THE 2003 SAN DIEGO FIRESTORM 1

The San Diego Firestorm

Student’s Name

Institutional Affiliation
THE 2003 SAN DIEGO FIRESTORM 2

The San Diego Firestorm

Wildfires are usually unplanned fires which burn in natural areas such as

grasslands and forests. These fires are caused by humans and sometimes lightening. Wildfires

often spread quickly during dry periods with strong winds. The fires have adverse effects as

they burn property, disrupt transports and in times lives are lost as people are caught up by

the fire. Wildfires cost the government a lot of cash every year in buying emergency

equipment, and in fighting these fires when they erupt. The San Diego fire of October 2003 is

one of the largest fires to hit San Diego (Cao & Fovell2016). The fire was caused by a lost

hunter who lit a flare to call for help when he was lost in Cleveland Natural Forest when

hunting. The fire quickly spread and destroyed 273,000 acres of land, property including

2,200 homes and 14 lives were lost in the process (Cao & Fovell2016).So much loses were

incurred during be period of this inferno, some could have been avoided or prevented had

there been strong structures to deal with this situation. The government and other

stakeholders should learn from such calamities and invest on infrastructure that will provide

safe passage to people and also minimize property loss.

The 2003 San Diego wildfire caught people by surprise. The fire started accidentally

from a flare set on by a lost hunter. The fire spread very quickly due to the fact that, the area

was dry due to prolonged drought and strong winds helped to spread the fire. During the time

of the fire, firefighters were battling other fires which had begun a few days ago in other parts

of California (Keeley & Syphard 2019). People from the fire department were already

stretched to their limits trying to contain at least seven random fires which were burning

during this period. Emergency calls about the fire were reported and it took sometime before

actual steps could be taken. The fire personnel found it hard to pinpoint the exact starting

location of the fire. There are some factors from the concerned personnel and the

environment that contributed to the delays of action to deal with this fast spreading fire.
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These human and environmental factors paved way for the fire to grow and spread at speeds

that led it become uncontrollable after a few hours.

Shortage of equipment and personnel

In the month of October 2003, the federal state and the San Diego faced an acute

shortage to battle any emergency fires. The available personnel had been deployed further in

the North to battle fires which were already burning and consuming property. The resources

were scare as equipment and crews battled to stop the spread of these fires (Langford, Pierce,

& Schultz 2015). When reports of the San Diego firestorm came in, there was hardly any

equipment to be deployed instantly. It took time for personnel to be deployed and this had

allowed the fire to spread very first .The communication received was vague and this led to

fire personnel getting lost. By the time firefighters reached the point where the fire had

started, the fire had grown and was impenetrable (Walsh 2018). The fire had spread very fast

to other areas, destroyed property and proved difficult to control. The small crew sent to fight

the fire has less equipment and gear; this made it even more difficult to extinguish the blaze

which was being fanned by strong Santa Ana winds. There was no immediate back up to

support the team thus the worked against the odds to fight an enormous fire.

Reluctance from fire officials to use planes

Another factor which contributed to the damage caused by the fire was partly fell on

the fire officials. As the fire threatened lives and property, Congressman Duncan Hunter

obtained permission from the Chairman of the Joint staff to use planes to contain the fire(Cao

& Fovell2016). The fire officials were reluctant to use planes as they thought they could deal

with the fire. This reluctance to act allowed the fire to consume large areas and damage

millions of dollars worth property (Keeley & Syphard 2019). Planes and helicopters are very

efficient when it comes to fighting wildfires. These machines have the ability to carry large
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gallons of water. They also fly at high speeds and cover large areas within a short period.

With these capabilities, the acquisition of planes at early stages could have helped in stopping

the fast spread of the San Diego fire. The fire officials agreed to use planes and helicopters

later but the extent of the fire was great and it was way out control.

Difference in ideologies between politicians and fire officials

As the fire escalated and covered large potions, politicians and fire operational

officers were locked in a battle of power. The fire officers urged the fire be fought in a

responsible and safely way. This procedure was according to battle tested procedures and

experience obtained from the field. The politicians on the other hand urged the bypass of

established procedures to protect the public (Cao & Fovell2016). This battle for power and

ideas wasted precious time to tackle the fire. Concentration and attention was divided and

there was no fully support for the fire fighting officers. The fire spread since there was no

coordinated effort. The different departments involved in containing the fire had different

plans of action and conflicting priorities. The local authorities and national departments

differed as to who was responsible for the containment of the fire. The failure to take

responsibility at the early stages of the fire allowed the flame to cover large areas and destroy

a lot of property. The safety of people and their property happened not be a priority while led

to loss of innocent lives.

Restrictions on using the Military to fight fires

One of the shortcomings experienced during the San Diego firestorm was the existence of

regulations which prevented the military to respond to this emergency. The military are well

equipped and well trained to help during such calamities. Legislators had tried to amend the

bill which could pave way for military intervention but during the fire, the restrictions had not

been removed. The availability of equipment from the military could greatly help combat the
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fire. The aircrafts, special tankers and vehicles could add to the already available equipment

on the ground, hence so much could have been rescued (Keeley & Syphard 2019). The

military was considered as the last resort. The military also had not trained with the local

authority fire fighters. The lack of experience and different plans of action from the different

teams paved way for the spread of the wildfire.

San Diego was unprepared to deal with large fires

San Diego had experience occasional forest fires in the past. Most wildfires had never

been able to defeat the efforts of the fire fighters. The firestorm was of a bigger magnitude

and its spread was fast. The officials were caught off guard by this great inferno which spread

at speeds of almost 12,000 acres per second (Cao & Fovell2016). San Diego was not

prepared in terms of infrastructure, and personnel to tackle one of the largest fires in

California served as a lesson to the whole country. The federal government, local

governments and individuals have a role to play to ensure that such calamities never happen

again and if they occur, towns and people should be prepared to tackle them. Prevention is

the first major step to reducing the impact of wildfires (Keeley & Syphard 2019). The

government should partner with local authorities ad spread awareness on the effects of the

fires. People should be taught on how to be careful to prevent starting small fires. The public

should been encouraged to put off small fires before they spread and to other areas. Spreading

knowledge becomes a key thing as people will be prepared to deal with wildfires safely and

prevent loss of lives and property.

Training more firefighters and equipping those available

One of the reasons why the San Diego firestorm was so adverse was the lack of

enough personnel to fight the fire. The equipment available was also less and of low quality.

This made the whole process of containing the fire hard and risky to the lives of the fire
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fighters involved. The government should allocate more funds to local fire control

departments. These funds should be invested on acquiring modern fire extinguishing

equipment. The equipment for example vehicles, tankers and helicopters must be in good

shape and readily available for emergencies. Fire fighters must be trained on how to deal with

both small and large fires. The fire fighters should also have the right protective attire to

ensure they work in safe environments (Cao & Fovell2016). The public also must know how

to use basic fire extinguishers, while also being advised to train as volunteer fire fighters.

Fighting wildfires requires effort from both skilled and unskilled individuals. With a large

army of personnel who are well equipped with planes, tankers and helicopters, wildfires will

be contained before spreading far. The government should deploy these fire fighting

personnel to areas more likely to experience these fires. By doing so, there will be no delays

or wastage of time incase a fire is reported. Urgent response will be available within a short

distance.

Proper evacuation procedures

Towns and cities in areas prone to wildfires must have proper routes and evacuation

procedures in an event of a huge fire. In San Diego, 14 lives were lost as a result of poor

communication and proper ways of taking people to safety. Priority must be placed on efforts

to save lives of individuals, with property coming second (Hesseln 2018) . The public must

be told what to do and where to go when a fire spreads to their neighborhoods. Having central

community centers where people can converge during emergencies is of importance. Many

people lose their lives trying to rescue property while other become stranded and are caught

up by the flames. The public should be encouraged to participate in evacuation drills

organized by the local authorities and fire fighting departments. These drills will put the

public on high alert and ensure their preparedness incase disaster strikes. Local emergency

centers must be open and ready to accommodate people escaping the fire. Rescue operations
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must be efficient and quick to minimize losses. The government must invest more cash to

support rescue operations, provide safe zones to affected people and deal with post wildfire

effects of pollution. There should exist a national fund directed to prevention and fighting of

wildfires in the country.

Forest restoration and tree plating

Wildfires spread fast in dry grassland areas. A good example is the San Diego firestorm while

covered large areas as a result of the presence of dry grass due to the long drought which had

been experienced in the area. The public must replace grasslands with trees to reduce the

extent in which the fire can spread (Hesseln 2018). Trees do not have ground cover like grass

hence provide an easy way of controlling the fire too. The government should put rules and

regulations to encourage tree planting. The public should receive free seedlings and tree

encouraged to plant trees. The government should set tree planting days and encourage

families to come out I numbers to participate in the planting. By having more trees as

compared to grass, the spread of a forest fire will be slow thus ensuring its control before it

destroys property and claim lives.

Thinning of vegetation and maintaining vegetation around houses

To control the speed at which fires spread to residential areas, people should eliminate or

modify trees, grasses and vegetation around the house. Vegetation is the fuel for these fires,

hence having little or no vegetation around the house is one way of controlling the spread of

wildfires (Hesseln 2018). The amount of vegetation around the house should be minimal to

reduce the impact of fires. Wall climbing tress such as the vines should be removed from the

walls of houses. The trees around the houses must be less flammable. People should be

encouraged to consult the local fire department store for advice on the type of trees to plant.

Highly flammable plants like pines and junipers must be avoided. Areas around the houses
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should be clean and free from dead logs and dry leaves. These are some of the measure which

individuals can take to contribute in preventing wildfires.

Wildfires like the San Diego firestorm have serious effects on the environment and

peoples’ lives. These fires happen more often as a result of climate change. Drought and less

moisture lead to dry grass which is prone to catching fires (Cao & Fovell2016). The effects of

these fires are far reaching as property and lives are lost. Drastic measures must be taken by

the government to help fight and reduce the occurrence of these fires. Individuals who cause

fires deliberately must face the law (Hesseln 2018). The government must come up with

proper plans to support the efforts of firefighters. Individuals living in areas likely to

experience wildfires must have the right information on how to deal with such calamities.

Thus, by proper coordination between the governments, humanitarian organizations and the

public, wildfires can be prevented and controlled. The war against wildfires must be fought

on a national level to prevent the loss of property and lives.

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References

Cao, Y., & Fovell, R. G. (2016). Downslope windstorms of San Diego County. Part I: a case

study. Monthly Weather Review, 144(2), 529-552.

Hesseln, H. (2018). Wildland fire prevention: a review. Current Forestry Reports, 4(4), 178-

190.

Keeley, J. E., & Syphard, A. D. (2019). Twenty-first century California, USA, wildfires: fuel-

dominated vs. wind-dominated fires. Fire Ecology, 15(1), 24.

Langford, A. O., Pierce, R. B., & Schultz, P. J. (2015). Stratospheric intrusions, the Santa

Ana winds, and wildland fires in Southern California. Geophysical Research Letters,

42(14), 6091-6097.