MULES TO THE RESCUE AS CALIFORNIA BATTLES FIREFIGHTING BUDGET CUTS

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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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