Lack of buy-in from the team is another cause of failure. It is impossible to execute a plan when you are alone. It needs a team who will back up the project and come up with new ideas to implement a strategy effectively. Garcia was concerned about the environment. He believed that six hundred acres of land were not enough for clearing. He wanted to clear five hundred acres of bushes and small trees a year. If he had a strong team to back him up and share ideas, maybe they would have improved end ensured that the money budgeted for was enough to cater for more than six hundred acres.

After Thomas fire, it was learned that it is advisable to have defensible space. This means fashioning an environment that has a design and site which allow inhabitants to become critical agents in safeguarding their security. Infrastructures like machine shops, water troughs hay barns, among others, had defensible space around them were not burned. Barns had metal roofs. Other buildings had enough water that could put out fir.it is essential to implement communication and outreach efforts because if this had been achieved before the fire outbreak, the news would have reached many people. They would have saved what they could. Prioritization of critical city services is essential. If the whiskey town officials had acted upon the request that was made by the transportation officials and cleared the road, the fire would not have spread fast, but because they did not prioritize, the fire spread quickly. Recovery operations started, and there was planning on how to restore the place. While this was happening, there was collaboration and teamwork. If this had happened before the incidence, the plans for restoration would not be but instead ideas for improving the state. If the fire had not occurred, the cost of restoring the country and the places would not have been spent. Therefore, preventive measures save the damage that will arise in repairing the things that were destroyed.

Mitigation strategy, which includes a decrease of potential exposure from dangers is one of the emergency management to prevent the outbreak of fire or avoid the spread of fire. Preparedness is another way of managing strategy. Use of Incident Command system, for example, founds laws and regulations that govern the power of the chosen administrators and responsibility in the public safety area. The response is a strategy in emergency management that involves the Emergency Operation Centre where resources are given. For example, when rescue teams are needed to help victims in case of an incident.

In conclusion, planning is essential because it helps an organization in dealing with problems and avoids others. It is necessary to work together as a team and employ resources that will help achieve the goals of an organization. Prevention is better than cure, so it is better to come up with strategies that preventive strategies than solutions to a problem. When a loss occurs, a lot of money is used in restoring the situation, so it is better to employ strategies that involve prevention to save the cost. The government should come up with policies that govern on preventive measures to avoid the occurrence of a calamity or problem. People should also be educated on the importance of taking care of themselves and preventive measures to take in case they are faced by a specific issue like emergency numbers to dial in case of a problem.