Martin Luther King - Fort Sam Houston - U.S. Army

JANUARY 13, 2011By Joseph L. Miyasaki502nd Civil EngineeringSquadronMeteorologists withthe National WeatherService and officialsfrom the Texas ForestService are predicting asevere winter wildfireseason.These experts sayhigh winds and dry conditionsare setting thestage for vast anddestructive firesthroughout the state.TFS reports that in thelast five years, 10 suchfirestorms destroyed1,065 structures andkilled 22 people.It is estimated that 90percent of all Texaswildfires are caused byhuman activity. In 2009,four wildfires consumedmore than 400 acres ofvegetation on CampBullis training areas.Everyone can helpprevent wildfires. Hereare some precautions:1. Units training onCamp Bullis must haveapproval from RangeControl to usePyrotechnics includingtracer ammunition.Use of Ground BurstSimulators, smokegrenades and similardevices requireapproved burn barrels.2. Be careful whenpulling off a road ordriving into a field. Hotcatalytic converters canignite vegetation.3. If you smoke inyour car, extinguish cigarettesin vehicle ashtrays.Never toss a cigaretteout of a car window,and don’t put cigarettesout on the ground.Dispose of smokingmaterials only inapproved containers.4. Avoid burningtrash. The greatest singlecause of wildfire issparks or burning trashblown into the airbecause debris is notproperly contained. Evena barrel covered with ascreen can allow a sparkto escape, igniting nearbyvegetation. Burningof trash is prohibited onFort Sam Houston andCamp Bullis.5. Keep a fire extinguisherand water handywhen working outdoorswith equipment that getshot, or involves sparks,such as welding equipment.Water down outdoorwork areas inadvance if possible. HotWork Permits arerequired to be obtainedfrom the Fire Preventionoffice.NEWS LEADERSevere dry winter wildfire danger predicted for Texas6. Don’t use fireworks.Do respect burnbans when your countyofficials declare them.Fireworks are prohibitedto be used on Fort SamHouston and CampBullis.7. Residents shouldmonitor weather predictionson the NationalWeather Service websiteat http://www.nws.noaa.gov and take precautionswhen winds arehigh, humidity is lowand precipitation isscarce. For TexasForest Service informationyou can log on tohttp://texasforestservice.tamu.edu/main/default.aspxFor more information,contact the FirePreven-tion office atBulding 4196 or call221-5452/4798.METC from P4sion consistent with theirown doctrine and honoringtheir own proud heritage.“This task required thegroup to look beyond heritage,beyond doctrineand beyond mission to thecore task, and that is caringfor our patients,”Caron said. “And if ourpatients are to be caredfor in the way in whichtheir service and theirsacrifice demanded to behonored, then those hadto be put aside, and thestudents had to comefirst, and the training hadto be put in place, so thatyou (the students) havethe training and skills totake care of thosepatients.”The general creditedthe flag officers steeringcommittee, the transitionintegration office, thepeople from the variousPAGE 9schoolhouses who allcame together to producea campus where modernevidence based coursematerial was being taughtin state-of-the-art facilitiesusing the most up-todatetechnology both interms of patient care andteaching.“With those buildingblocks firmly in place,they have put back into itwith people who will giveyou the focus on the servicemission, the doctrineand the proud heritage,”he said.“You have a skill youcan always continue touse. Even if you don’tchoose to continue in thedental career, the thingsthat you learned in termsof the values and the standardsand how to applyyourselves will enrich youfor the rest of your lives,so hold on to your corevalues and you will notfail,” Caron said.