Are We Getting Short Shrift on Fire Resources?

That's what Orange County Fire Authority Chief Chip Prather said this morning:

If we had more air resources, we would have been able to control this fire. Instead we've been stuck in this initial attack mode on the ground where we hopscotch through neighborhoods as best we can trying to control things.

But OCFA is not the only frustrated agency in Southern California, as losses grow to an estimated $1 billion in San Diego County alone. San Diego County Supervisor Ron Roberts:

Here we are facing one of the greatest fires in the history of this state. We're sending (military) pilots into war and we won't let them drop water? The offense to common sense is staggering. [source]

President Bush vowed to step up federal assistance, declaring California a disaster area this morning as many fires burn uncontained for a fourth day. A rather hollow promise considering his recent track record on confronting disaster. Federal assistance should be prepared for action immediately; but only now have 1,200 National Guardsmen been reassigned to fire duty. Are they trained and prepared to fight unpredictable wildfires after (the majority of them) had spent the previous months hanging out with border patrol?

An additional 500 active-duty marines from Camp Pendleton are set to help fight the fires but apparently have not yet been asked. To be fair, Camp Pendleton is seized by its own wildfires, the largest of which -- Las Pulgas -- spreads over 6,000 acres and is only 10 percent contained.

The federal response is so shaky and unreliable that even Michael "heckuva job" Brown had the nerve to offer himself up for interviews on the fire response in a press release last night.

We may really have to reconsider California Secession after this. Links to fire maps, resources, coverage, and more after the jump. Please add more links in the comments.

Satellite image via NASA/MODIS Rapid Response, October 23, 2:40 p.m. PDT