'Completely dry': Why did Los Angeles firefighters run out of water?

[IroNat]

https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/why-did-california-firefighters-run-out-of-watar/1732419

“Local water systems are usually designed to fight local, small-scale fires over a limited time period,” Kathryn Sorensen, director of research at Arizona State University’s Kyl Center for Water Policy told The LA Times. “They are not generally designed to fight large, long-lasting wildfires.”

“We are looking at a situation that is just completely not part of any domestic water system design,” Marty Adams echoed. Adams is a former general manager and chief engineer at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, which is responsible for delivering water to nearly 4 million residents of Los Angeles.

Municipal water systems are designed so firefighters can use multiple hydrants at once, allowing a steady flow of water to fight a large structure fire or several burning homes in a small area. However, this system was not designed for a massive wildfire burning entire neighborhoods. Amid wildfires, like the historic fires ravaging Southern California this week, the system fails.

[Donny]

It´s Global Warming

[ElPolloSalmonello]

and yet most Americans will repeat the "best country in the world" mantra

Your education system is shitty, as is your rip off healthcare system, you pay more for drugs than any country in the world, you let in terrorists and you send money to terrorists in Afghanistan - funding your own demise.

Your politicians are brought and paid for - so your policies are set by the highest bidder.

Your food is expensive as are your property taxes - and now we find you have shitty firefighting abilities too.

Yet - your leaders tell you that you are the best country in the world and so many people repeat it - and then you say you have "free speech".

Thank fuck Trump is going to sort some of this out - because too many Western countries follow the US. I love the States - having lived in Knoxville and LA - but it's fucked up right now.

And to clarify - I do love American people. I've boned a number of them.

[ElPolloSalmonello]

It´s Global Warming

lolol - if anyone in the Californian govt actually believed that - they would have taken MORE care in fire prevention.

Global warming is simply an industry that got created out of thin air paid for by tax dollars - with kickbacks to the political class.

[Irongrip400]

and yet most Americans will repeat the "best country in the world" mantra

Your education system is shitty, as is your rip off healthcare system, you pay more for drugs than any country in the world, you let in terrorists and you send money to terrorists in Afghanistan - funding your own demise.

Your politicians are brought and paid for - so your policies are set by the highest bidder.

Your food is expensive as are your property taxes - and now we find you have shitty firefighting abilities too.

Yet - your leaders tell you that you are the best country in the world and so many people repeat it - and then you say you have "free speech".

Thank fuck Trump is going to sort some of this out - because too many Western countries follow the US. I love the States - having lived in Knoxville and LA - but it's fucked up right now.

And to clarify - I do love American people. I've boned a number of them.

Them? Bro, are there things?

[Donny]

lolol - if anyone in the Californian govt actually believed that - they would have taken MORE care in fire prevention.

Global warming is simply an industry that got created out of thin air paid for by tax dollars - with kickbacks to the political class.

was a piss take 

[IroNat]

and yet most Americans will repeat the "best country in the world" mantra

Your education system is shitty, as is your rip off healthcare system, you pay more for drugs than any country in the world, you let in terrorists and you send money to terrorists in Afghanistan - funding your own demise.

Your politicians are brought and paid for - so your policies are set by the highest bidder.

Your food is expensive as are your property taxes - and now we find you have shitty firefighting abilities too.

Yet - your leaders tell you that you are the best country in the world and so many people repeat it - and then you say you have "free speech".

Thank fuck Trump is going to sort some of this out - because too many Western countries follow the US. I love the States - having lived in Knoxville and LA - but it's fucked up right now.

And to clarify - I do love American people. I've boned a number of them.

Where you from, bro?

[GymnJuice]

and yet most Americans will repeat the "best country in the world" mantra

Your education system is shitty, as is your rip off healthcare system, you pay more for drugs than any country in the world, you let in terrorists and you send money to terrorists in Afghanistan - funding your own demise.

Your politicians are brought and paid for - so your policies are set by the highest bidder.

Your food is expensive as are your property taxes - and now we find you have shitty firefighting abilities too.

Yet - your leaders tell you that you are the best country in the world and so many people repeat it - and then you say you have "free speech".

Thank fuck Trump is going to sort some of this out - because too many Western countries follow the US. I love the States - having lived in Knoxville and LA - but it's fucked up right now.

And to clarify - I do love American people. I've boned a number of them.

Your criticisms aren't wrong (although I do think we have more legal free speech here than anywhere else) but where would you rather live?

[ElPolloSalmonello]

Where you from, bro?

Engurland - where an English accent in the 90s would cause all panties to drop within hearing distance in Knoxville and Charlotte.

One day, I walked into a clothes shop and the female staff invited me to a rave in Charlotte. At the end of the night I fucked a ballet student from the local uni.

Such things did not occur back in Blighty.

[IroNat]

Engurland - where an English accent in the 90s would cause all panties to drop within hearing distance in Knoxville and Charlotte.

One day, I walked into a clothes shop and the female staff invited me to a rave in Charlotte. At the end of the night I fucked a ballet student from the local uni.

Such things did not occur back in Blighty.

Is Engurland like England?

Would you like Engurland to become the 53rd U.S.state (after Canada and Greenland)?

[chaos]

Is Engurland like England?

Would you like Engurland to become the 53rd U.S.state (after Canada and Greenland)?

Werld dominashun!

[ElPolloSalmonello]

Your criticisms aren't wrong (although I do think we have more legal free speech here than anywhere else) but where would you rather live?

I live in Thailand - where you can sleep when you are tired, eat when you are hungry and drink when you are thirsty.

I have an LTR visa which lasts 10 years and exempts me from tax on money I bring in.

The government is openly corrupt - but nowhere near the corruption you see in the US.

As for freedom of speech - they have some odd defamation laws and you can't denigrate the king. But really - it just doesn't come up.

The govt balances doing stuff for themselves and doing stuff for their people.

It's a good place to have money. It's warm. It's cheap. I can work from anywhere and I've been here 28 years watching Thailand become a much better place - roads, healthcare, salaries, properties, public transport, cities - all improving to the point - where it's now waaaay better that the UK where I come from. I just spent a month in the UK and it is oppressive, expensive, has shitty weather.

I do not frequent the red light districts here or hang out with meat heads. I live in Bangkok suburbs. I have a wife a dog and 2 kids. Food is cheap. We eat out all the time. The seedy side of Bangkok - is less than 1% of the city. If you can earn remotely - it is a great life.

[ElPolloSalmonello]

Is Engurland like England?

Would you like Engurland to become the 53rd U.S.state (after Canada and Greenland)?

YES - without a shadow of a doubt. Many of my English friends are hoping Trump kicks out illegals and shrinks the govt in the US - because the UK will have to follow. The UK has extremely high taxes and cost of living compared to the US. The salaries are relatively miniscule.

Like the US - the UK is a beautiful country - but many towns have turned to shit holes.

I think UK people do not fully understand the opportunities available in the US, the beauty of the country and how amazing it can be when not run by liberal fuckwits.

English people would just need to adjust to people talking to them at random. In my home town of Cannock in the UK - strangers regularly strike up conversations in public. Do that in the South or in London - they'll think you are a fucking wierdo.

[Irongrip400]

I live in Thailand - where you can sleep when you are tired, eat when you are hungry and drink when you are thirsty.

I have an LTR visa which lasts 10 years and exempts me from tax on money I bring in.

The government is openly corrupt - but nowhere near the corruption you see in the US.

As for freedom of speech - they have some odd defamation laws and you can't denigrate the king. But really - it just doesn't come up.

The govt balances doing stuff for themselves and doing stuff for their people.

It's a good place to have money. It's warm. It's cheap. I can work from anywhere and I've been here 28 years watching Thailand become a much better place - roads, healthcare, salaries, properties, public transport, cities - all improving to the point - where it's now waaaay better that the UK where I come from. I just spent a month in the UK and it is oppressive, expensive, has shitty weather.

I do not frequent the red light districts here or hang out with meat heads. I live in Bangkok suburbs. I have a wife a dog and 2 kids. Food is cheap. We eat out all the time. The seedy side of Bangkok - is less than 1% of the city. If you can earn remotely - it is a great life.

Is your wife Thai? If not, you’re squatting in a place that isn’t yours. Thailand should be for Thai people and England should be for English.

[ElPolloSalmonello]

Is your wife Thai? If not, you’re squatting in a place that isn’t yours. Thailand should be for Thai people and England should be for English.

Yes - my wife is Thai.

I came here on a project when working in Japan. After a year in Japan, I didn't feel like going back - nice place to live, tough place to work. So I decided to take a few months rest in Thailand. Then I was asked to join a startup here as a regional tech director. Then I created a new startup for a Japanese MNC and after that I created my own company.

I have a wife, 2 kids (22 and 15) and a dog. I came here single at 28/29 - and stayed for work reasons. It was sort of inevitable I'd find a local girl to marry.

I do feel I have contributed in terms of being an employer, a taxpayer - and they set the bar high for LTR (10 year) Visas that I have. I agree that Thailand should be for Thais and I would hate it if they just let in anyone (like the UK lets in Pakistanis who end up driving taxis) - but I came here to improve processes in a Thai Hard Disk factory and I have always employed locals. I'm no Elon - but I don't hang out much with Westerners, I live amongst Thais in the suburbs and people in the area know me and are friendly.

I could not live in the UK any more. If for no other reason than the focus on potatoes with everything means I can never have a real poo like I do here.

[Humble Narcissist]

Ran out of water? Isn't there a giant pond to the west of LA?

[Primemuscle]

Yes - my wife is Thai.

I came here on a project when working in Japan. After a year in Japan, I didn't feel like going back - nice place to live, tough place to work. So I decided to take a few months rest in Thailand. Then I was asked to join a startup here as a regional tech director. Then I created a new startup for a Japanese MNC and after that I created my own company.

I have a wife, 2 kids (22 and 15) and a dog. I came here single at 28/29 - and stayed for work reasons. It was sort of inevitable I'd find a local girl to marry.

I do feel I have contributed in terms of being an employer, a taxpayer - and they set the bar high for LTR (10 year) Visas that I have. I agree that Thailand should be for Thais and I would hate it if they just let in anyone (like the UK lets in Pakistanis who end up driving taxis) - but I came here to improve processes in a Thai Hard Disk factory and I have always employed locals. I'm no Elon - but I don't hang out much with Westerners, I live amongst Thais in the suburbs and people in the area know me and are friendly.

I could not live in the UK any more. If for no other reason than the focus on potatoes with everything means I can never have a real poo like I do here.

How long ago did you relocate to Thailand? How old are you now?

[ElPolloSalmonello]

How long ago did you relocate to Thailand? How old are you now?

I got here '98 or '99 - Can't really remember - I am 54 now. Been here since my late 20s - and survived it!

[Dos Equis]

https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/why-did-california-firefighters-run-out-of-watar/1732419

“Local water systems are usually designed to fight local, small-scale fires over a limited time period,” Kathryn Sorensen, director of research at Arizona State University’s Kyl Center for Water Policy told The LA Times. “They are not generally designed to fight large, long-lasting wildfires.”

“We are looking at a situation that is just completely not part of any domestic water system design,” Marty Adams echoed. Adams is a former general manager and chief engineer at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, which is responsible for delivering water to nearly 4 million residents of Los Angeles.

Municipal water systems are designed so firefighters can use multiple hydrants at once, allowing a steady flow of water to fight a large structure fire or several burning homes in a small area. However, this system was not designed for a massive wildfire burning entire neighborhoods. Amid wildfires, like the historic fires ravaging Southern California this week, the system fails.

Who designed a system like that?? 

[Primemuscle]

I got here '98 or '99 - Can't really remember - I am 54 now. Been here since my late 20s - and survived it!

I believe Thailand's LTR visa was instituted in 2022, how were you able to stay/live in Thailand for approximately 23 years prior to the LTR visa?

[ElPolloSalmonello]

I believe Thailand's LTR visa was instituted in 2022, how were you able to stay/live in Thailand for approximately 23 years prior to the LTR visa?

First was sent by Fujitsu - who had 9000 employees in the factory - so the "4 thais per 1 foreigner" rule wasn't a problem
Then the start up I was a director of was promoted by BOI - and also I hired a bunch of Thai programmers.
Next company I started - and again I went to BOI for promotion (alien business license) and stole devs from the other start up - so the 4:1 rule wasn't an issue
Then my own company - trickier - it was Hong Kong based - but I got a subsidiary here with some family members as employees to make up the 4:1 rule
Then when I hit 50 - I switched to retirement visas, then got the LTR late in '24. In 24 they introduced a rule where inbound remittances were to be taxed 30% - but the LTR gave an excemption to that - so I switched to it and now have 10 years.

[Primemuscle]

First was sent by Fujitsu - who had 9000 employees in the factory - so the "4 thais per 1 foreigner" rule wasn't a problem
Then the start up I was a director of was promoted by BOI - and also I hired a bunch of Thai programmers.
Next company I started - and again I went to BOI for promotion (alien business license) and stole devs from the other start up - so the 4:1 rule wasn't an issue
Then my own company - trickier - it was Hong Kong based - but I got a subsidiary here with some family members as employees to make up the 4:1 rule
Then when I hit 50 - I switched to retirement visas, then got the LTR late in '24. In 24 they introduced a rule where inbound remittances were to be taxed 30% - but the LTR gave an excemption to that - so I switched to it and now have 10 years.

Your history is very interesting. You obviously employed all the ins and outs of being able to live and work long-term in Thailand. I imagine you will continue to live there for the rest of your life.

My son has lived in Germany since he was 20 years old and was stationed there almost his entire time in the military. After retiring, he continues to work in civil service positions in Germany by making himself indispensable. He and my daughter-in-law, who is German, have been married for 36 years. My three grandkids have dual citizenship. They live in a small, picturesque village in Bavaria.

 

[ElPolloSalmonello]

Your history is very interesting. You obviously employed all the ins and outs of being able to live and work long-term in Thailand. I imagine you will continue to live there for the rest of your life.

My son has lived in Germany since he was 20 years old and was stationed there almost his entire time in the military. After retiring, he continues to work in civil service positions in Germany by making himself indispensable. He and my daughter-in-law, who is German, have been married for 36 years. My three grandkids have dual citizenship. They live in a small, picturesque village in Bavaria.

 

That sounds great. I think a big part of it is that you simply learn how stuff works in a country the more you stay there. For visas and stuff - it really pays to use a lawyer to fill in the paperwork properly - as they know all the right answers.

You tend to get out what you put in - if you are nice to people in foreign countries and you work and support your family - they will take you in.

But - also - it shows you that the US isn't the 'be all and end all' of countries. It's a great country for sure - but this obsession with calling it "the best country in the world" is silly. Different places work for different people - I like Thailand and the freedoms here, I like the democratised version of corruption, I like that your home is your castle, that you can defend yourself, I like the food and the weather.

I used to love Venice Beach nd Santa Monica - but now I wouldn't go to either. Venice in the 90s and early 2000s was a great and safe place to while away the hours - sitting outside taking hours over a meal and drinks  - watching the eccentrics - like the roller skating guiitar playing guy. So much has been lost, it's sad.

[Primemuscle]

That sounds great. I think a big part of it is that you simply learn how stuff works in a country the more you stay there. For visas and stuff - it really pays to use a lawyer to fill in the paperwork properly - as they know all the right answers.

You tend to get out what you put in - if you are nice to people in foreign countries and you work and support your family - they will take you in.

But - also - it shows you that the US isn't the 'be all and end all' of countries. It's a great country for sure - but this obsession with calling it "the best country in the world" is silly. Different places work for different people - I like Thailand and the freedoms here, I like the democratised version of corruption, I like that your home is your castle, that you can defend yourself, I like the food and the weather.

I used to love Venice Beach nd Santa Monica - but now I wouldn't go to either. Venice in the 90s and early 2000s was a great and safe place to while away the hours - sitting outside taking hours over a meal and drinks  - watching the eccentrics - like the roller skating guiitar playing guy. So much has been lost, it's sad.

When I was a kid, I moved from a small town in Michigan to Beverly Hills around 1952. A couple of years later, my mom and stepdad bought a Spanish bungalow in West Los Angeles very near to Rancho Golf Course. When I was in the 6th grade, we moved to Encino were my parents bought a “weekend” ranch on about 3/4 of an acre. My memories of Venice Beach date back to the 1960's. At age 18, I moved to Santa Monica near the border of Venice Beach which was where I could afford a 1-bedroom apartment a few blocks from the beach. My wife and I migrated to Portland Oregon just before our son was born in 1966, mainly because the quality of life was better here and more affordable. I still live in Oregon today, although it has changed a lot over the decades.