California’s worst drought in decades is feeding what may become a devastating wildfire season, one that is starting about five months early.
Extremely dry conditions have sparked 487 wildfires so far in 2014, compared with only 2 for the same period a year ago, according to the state Forestry and Fire Protection Department, known as Cal Fire. Potential power failures, home losses, lost tourism dollars and crop damage could jeopardize the world’s 10th largest economy as California struggles to emerge from the deepest recession since the 1930s.
“Having this occur statewide is unprecedented, certainly in my career,” Cal Fire Director Ken Pimlott, who started out as a firefighter almost 30 years ago, said in a telephone interview last week. “We anticipate the potential for a very long and sustained fire season throughout the rest of the year.”
For a state already reeling from a drought that officials say could be one of the worst in California’s history, fires would only add to the misery. They could damage critical power lines and cause blackouts, disrupt water supplies and destroy sensitive ecosystems, said Bill Stewart, a forestry specialist at the University of California at Berkeley.
Last year, prolonged dry conditions led to the third- largest fire in California’s history. The “Rim Fire” shut power lines and hydroelectric generators, charred parts of Yosemite National Park and threatened the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir watershed, which supplies 85 percent of the drinking water to San Francisco.
‘Poster Child’
The Rim Fire has become the “poster child” for future wildfires in California and the U.S. West, according to a 2013 report from CoreLogic Inc., a real estate data and analytics firm. Homes valued at about $78 billion in total are at risk from wildfires, estimates CoreLogic.
Fires could even pose a risk for the state’s $22 billion wine industry. In 2008, smoke from smoldering wildfires in Mendocino County contaminated crops of pinot noir grapes, said Bill Pauli, a grower and general partner of Yokayo Wine Company in Ukiah, California.
“Some wines had the odor of someone who had been standing next to a barbecue,” Pauli said in a telephone interview. “It was not a good situation and we all hope it doesn’t happen again.”
Extra Firefighters
Fire season usually begins around May and typically ends in November with the onset of winter storms, according to Cal Fire. This year, the department says it has hired 125 additional firefighters, staffed 25 extra fire engines and retained crews and aircraft that would normally be idle this time of year. The state has banned campfires and smoking in several parks.
“Right now, all of our planning is for the worst-case scenario,” said Pimlott of Cal Fire. “We want to make sure we are ready.”
The wildfire danger is of more concern to Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti than the prospect of running out of water because of the drought, he said during an interview at Bloomberg News’s Los Angeles office.
“I think we are going to see fire season around the clock for much of the year,” Garcetti said. “We are going to have to keep deployments much higher.”
The city expects to spend an extra $12 million this year on fire department coverage due to the dry conditions, Garcetti said.
Transmission Lines
At the same time, utilities including PG&E Corp. and Sempra Energy’s San Diego Gas & Electric are implementing plans normally reserved for high-fire season, such as stepping up patrols of electrical lines and bringing fire crews along for routine repairs.
“Wildfires are always a risk in California,” said Alvin Thoma, director of power generation at San Francisco-based PG&E. “With the dry conditions we’ve had, the soil moisture content right now is much lower than usual, so that makes wildfires much more of a concern.”
The California ISO, the state grid operator, said it will keep an “eagle eye” on high-voltage transmission lines, which will be needed to import more power this summer to make up for dwindling hydro-electric supplies and the retirement of a 2,200- megawatt nuclear plant in Southern California. The state typically imports one-quarter of its power needs, according to the ISO.
“The wild card is always fires,” said Stephanie McCorkle, a spokeswoman for California ISO. “They can affect the transmission and that literally cuts imports that we can’t afford to lose.”
Extra Vigilant
If lines go down, the grid operator can reroute electricity and ramp up local generation production, McCorkle said.
Edison International’s Southern California Edison utility, owner of the San Onofre nuclear plant that was retired last year, will need to be extra vigilant if the dry conditions continue, said Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ted Craver.
“You can’t say there wouldn’t be some combination of events, a heat storm and a fire that takes out a transmission line,” Craver said in a telephone interview.
Upgrades to power networks and new gas generation that has come online in the past two years will help “the grid to be able to withstand the shocks,” Craver said.
Although rainstorms in the past week have provided some respite, the odds are that the drought will persist along with the risk of more wildfires, according to Cal Fire.
“Everybody is probably sitting back on pins and needles,” said Thomas Jeffery, a senior hazard scientist at CoreLogic. “The potential for a really disastrous wildfire season is very high.”
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Examples abound of workers offering their skills outside the workplace: Nurses and doctors aid the injured or ill; contractors assist someone with heavy lifting or short hauling while on a hardware run; benevolent computer techies make a quick fix for a customer without a dispatch order. If one of your employees suffers an injury while providing such help, can the employee collect under Workers Comp? After all, they were doing their work.
A California correctional officer, injured while helping at the scene of an accident on his way to work, was denied Workers Comp benefits on the basis that his services did not qualify as regular employment. Citing an ethical standard set forth for correctional workers in the Ethics Cadet Workbook, the injured officer claimed it was his ethical duty as a corrections officer to assist those in need, regardless of when or where. Hence, he argued that his services at the accident were related directly to his employment.
However, the court disagreed, stating that: “The fact that the law enforcement code of ethics for correctional officers speaks of a duty to serve humankind and safeguard lives and property does not confer authority on a correctional officer to act outside the scope of his statutory jurisdiction.”
Knowing the eligibility rules for workers comp benefits is essential for you and your employees alike. Now might be the time for a refresher course. For more information about your comp coverage rules, call our service team today.
Content provided by Transformer Marketing.
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In the construction world, we’re often quick to reprimand our workers about safety violations. Such phrases as “Hey, put your helmet on!”, “Seriously, do you really think this is a good idea?” and “Get off that ladder now!” come to mind. All too seldom, do we say, “Thanks. You’re doing a great job in keeping the site safe!”
As you walk your work sites or wander the shop, it’s important to search out potential hazards and people who are not following what’s expected. However, don’t forget to recognize and acknowledge the workers who are doing their jobs right. When you recognize the power of thanking those who do well, their peers pay attention. That’s the reason why merit badges work.
Whether you’re a supervisor, foreman, or project manager, your job is to encourage safe behavior by motivating – not threatening – your workers as often as possible. Showing gratitude goes a long way in forming your crew and your friends. Take the time, and you’ll soon be surrounded by people who want to work for you. When you recognize this, you will understand the power of thanks.
Without trust, there’s little chance of success in any business – including yours. Your role is to help your workers stay out of trouble and eliminate acts and conditions on the job that can harm them. Whenever possible, it’s better to work with them, rather than acting as an obstacle.
Help your construction crews understand the hazards of the work they do and how to get them corrected. Establish a level of trust, and say “Thanks!” more often than “Stop!”
Remember, you catch more flies with honey than vinegar.
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If you’ve been to our office, chances are. Mary Myrick-Sunkler, CISR, CPIW is a central California coast native. Mary has been in the insurance business since 1988 giving her 26 years of experience. Mary has worked with Scurich Insurance Services for 15 of those years, starting in 1998.
Mary graduated from Monterey High School and went onto graduate from Monterey Peninsula College. Mary is a member of the Insurance Professionals of Monterey Bay which is a local chapter of National Association of Insurance Women.
In Mary’s spare time, she is an avid walker, loves bicycling, gardening, camping and cooking.
Stop by our office to say, “Hi,” to Mary today.
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An ever increasing number of people in the labor force are contractors. As the owner of a business you normally use contractors to ensure that they have contractor insurance.
An ever increasing number of people in the labor force are contractors. As the owner of a business you normally use contractors to ensure that they have contractor insurance. This type of insurance is useful in the event of injury or damage caused by the contractors on any of your property. As a contractor you will need contractor insurance to protect yourself from any claims made against you directly and/or any legal expenses incurred even if you are wrongfully sued by the company, organization or party’s involved.
There are several people who are possible candidates for contractor insurance. This is an option for anybody who is a limited company contractor. Most companies are more likely to make use of you if you have a contractor insurance policy in place to protect them from any arising issues. Contractor insurance cover is mandatory if you want to contract for a governmental institution of a state, federal or even on a city level. Without contractor insurance you do not have a chance of being contracted to supply services to any governmental institution. You essentially have a responsibility over the work you provide to your customer and contractor insurance protects you and the other party from any issues that may result from it.
A contractor insurance policy generally has three parts; it covers you, the person or company you are contracted to and member of the public who may be affected directly by your job as a limited company contractor. In each of these groups, it is necessary to have additional full protection available from your provider against accidental destruction or damage caused to property and equipment and full liability protection covering legal, medical and compensation costs.
Contractor insurance does not cover negligent actions or deliberate errors. They will also not provide prolonged cover if you show a pattern of consistent and negligent behavior. Other than these two main exclusions, contractor insurance is a very complete cover since it gives you and the company a safety net that would otherwise not be available.
There are more insurance products and services that the policy holder could take out in this range. Contractor insurance is mostly designed to include professional indemnity and public liability features. It also covers property and equipment to a large extent. If you need additional coverage in these areas as you realize the volume of business you will produce in a year it will be prudent for you to apply for a separate cover to have protection to a larger extent.
A limited company contractor’s work may be used several years after he has completed his work. Therefore, contractor insurance may only be active many years after a contract has been completed. Contractor insurance will ensure that you are still covered for liability long after you retire as you will need to be covered in the event of any consequent legal action. This may take the form of an extension of the liability clause to your contractors insurance or a run-off insurance policy.
Content provided by Transformer Marketing.
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The best defense in the NFL meets the best offense in the NFL this weekend for what is going to be nothing short of an electrifying, on the edge of your seat Superbowl game. The hype with surrounding whether or not Peyton can play in cold weather (which he proved to everyone he can when he led the Broncos to a 58-21 win over the Titans in 15 degree weather), is adding so much more to this game.
Create your own Supperbowl!
We have all seen them. The huge party platters in the shape of a football stadium. We have the recipe here for you.
Denver is on a mission. Last year, they were knocked out of the race for the Superbowl when the Ravens beat the Broncos in double overtime. This year, Peyton and Company’s offense boasts more points scored and yards gained than any other team. In the past, Denver has been to the Superbowl six times and have won twice.
Seattle is looking for retribution. The last time Pete Carroll led the Seahawks to the Superbowl was in 2005 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. At Ford Field, the Steelers beat the Seahawks 21-10. To this day, calls the referees made that day were nothing short of questionable and may have cost the Seahawks the game. This will be the second appearance for Seattle at the Superbowl.
The match up:
Content provided by Transformer Marketing, NFL.com and http://www.buzzfeed.com/emofly/how-to-build-a-snack-stadium?bffbfood
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California’s worst drought in decades is feeding what may become a devastating wildfire season, one that is starting about five months early.
