More allegations of improper activities have emerged about the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s firefighter academy in Ione.
They are still dealing with repercussions from earlier scandals. Within the last year one of the instructors was convicted of the murder of his mistress, and 16 either resigned, were fired, or were disciplined. All of the disciplined employees were replaced at the academy following charges that included drinking on duty, using state property to meet with prostitutes, and sexual harassment. In March Ken Pimlott, Director of CAL FIRE, felt the need to deal publicly with the scandal when he addressed the issue in a Legislature budget hearing.
Now according to the Sacramento Bee there are new allegations of questionable practices related to administering tests at the school. Below is an excerpt from the article:
For more than an hour in August 2014, Shannon Browne sat with investigators at CHP’s Valley Division office in Sacramento, at first hesitant, then growing more confident as she laid out her concerns. Instructors were manipulating scores on tests at Cal Fire’s firefighting academy in Ione, she told the officers.
[…]
“Instead of saying, ‘Hey, we’re not teaching this correctly,’ and keeping (the questions) … they were just passing students,” Browne said during a 70-minute interview recorded by the investigators. “They were going to pass everyone … and I know that this is a safety issue. This is someone’s safety and life, and other people are depending on them. … They (the cadets) should not be passed if they don’t know the material. I mean, these are critical basic skills.”
I am a graduate of the Cal Fire Academy. Although, I spent my career with a county agency. I will say at the time that I attended the Academy, there was never a more professional cadre than what I saw anywhere. That said, as I continued my career, I was fortunate to attend many training classes with the different agencies, Forest Service, BLM, Military, City, and other counties, and all were pertinent and well taught. The one thing I did learn, each agency has it’s classes with specific agency required information, and those of us not necessarily of that affiliation had to take the information and apply it within our realm. Later, when you get older and start teaching the younger generation, this is where I learned the other part of what happens. I will say this, with all societies you try to teach and insure what you are teaching is being comprehended. To that degree, you test on that knowledge. I found thru the years, there are alot of people with learning disabilities and it became an issue in respecting their privacy, testing in a manner that told us we were getting the course taught, but understanding that we were meeting the intent of the requirements to pass the course. There was a lot of one on one with some to verbally insure they were getting the knowledge we were trying to impart. Cheating? I don’t think so. Did we give them the answers? No. But I can assure you they learned the content, and had to express it in a way that our cadres were comfortable they could function in the field. To a high functioning person, it may seem inconvenient, to the cadre, it was a challenge. But to the student, I’m sure they all appreciated the extra effort to let them learn and continue on with their careers. JMO
Right on the mark, Ted. Proper, professional training by experienced instructors is the foundation for every agency. Teaching the right curriculum, with the emphasis on the balance between the appropriate strategy (and how aggressive) and safety is fundamental.
Did not want to weigh in on this but cant help it.
If the allegations of cheating at the academy are true, this is the utmost failure of leadership I have ever heard of. Failure of personal morals, ethics, failure to the people of the state of California, and failure to the tradition of the fire service.
In regard to the tragic burn incident in LNU, CAL FIRE seems to think it may not have occurred if the plastic case on the fire shelter had not melted rendering it difficult to open. Yes that wasted precious time but what about recognizing when you are over committed and pulling back, recognizing extreme fire behavior and moving to Plan “B” or “C”. How about removing that helmet shroud and feeling your ears getting hot and pulling out. A wise man once said “the best fire shelter is between your ears”.
In regard to the “oath” being used as an excuse to protect life and property or civilians were at the head of the fire, that attitude has the potential to get you and your crew in a situation that you may not be able to get out of. No “dead heros” please. Being indoctrinated that you are the best and can perform superman feats on wildfires is BS. I have heard that this is more than a subtle attitude at the academy. How about teaching the personality trait of humility. As a supervisor your responsibility is to return home safely with your crew each night.
And now as for Fred and his comments, he is probably a bit cranky in his old age having seen much more than you in his career as an IHC Superintendent, he is probably tired of seeing the same mistakes being made over and over by all wildland fire agencies, tired of management ignoring the real problems and white washing them and when you throw in the kink about cheating at the academy, that tops it. Could he have been more diplomatic, possibly, but he gets ones attention.
As always my humble opinion.
Easy, Gentlemen.
Fred they were fulfilling their oath to protect life and property. It’s an oath that CAL FIRE firefighters take and ensure is followed through. The fire was fast moving, and their were civilians at the head of it. It is important to evacuate them, and if possible protect the structures. Perhaps you’d like to call the burned firefighters up and act self righteous to their faces?
I missed your condemnation of the firefighters on the Twisp Incident. What’s the difference? Were those firefighters a product of CAL FIRE’s academy, and if not how did they get burned? Granite Mtn a product of the Cal Fire academy? How about BDF E57?
Simply put, Cal Fire has had a better safety record in recent years than the NWCG system – perhaps you could learn something from the CAL FIRE Academy.
California Firefighter,
Thanks for your reply. Regarding the CDF “oath”, I will borrow from Ted below: “In regard to the “oath” being used as an excuse to protect life and property or civilians were at the head of the fire, that attitude has the potential to get you and your crew in a situation that you may not be able to get out of.”
I would have NO problem whatsoever talking to those burned FF when and if the opportunity presents itself.
Esperanza, Yarnell, and Twisp Canyon Fires? These WFF fatalities were the result of them NOT following the WFF Rules, their own Fire academies, training, and leadership. They were possibly in those courses where the instructor says: “There’s NO wrong answers.” REALLY!? NO wrong answers? There are plenty of wrong answers in the WFF world when WFF are alleged to “unexpectedly” be burned over, deployed fire shelters, and/or killed. There are plenty of “wrong answers.” How about ALL the fatality fires, starting with Mann Gulch, Rattlesnake, Loop, and on and on and on ….! Lessons Learned, right?
I can sum up the GMHS and Yarnell Hill Fire debacle with this quote from a SWA HS Superintendent, during the Integration Phase of an informal October 2013 YH Fire Staff Ride: “This was the final, fatal link in a long chain of Bad Decisions With Good Outcomes; we saw this coming for years.”
“Simply put, Cal Fire has had a better safety record in recent years than the NWCG system – perhaps you could learn something from the CAL FIRE Academy.’ Seriously? There are plenty of fireline anecdotes and personal experiences over the recent years regarding “Federal Crews” refusing assignments based on the WFF Rules and the Gulf Strike Teams (inmates) taking those assignments and “getting away with it.” Sounds like Bad Decisions With Good Outcomes to me (classic Granite Mountain Hot Shots). Or the NUMEROUS times, Federal overhead have had to tell CDF overhead and Crews, based on the WFF Rules, NOT to engage in certain tactics, and thankfully the CDF and Overhead WFF’s heeded that advice and saved lives.
There was the Likely Fire entrapment, burnover in 2012, and keep an eye and ear out for the 2015 Forks Fire (a Federal fire) involving a Gulf S/T shelter deployment, that will hopefully be revealed. I allege it DID in fact occur!
“There was the Likely Fire entrapment, burnover in 2012, and keep an eye and ear out for the 2015 Forks Fire (a Federal fire) involving a Gulf S/T shelter deployment, that will hopefully be revealed. I allege it DID in fact occur!”
So do we get to hear the details, or has innuendo and unsubstantiated truth become the norm for this website?
Now why is this NOT a surprise to me? A recent example is the 2015 Valley Fire where a CDF Helitack Crew continued to fecklessly attempt suppression on a wildland fire with very aggressive fire behavior, ignoring ALL the indicators the fire was giving, and so much more. Basically, violating ALL the basic WFF Rules and failing to recognize and mitigate any of the Watch Out Situations.
Without even knowing, I’d venture to say these CDF Helitack were a product of this allegedly corrupt Academy system. They engaged this fire as if they knew NOTHING about WFF even though being ‘qualified’ as FFT1 and higher.