President Obama sends condolences for firefighters who died

[Tx4obama]

Obama sends condolences for firefighters who died

July 1, 2013 03:25 AM EST | AP

CAPE TOWN, South Africa — President Barack Obama is expressing his condolences to the families of the 19 firefighters who died battling an Arizona wildfire.

Obama says the firefighters were heroes and highly skilled professionals who quote -- "put themselves in harm's way to protect the lives and property of fellow citizens they would never meet."

Obama, who is traveling in Africa, says the federal government will be in close contact with state and local officials in Arizona to provide support.

-snip-

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20130701/af-obama-wildfires/?utm_hp_ref=homepage&ir=homepage

p.s. There will probably be a longer statement issued later in the day, it should show up eventually here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-and-releases

[longship]

1. Wow! What a crushing blow to those families.

[Botany]

2. From what i have read they were highly trained back country firefighters ....

.... so the fire must have been going very fast to get to them.

[madokie]

4. Fires have a way to box one in

A few years back we had a series of wild fires around here where some of them were traveling 60 plus miles per hour or so. People were barely getting out of their homes to safety, one couple survived by getting in their pool and watching their whole place burn to the ground. Fires scare me almost as much as the war did.

[Botany]

6. If it looks like the fire is coming straight @ them often times they will start a fire on the other

.... side of them to burn out the fuel and to give them an escape route. But with the heat
and the size of the fire "it" could be making its own wind so the firefighters have no way
out ..... or the fire was just moving so fast that they were trapped. I have done prescribed
burns in priairies and watched bigger burns (>10 acres) and once the fire really gets going
it travels at top speeds.

[madokie]

7. And the wind the create can be pretty fierce sometimes

As a kid in the '50s and early '60s we didn't have many fire departments and the ones we did were for the towns folks only so when a fire started out in the country we had to fight them ourselves. I'd been let out of school to go fight a fire that was threatening our neighborhood on many occasions. Today we have volunteer fire departments to where none of that is necessary anymore. Many or most of them I should say have equipment that have been handed down from the military to help in fighting those fires. Voting in bond issues to purchase equipment also. The Cherokee Nation helps with our volunteer fire departments financing too. Our Cherokee neighbors have been good for all of us these last 30, 40 years. Really have been since they've had legalized gambling.

[Botany]

8. It (the fire) can make sounds like a freight train and the flames can be >15 +

on a prairie fire. The differenc in Arizona is that lots of what is burning is pine trees
and that wood will burn much longer then the grasses. These were highly skilled
back country fire fighters that died so something or somethings must have taken them
by surprise.

[madokie]

9. No doubt about that

I have the utmost respect for our firefighters, whether they're paid or volunteers, it matters not

this is so sad

[Botany]

11. if you get a chance

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023139329

thanx

[Omaha Steve]

3. Those firefighters just got health insurance a year ago from Obama

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/11/us-usa-obama-firefighters-idUSBRE86A03Q20120711

Obama orders health insurance for government's seasonal firefighters

WASHINGTON | Wed Jul 11, 2012 12:57am EDT

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama has ordered his administration to offer health insurance to seasonal firefighters employed by the U.S. government, after an outcry over the lack of affordable coverage available to thousands of such workers.

Obama's directive, confirmed by the White House on Tuesday, capped a 2-month-old electronic petition drive started by a member of a U.S. Forest Service "hot-shot" crew based in South Dakota that has drawn more than 125,000 signatures.

No details were given, but a formal announcement of the policy change was expected soon, a White House official told Reuters.

In the meantime, Obama has instructed the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, the Interior Department and the Agriculture Department -- parent agency of the Forest Service -- to "ensure temporary federal firefighters who are bravely battling fires have access to the health insurance they deserve," the official said.

The official added that the president acted after the issue was brought to his attention following his trip late last month to Colorado Springs, Colorado, where Obama toured damage caused by that state's most destructive wildfire on record.

FULL story at link.

[madokie]

10. This is all so heart breaking

it also is another reason why I like this man I call my President

[lunatica]

5. Heartbreaking