Excerpt #1 from the Wildland Fire section of the NFPA Needs Assessment.
A survey conducted by the NFPA asked fire departments of all sizes about their readiness and capability for suppressing wildland fires. This general topic was one of seven in the survey that was sent to more than 26,000 fire departments in the last year.
Excerpt #2 from the Wildland Fire section of the NFPA Needs Assessment.
From the NFPA:
“This Fifth Fire Service Needs Assessment Survey was conducted beginning in 2020 and concluding in 2021. It follows earlier surveys completed in 2001, 2005, 2010, and 2015. A total of 2,969 fire departments responded to the survey, with approximately 75 percent responding online and 25 percent filling out the paper version. Overall, the response rate was 11 percent, ranging from a 7 percent response from fire departments protecting populations of less than 2,500 to a 39 percent response from fire departments protecting populations of 500,000 or more. The previous Needs Assessment report included additional state-level reporting. NFPA will be working in the coming months to produce these types of reports for selected states.
“This report shows that while some fire service needs have been declining, many have remained constant or increased. Fire service needs exist for departments of all sizes and in every area, including staffing, training and certification, facilities, apparatus, personal protective equipment (PPE); and health and wellness. In general, the smaller the community protected, the greater the need.”
A contract firefighter was killed by a falling tree in Oregon, August 23, 2021
3-D Map, fatality, Gales Fire Aug. 23, 2021.
A report completed by the Lane County Sheriff’s office concluded that Frumencio Ruiz Carapia was killed by a falling tree while working on the Gale Fire on the Willamette National Forest in Oregon, August 23, 2021. The incident occurred about 34 air miles east-southeast of Eugene.
Mr. Carapia, 56 years old, was employed by GE Forestry, a company based in Central Point, which is near Medford, Oregon. Originally from Mexico, he had worked for more than 25 years with GE. Mr. Carapia is survived by his four adult children, a grandson, and was looking forward to the birth of a granddaughter.
Vicinity map, Gales Fire Fatality, Aug. 23, 2021.
The crew was putting in a cold line on the edge of the fire. The Sheriff determined that a green tree snapped and slid down the slope striking Mr. Carapia. He suffered numerous very serious injuries and was deceased before he could be extricated from under the four-foot diameter tree.
Map, Gales Fire Fatality, Aug. 23, 2021.The burned area is shown in brown. The white line is the fire edge.
Below are excepts from the Sheriff’s report, written in the first person by the responding officer:
“I made contact with the on scene command and was provided a name for the involved individual who was identified as Frumencio Ruiz Carapia. I was further advised the death was witnessed by the crew boss who was identified as Armando Tovar. I made contact with Tovar who stated his crew was putting in a “cold line” which was explained to be a fire line along the edge of the fire. Tovar stated the crew was in a steep creek drainage when he heard and observed a large tree snap above the crew. Tovar started calling on the radio for the crew to get out of the area. Tovar stated he observed the tree which he called a “green tree” snap and fall down the creek drainage and slide towards Ruiz Carapia, striking him. When asked if there was any chainsaw use going on in the area he stated there was none and they were only digging a fire line. The deceased was located under the tree and a call for help was placed on the radio.”
The tree that fell during the Gales Fire, killing Frumencio Ruiz Carapia, Aug. 23, 2021. Lane County Sheriff’s office photo.
“I went with a crew down to where the deceased was located. The area is a steep creek drainage with old growth trees. I observed approximately 3 snags above the location where the deceased was located. The snags were burning near the base and as well as several feet up the trees. I was advised by fire personnel the trees were immediate hazards to the safety of the crew however because of the terrain and where we needed to go they were unable to cut them down. I was advised we needed to hastily work the scene and remove the deceased to get out of danger. I took a few photos of the scene and the deceased.”
“I maintained an observation of the deceased as he was removed from under the tree. I observed the tree to be approximately 75 feet long and about 4 feet in diameter. The tree appeared to have broken off from its base and fell down the creek drainage along the north side of the creek drainage before coming to rest in the creek bottom.”
Frumencio Ruiz Carapia
The report did not include photos of the base of the tree.
The Gales Fire, managed as part of the Middle Fork Complex, ultimately burned more than 29,000 acres.
Gales Fire, Middle Fork Complex of fires, OR, Aug. 16, 2021, InciWeb.
Among other goals, it will develop a strategy to meet aerial firefighting needs through 2030
December 17, 2021
Route Fire, Southern California, Sept. 11, 2021.
The Departments of the Interior, Agriculture and Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) today announced the establishment of a new Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission, which is required by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, H.R.3684, signed by the President on November 15, 2021, which became Public Law Number 117-58.
The Commission is tasked with recommending federal policies and strategies to more effectively prevent, mitigate, suppress and manage wildland fires, including the rehabilitation of land affected by wildland fires. It will include representation from federal, state, Tribal, county and municipal governments as well as non-governmental stakeholders from private industry.
The legislation authorized $600 million for management of fire personnel and approximately $600 million for fuel management, pre-fire planning, satellite fire detection, research, radio interoperability, and other uses.
The new law is very specific and detailed in laying out the deliverables of the new Commission, perhaps worrying that if it was too vague not much would get done. The 27 members of the commission will have their work cut out for them — 9 from federal departments and 18 non-federal stakeholders, plus an Executive Director they can hire. They may also bring on staff if needed. The members will serve “without compensation” but can be reimbursed for travel expenses and per diem.
The appointments of the members of the Commission are to be made no more than 60 days after the date the legislation became law, which works out to January 14, 2022. Their initial meeting is to be held within 30 days after all members have been appointed — no later than February 13, 2022. They are to meet at least once every 30 days, in person or remotely.
Their assignments fall into two broad categories; here are some of the highlights:
1. Develop recommendations to mitigate and manage wildland fires
By February 13, 2023 develop a report describing recommendations to prevent, mitigate, suppress, and manage wildland fires; consider protection of human life, short- and long-term forest management; wildland-urban interface; utility corridors; rehab after fires; streamlining environmental reviews; and, recommendations for modernizing and expanding the use of technology, including satellite technology, remote sensing, unmanned aircraft systems, and any other type of emerging technology to prevent, mitigate, suppress, and manage wildland fires.
2. Report on aerial wildland firefighting equipment, strategy, and inventory
By March 30, 2022 prepare an inventory of surplus cargo and passenger aircraft that may be used for wildland firefighting purposes.
By June 28, 2022 develop an assessment of the number of aircraft needed to fight wildland fires through 2030. The report will include an assessment of the federal government’s authorities to provide or sell surplus aircraft to Federal, State, or local organizations to be used for wildland firefighting, and, identify any additional authorities that are needed. The Commission is directed to consider all private and public sector options for accessing necessary aircraft and aircraft parts, including procurement, contracting, retrofitting, and public-private partnerships.
Update December 18, 2021:
One of the comments on this article left today by Professional WFF mentioned that the Quadrennial Fire Reviews in 2005, 2009, and 2014 would be a good place to start. Links to them are HERE. Excerpts from the fire aviation section of the 2014 QRF are HERE.
Portions of Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Iowa, Missouri, Texas, and Oklahoma
UPDATED at 9:08 a.m. MST Dec. 15, 2021
2) The first Extremely Critical Fire Weather Outlook for the Southern and Central Plains during December in @NWSSPC history.
Dangerous, life-threatening fire weather conditions are likely with fast moving and uncontrollable fire spread due to extreme winds and dry conditions. pic.twitter.com/IlAYpDiNa3
Originally published at 7:33 p.m. MST Dec. 14, 2021
Red Flag Warnings Dec. 15, 2021. NWS / Google.
Critical fire weather on Wednesday December 15 has now been confirmed for eastern Colorado, most of Kansas, southeast Nebraska, eastern New Mexico, southwest Iowa, northwest Missouri, and the panhandles of Texas and Oklahoma.
Red Flag Warnings issued by the National Weather Service Tuesday predict very strong west or southwest winds 30 to 45 mph with gusts to 60 or 80 depending on the location and relative humidity in the low teens. Red Flag Warnings will expire Wednesday evening.
With the area experiencing levels of drought ranging from moderate to extreme, the fuels are dry and could be easily ignited. Vegetation fires could spread very rapidly and be difficult to suppress.
If you are a federal employee hopefully you don’t know what “OWCP” stands for. If you do, you could have been forced to deal with them, and your experience may or may not have been a positive experience.
Many federal workers have been pleased with the services provided by the Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs, but too many stories from others are truly sickening.
On BuzzFeed you can find articles titled, for example, “Putting ketchup on more than half of these foods is a federal crime — are you guilty?” (for real). But an offshoot, named BuzzFeed News, actually writes serious articles about news of the day. They even have a reporter assigned to cover the White House. Yesterday they published a long thoroughly researched piece about how some wildland firefighters injured on the job have been profoundly mistreated and ill served by the OWCP.
If a firefighter is injured while working, or becomes ill on the job, OWCP is required to do everything they can to make them whole again, including covering medical and rehab expenses so they can get back to work without wiping out their bank accounts.
"The Mission of the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs is to protect the interests of workers who are injured or become ill on the job, their families and their employers by making timely, appropriate, and accurate decisions on claims, providing prompt payment of benefits and helping injured workers return to gainful work as early as is feasible."
The BuzzFeed News article describes numerous examples of firefighters who were seriously injured while working, then confronted with huge medical bills. Some were being hounded multiple times a day from bill collectors demanding money that should have been paid by OWCP. Firefighters’ credit cards have been maxed out and credit ratings destroyed. Injured firefighters have routinely been reduced to setting up GoFundMe pages and depending on grants from the Wildland Firefighter Foundation. Rehab has been discontinued too soon. All because OWCP is incompetent or because their funding has been reduced to the point where they can’t hire enough staff to “protect the interests of workers who are injured or become ill on the job.”
One of the more recent, of many examples in the article is what has happened to Michelle Koch Hart, the widow of Tim Hart, a smokejumper who died after being injured on the Eicks Fire in New Mexico in May of this year.
Here is an excerpt from the BuzzFeed News article:
“Today, she’s still battling with federal agencies, trying to prove the facts around her husband’s death to recoup money. It’s been a maze of talking to case managers who send her to different departments, calling 1-800 numbers that lead nowhere, digging up records, and refiling paperwork that apparently never went through. Some of the claims can’t be submitted until the Forest Service investigation into Tim’s death is completed, and she has no idea when that will be. The Forest Service told BuzzFeed News that “reviews of fatalities can be a lengthy process.” This month, she got an unexplained bill from the Department of Agriculture for $1,030, due Dec. 9. She has no idea what it’s for, and when she tried to find out, she said, the agent could not talk to her because she was not Tim.
” “It’s very traumatizing, lonely,” she said. “There’s no one person in the federal government who is helping me. People don’t know who I should talk to. I have to do everything on my own, but I still have so many unanswered questions. The system is broken.”
“The US Forest Service, which oversees the large majority of the country’s wildland firefighters, has known for more than a decade that its employees have struggled to navigate the workers’ compensation filing system, get claims approved, and have their medical needs paid for, according to the documents reviewed by BuzzFeed News. They give insight into how many top officials, including the Forest Service’s current director, were not only aware of these widespread problems, but had been discussing their frustrations about the process internally for years.
“Leadership in the Forest Service failed to do a damn thing to address our issues with OWCP despite us repeatedly asking and offering solutions,” Buddy Byrd, a former safety and occupational health manager for the Forest Service’s Region 6, which spans Oregon and Washington, told BuzzFeed News. “OWCP is a piece of a bigger systemic failure on behalf of the US Forest Service.”
Our take
The federal agencies that employ firefighters and forestry technicians, need to quadruple their efforts to force OWCP to process the claims of the injured quickly and fairly.
They could consider assigning a human resources person to every injured employee who can troubleshoot problems caused by the OWCP. They should not be left alone and victimized a second time for the injury they suffered while serving their country fighting wildfires.
Upon the death of a firefighter the agencies need to figure out a way to quickly produce enough documentation to satisfy the OWCP that they were killed on the job in the line of duty.
Congress needs to appropriately fund the OWCP so they have staff capable of serving the needs of injured firefighters, and their spouses.
Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Ben and Tom.
Image from the “Wildland Firefighter Mental health” video.
Three months after it was removed from YouTube, today the National Wildfire Coordinating Group restored a video about mental health for firefighters. Previously it had been available for two months but not publicized. We learned about it on September 29, 2021 when @DOIWildlandFire encouraged people on Twitter to view it. Seeing that it was an excellent video that could potentially help thousands of emergency management personnel, we embedded it right away on Wildfire Today. Within 24 hours it was removed from YouTube, because, as @NWCG explained, it was “accidentally posted” and was not “finalized.”
The National Wildfire Coordinating Group has published a video for firefighters about mental health. It features several former or current firefighters who have been trained as critical incident stress management peer supporters or CISM Clinicians.
@DOIWildlandFire tweeted about the video today, encouraging everyone to view it. The video was posted July 19, 2021 but as of today it has only been viewed 83 times, perhaps because it is “unlisted”. We suggested to them that the status be changed, which should make it possible to search for it and also show up on lists of NWCG videos.
The presenters make an interesting point comparing physical fitness and mental fitness. As a firefighter you have to work at both of them, and they lay out several ways to stay mentally fit.
If you are a firefighter or the spouse or family member of one, spend 18 minutes watching this video.
It really is a very good video. Check it out before it is removed again. It’s below.
