From the Cresson Volunteer Fire Department, August 3, 2022
“This afternoon we sent 3 trucks to help on a wildfire reportedly started by welding north of Tolar. While working with a group of other trucks in a clear area extinguishing spot fires one of our trucks stalled and lost mobility. Seeing that the fire was approaching, our crew left the truck on foot and retreated to a safe area. Another truck picked them up and our firefighters were evaluated by EMS. One of our firefighters did inhale some smoke and had burns on a small portion of his face and arms. He was flown to Parkland, and his evaluation is excellent. We don’t know yet, but he may be released without even spending the night. These are dangerous fires for all of us, and our guys’ training and decision making kept a bad incident from getting worse. UPDATE: just received confirmation that our firefighter is being released and heading home from the hospital.”
This type of event has become an all too often story. While volunteers in this part of the country will show up to do what they signed up for, these burn overs and near tragedies can be prevented. It is a known issue with coordination, training, and use of safety gear with many local volunteer departments. Especially this year with an abnormally dry summer and elevated fire activity.