01/18/2025
The California fires are all the more tragic, and the loss of human, animal & wildlife lives; because the fires are all within 9 minutes by US Military helicopter from the best water source of all - the Pacific Ocean. How Malibu homes on the edge of the sea burned, and even trapped and killed at least one victim, is not understandable.
Water WILL put out large wildfires - and is global weapon of choice (not foam), especially when high, hot or unpredictable winds are involved. But there must be enough of it, dropped in rapid and concentrated manner. That's not happpened yet, in California. Media and officials were confused and distracted with issues of low water pressure, or inadequate personnel to build fire breaks. But these were secondary, not critical concerns. Sea water was plentiful and near, and firebreaks - as the 2018 Camp Fire that killed 86 showed - would not work. California's most pressing first steps should have been:
1 - Ask the US Military for urgent, large-scale water drops with at least 3-5 dozen Chinooks: hitting perimeters of all fires and locations blocking victim escape
2 - Ask the DOD for urgent mass evacuation support. Those who died were unable to evacuate themselves. But DOD can easily move 10,000 - 1 million from dense urban areas in a day.
11 days out, California Governor Gavin Newsom needs your help understanding that he and his state are not up to winning this battle; and it is inhumane NOT to give the human and animal victims at risk the BEST, FASTEST, and SAFEST response possible. They don't need 14,000 firefighters risking their lives also, in futile fire break building, or prisoners or other amateurs: they need DOD to send as many of its 900 Chinook helicopters as can be spared to commence immediate, 5 sorries per hour/ 10 ton water drops in formation over every fire. The Netherlands, Germany, Australia, and Russia have shown that this is the most effective response against this type of terrain, fire, and fuel. And California needs DOD help with evacuation; and construction of temporary mass shelters outside of town, and temp medivac. Everything DOD is expert at.
The US may be the ONLY NATO nation where wildfire response is not managed entirely by the military. See https://www.dcstrategicgroup.com/california-wildfires-2025. Reach out to Calif and urge them to ask DOD to take over the response! No one should burn alive in America. Because local government screws up.
