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#1
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CA. Fires - What's wrong with the inspectors?
I dont live in or near California, but I am constantly seeing
disasters in that state which in my opinion are due to stupidity in construction. Why so the building inspectors allow buildings to be built on steep hillsides? How many of these homes have slid down the hills in recent years? From watching the news, it would seem that there have been many. Now we have this firestorm. I do understand that the firestorm is a natural disaster (except those intentionally set according to the news reports). The part that gets me is why are so many homes burning? We live in a time when every wirenut in our electrical system needs to be approved, and we can not even erect a simple shed without some sort of approval to insure it's safe. Installing a wood stove involves a major amount of paperwork, inspections, and most insurance companies won't even allow them without a huge increase in the cost of the policy. I do understand that we all need to be safe, and the average homeowner needs to be inspected since most people do not know proper building methods, and there are lots of professional contractors who want to make an extra buck and use inferior materials or cut corners which can be a safety risk. At the same time, some of these rules can be rediculous and very nit-picky, causing added expense and hassles to the home owner. With that said, it seems that the biggest reasons for these major fires in CA are not faulty wiring or causes INSIDE the home, but these firestorms. Therefore, would it not make sense to require a certain amount of open (mowed) space around buildings in areas prone to these firestorms, or at least prevent them from burning the buildings. It seems to me that the inspectors overdo it as far as small details within homes but ignore the external causes. Not everyone is the country is in a firestorm area, but those that are should be reqired to maintain some space. This only makes sense. |
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CA. Fires - What's wrong with the inspectors?
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#3
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OT CA. Fires - What's wrong with the inspectors?
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#5
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CA. Fires - What's wrong with the inspectors?
wrote: I dont live in or near California, but I am constantly seeing disasters in that state which in my opinion are due to stupidity in construction. Why so the building inspectors allow buildings to be built on steep hillsides? How many of these homes have slid down the hills in recent years? Nothing wrong with building on a hillside, it's how you do it. Appeareantly homebuilders have never heard of "pilings". |
#6
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CA. Fires - What's wrong with the inspectors?
wrote in message ... I dont live in or near California, but I am constantly seeing disasters in that state which in my opinion are due to stupidity in construction. I hear you but you ought to expand your question to other areas such as flood planes, hurricane risk areas, etc. What really burns me up (no pun intended) is that people knowingly build in high risk areas and when the inevitable disaster strikes, they expect and demand that they get bailed out by tax payer dollars. Ditto for subprime loan victims. "You take the risk; you pay the price." And our politicians won't draw the line for fear they'll lose votes. There! I feel somewhat better. |
#7
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CA. Fires - What's wrong with the inspectors?
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#8
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CA. Fires - What's wrong with the inspectors?
On Oct 25, 5:12 pm, "DonC" wrote:
wrote in message ... I dont live in or near California, but I am constantly seeing disasters in that state which in my opinion are due to stupidity in construction. I hear you but you ought to expand your question to other areas such as flood planes, hurricane risk areas, etc. What really burns me up (no pun intended) is that people knowingly build in high risk areas and when the inevitable disaster strikes, they expect and demand that they get bailed out by tax payer dollars. Ditto for subprime loan victims. "You take the risk; you pay the price." And our politicians won't draw the line for fear they'll lose votes. There! I feel somewhat better. If you want to go further down this route, then you could easily say nothing should be built in most of CA at all, because of the known earthquake risk. In the case of the fires, there isn't an easy solution. If you required open spaces with nothing that will burn in them around each building they would have to be quite large to be effective. Think about what that would look like where you live. You'd have the new subdivision look, where some developer either buys an open farm tract or else clear cuts every tree in sight, and you wind up with a bunch of houses where you have zero privacy. Look out your back window and all you see is the house behind you. And if you did that in CA it would create other issues, like erosion, mudslides in hills, loss of more wildlife habitat, etc. So far the last count I heard was they were up to 1600 homes lost. Which sounds bad and is certainly one of the worst. But it's not unprecedented compared to other events, like huricanes or earthquakes. |
#9
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CA. Fires - What's wrong with the inspectors?
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#10
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CA. Fires - What's wrong with the inspectors?
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#11
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CA. Fires - What's wrong with the inspectors?
On Thu, 25 Oct 2007 17:19:55 -0500, "HeyBub"
wrote: Santa Anna winds can blow embers for two miles. When these embers land on a cedar shake roof, well, there goes the house! Notice how many burnt/burning homes have a tile (terra cotta) roof? Embers get under these, right to the plywood sheathing. -- Oren "The voices in my head may not be real, but they have some good ideas!" |
#12
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CA. Fires - What's wrong with the inspectors?
Dave Bugg wrote in message ... Ahhh, you aren't aware of the restrictions landowners are put under by all the 'environmental' regulations, are you? Much of the problem stems from the inability of landowners to properly control the underbrush, grasses, weeds, and other flammable vegetation. Their hands have been tied by the 'green' movement. -- Dave www.davebbq.com That's true Dave. Last year during the Tahoe fires, about the only home that made it through the fire in one neighborhood, was that of a homeowner that went against the regs and cleared much more than he was *supposed* to. Cheri |
#13
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CA. Fires - What's wrong with the inspectors?
h wrote in message ... "Cheri" gserviceatinreachdotcom wrote in message ... Dave Bugg wrote in message ... Ahhh, you aren't aware of the restrictions landowners are put under by all the 'environmental' regulations, are you? Much of the problem stems from the inability of landowners to properly control the underbrush, grasses, weeds, and other flammable vegetation. Their hands have been tied by the 'green' movement. -- Dave www.davebbq.com That's true Dave. Last year during the Tahoe fires, about the only home that made it through the fire in one neighborhood, was that of a homeowner that went against the regs and cleared much more than he was *supposed* to. Cheri Okkaaay, so how about commenting about why these idiots live in these areas in the first place? There are lots of placed ill-suited to human habitation; Hey, you will get no argument from me there. Same thing in the San Francisco Hills, the homes slide off, and they rebuild. Cheri |
#14
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CA. Fires - What's wrong with the inspectors?
On Thu, 25 Oct 2007 19:38:28 -0400, h wrote:
"Cheri" gserviceatinreachdotcom wrote in message ... Dave Bugg wrote in message ... Ahhh, you aren't aware of the restrictions landowners are put under by all the 'environmental' regulations, are you? Much of the problem stems from the inability of landowners to properly control the underbrush, grasses, weeds, and other flammable vegetation. Their hands have been tied by the 'green' movement. -- Dave www.davebbq.com That's true Dave. Last year during the Tahoe fires, about the only home that made it through the fire in one neighborhood, was that of a homeowner that went against the regs and cleared much more than he was *supposed* to. Cheri Okkaaay, so how about commenting about why these idiots live in these areas in the first place? There are lots of placed ill-suited to human habitation; Mississippi flood plain, a LOT of SoCal, tornado alley, and most of Florida, yet people continue to build there and the gubmint continues to bail them out every single time. It's ridiculous that those of us living in sensible places with no tornados, floods, mudslides, wildfires, hurricanes, etc. have to fund the constant re-building of those who insist on living where they shouldn't. You want to live there, great, but I'm NOT going to pay for it. Yes, we have the occasional flood here in upstate NY, but only the 10-20 homes of idiots who feel compelled to live right ON the river. Why should they be allowed to do this and still get bailed out by the gubmint? While it's great farmland, no one should have a house on the Mississippi flood plain for just this reason. Crops, sure. Houses, not so much. Same with much of SoCal. It burns, it slides, it quakes, DON'T LIVE THERE. Duh. Do you depend on your local "gubmint" to fix and repair roads in New York (upstate) ? Who takes away downed trees from blizzards? Californians: coming to an area near you, soon! -- Oren "Painting is the art of protecting flat surfaces from the weather and exposing them to the critics." |
#15
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CA. Fires - What's wrong with the inspectors?
On Thu, 25 Oct 2007 16:25:42 -0700, "Cheri" gserviceatinreachdotcom
wrote: That's true Dave. Last year during the Tahoe fires, about the only home that made it through the fire in one neighborhood, was that of a homeowner that went against the regs and cleared much more than he was *supposed* to. Cheri CA or NV side of the lake? -- Oren "Painting is the art of protecting flat surfaces from the weather and exposing them to the critics." |
#16
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CA. Fires - What's wrong with the inspectors?
wrote:
On Thu, 25 Oct 2007 13:36:03 -0700, "Dave Bugg" wrote: Ahhh, you aren't aware of the restrictions landowners are put under by all the 'environmental' regulations, are you? Much of the problem stems from the inability of landowners to properly control the underbrush, grasses, weeds, and other flammable vegetation. Their hands have been tied by the 'green' movement. I agree "environmerntalSM" is a cult religion but there are responsible ecologists My comment wasn't directed at responsible ecologists. I'm sure there were educated ecologists who wanted to do small prescribed burns around those houses and the homeowners wouldn't let them because they did not want the smoke and to have to look at burned ground for a couple months. Nope, that isn't the issue at all. The issue are is regulations prohibiting mechanical clearing of the grounds of high brush and tilling the ground for firebreaks where it would be appropriate. -- Dave www.davebbq.com |
#17
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CA. Fires - What's wrong with the inspectors?
On Thu, 25 Oct 2007 21:24:38 GMT, M Q
wrote: wrote: I dont live in or near California, Apparently not. ... From watching the news, it would seem that ... Ah, that is the problem. If the only get your information from watching the news, you would think that: 1) Most all buildings in the southeast were destroyed by hurricanes in the past ten years 2) Most all homes in the midwest were destroyed by tornadoes. 3) The only homes in California that didn't get flattened by an earthquake in the past decade or two, have since been destroyed by fire. 4) The northeast is still digging out from last winters blizzards. (well, ok, may not that -- they dug out by June). 5) Most of the rest of the country lives in flood plains and get flooded every other year. THEN THE SOLUTION IS TO STOP BUILDING EVERYWHERE IN THE USA. ATTENTION AMERICANS, Everyone must abandom their homes now. You have 24 hours to evacuate. This is a new law, and since I am chief head of the government. Anyone who does not leave within 24 hours will be arrested and go to prison. LEAVE NOW. Seriously, we, as the rest of the country, have occasional "natural" disasters. Some homes are better built or situated to withstand these than others. We all get hurt as insurance companies indiscriminately overreact to the latest disaster. California must be abandoned entirely. We'll just push it into the ocean, drop a few nukes on it, and get it over with. As you leave, please deposit your firearms in the provided dumpsters. We will no longer allow anyone to own firearms in order to prevent looting and killings. Dick Cheney |
#18
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CA. Fires - What's wrong with the inspectors?
wrote in message ... I dont live in or near California, The part that gets me is why are so many homes burning? We live in a time when every wirenut in our electrical system needs to be approved, and we can not even erect a simple shed without some sort of approval to insure it's safe. Installing a wood stove involves a major amount of paperwork, inspections, and most insurance companies won't even allow them without a huge increase in the cost of the policy. It is evident you don't live there and have never visted the places in question. Especially during the Santa Ana winds. With that said, it seems that the biggest reasons for these major fires in CA are not faulty wiring or causes INSIDE the home, but these firestorms. Therefore, would it not make sense to require a certain amount of open (mowed) space around buildings in areas prone to these firestorms, or at least prevent them from burning the buildings. Uh, they do and yes, it helps. It seems to me that the inspectors overdo it as far as small details within homes but ignore the external causes. Not everyone is the country is in a firestorm area, but those that are should be reqired to maintain some space. This only makes sense. Perhaps you should tell them. I bet they never thought of that. Wow, thanks for the tip and I'll pass it on to my relatives in the San Diego area. Since you are willing to share this tip, how much space do you think should be kept clear when 90 mph winds with 5% RH are carrying hot embers? |
#19
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CA. Fires - What's wrong with the inspectors?
Oren wrote:
On Thu, 25 Oct 2007 17:19:55 -0500, "HeyBub" wrote: Santa Anna winds can blow embers for two miles. When these embers land on a cedar shake roof, well, there goes the house! Notice how many burnt/burning homes have a tile (terra cotta) roof? Embers get under these, right to the plywood sheathing. Yep. We're talking 40, 50, 60MPH winds. Still, I saw two guys with water hoses, buckets of water, shovels and hoes save their two house while the rest on the street burned down. Another interesting little tidbit; people loaded up their cars with their important stuff, but didn't have enough family members to drive all the cars. House gone, cars full of stuff (mostly) untouched. One doesn't normally thing of an automobile as a fire-proof vault. But it is. |
#20
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CA. Fires - What's wrong with the inspectors?
h wrote:
Okkaaay, so how about commenting about why these idiots live in these areas in the first place? There are lots of placed ill-suited to human habitation; Mississippi flood plain, a LOT of SoCal, tornado alley, and most of Florida, yet people continue to build there and the gubmint continues to bail them out every single time. It's ridiculous that those of us living in sensible places with no tornados, floods, mudslides, wildfires, hurricanes, etc. have to fund the constant re-building of those who insist on living where they shouldn't. You want to live there, great, but I'm NOT going to pay for it. Yes, we have the occasional flood here in upstate NY, but only the 10-20 homes of idiots who feel compelled to live right ON the river. Why should they be allowed to do this and still get bailed out by the gubmint? While it's great farmland, no one should have a house on the Mississippi flood plain for just this reason. Crops, sure. Houses, not so much. Same with much of SoCal. It burns, it slides, it quakes, DON'T LIVE THERE. Duh. I'm sure upstate New York is a lovely place. But turn the question around: Why is upstate New York so ghastly that people would rather live in the New Orleans 9th Ward? |
#21
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CA. Fires - What's wrong with the inspectors?
HeyBub wrote:
Oren wrote: On Thu, 25 Oct 2007 17:19:55 -0500, "HeyBub" wrote: Santa Anna winds can blow embers for two miles. When these embers land on a cedar shake roof, well, there goes the house! Notice how many burnt/burning homes have a tile (terra cotta) roof? Embers get under these, right to the plywood sheathing. Yep. We're talking 40, 50, 60MPH winds. Still, I saw two guys with water hoses, buckets of water, shovels and hoes save their two house while the rest on the street burned down. Another interesting little tidbit; people loaded up their cars with their important stuff, but didn't have enough family members to drive all the cars. House gone, cars full of stuff (mostly) untouched. One doesn't normally thing of an automobile as a fire-proof vault. But it is. As long as the water holds and you're successful, that works. If water should happen to fail or an ember gets ahead of you, you're likely toast along w/ the house. Pretty major risk although just how much depends greatly on whether there is or isn't a reliable escape route. As one of the silly network reporters learned on a piece of film I saw, a road down one of those canyons can turn from a windy drive to sheer terror real quick... Saw lots of cars that were crispy meltdowns, too. All depends on what surrounds them. Folks around here in the KS/TX/OK grass fires a winter ago couldn't outrun flame front in automobiles/jeeps in flat mostly flat open pastures, what more up and down mountainous terrain. We're just waiting for the next doofus to throw a cigarette out a car window and the whole county around here is ready to go up too. To top it off, pheasant season starts next weekend w/ no sign of any moisture which will bring all the city slickers out who have _no_ clue what a grass fire will/can do... -- |
#22
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CA. Fires - What's wrong with the inspectors?
DA had written this in response to
http://thestuccocompany.com/maintena...rs-261311-.htm : Dave Bugg wrote: Nope, that isn't the issue at all. The issue are is regulations prohibiting mechanical clearing of the grounds of high brush and tilling the ground for firebreaks where it would be appropriate. You must have missed this little detail from all the news: with 100MPH winds you can't clear enough land around every house to prevent the fire from spreading so quick. I have just returned from a trip to San Diego, interrupted by the fire of course, and I can say that people live there because it's a beautiful place. The weather is just right, the scenery is perfect and there is no reason Southern CA should be less livable than the NE. They will rebuild the houses like they always do. Well, I guess next time the landscapers should probably go little easier on eucalypt trees. The peeling bark looks like paper and I'm pretty sure catches on fire just as quick as paper. Then there might be other benefits (like drought resistance) that might outweigh the fire risk, but it seem a bit scary to have a tree like that next to your house in a fire like that. ##-----------------------------------------------## Delivered via http://thestuccocompany.com/ Building Construction and Maintenance Forum Web and RSS access to your favorite newsgroup - alt.home.repair - 250152 messages and counting! ##-----------------------------------------------## |
#23
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CA. Fires - What's wrong with the inspectors?
wrote:
On Thu, 25 Oct 2007 18:05:06 -0700, "Dave Bugg" wrote: Nope, that isn't the issue at all. The issue are is regulations prohibiting mechanical clearing of the grounds of high brush and tilling the ground for firebreaks where it would be appropriate. Why would you use mechanical means when fire is the ecologically and historic way of holding down the fuel. It leaves most of the nutrients in the soil so you get fresh growth to stop erosion but not enough to keep much of a fire going. Mainly because of the massive hectares of chapperal that would go off like fireworks if a homeowner, burning his land, happened to to have a loose spark touch-off the unmanaged public parcels. "Smokey Bear" was probably the worst idea in forest management we ever had. People started thinking all fire was bad and put them all out so we ended up with bad fires that we couldn't put out. If you read the post I originally responded to, it wasn't referring to public lands management. It was talking about homeowner's land management and the protection of private homes. Mechanical management is an effective means to protect homes. -- Dave www.davebbq.com |
#24
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CA. Fires - What's wrong with the inspectors?
DA wrote:
DA had written this in response to http://thestuccocompany.com/maintena...rs-261311-.htm Dave Bugg wrote: Nope, that isn't the issue at all. The issue are is regulations prohibiting mechanical clearing of the grounds of high brush and tilling the ground for firebreaks where it would be appropriate. You must have missed this little detail from all the news: with 100MPH winds you can't clear enough land around every house to prevent the fire from spreading so quick. Nope, didn't miss that at all. I have just returned from a trip to San Diego, interrupted by the fire of course, and I can say that people live there because it's a beautiful place. The weather is just right, the scenery is perfect and there is no reason Southern CA should be less livable than the NE. They will rebuild the houses like they always do. Prolly. Well, I guess next time the landscapers should probably go little easier on eucalypt trees. The peeling bark looks like paper and I'm pretty sure catches on fire just as quick as paper. Then there might be other benefits (like drought resistance) that might outweigh the fire risk, but it seem a bit scary to have a tree like that next to your house in a fire like that. If you think birch bark is a good fire starter, eucalyptus is absolutely volcanic. And the oils in the tree really keep things flaming, too. -- Dave www.davebbq.com |
#25
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CA. Fires - What's wrong with the inspectors?
In article ,
"Dave Bugg" wrote: wrote: With that said, it seems that the biggest reasons for these major fires in CA are not faulty wiring or causes INSIDE the home, but these firestorms. Therefore, would it not make sense to require a certain amount of open (mowed) space around buildings in areas prone to these firestorms, or at least prevent them from burning the buildings. Ahhh, you aren't aware of the restrictions landowners are put under by all the 'environmental' regulations, are you? Much of the problem stems from the inability of landowners to properly control the underbrush, grasses, weeds, and other flammable vegetation. Their hands have been tied by the 'green' movement. It doesn't lend clarity to a situation when you make up nonsensical replies. Maybe you think protecting the environment is stupid, in which case we strongly disagree, but the idea that clearing flammable vegetation from your property is discouraged is completely false. The fire departments in California *require* homeowners to keep brush trimmed back. If you don't do it yourself, they send a crew to do it for you, and then they send you the bill. Perhaps it's different in Washington State, where you (apparently) live. |
#26
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CA. Fires - What's wrong with the inspectors?
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#27
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CA. Fires - What's wrong with the inspectors?
Smitty Two wrote:
In article , "Dave Bugg" wrote: wrote: On Thu, 25 Oct 2007 13:36:03 -0700, "Dave Bugg" wrote: Ahhh, you aren't aware of the restrictions landowners are put under by all the 'environmental' regulations, are you? Much of the problem stems from the inability of landowners to properly control the underbrush, grasses, weeds, and other flammable vegetation. Their hands have been tied by the 'green' movement. I agree "environmerntalSM" is a cult religion but there are responsible ecologists My comment wasn't directed at responsible ecologists. I'm sure there were educated ecologists who wanted to do small prescribed burns around those houses and the homeowners wouldn't let them because they did not want the smoke and to have to look at burned ground for a couple months. Nope, that isn't the issue at all. The issue are is regulations prohibiting mechanical clearing of the grounds of high brush and tilling the ground for firebreaks where it would be appropriate. Where on earth did you get that ridiculous idea? From friends who were slapped with a 25000 fine for doing so. -- Dave www.davebbq.com |
#28
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CA. Fires - What's wrong with the inspectors?
On Thu, 25 Oct 2007 16:47:42 -0700, "Cheri" gserviceatinreachdotcom
wrote: h wrote in message ... "Cheri" gserviceatinreachdotcom wrote in message m... Dave Bugg wrote in message ... Ahhh, you aren't aware of the restrictions landowners are put under by all the 'environmental' regulations, are you? Much of the problem stems from the inability of landowners to properly control the underbrush, grasses, weeds, and other flammable vegetation. Their hands have been tied by the 'green' movement. -- Dave www.davebbq.com That's true Dave. Last year during the Tahoe fires, about the only home that made it through the fire in one neighborhood, was that of a homeowner that went against the regs and cleared much more than he was *supposed* to. Cheri Okkaaay, so how about commenting about why these idiots live in these areas in the first place? There are lots of placed ill-suited to human habitation; Hey, you will get no argument from me there. Same thing in the San Francisco Hills, the homes slide off, and they rebuild. Cheri If I knew there was a fire storm coming toward my house, I'd rent a bulldozer and rip down all the trees and brush for a mile in all directions. |
#29
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CA. Fires - What's wrong with the inspectors?
all new and or replacement homes should be mandated built of concrete.
steel reinforced, very sttrong, good for 300 MPH winds, excellent energy efficency, foam inside concrete. concrete homes wouldnt burn, at least not the outside. with storm shutters many homes could of survived. concrete homes look just like wood stick built ones, and will last forever |
#30
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CA. Fires - What's wrong with the inspectors?
In article ,
"Dave Bugg" wrote: Smitty Two wrote: In article , "Dave Bugg" wrote: wrote: On Thu, 25 Oct 2007 13:36:03 -0700, "Dave Bugg" wrote: Ahhh, you aren't aware of the restrictions landowners are put under by all the 'environmental' regulations, are you? Much of the problem stems from the inability of landowners to properly control the underbrush, grasses, weeds, and other flammable vegetation. Their hands have been tied by the 'green' movement. I agree "environmerntalSM" is a cult religion but there are responsible ecologists My comment wasn't directed at responsible ecologists. I'm sure there were educated ecologists who wanted to do small prescribed burns around those houses and the homeowners wouldn't let them because they did not want the smoke and to have to look at burned ground for a couple months. Nope, that isn't the issue at all. The issue are is regulations prohibiting mechanical clearing of the grounds of high brush and tilling the ground for firebreaks where it would be appropriate. Where on earth did you get that ridiculous idea? From friends who were slapped with a 25000 fine for doing so. So we have one anecdotal piece of evidence. We have no idea what, exactly, your friends did to incur that fine. But, as I said in my other post, homeowners are absolutely required to keep brush trimmed, and it's strictly monitored and enforced. |
#31
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CA. Fires - What's wrong with the inspectors?
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#32
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CA. Fires - What's wrong with the inspectors?
dpb wrote:
HeyBub wrote: Oren wrote: On Thu, 25 Oct 2007 17:19:55 -0500, "HeyBub" wrote: Santa Anna winds can blow embers for two miles. When these embers land on a cedar shake roof, well, there goes the house! Notice how many burnt/burning homes have a tile (terra cotta) roof? Embers get under these, right to the plywood sheathing. Yep. We're talking 40, 50, 60MPH winds. Still, I saw two guys with water hoses, buckets of water, shovels and hoes save their two house while the rest on the street burned down. Another interesting little tidbit; people loaded up their cars with their important stuff, but didn't have enough family members to drive all the cars. House gone, cars full of stuff (mostly) untouched. One doesn't normally thing of an automobile as a fire-proof vault. But it is. As long as the water holds and you're successful, that works. If water should happen to fail or an ember gets ahead of you, you're likely toast along w/ the house. Pretty major risk although just how much depends greatly on whether there is or isn't a reliable escape route. As one of the silly network reporters learned on a piece of film I saw, a road down one of those canyons can turn from a windy drive to sheer terror real quick... Swimming pool, generator, pump? Saw lots of cars that were crispy meltdowns, too. All depends on what surrounds them. Agreed. Still, there were cars parked on the street virtually untouched while all around was gone. We're just waiting for the next doofus to throw a cigarette out a car window and the whole county around here is ready to go up too. Don't worry about that. Cigarette smokers are some of the most responsible people on the planet. Be worried about arson. To top it off, pheasant season starts next weekend w/ no sign of any moisture which will bring all the city slickers out who have _no_ clue what a grass fire will/can do... Hunters, too, are much more aware of their surroundings and consequences than your ordinary doofus. For example there's Dick Cheney... Wait. Never mind... |
#33
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CA. Fires - What's wrong with the inspectors?
In article ,
"HeyBub" wrote: Swimming pool, generator, pump? With a fire that is not all that contained by multiple 1500 gpm pumpers using tanker shuttles? Good luck. Don't worry about that. Cigarette smokers are some of the most responsible people on the planet. Be worried about arson. But it only takes one. The big three in wildfires last time I looked around were lightening, cigs, and arsons. |
#34
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CA. Fires - What's wrong with the inspectors?
HeyBub wrote:
dpb wrote: .... We're just waiting for the next doofus to throw a cigarette out a car window and the whole county around here is ready to go up too. Don't worry about that. Cigarette smokers are some of the most responsible people on the planet. ... Certainly not in my experience. Their second behind the even dumber doofus'es who drive down the road waving Roman candles out the car windows over the Fourth weekend... To top it off, pheasant season starts next weekend w/ no sign of any moisture which will bring all the city slickers out who have _no_ clue what a grass fire will/can do... Hunters, too, are much more aware of their surroundings and consequences... "Cheney"-type incidents are _far_ less of an issue than the ones who cut fences, leave gates open, drive across tinderbox-dry tall grass, etc., etc., etc., ... -- |
#35
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CA. Fires - What's wrong with the inspectors?
h wrote:
"HeyBub" wrote in message But turn the question around: Why is upstate New York so ghastly that people would rather live in the New Orleans 9th Ward? Huh? I was born in New Orleans and I happen to live in NY now. LA is hot, humid, and really great. NY is hot, humid and really great, but NY is hot and humid for MUCH less of the year, so I don't live in LA anymore. Most people tend to stay where they are born. People with brains make a choice. Some choose to stay, many choose to go to more livable places. Plonk. Fran Liebowitz, a fellow New Yorker, opined "The outdoors is something through which I pass on my way from my apartment to my car." Any place is "livable" if you stay inside. The "Great Outdoors" is for beavers and ducks. And those who like to fondle beavers and ducks. |
#36
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CA. Fires - What's wrong with the inspectors?
Kurt Ullman wrote:
In article , "HeyBub" wrote: Swimming pool, generator, pump? With a fire that is not all that contained by multiple 1500 gpm pumpers using tanker shuttles? Good luck. Right, but the pumper trucks are for BIG fires. This guy said he and his neighbor scurried about dousing little fires so they never became big ones. Put out hundreds and hundreds of embers, they did. |
#37
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CA. Fires - What's wrong with the inspectors?
According to :
On Thu, 25 Oct 2007 18:05:06 -0700, "Dave Bugg" wrote: Nope, that isn't the issue at all. The issue are is regulations prohibiting mechanical clearing of the grounds of high brush and tilling the ground for firebreaks where it would be appropriate. Why would you use mechanical means when fire is the ecologically and historic way of holding down the fuel. It leaves most of the nutrients in the soil so you get fresh growth to stop erosion but not enough to keep much of a fire going. Because fire isn't very safe in built-up areas. It has a tendancy to do things you don't want it to. Controlled burns sometimes get out of hand. "Smokey Bear" was probably the worst idea in forest management we ever had. People started thinking all fire was bad and put them all out so we ended up with bad fires that we couldn't put out. Yes. But it's not an option in built-up areas. -- Chris Lewis, Age and Treachery will Triumph over Youth and Skill It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them. |
#38
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CA. Fires - What's wrong with the inspectors?
dpb wrote:
HeyBub wrote: dpb wrote: ... We're just waiting for the next doofus to throw a cigarette out a car window and the whole county around here is ready to go up too. Don't worry about that. Cigarette smokers are some of the most responsible people on the planet. ... Certainly not in my experience. Their second behind the even dumber doofus'es who drive down the road waving Roman candles out the car windows over the Fourth weekend... Cigarette smokers generally only light up to cover the smell. When some officious granny-lady whacks me with her umbrella and demands that I extinguish my smoke, I politely respond: "I am a grenade and this cigarette is the pin. Now you have to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do you, punk?" |
#39
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CA. Fires - What's wrong with the inspectors?
h wrote:
... We're just waiting for the next doofus to throw a cigarette out a car window and the whole county around here is ready to go up too. Don't worry about that. Cigarette smokers are some of the most responsible people on the planet. ... Right. Smokers think the world is their ashtray. If I had a dollar for every lit cigarette I've seen tossed out the window of a car in front of me, I could retire. Smoking is disgusting, stinky, expensive, and fatal, yet these idiots persist. Smokers are stupid, and ya can't fix stupid. It's all right. They're French. |
#40
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CA. Fires - What's wrong with the inspectors?
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