www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvXYuj8qTFw&t=229s

'We are increasingly building our houses in fire prone ecosystems' Says Dominique Kulakowski ,adjunct professor of biology at Clark university Graduate School of geography in Worcester,Massachusetts."doing that in many of the forests of the western US is like building homes on the side of an active volcano.'
In California ,where population growth has averaged more than 600,000 a year for at least a decade , more residential housing is being built."What once was open space is now residential homes providing fuel to make fires burn with greater intensity.says Tery McHale of the California Department of forestry firefighters' union.'With so much dryness  so many communities to catch fire,so many fronts to fight it becomes an almost incredible job'
That said many experts give California high marks for making progress on preparedness in recent years,after some of the largest fires  in state history scorched thousands of acres,burned thousands of homes,and killed numerous people.Stung in the past by criticism of bungling that allowed fires to spread  when they might have been  contained,personnel are meeting the peculiar challenges of neighborhood - and canyon - hopping fires better than previously, observers say.

state promises to provide more up to date engines.planes and helicopters to fight fires have been fulfilled Firefighters unions that in the past complained of dilapidated equipment , old fire engines and insufficient blue prints for fire safety are now praising the states commitment ,noting that funding for firefighting has increased ,despite huge cuts in many other programs .."We are pleased that the current state administration  has been very proactive in its support of us, and has come  through with budgetary support of the infrastructure needs we have long sought,' says Mr Mchale of the firefighters union.
Besides providing money to upgrade the fire engines that must traverse  the mammoth state and wind along serpentine canyon roads, the state has invested in better command - and- control facilities as eel as in the strategies to run them.'In the fire sieges  of  earlier years , we found that other  jurisdiction and states  were willing  to offer mutual - aid help, but we were not able to communicate adequately with them say kim Sagaris chief of the states office emergency services fire and rescue branch after commission examine and revamp communication procedures , the ste wide response has become far more professional and responsive, he says. there is a sense among both government officials and residence that the speed , dedication and cor ordination of firefighters from several states and jurisdiction are resulting i greater efficiency than in past. 'siege fire situations'.
In recent years , thew Southern California regain has improved  building codes, ,evacuation procedures, and procurement of new technology.'I am extraordinarily impressed by   the  improvements  we have witnessed , says Randy Jacobs , a Southern California based lawyer who has had  to evacuate both his home and business to escape notwithstanding all the damage that will continue to be caused by wildfires, we will no longer suffer the loss  of life endured in the past because of the fire prevention and firefighting measures that have been put in place, he says.


True
False
Not given

7. The amount of open space in California has diminished over the last ten years.
8. Many experts believe  California has made little progress in readying itself to fight fires.
9. Personnel in the past have been criticized for mishandling fire containment.
10. California has replaced a range of firefighting tools.
11. More firefighters have been hired to improve fire-fighting capacity.
12. Citizens and government groups disapprove of the efforts of different states and agencies working together.
13/ Randy Jacobs believes that loss of life from fires will continue at the same levels,despite changes made.

IELTS book 10 Test 4 reading passage 1