Yesterday, work was cancelled because of smoke. In Florida we have these interesting phenomenon called "controlled burn" where the Forestry department decides based on plant growth, wind direction, wind speed and humidity, whether or not to torch a field and scare the bejesus out of the critters living in the burn area. The theory is that development has screwed up the natural fire patterns for the still vast forests and wild areas of Florida. It is another case of Man trying to fix what Man has already screwed up.
The key word is "controlled" and should never be used concerning forest fires in Florida. The fire breaks and barriers rarely stop a fire. They do give the fireman and chance to drive the dirt hog thingy that cuts as path of dirt through the palmetto field. Palmetto burns like oil with thick black smoke. I am sure it could make a good crop for a power plant. The smoke sticks to the inside of your nose. The only people left working at the Kennedy Space Center were the contractors repairing roofs with tar. They all have Black Lung from breathing sooty tar anyway so they may as well keep them working.
The reason we had to leave work was because the Carbon Monoxide levels were above acceptable levels. Moderate levels of Carbon Monoxide can cause drowsiness and headaches. High levels will block the lungs ability to process oxygen. Since half the people at work are fighting to stay awake during meetings anyway, it would be impossible to know if these people were overcome with oxygen deprivation or overcome with sleep. "Either way, lets cancel the entire mess and go to the beach." I laughed at the security guards wearing those paper filter masks that look like codpieces. I blasted "Smoke on the Water" on the way out the security gate.
Today, Kennedy Space Center is on a Carbon Monoxide watch. If the wind picks up and changes directions, this smoldering fire could start up again and we can go home again. Safety is taken very seriously and quite ridiculously. Lawyers I guess. All those years of not smoking cigs down the drain. It turns out this portion of the forest had not been burned in twelve years. That is a lot of tinder and with the winds kicking up in the afternoon, there is only one real possible outcome. Get out the hot dogs and the round, white sugary things. They will have a bunch of meetings, a lessons learned action and accomplish absolutely nothing. People in charge will be content in assuring that the people in charge looked at the situation and are sure it will not happen again until the next time it happens. That is for sure.
The key word is "controlled" and should never be used concerning forest fires in Florida. The fire breaks and barriers rarely stop a fire. They do give the fireman and chance to drive the dirt hog thingy that cuts as path of dirt through the palmetto field. Palmetto burns like oil with thick black smoke. I am sure it could make a good crop for a power plant. The smoke sticks to the inside of your nose. The only people left working at the Kennedy Space Center were the contractors repairing roofs with tar. They all have Black Lung from breathing sooty tar anyway so they may as well keep them working.
The reason we had to leave work was because the Carbon Monoxide levels were above acceptable levels. Moderate levels of Carbon Monoxide can cause drowsiness and headaches. High levels will block the lungs ability to process oxygen. Since half the people at work are fighting to stay awake during meetings anyway, it would be impossible to know if these people were overcome with oxygen deprivation or overcome with sleep. "Either way, lets cancel the entire mess and go to the beach." I laughed at the security guards wearing those paper filter masks that look like codpieces. I blasted "Smoke on the Water" on the way out the security gate.
Today, Kennedy Space Center is on a Carbon Monoxide watch. If the wind picks up and changes directions, this smoldering fire could start up again and we can go home again. Safety is taken very seriously and quite ridiculously. Lawyers I guess. All those years of not smoking cigs down the drain. It turns out this portion of the forest had not been burned in twelve years. That is a lot of tinder and with the winds kicking up in the afternoon, there is only one real possible outcome. Get out the hot dogs and the round, white sugary things. They will have a bunch of meetings, a lessons learned action and accomplish absolutely nothing. People in charge will be content in assuring that the people in charge looked at the situation and are sure it will not happen again until the next time it happens. That is for sure.
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