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by Levi J Parsons


SYDNEY St.Louis Blues Wayne Gretzky Jersey , Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Sydneysiders woke up to a thick fog of smoke blanketing the harbour city on Monday as teams of firefighters began hazard reduction burns in preparation for the upcoming wildfire season in Australia.


South Westerly winds drew smoke from a controlled burn in the Southern Highlands region of New South Wales State (NSW), 130 km outside of Sydney. But NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) Inspector Ben Shephard told Xinhua on Monday that there have also been hazard reduction burns underway in the North and West of the city as well.


"We know that we are down on rainfall totals in and around Sydney," Shephard said.


"And the forested areas this year are starting to firm up as having a potential for a fire season."


Shepherds admitted that a lack of moisture over the winter months are "really concerning" for fire authorities in NSW and the window to execute more tactical burn-offs is continuing to narrow.


The RFS usually conducts these exercises in spring when the weather conditions are more favourable. But according to Shephard, if the long St.Louis Blues Vladimir Tarasenko Jersey , dry and warm period continues it may start to swing to a point where it could become "too dangerous" to do the burn-offs.


"We can't have it too dry and we can't have it too wet."


"If it's too wet you might only burn the top layer and leave a lot of the fuel underneath and if it's too dry, it can become difficult to control."


For that reason fire authorities develop what is called a "prescription" for hazard reduction burns.


Fuel moisture, weather, temperature and the amount of resources available need to fit certain parameters before an exercise can go ahead.


The RFS also needs to undertake an environmental assessment in order to ascertain there will be minimum harm to any native wildlife in the area.


In certain circumstances they also may need to secure "control lines" in areas close to houses and ask for aviation support.


"Putting a match to the Australian bush on any given day does always pose some risks St.Louis Blues Vince Dunn Jersey ," Shephard explained.


"It's not just a matter of walking into the bush, it's a planned event that is months in the making or sometimes years."


"We try to light the fire in a certain path or direction at a certain level, so it's a fire on our terms and we can minimize the risk"


But the safety precautions are not without their own hazards.


The state's health department issued urgent warnings for people suffering from respiratory condition such as asthma, not to venture outside Monday.


But according to Shepherd St.Louis Blues Ty Rattie Jersey , the risks of not acting to reduce the threat of wildfires are far more dangerous.


"In places that haven't had a fire in a number of years, there will be a big fuel build up in that area, so by burning off that we can reduce the amount of fuel on the ground and in turn act to reduce the impact of a fire in the future," Shephard said.


"When we do hazard reduction burning It doesn't mean we can remove the possibility of a fire in the future St.Louis Blues Troy Brouwer Jersey , it means we can reduce the intensity of it and that is sometimes enough for us to get resources in place to control it and save lives and property."


Although the process is conducted with hi-tech instruments and extremely calculated modern planning techniques, the practice has been around in Australia long before the invention of firetrucks.


"Traditional owners of the land have been doing burn-offs since the beginning of time and that was to encourage new growth into a particular area in order to bring animals to it," Shephard said.


"So there has always been different forms of hazard reduction and it continues today."


"And actually traditional forms of hazard reduction that were used by indigenous Australians in the past, now play a big role in the things we do today St.Louis Blues Tony Twist Jersey , depending on the area," Shephard added.


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ANKARA, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- At least four people were killed and 18 others wounded early Monday in a bus crash in the Turkish capital Ankara St.Louis Blues T.J Oshie Jersey , local media reported.


The accident occurred on the Konya-Ankara highway as the bus was heading to the southern coastal province of Hatay from northeastern Balikesir province, according to Daily Sabah.


The bus carrying 49 people reportedly lost control and rolled off the highway.


Ambulances have been dispatched to the scene of the accident and officials feared the death toll may rise.


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