2009 SPRING FIRE SEASON IS HERE

NH reduces fire tower hours

Due to budget cuts, the state of New Hampshire has laid off eight full-time fire tower wardens and has offered them part-time work, and only on days when the risk of fire is greatest.

Brad Simpkins, interim director of the state Division of Forests and Lands tells the Eagle-Tribune he hopes that's enough to protect forests, structures and people.

The layoffs took effect March 31. This means the 15 state-run fire towers — a 16th tower is run by Moultonborough — won't be staffed during low and moderate fire danger days.

Simpkins said the state also has an air patrol on the lookout for fires.

Wally Eaton, who used to work full time at the Derry tower, now works part time without benefits. He says this is the most dangerous time of the year for fires.

The windy, dry weather that the region is experiencing means fire danger is high in Vermont and southern New Hampshire.

The National Weather Service has posted a Red Flag warning in all of New Hampshire and all of Vermont except for Bennington and Windham counties and Coos countiy until Monday evening.

A Red Flag warning means the combination of low humidity and high winds would make it easy for outdoor fires to spread quickly.

The weather service predicts the winds will die down some on Tuesday, but there is no rain in the forecast for the rest of this week.

The weather service says the months of April and May are the peak time for brush and forest fires in northern New England, mainly because the region is in a pre-greenup phase when the ground is bare, brown and dry due to dormant grasses, dead leaves, needles and small brush. Downed trees from December's ice storm increase the risk even more.

These materials are fuels that can dry very quickly under full sunlight, warming temperatures, low relative humidities and wind, the weather service says. If a fire were to start in these conditions, it could quickly spread out of control.