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Tag: dozer

Dozer rollover on Holy Fire in SoCal

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , , ,

The operator was wearing a seat belt and was not injured. It happened August 12, 2018.

Dozer rollover, Holy Fire, 8-12-2018
Dozer rollover, Holy Fire, 8-12-2018.

A dozer rolled over while constructing fireline on the Holy Fire in Southern California on August 12, 2018. Below is the text from the Rapid Lesson Sharing report:

Narrative
This day, August 12, was hot. I was part way through my shift as a dozer operator. My assignment for the day was putting in another blade of dozer line across the ridge and along the black in my Division. This was my second day working this piece of the line.

The terrain was rocky and steep. I was using the dozer to sidehill along the black. Due to dusty conditions working the dozer, visibility was marginal.

Around noon, I was working on a section of line that had a brush pile I was clearing out. The brush was pretty thick. I therefore didn’t realize that I was about to roll up onto a large boulder that was hidden under the brush pile.

Rolling up on this boulder made the dozer tip over on its side. It all seemed to happen in slow motion. There was no violent bounce. I was wearing my seatbelt which kept me in the cab during the rollover. I was able to remove myself from the cab. I realized that I had no injuries from this incident.

A Dozer Strike Team was able to upright my dozer back onto its track. Ground Support inspected the dozer and found no damage.

Lessons

  • Use a swamper to scout for possible hazards ahead of dozer line construction.
  • When operating a dozer, don’t feel pressured to stay directly against the black when a “safer line” may pull away from the black for a little ways.

Firefighter fatality on the Ferguson Fire west of Yosemite National Park in California

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , , , , 2 Comments on Firefighter fatality on the Ferguson Fire west of Yosemite National Park in California

We regret to have to report that a firefighter died this morning, July 14, on the Ferguson Fire west of Yosemite National Park. CAL FIRE announced this afternoon that Heavy Fire Equipment Operator Braden Varney was tragically killed while battling the fire. Mr Varney leaves behind a wife and two small children.

One of the firefighters on the fire reported this morning that he thought there was a dozer rollover, and just in case, he wanted to get medical help started to the scene. It turned out that the dozer had rolled several times and ended up in a location that was very difficult to access by foot or see from an aircraft.

(To see all of the articles on Wildfire Today about the Ferguson Fire, including the most recent, click here.)

Just after 1 p.m. local time CAL FIRE made the official announcement about the fatality.

We send out our sincere condolences to Mr. Varney’s family, coworkers, and friends.Varney fatality

Report released for dozer operator who went missing

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , , 4 Comments on Report released for dozer operator who went missing

He deployed a fire shelter on the Pleasant Fire in California.

Above: photo from the CAL FIRE report.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) has released a “Green Sheet” preliminary report on an incident within an incident that occurred on the Pleasant Fire north of Nevada City, California August 30, 2017.

About half an hour after beginning work constructing fireline downhill, increasing fire activity forced a contractor-owned dozer to disengage. The operator walked the machine through unburned vegetation to a small cleared area near a greenhouse but after arriving, a burst hydraulic line leaked fluid which ignited, producing smoke and flames in the cab. He attempted to extinguish this new fire with an extinguisher, but failed, then exited the dozer and deployed a fire shelter as the main fire approached.

For about an hour no one on the fire knew where the dozer and operator were, in spite of numerous attempts on the radio to contact him and aerial searches by Air Attack and a helicopter. After an hour the operator used his hand-held radio to announce that the dozer sustained a hydraulic failure and he deployed a shelter, but he was unable to describe his location. Eight minutes later a helicopter spotted him and led ground personnel to the scene.

The operator complained of coughing, dizziness, and weakness. After being assessed by medical personnel, he walked downhill to an ALS ambulance for transport to a local hospital where he was treated and released.

Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Tom.
Typos or errors, report them HERE.

Tree falling on dozer starts fire in Colorado

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , ,

Above: Air Tanker 02, a BAe-146, makes a drop on the Mill Creek Fire. Screen shot from the Joel Reichenberger video below.

(Originally published t 9:34 a.m. MDT July 2, 2017)

The Mill Creek Fire in Colorado started Saturday when a tree fell on a bulldozer that was working in the area, according to a spokesperson from the West Routt Fire Protection District. The dozer was destroyed as the blaze spread northwest of Pilot Knob near Routt County Road 80.

The fire is 13 miles northeast of Hayden and 20 miles northwest of Steamboat Springs.

Map Mill Creek Fire Colorado
Map showing the location of the Mill Creek Fire at 3:24 a.m. MDT July 2, 2017.

As of Saturday night 116 acres had burned. Steamboat Today reported that two hotshot crews will be assigned on Sunday.

Report released on dozer burnover in Florida

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , , ,
Dozer burnover Okeechobee County
Dozer burnover in Okeechobee County, Florida. April 16, 2017. Florida Forest Service photo.

The Florida Forest Service has released a report on the burnover of a dozer that occurred April 16, 2017 in Okeechobee County. As you may remember from our April 17 article, the operator, who was not injured, became entrapped while constructing fire line with the tractor plow and was overrun by the fast-moving fire.

You can read the entire report HERE, but below are some excerpts:

****

Contributing Factors:

  • Initial tactics deployed by the first arriving units were based on limited knowledge and experience.
  • Incident Commander having minimal initial attack experience.
  • Operating equipment beyond its capabilities
  • Leaders intent, was not made clear.
  • Ineffective transfer of command to experienced leadership positions.
  • Loss of situational awareness with crews.
  • Lack of effective communication.
  • Minimal staffing in Communications Center during high fire danger.

Lessons to Share:

  • It is imperative to speak up when you are feeling uneasy, uncomfortable, or unsure.
  • Experienced firefighters should be mixed with those who are less experienced. This will necessitate a thorough briefing, ensure instructions are clear and understood and to keep firefighters from working alone when additional units are on scene.
  • Personnel accountability is extremely important, especially in complex initial attack circumstances that often require unique tactics and strategies. This helps ensure safety of all crews.
  • Operate equipment in appropriate speed settings (1.7-1.9). This will reduce equipment fatigue and failure.
  • Turn off air-condition unit if caught in flame front or heavy embers. This will help reduce the likelihood of the filters and cab catching fire.
  • Establish properly qualified and experienced leadership.
  • Incident Commander should limit his/her hands-on fire suppression activities to maintain effective situational awareness.
  • Limit radio traffic to the extent possible. This will improve the possibility that emergency traffic can be transmitted and received successfully.
  • Increase staffing in Communications Center on high fire days to help with the additional call volume and radio traffic.
  • Know and follow established policy and procedures for emergency radio traffic.

Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Rob.
Typos or errors, report them HERE.

CAL FIRE and contractor cited by OSHA after 2016 dozer rollover fatality

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , , , , 2 Comments on CAL FIRE and contractor cited by OSHA after 2016 dozer rollover fatality
dozer rollover fatality
The dozer that rolled over on the Soberanes Fire in 2016, killing Robert Reagan. CAL FIRE photo.

Both a private contractor and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) were issued citations by California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) related to a fatality when a dozer rolled over. Robert Reagan, 35, of Friant, California, was killed while fighting the Soberanes Fire south of Monterey, California July 26, 2016.

Minutes after Mr. Reagan began operating the piece of equipment for Czirban Concrete Construction on contract to CAL FIRE, it rolled over. Not wearing a seat belt, he was thrown from the cab and was killed when the dozer rolled onto him.

According to KQED news, Cal/OSHA issued five citations to Czirban totaling $20,000. The largest was $13,500 for not wearing a seat belt.

Czirban had not secured workers’ compensation insurance for Mr. Reagan as required, and had been cited eight times in four years by the Contractors State License Board, several times because of worker’s compensation issues.

Below is an excerpt from an article at KQED in which they point out a number of problems related to contractors working on wildfires:

Cal/OSHA also issued two citations to Cal Fire, one for failing to report a serious injury within eight hours and another for failing to maintain an effective injury and illness prevention program.

“The employer failed to ensure a supervisor was in the immediate area during all bulldozer activities,” Cal/OSHA compliance officer Kelly Tatum wrote in the agency’s citation.

Cal Fire, which also faces a wrongful death lawsuit filed on behalf of Reagan’s wife and two young daughters, has appealed the findings.

wildfire dozer
File photo of a dozer in South Dakota.