Award-winning nonprofit media in the public interest, serving San Diego's inland region

Award-winning nonprofit media in the public interest, serving San Diego's inland region

MULES TO THE RESCUE AS CALIFORNIA BATTLES FIREFIGHTING BUDGET CUTS

By Miriam Raftery
September 1, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) – They’re sure-footed and low tech. They can reach rugged terrain that firefighting equipment and helicopters often can’t—and they’re a lot less expensive.
That’s why in this era of shrinking budgets to battle a growing number of wildfires, California is turning to an old-fashioned means of packing firefighting supplies into remote areas:  mules.

“Can firefighting mules balance California’s budget?” asks the BBC in a report on how these four-footed support teams are aiding  firefighting efforts in California during the worst fire season in years. For more, see the BBC video report at  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19402385 .

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