He\u2019s\nback at it. That damned bear I\nencountered as a young boy is still putting a responsibility on me that triggers\nshame and guilt. It started out when I\nwas a child. \u201cOnly YOU can prevent\nforest fires!\u201d Me? I\u2019m the only one that can prevent a massive fire\nconsuming acres and sometimes square miles of wooded land? I didn\u2019t even live close to a forest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Smokey\nthe Bear hasn\u2019t aged that much. However,\nhe\u2019s still placing blame on me as he\u2019s expanded his message to go beyond forest\nfires. Now, I have to prevent\nwildfires. That could be right-of-way\nland along the railroad tracks where grass burns. It could be a fire in your backyard. It also includes prairie fires that get out\nof hand. I don\u2019t even have to be present\nwhen the burning occurs. I\u2019m still\nresponsible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Growing\nup along the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad (now the Union Pacific), the\ntown firetrucks were often called out to extinguish a grass fire by the\ntracks. When the fire fighters came back\nto town, I would hear them talk. They\nwould often say that the cause of the fire was a \u201chot box\u201d. It took some time before I received an honest\nanswer from a fire fighter about what that meant. A hot box is a railroad car in which the axle\nbearing overheats, starting a fire. It\ndoesn\u2019t occur as often as it did when I was kid. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Railroad companies now have detectors inlaid within the tracks that help determine if a passing railcar has conditions that will identify a hot box.\u00a0 Also, the use of \u201cball, roller, or tapered\u201d bearings instead of the old-time journal bearings has cut down on the number of fires caused by hot boxes.\u00a0 A modern bearing can still ignite a fire when it fails, and it can cause a significant fire if the railcar is hauling grain, coal, sawdust, or other pseudo-combustive material.\u00a0 The responsibility for these fires belongs to the railroad companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What\nabout lightning? Am I still to blame\nbecause the lightning caused a fire? According to The National Fire Protection\nAssociation, \u201cthe\naverage number of acres burned per fire is much higher in lightning fires than\nin fires caused by humans.\u201d Based upon this information, I question the Bear\u2019s\nstatement that \u201conly YOU\u201d can prevent wildfires. Clearly, the responsibility falls on Mother\nNature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finally, the deadliest and most costly wildfire in California history was the 2018 Camp Fire, which burnt the city of Paradise into nonexistence. This fire was started by the failure of a major corporation trying to divert maintenance funds into profit for company shareholders. Corporate culpability continues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
California\u2019s\nlargest utility company, Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), admits that it\nwas its equipment that started the Camp Fire in November or 2018. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Long before the failure suspected in the Paradise fire, a company email had noted that some of PG&E\u2019s structures in the area, known for fierce winds, were at risk of collapse. It reported corrosion of one tower so severe that it endangered crews trying to repair the tower. The company\u2019s own guidelines put Tower 27\/222 a quarter-century beyond its useful life \u2014 but the tower remained.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
A hot wire broke loose\nfrom Tower 27\/222 and started a fire moving very fast and so intense it killed\n88 people. It could have been\nprevented. But the cost of maintenance would\nhave cut company\u2019s profits. \u201cThe state\u2019s\nPublic Utilities Commission, which regulates PG&E, concluded that the\ncompany was more concerned with profit than with safety.\u201d The PG&E\u2019s answer to this entire mess \u2013\nfile for bankruptcy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cState officials also\nblamed PG&E equipment for starting 17 of 21 major fires in 2017 that ripped\nthrough Northern California, including wine-growing Napa and Sonoma Counties.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The railroads have\nworked hard at trying to prevent fires. \nNo one can do anything about lightning strikes, but massive money-making\ncorporations can file bankruptcy and continue to operate with impunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Railroads, lightning,\nand company greed have more to do with wildfires than human error. Oh, sure, fires have been started by careless\ncampers, hikers, homeowners, and other human sources, but I don\u2019t see that\ndamned bear pointing at them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I think I\u2019m old enough\nnow to realize that the bear was not pointing at me specifically, yet for some\nreason, I don\u2019t think anyone is pointing a finger at corporations who seek\nprofit over safety: safety for employees; safety for the environment; and\nsafety for those of us who depend upon the services many corporations\nprovide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Greed! It\u2019s one of the Seven Deadly Sins[1]<\/a>. It\u2019s my sin to bear since a pension plan I\nrely on may have invested in some of these greedy companies. Greed, guilt, gullibility. Gee, guess I\u2019m the bear(er) of bad news.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Quotes in regards\nto the Camp Fire and PG&E are taken from: How PG&E\nIgnored Fire Risks in Favor of Profits. <\/em>NY Times Business\nSection. https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2019\/03\/18\/business\/pge-california-wildfires.html<\/a> Penn, Ivan;\nEavis, Peter; & Glanz, James. MARCH\n18, 2019<\/h6>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n[1]<\/a> Pride<\/a> is excessive\nbelief in one’s own abilities, that interferes with the individual’s\nrecognition of the grace of God. It has been called the sin from which all\nothers arise. Pride is also known as Vanity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Envy<\/a> is the\ndesire for others’ traits, status, abilities, or situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gluttony<\/a> is an\ninordinate desire to consume more than that which one requires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lust<\/a> is an\ninordinate craving for the pleasures of the body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anger<\/a> is\nmanifested in the individual who spurns love and opts instead for fury. It is\nalso known as Wrath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Greed<\/a> is the\ndesire for material wealth or gain, ignoring the realm of the spiritual. It is\nalso called Avarice or Covetousness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sloth<\/a> is the avoidance\nof physical or spiritual work.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
He\u2019s back at it. That damned bear I encountered as a young boy is still putting a responsibility on me that triggers shame and guilt. It started out when I was a child. \u201cOnly YOU can prevent forest fires!\u201d Me? … Continue reading