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Joseph
W. Mitchell, Ph. D. |
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For information on WEEDS - the Wind-Enabled Ember-Dousing System -
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Photos courtesy of Nanette
Martin
WEEDS
Information
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September, 2009 |
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New
WEEDS installation in Descanso, CA April, 2011 |
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Presentation
on WEEDS and comparison to other structure
protection techniques Prepared for the Ramona Fire Recovery Center, 8/12/2008 |
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Presentation to
the Fire & Materials 2007 Conference (web version,
only works with IE):
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(Powerpoint
presentation for download)
- Presented in |
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The Fire Safety Journal - An academic article on WEEDS has been published in the September 2006 edition (Subscription required for full download, available free of charge at many university libraries.) |
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WILDFIRE Magazine Article - Here are some references for the WEEDS article in the March 2005 edition |
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Home&fire Magazine - Spring 2005 edition contains WEEDS: Wind Enabled Ember Dousing System. p. 32 |
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Engineering a Miracle - the story of WEEDS (published in The San Diego Reader, April 29, 2004) |
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Wildland
Fire
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Wildland
fire still an unsolved problem Commentary
in the Ramona Sentinel, 7/23/2009. Assisted the State Fire Marshal’s Office in establishing a framework for testing ignition-resistant construction proposed for the 2010 update to the California Building Code, Chapter 7A. Final draft 5/21/2009. Chapter
7A Task Force Recommendations
State
Fire Marshal Test Standards Task Force
Recommendations |
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Union Tribune Op-ed on SD County's "Shelter-in-Place" Guidelines - May 5, 2007 Power Lines and Wildland Fire
The Proposed Utility "Wildfire Expense Balancing Account
In 2009, California electrical utilities PG&E, SCE and SDG&E proposed creating a formal mechanism through which they could recover liability losses from wildland fires from ratepayers regardless of whether or not they were responsible for starting the fires. MGRA and other parties oppose this proposal, noting that it creates a moral hazard by reducing incentive for safe operation. served September 11, 2011
Proposed
changes to California power line safety
regulations The 2008-2011 rulemaking instituted by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is intended to make changes to current California regulations in order to reduce the likelihood of power line fire ignitions in hazard areas. Several rules were introduced by MGRA including:
Comments
on the Proposed Decisions
Reply
Comments
Final
Decision by the Commission Goaded into Action: California's Regulatory Response to the Power Line Fire Threat Presented at the 5th Annual Wildland Fire Litigation Conference, April 16, 2011 January
2010 Submission to the Victorian Royal
Bushfires Commission This submission describes
current academic work as well as activities
before the California Public Utilities
Commission on powerlines and wildland fire. Five
of the eleven “Black Saturday” fires under
investigation by the Royal Bushfires Commission
were reportedly due to power line ignitions. The
September 2009 CPUC Decision on the
SDG&E Shut-Off Plan Proposed decisions were issued in August. Comments and reply comments opposing the shut-off plan were filed on behalf of MGRA. The cost/benefit analysis initially proposed by M-bar Technologies and Consulting, LLC and other issues raised in our filings were cited as a key reasons for the Commission denial of the SDG&E shut-off plan. Comments
on the Proposed Decisions
Reply
Comments
Final
Decision by the Commission Additional
Comments Regarding SDG&E Shut-Off plan Filed 5/26/2009 on behalf of MGRA and at the behest of the Administrative Law Judge, this contains additional calculations suggesting that the SDG&E shut-off criteria have been set too low. |
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San
Diego Union Tribune Op-Ed: The PUC should
deny this plan outright May 10th, 2009 – Co-authored with Diane Conklin. Discusses how the potential hazards and costs of the SDG&E shut-off plan outweigh its benefits under any but the most extreme conditions. This was paired with a “Pro” column by SDG&E CEO Debra Reed. |
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When
to Turn Off the Power? Cost/Benefit
Outline for Proactive De-energization Filed with the CPUC in
response to SDG&E’s 2008 application
A.08-12-021 to turn off power under |
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“Power
Lines and Catastrophic Wildland Fire in
Southern California”
Presentation to the Fire &
Materials 2009 Conference, |
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MGRA Phase 2
Testimony to the Califonia Public
Utilities Commission on San Diego Gas
& Electric's Proposed "Sunrise
Powerlink" Transmission Line |
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MGRA Phase 1
Testimony to the Califonia Public
Utilities Commission on San Diego Gas
& Electric's Proposed "Sunrise
Powerlink" Transmission Line |
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For more
information, contact:
M-bar Technologies and
Consulting, LLC
760-703-7521
Last update 12/18/2011