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While many aren’t aware of the risks, flooding is a major concern in the wake of wildfires. But because most homeowners insurance policies don’t cover flood damage, residents near recent burns can be vulnerable to major, uncovered losses.
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For now a third time, Congress has extended temporary pay increases for federal wildland firefighters with a continuing resolution. This time they go through just early March.
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Prescribed fires can be an effective way to reduce the risk of severe wildfires. But they of course also give off smoke, and researchers are trying to better understand that public health tradeoff. A new paper finds that prescribed fire can reduce overall smoke exposure, but that those benefits can diminish as the level of prescribed fire increases.
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Laura Daniel-Davis, the acting deputy secretary of the Interior Department, made the announcement at NIFC in Boise.
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New research shows that wildfires can leave behind concerning levels of the carcinogenic chemicals known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). But researchers also looked at ways that homeowners can clean their properties after wildfires to substantially reduce the risk presented by PAHs.
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Catastrophic wildfires and other disasters fueled by climate change are raising serious doubts about the future of insurance. But a former California insurance commissioner has some ideas about what could be done.
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New research shows that intense wildfires can leave behind dangerous levels of carcinogenic hexavalent chromium in soil and ash, close enough to the surface that wind could easily carry it away.
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The federal wildfire service has a gender-equity problem: in fiscal year 2021, 84% of firefighters were men. Federal land agencies have publicly committed to working on a number of diversity issues, and a relatively new crew for women in the southeast is part of an effort to attract and keep more women in the profession.
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New Mexico recently started a program to train private landowners how to safely conduct burning operations on their own land. Those who complete it can be protected from significant liability risks in the state.
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A new study finds that wildfires are having a major impact on trends in fine particulate pollution and their health impacts, especially in the American West. The researchers found that fire emissions have reversed pollution gains made in our region, and that premature deaths associated with such pollution are up by nearly 700 annually.