WEEDS info

WEEDS info

WEEDS installation near Sacramento

This is an owner-built system in Northern California. The video links show WEEDS operation under windy conditions.Photos and videos used with permission.  ...

Wildfire

Wildfire

WUI Encyclopedia Article

Wrote chapter Radiant Heat in the Encyclopedia of Wildfires and Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) Fires.

Wildland Fire Still an Unsolved Problem

SOURCE:  RAMONA SENTINEL Michael Scott-Blair’s two articles in the July 9th Sentinel on retired Chief Steve Butler’s efforts to raise fire awareness and on his fire equipment company raise a number of important issues that people living in the San...

California Office of the State Fire Marshal Task Force on Wildfire Protection Building Construction

Assisted the State Fire Marshal’s Office in establishing a framework for testing ignition-resistant construction proposed for the 2010 update to the California Building Code, Chapter 7A.  Final draft 5/21/2009. Chapter 7A Task Force Recommendations ...

Power Lines and Wildfire

Power Lines and Wildfire

The October 2019 PG&E PSPS Website Failure

From October 8th to October 12th, 2019, PG&E planned its largest pre-emptive power shutoff event (PSPS) ever attempted by a utility in anticipation of an extreme Diablo wind event. As the event approached, performance of the PG&E website, a primary...

Utility Power Shutoff

Since our original involvement in defeating SDG&E’s proposed de-energization plan in 2008 we have provided technical support for MGRA's strong advocacy for requiring cost/benefit and risk/benefit analyses to determine thresholds for the risky...

Wildfire Mitigation Plans

We proposed and lobbied through the first utility fire plans regulatory requirements as the technical expert for MGRA.  We continue to advocate for comprehensive utility wildfire mitigation plans, including:   - Continuing opportunity for substantive...