The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) have released their factual report on the fatality of Dennis James Long, 65, the dozer operator who died while working on the Pardee Fire northwest of Kamiah, Idaho July 8, 2013. The fire was on BLM land under fire protection of the IDL.
Mr. Long was constructing fireline with a privately owned dozer on the fire. After noticing from a distance a period of inactivity by the dozer, his supervisor checked on him and found him unresponsive. Resuscitation efforts were not successful.
The report concluded the following:
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“No findings were directly attributable to the cause of death.
Cause of Death: The Idaho County Coroner identified the cause of this fatality as severe coronary artery disease.
Non Attributable Findings: (Non-Causal)
Finding 1: The dozer and transport were not inspected prior to use for the Pardee fire. Visible hazards would have found the dozer unserviceable (See Appendix C: Photographs). An agreement for the contracted dozer and transport was not in place prior to use on the fireline (See Appendix B: No Contract Agreement in Place). This factor is determined to be non-finding to the accident.
Finding 2: The Contract Dozer Operator was operating on the fireline without wearing his PPE. This factor is determined to be non-finding to the accident.
Finding 3: Command of the fire was not transferred to a more qualified and available person when the complexity exceeded Type 5 Incident Commander qualification levels. This factor is determined to be non-finding to the accident.
Finding 4: Not all resources on the fire had the appropriate Emergency Medical Services (EMS) frequencies. This factor is determined to be non-finding to the accident.
Finding 5: The local IDL fire protection district does not have a consistent approach to a medical plan. This factor is determined to be non-finding to the accident.”
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The incident was originally covered by Wildfire Today July 10, 2013.
