“Everyone goes home” – stories from Storm King Mountain

Every wildland firefighter should see this video.

It includes numerous interviews of wildland firefighters who were involved with, or were on scene during the entrapment and deaths of 14 firefighters on the 1994 South Canyon Fire on Storm King Mountain in Colorado.

With criminal charges being thrown around following mistakes made on fires in recent years, it is extraordinary to see firefighters speak so freely about a disaster that occurred on a wildland fire. The people being interviewed deserve a great deal of credit and praise for their participation.

Some of the opportunities for lessons learned include:

  • You are responsible for your own safety.
  • Take care of your fellow firefighters.
  • If you see something, say something.
  • Question decisions if they have the potential to adversely affect your safety.
  • Downhill line construction can be very dangerous.
  • Be a student of fire.
  • Know your fire orders, fire situations, and LCES (lookouts, communications, escape routes, and safety zones).
  • Maintain situational awareness. Trust your instincts and be aware of your surroundings at all times.
  • Leadership and safety start at the ground level.

There were other lessons learned as well. What stood out to you?

None of this is earthshakingly new information. Experienced firefighters have heard it all before, but not necessarily from people who know very intimately WHY it is important.

The more you are exposed to this hard-earned knowledge, especially when it comes from survivors, it may actually stick. And new firefighters can’t hear it enough.

The firefighters who died on the South Canyon fire were:

  • Prineville Hotshots: Kathi Beck, Tamera Bickett, Scott Blecha, Levi Brinkley, Douglas Dunbar, Terri Hagen, Bonnie Holtby, Rob Johnson, Jon Kelso.
  • Missoula Smokejumper: Don Mackey
  • McCall Smokejumpers: Roger Roth, Jim Thrash.
  • Helitack: Robert Browning, Jr., Richard Tyler.

The video is available at YouTube, and can be downloaded at Everyone Goes Home.

Interviewees South Canyon Fire
A screen grab from the video, showing some of the people featured in interviews.

More information about the South Canyon Fire:

Injured bear rescued by firefighters released to the wild

Boo Boo released
Boo Boo being released. Credit: Snowdon Wildlife Sanctuary

The injured black bear cub that firefighters rescued on the Mustang fire in Idaho last August has been released to the wild. Nicknamed “Boo Boo”, the cub had suffered second degree burns to his paws and for a while there was doubt if he could recover enough to be set free. But he is fine, and put on 70 pounds after being treated at the Idaho Humane Society before being transferred to the Snowdon Wildlife Sanctuary in McCall.

Boo Boo will wear a radio tracking collar for a year, after which it will fall off. The signal will be monitored once a month from the air by Fish and Game biologists when they fly radio location surveys for deer and elk.

A drone records video at Detroit fire

A drone, or unmanned aerial vehicle, shot this video of a structure fire in Detroit Wednesday. If it were live video and available to firefighters at the scene, this technology could be invaluable at wildfires, prescribed fires, as well as structure fires.

Here is the description of the Detroit video from YouTube:

****

“Published on 29 May 2013

DETROIT –

Two Detroit firefighters were hurt Wednesday evening when debris from a building fell on them. The firefighters were battling a two-alarm building fire at East Ferry Avenue and Chene Street when what appeared to be bricks fell from the top of the building.

A firefighter on a ladder and a firefighter that was standing under the ladder were hit. They were taken to Detroit Receiving Hospital for injuries to their neck and back. One of them has a severe concussion and a broken ankle. It took more than 35 firefighters to put out the flames — and sources say the firefighters were also battling broken trucks and issues getting water.

-Harry Arnold, Detroit Drone / iTVDetroit”

Make your own model of a fire engine

This might be a project for your kids, or for those of us with a little kid still left in them.NPS engine model

Using only this one-page .pdf document, some scissors and glue, you can construct a paper model of a National Park Service Type 6 fire engine.

Micah Bell, a Fire Prevention and Education Tech at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, told us that they will print out the one-page sheets for use in their very successful Junior Ranger program.

If you make one, send us a photo.

INDU Junior Rangers
Junior Rangers at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore

 

Thanks go out to Micah

FEMA promotes its wireless emergency alert system


The Federal Emergency Management Agency has released a public service announcement about their Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) system which sends free informational text messages to WEA-enabled cell phones within range of an imminent and dangerous local situation, severe weather event, or AMBER emergency.

Many new cell phones can receive these messages but older ones probably can’t. It takes special hardware and software. The CTIA website, in the left sidebar, has links to cell phone providers where you can find more information about the capabilities of individual devices.

I have a Samsung Galaxy Nexus (Android system running on Verizon) that was introduced about 18 months ago and it does not have the capability to receive the WEA alerts. However, Google provides through Google Now, what they call Google Public Alerts, but apparently it only works in areas where local agencies are participating to provide the information. Here is how Google describes the system:
Continue reading “FEMA promotes its wireless emergency alert system”

Report released for deaths of two firefighters in Victoria

After investigating the deaths of two firefighters in a fire near Harriteville, Victoria, a report released Tuesday concluded the management, strategy, and tactics employed on the fire were appropriate. Firefighters Katie Peters, 19, of Tallandoon, and Steven Kadar, 34, of Corryong, died on February 13 when a tree fell on their vehicle while they were working on the fire. The report was written by Victorian Emergency Services Commissioner Michael Hallowes.

Locals had questioned the management of the fire after it was under control, only for it to spot and then burn for another 55 days. The report said the fire spotted over firelines, “from one remote, steep and densely vegetated inaccessible area to another”.