Countdown to Calamity

1971 documentary of the Sept 22 - Oct 4, 1970 California fire siege. Highlights and illustrates the various state agencies which coordinate to form the backbone of Californias mutual aid and disaster response system. The 1970 siege was, at the time, one of Californias worst fire disasters and a triggering event for the creation of FIRESCOPE (a multi-agency cooperative emergency response coordination entity) and the modern Incident Command System. A key event in the development of the California mutual aid and disaster response plans. Describes and demonstrates the elements of the state wildland fire protection system from detection to recovery. Lookouts, dispatching, ground and air resources, and the importance of rehabilitation. Presented by The Resources Agency, Dept of Conservation, CA State Division of Forestry, written and directed by Ken Chaney, Narrated by Mike Boyd, technical advisors: Walter Bolster, Clint Phillips, Joe Griggs; Produced by Fire Prevention staff, State Foresters Office, Exec Producer Walter Bolster