Safety meeting topic: taking calculated risks

Firefighters — at your next safety meeting, here is a topic worthy of discussion: taking calculated risks on a fire.

On October 2, 1943 on the Cleveland National Forest east of San Diego 11 people fighting the fire, mostly Marines, were killed on the Hauser Creek Fire.

Below, is the second paragraph from the Recommendations section of the official report on the fatalities. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Hauser Creek Fire

What  do you think about taking “calculated risks”?

Resources:

Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Tim.

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Author: Bill Gabbert

After working full time in wildland fire for 33 years, he continues to learn, and strives to be a Student of Fire.

3 thoughts on “Safety meeting topic: taking calculated risks”

  1. Seems to me that fire activities like smokejumping and heli-rapelling are “calculated risk” that we take, as well as flying air tankers and other air operations in mountainous terrain?

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  2. I agree with Tony. In my 30 years of wildland firefighting with the FS I never looked at any tactic, method or decision I made in any of my fire suppression positions as a “calculated risk”. My decisions were based on a safe proper tactic, a quick aggressive method & using logical thinking as to when to attack or when to back off. I always utilized the Fire Fighting Orders, Situations That Shout Watch Out & all my specialized training and most of all the fire experience I gained thru the years. Like Tony said we all take calculated risks on a daily basis and we do, however they may not be as life threatening compared to what is encountered on a wild fire.

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  3. Well Bill… At the risk or not being politically correct with the “Safety Managers” that ride desks. No one has a crystal ball. My determination that something is “safe” based on my experience, training and perspective could be deemed an unacceptable “calculated risk” or downright dangerous to someone with different experiences, training and perspectives.

    Merriam-Webster defines “calculated risk” as:
    1: a hazard or chance of failure whose degree of probability has been reckoned or estimated before some undertaking is entered upon
    2: an undertaking or the actual or possible product of an undertaking whose chance of failure has been previously estimated

    I would put it out there that we ALL take calculated risks on a daily basis during all aspects of daily life… and the wildland firefighting world is no exception.

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