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.