Wildfire Today

News and opinion about wildland fire

Wildfire Today

Indiana: firefighter injured by falling tree

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , ,
Cowles Bog Incident
Cowles Bog Incident. NPS Photo

A firefighter working for Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore in northwest Indiana was injured February 7 when a tree uprooted and fell while he was operating a chain saw, limbing or bucking another tree. Here is an excerpt from the 72-hour report:

…An initial estimate of accident tree was 7.5” DBH and approximately 50 – 60 feet tall. Firefighter A was bent over cutting when he was struck across the shoulders by the tree, knocking him to the ground. The force of the impact drove his face onto the motor housing of thechainsaw. His injuries included a severely broken nose, fractured right eye orbit and fractured T-1 vertebrae. Despite his injuries, he had the presence of mind to shut the chainsaw off to prevent further injury. Firefighter A is an experienced sawyer; he was wearing proper safety gear to include eye and ear protection, as well as a hard hat and chaps. Firefighter A was also working with a partner (Firefighter B) and was able to call out to him for help. Examination of the hard hat shows no indication that it was not contacted by the tree. An initial investigation revealed that the accident tree was poorly rooted into soft soil. Winds were calm at the time of the accident and the soil was thawing after recent freezing rain and snow.

Local EMS resources responded to the scene and transported Firefighter A to the local Regional Hospital. Firefighter A was treated for his injuries, which included plastic surgery to repair his facial injuries. Firefighter A was released from the hospital and did not stay overnight. At this time there is a safety stand-down for the project until a more thorough assessment is completed.

Two firefighters killed in Australia

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , ,

The Department of Sustainability and Environment(DSE) in Victoria, Australia has confirmed that two firefighters were killed at a fire Wednesday, February 13:

DSE can now confirm the sad news of the death of two DSE fire-fighters at the Harrietville – Alpine North fire ground. Victoria Police investigators believe the colleagues were in their emergency vehicle, which was struck by a falling tree about 3.35pm today – Wednesday 13 February. Emergency services attempted to attend the scene but due to fire and difficult conditions in the immediate area were unable to. They reached the scene around 8.10pm. The deceased man is believed to be in his 30s from Corryong and the woman in her late teens, from Tallandoon. DSE is working closely with Victoria Police and our thoughts are with the families of our two DSE staff members, our staff and the community during this difficult time.

Our sincere condolences go out to the firefighter’s families and coworkers.

 

Thanks go out to Dick

Skiing through a smoldering fire

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories Uncategorized3 Comments on Skiing through a smoldering fire

The video photography of the skiers in this video is incredible. I can’t imagine how they manage to stay upright going over cliffs and landing in very deep powder. But the other thing is… they appear to be skiing through a wildland fire, a timber fire, that is still smoldering. I am not totally convinced that everything that looks like a burning snag is actually a burning snag, but it is very interesting, none the less.

Here is the official description of the video:

Skiing through the remains of last summer’s forest fires: Every summer, forest fires burn wildly across the temperate mountain regions of the world. As destructive as they are, they have a purpose and beauty that often goes unappreciated. As winter arrives in the burned forest, so do the skiers. They have come to celebrate new lines opened up by the previous summer’s fires that have now burned themselves out – or have they?

Thanks go out to Mitch

Cop killer suspected to be in burning structure in San Bernardino NF

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags 2 Comments on Cop killer suspected to be in burning structure in San Bernardino NF
Christopher Dorner, possibly in structure fire
Burning structure in San Bernardino National Forest, possible location of Christopher Dorner

Unless you have been vacationing on the planet Uranus for the last week, you have heard about the massive manhunt for the suspected cop killer, Christopher Dorner in southern California. This afternoon after a car chase and a gunfight, in which two sheriff’s deputies were shot and one killed, he was suspected of hiding out in the cabin in the image above, a screen shot from ABC in Los Angeles. Dozens if not hundreds of rounds were fired to and from the cabin, and after a few hours the structure caught fire, possibly from the use of tear gas canisters.

The cabin is in the San Bernardino National Forest in the Angelus Oaks area in southern California. After the fire erupted, live TV showed fire engines, including at least one U.S. Forest Service vehicle, driving up the highway to that location. We think, but have not yet confirmed, that this link to a Google Map is the location of the structure fire.

The area around the burning structure is mostly, but not totally, covered with snow, so confining the fire to the area should not be difficult, even though it was a while before firefighters were allowed into the area.

OSHA issues citation for firefighter fatality on Steep Corner Fire

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , , , , , , 18 Comments on OSHA issues citation for firefighter fatality on Steep Corner Fire

(Originally posted at 2:00 p.m. MT, Feb. 12, 2013; updated at 5:44 p.m. MT.)

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued a citation related to the fatality of Anne Veseth, a 20-year-old U.S. Forest Service firefighter from Moscow, Idaho who was killed August 12, 2012 while working on the Steep Corner Fire near Orofino, Idaho. The citation was issued to the organization managing the fire, the Clearwater-Potlatch Timber Protective Association (CPTPA). The citation comes with a “Notification of Penalty”, fines totaling $14,000.

OSHA also issued a Notice of Unsafe or Unhealthful Working Conditions to the U.S. Forest Service, but without a monetary penalty.

Ms. Veseth was killed by a falling tree, when one tree fell and crashed into another tree, causing it to fall in a domino effect. The day before she was killed, the Flathead Hotshots arrived at the fire, and after scouting it and assessing the situation, they concluded it was not safe to work under the conditions that were present. Then they left the fire after talking with the incident commander. Three days later they filed a SAFENET report, documenting the unsafe conditions at the fire.

The Citation for the CPTPA and the Notice for the USFS were both dated February 7, 2013.

The CPTPA citation was for the following:

  • Serious violation: For not providing a safe working environment; 8 of the 10 Standard Firefighting Orders were violated, and they did not mitigate 11 of the 18 Watch Out Situations. Proposed penalty: $4,900.
  • Serious violation: employees engaged in wildland firefighting were exposed to being struck by hazard trees while constructing fire line.  Proposed penalty: $4,900.
  • Serious violation: Firefighters constructing direct fire line did not have fire shelters readily available. Firefighters constructing fire line were wearing denim and work pants not rated as fire resistant. Proposed penalty: $4,200.

The U.S. Forest Service Notice of Unsafe or Unhealthful Working Conditions was for the following:

  • Serious Violation: 7 of the 10 Standard Firefighting Orders were violated,  and they did not mitigate 9 of the 18 Watch Out Situations.
  • Repeat Violation: employees engaged in wildland firefighting were exposed to being struck by hazard trees while constructing fire line.

If the violations are not contested they must be abated by various dates in March, 2013, and the fine must be paid within 15 working days.

Video: personal protective equipment

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags

The National Interagency Fire Center has released a video about the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) on a wildland fire. It features Bob Knutson, the state safety manager for the Bureau of Land Management in Nevada. He points out that there have been a number of burn injuries over the last few years that have a common denominator — the lack of PPE or the inappropriate use of PPE.

One thing missing from the video was the use of PPE that is seldom washed and is so contaminated with chain saw oil or other filth that it is no longer fire resistant.