Theirs is sexier

Hotshots, Helitec, Smokejumpers, Incident Commander, ICP, backburning, bambi bucket. These are just a few of the terms people who live in forested areas are familiar with. It struck me as funny how different regions in America have not only their own dialect, but also a vocabulary related to their unique "disaster" concerns. In the Midwest we use "tornado warning" and "tornado watch" (often confusing the two). We know the terms: downdraft, micro-cell, funnel cloud, run-to-the-basement.
Growing up in California I knew these: fault-line, tremor, after-shock, seismograph, Richter scale. Luckily, I never experienced anything more than a mild earthquake.

Of course, I wouldn't wish for us in the Midwest to add any more potential natural disasters to the menu, but the stuff (and fit firefighters) used to combat wildfires sure is cool.