And nobody thinks they will, until that moment when the fire is racing toward their property and firefighters are working frantically to stop it.Nobody wants to lose a life to wildfire.Nonetheless, the lives of firefighters are endangered every time they are called to help save someones property from wildfire. 

The Yarnell Hill fire in Arizona cost 19 lives. These firefighters died trying to protect a small community that was not prepared to resist the wildfire that ultimately burned down more than 200 structures, about half of them homes.We in western Montana are only too familiar with the circumstances that led to this tragedy. 

In late June, lightning struck dry brush near Yarnell and winds pushed the rapidly growing blaze toward town. Neighborhoods were evacuated and roads were shut as hundreds of firefighters mobilized to fight the fire. Two days after the fire was sparked, 19 members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots were killed when the wind unexpectedly changed and the wildfire overran them. The fire was not declared 100 percent contained until July 10. The incident remains under investigation.What's the difference between Marble tiles and Porcelain Tiles? 

Meanwhile, a Washington-based institute has concluded a rapid analysis of the fire that should give pause to all of us who live in fire-prone places.Researchers at the Pacific Biodiversity Institute used Google Earth images and other maps to determine how many of the 569 structures in Yarnell had tree and shrub canopies touching them or overlapping their roofs. They found that most C 89 percent C of the structures were in direct contact with such materials. 

PBI also assessed structures for their potential to withstand a fire, and found that of those they identified as potentially fire-safe, 95 percent survived the Yarnell Hill Fire. In contrast,30 percent of the structures they identified as not fire-safe ended up badly burned.The contrast between these two structure survival rates is substantial and illustrates that simple and inexpensive measures, like keeping flammable vegetation away from homes, can have a real impact on the ability of a home to survive a wildfire, the institute concluded. 

A wealth of information and resources are available for Montana homeowners who are interested in protecting their homes from wildfires. Simple steps like thinning trees, and clearing all brush and trees closest to buildings, can go a long way by themselves. Additional steps like making fuel breaks throughout larger properties, and building roofs and decks with fire-resistant materials, can go even further. 

Firefighters can do their jobs a lot more effectively C and a lot more safely C when the homes they are trying to save are better able to resist wildfires on their own.The lesson is clear. If we want to prevent the loss of homes C and the loss of life C caused by wildfires, then the people who own these homes have to do a better job of preparing their properties to resist a fire. 

Small increases in building coverage and impervious coverage would be created by adding the pavilion, Shoupe said, but both still fall within the allowed percentages for a religious use of a property. The plan update would also modify the existing stairway leading up to the temples entrance by simplifying the steps leading down toward a proposed garden. Review by several township consultants and departments found no major issues with the plan, which the supervisors approved unanimously. 

In other business, Montgomerys board also heard an update on the townships budget through two quarters, in which Finance Director Shannon Drosnock reported that township tax revenues are roughly $500,000 ahead of the same time period in 2012, with decreased expenses in every department except township police. The net result is an increase of roughly $786,000 ahead of the 2012 figures, and staff members are optimistic the rest of 2013 will follow, Drosnock said. 

Barclays analysts Sudakshina Unnikrishnan and Jian Chang outlined a growth risk scenario in their July 5 report brought on by slowing industrial production and growing risks of financial stress due to build-up of debt by companies and local governments. They also point to the implementation of Likonomics -- a term describing the market-reform policies of Chinas premier -- as possibly inflicting short-term pain on the economy even as it sets growth on a healthier long-term trajectory. 

Chinas growth slowed for a second straight quarter to 7.5 percent in April-to-June,Shop for wholesale Granite countertops from China! extending the longest streak of expansion below 8 percent in at least two decades. Manufacturing weakened further in July, according to a preliminary survey of purchasing managers,You will never need to change the bulbs and your granitetrade will last for years and years. signaling that the nations slowdown hasnt ended. 

I dont know if the world is ready for Chinas growth below 7 percent but its not realistic to think of a country growing at 10 percent, even 8 percent for decades in a row, said Orville Schell, director of the Center on U.S.-China Relations at the Asia Society in New York. The Chinese economy too is mortal and ultimately will be subject to the same kinds of cyclical growth as every other economy. 

Li said recently that policy makers bottom line for growth is 7 percent. The government announced support measures July 24 in the form of accelerated rail construction in the countrys central and western regions, and tax breaks for small companies. 

They certainly want enough growth to maintain social stability and prevent the economy from a more serious shortfall, said Stephen Roach, former chief economist at Morgan Stanley. Roach, who is now a senior fellow at Yale Universitys Jackson Institute of Global Affairs, said hes not in the hard landing camp.

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