Vehicle rollovers on fire assignments are not restricted to trucks, water tenders and dozers.
Below is the text from a Rapid Lesson Sharing report about an accident that occurred on Interstate 70 near Frisco, Colorado on August 21, 2018.
“Narrative
A Public Information Officer trainee was traveling in a rental car from the Cabin Lake Fire to Denver for a demob flight the following day.
“While driving on I-70 near Frisco, Colorado, she became caught in a severe storm with heavy rainfall. Her vehicle began to hydroplane, went off the road, and overturned.
“She received a broken right arm and left shoulder, was treated at a local hospital, and kept overnight. When she returns home, she will require surgery.
“Lessons
- “The State Trooper investigating this accident said that the tread levels on rental car’s rear tires were well below the allowable limits.
- With all the mobilization that’s going on around the West right now, there are surely a lot of vehicles being rented from various sources.
- We look for dents and dings when we pick up a rental vehicle, but rarely think to check for tire wear.”
(end of report)
Almost a quarter of the wildland firefighter fatalities between 1990 and 2014 occurred in vehicle accidents.
It is rental car company’s responsibility to provide a good condition car for safety reason. I used to use rental cars for out of state trips and the mileage on the rental cars are usually between 10,000 to 20,000 only. So I know it is safe to rent for my long distance trips.
Christina,
While the mileage on a rental car may be low, I know that the majority of rentals out of the Denver airport will have tires inflated to a seriously low level. I have never rented there without the low tire indicator being on, as they keep them low to account for people driving up to the mountains. Additionally, I have rented exceptionally underpowered cars from the Denver airport, as most of the rental companies are trying to upsell to the larger SUVs for those coming with intent to travel to higher elevations and partake in what Colorado offers.
I think the moral of this story is to check tire tread on any rental you have, since there is a chance that a brand new car does not have brand new tires.