A firefighter on the Granite Pass Complex about 28 air miles southwest of Missoula, Montana was found about five hours after he was reported missing July 25.
The individual had been scouting an area suitable for a fireline and missed his scheduled check-in. At about 7:30 p.m. Missoula County Dispatch was notified of the missing firefighter, and California Interagency Incident Management Team 15 began multiple attempts to contact him. After there was no success, the team began to search by ground and air.
Missoula County Sheriff’s Office Deputies and Missoula County Search and Rescue were dispatched at 8:20 p.m. The individual’s vehicle was located in the vicinity of the White Mountain Lookout and Pilot Knob, southwest of Missoula at approximately 9:40 p.m. The Missoula County Search and Rescue and the Sheriff’s Office issued a Mutual Aid Request to Two Bear Air for aviation assistance. Airspace was cleared with the Incident Management Team and Two Bear Air began assisting Missoula County Search and Rescue ground resources.
The individual who had been reported missing realized they were not in their intended location and could not contact anyone by radio or phone. To minimize impacts to himself and local search and rescue resources, he explained later that he found an area suitable to stay the night.
He was located by Missoula County Search and Rescue just after midnight on July 26, 2021. He was tired and thirsty but uninjured and able to make his way out unassisted by search personnel.
Two Bear Air provides aviation support in portions of the Northwest to search and rescue teams. It is run by a philanthropist at no cost to taxpayers. Fire Aviation has several articles about the organization.
The Granite Pass Complex consists of four wildfires burning in the vicinity of Lolo Pass on the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests in Idaho and the Lolo National Forest in Montana. They are being managed together under one Type 2 Incident Management Team. Since the fires started from lightning on July 12 they have burned a total of about 3,700 acres.
I’m not going to cast stones, but talked to one of my folks on that fire, this wasn’t a person in there first season, they would have been signing ctr’s of quite a few O numbers underneath them…..
I’ve F’d up before so I am not going to pass judgement. There is a lot of stuff that we don’t know.
I’ve seen a lot of wildland firefighters without a compass and our training/emphasis on it lacking. I just gave a compass lesson to a someone in their sixth season. That is our fault.
Sounds like he was fine, hopefully carrying stuff in his line gear prepared to spend the night in the woods. Maybe just don’t just don’t put yourself in that position in the first place. But, sometimes stuff happens, so follow the boy scout motto.
Wow folks, you’ve never been in a location on a fire where you didn’t have radio or cell signal? I sure have. And I learned more about map and compass navigation in boy scouts than I ever did in fire training. A lot of criticism here that may not be warranted.
Eric
BITD …you know 1970’s, 1980’s, 1990s fire……..the expectations that crews stay together reasonably well was pretty much the motto. Including hourly or less checks by the Crew Boss
Unless thing have drastically changed in today’s environment, crew accountability by leads, ought to be #1 priority and getting oneself in/ out of a jam without a reasonable effort is hardly unwarranted criticism. It’s crew training that should extend even past Boy Scouts and needs to be revisited…todays dependence on technology will surely reflect when the Big EMP hits….then it WILL be back to map and compass and those who were not Boy Scouts…it’ll be a New Dawn…LOLOL
I was glad to see him just settle down rather than wander… I have been on hundreds of searches and the more they move the tougher it becomes.
This person is supposed to be scouting the fire and can’t find their way?? And can’t figure out how to work a radio?? No excuse. That person should be sent home immediately! And charged for the search and “rescue”. Jeepers, people! All this training on computer safety and security, records safety, this is who we are yet nothing about this is WHERE we are! It’s on both the supervisors and the employees. Leaders, know your people’s skill levels and people take responsibility and learn on your own time! I did that for many of the things I am required to do. It’s called continuing education! Especially now with all the on line courses.
Been awhile
BUT, how much true map and compass training do new or even experienced firefighters get in their off season? I know I review as best I can in the occupation currently even the the MGRS and USNG self study
Apparently there will be alot of folks here chirping
Its apparent, map and compass AND even Techno training with GPS units isn’t a priority with some folks who claim experience in fieldcraft…maybe it’s on the leaders to train and account by looking for their people on occasion preventing headlines such as this
Out for the night?
What do the Seniors say?
Yeah, it happens. Embarrassing, but …
Um, what. The mapping technology available and used by wildland firefighters these days makes this near impossible. If you’re experienced enough to be tasked with scouting out lines than you should be very experienced with navigation using map/compass as well as the variety of mapping apps that we all use…this is dangerous and I can’t imagine how frustrating it must’ve been to everyone trying to find the individual. Glad they were found ok though now go back to school.