The National Wildfire Coordinating Group’s Safety and Health Working Team has released the 2009 Safety Gram listing the serious accidents, burnovers, entrapments, and fatalities on wildland fires last year.
According to their report, there were 15 fatalities on wildland fires, which is a substantial decrease from the 25 recorded in 2008.
Below is a summary of the fatalities; the entire Safety Gram is here:
- Driving – 3: One fatality occurred when two trucks collided head-on in dense smoke. Two fatalities occurred when a fire vehicle left the roadway and rolled down the mountain side in California.
- Entrapment/Burnover – 0
- Medical Emergencies – 5: Four of which were confirmed as heart attacks and one unknown cause of death.
- Hazard Tree/Snag – 1: One fatality occurred when a firefighter was conducting tree felling training.
- Aviation – 6: One fatality occurred when aircraft crashed while observing a fire in Wisconsin. Three fatalities occurred when retardant aircraft was mobilizing to a fire in New Mexico. One fatality occurred when a Single Engine Air Tanker (SEAT) aircraft crashed on a fire in Nevada. One fatality occurred when a firefighter was involved in a rappel proficiency test.
And remember, Let’s Be Careful Out There.
