We talk a lot in NC about how budget cuts hit our schools, including nurses and bus drivers. But they’re also harming our ability to fight forest fires. We need to raise the pay for our forest firefighters and make sure they have the equipment they need to do their jobs safely and well.

33°F foggy with mist and occasional snowflakes on Keystone Ridge at 8:30am. Another house fire this morning, everyone is physically OK, but a big property loss. Check your smoke detectors and CO detectors. Check batteries *and* that age is <10years. This one has 2 years left. #MyAlaskaWx #fireprevention

It would be real swell if the government quit playing BusinessMan™ and started actually governing by immediately closing all #oil & #gas projects, and hire at least a million people into the roles we actually need in society - #firePrevention, #GreenEnergy, #FoodSecurity, #SocialHousing, #Healthcare

"57 wildfires were burning across Alberta as of Tuesday. There have been 12 new wildfires since the start of 2024, as well as more than 60 that carried over from last year."

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/how-alberta-wildfire-responds-to-increased-winter-fires-1.7108499

Lake Tahoe Forest Service: "Smokey Bear was stolen from the Fire Danger sign on US50 at Spooner Summit! Please, if you saw anything suspicious or out of place, call our front desk at 530-543-2600 or email us at sm.fs.paltbmu@usda.gov and help us bring @smokey_bear
home. #SmokeyBear #OnlyYou #FirePrevention" #crime #LakeTahoe #Tahoe

Our driveway might not be the MCG but I reckon that’s a job well done - just waiting on #Abla’s verdict I’ve also opened the gate from the paddock to let the girls through because (for whatever reason) they love freshly cut grass #HolidayJobs #FirePrevention

#PG&E Scraps #Tree #Trimming Program Once Seen as Key to #FirePrevention - So Billions wasted destroying trees - same methods used on #eastcoast by #Pepco to decimate our #treecanopy #climatecrisis #globalheating #trees #California #utility spent more than $2 billion on effort it says was #ineffective; focus now is on power-line settings https://www.wsj.com/articles/pg-e-scraps-tree-trimming-program-once-seen-as-key-to-fire-prevention-97a1ac5e #wildfires

A real tweet from the Washington State Dept of Natural Resources, brilliantly using humor to make a point, and to fight forest fires.

(It's #HootinTootinTuesday again! Post some jokes or funny memes under this hashtag today, and bring lots of smiles to #Mastodon.)