News and opinion about wildland fire
The Florida Forest Service reported that on Sunday a tractor plow was overrun by a fast-moving fire and was destroyed in Okeechobee County, near NW 144 Ave. and NW 286 Street, 13 miles southwest of Yeehaw Junction. The operator escaped and was not injured.
The fire eventually burned about 450 acres.
Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories Uncategorized2 Comments on Dozer rollover on the Trailhead Fire Above: Dozer rollover at the Trailhead Fire on the Eldorado National Forest in California July 2, 2016. Photo from the report.
A report has been released by the Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center about a dozer rollover that occurred July 2, 2016 at the Trailhead Fire on the Eldorado National Forest in California. You can read the entire report, but here’s a brief summary.
After getting unstuck from being high centered on a large stump, a dozer operator found himself off the ridge where he was building an indirect fireline, and was on a steep slope. Again he got stuck and was not able to backup, this time due to the slope which in places exceeded an 80 percent incline. At various times he was advised by two Resource Advisors, the Structure Group Supervisor, and the owner of the dozer to stay put. In the meantime another dozer with a winch was en route to assist.
Ignoring the advice, the operator continued down the slope and got into a heated argument with the owner, who then left the area. Determined to get the dozer back up to the ridge top, the operator began building a road and creating pads where he could work to push over trees that were in his way, including a 30-DBH cedar which missed by 50 feet the two Resources Advisors who had to run to get out of the way.
The incident-within-an-incident finally came to an end, at least temporarily, when the dozer rolled over onto its side. The operator escaped with only a scratch, after which the dozer continued to roll over onto its top in the creek bottom.
The report did not include information about how the dozer was eventually extracted, or what repercussions, if any, befell the operator and the contractor.
(Updated 5:46 a.m. MDT, July 28, 2016)
The operator of a bulldozer was killed while working on the Soberanes fire, one of two major wildfires burning in California and one that has already destroyed 20 homes.
The operator was killed when the bulldozer rolled over, and another operator was injured in a similar incident, The Associated Press reported on Wednesday. Other reports say the dozer operator died of injuries on Tuesday night.
The bulldozer operator was working on a call-when-needed basis overnight when the fatal accident occurred, according to information posted on CAL FIRE’s website. The dozer was one of 60 assigned to the fire in Monterey County.
Officials have not yet released the name of the operator who was killed. California’s other major blaze, the Sand fire, killed a man this week outside of Los Angeles.
UPDATE April 17, 2017: KQED reports that the name of the dozer operator that was killed was Robert Reagan.
Check back with wildfiretoday.com for more on this story.
Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Chris and Daniel.
Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories Uncategorized2 Comments on Using a dozer to mop up a structure fire Extensive overhaul w/ help of @LACo_FD Dozer team at the 6th Incident in #Lancaster pic.twitter.com/40k1OdTWAj
— LACounty Fire PIO (@LACoFDPIO) May 13, 2016
Dozers are commonly used on vegetation fires, but it is unusual to see them at a structure fire. In the video above, Los Angeles County Fire Department used a dozer to assist firefighters during the overhaul or mop up stage of a structure fire in Lancaster, California Thursday night. Apparently there was a large quantity of material inside the commercial building that would have been difficult to completely extinguish without spreading out the burning debris. It looks like they were using foam or a wetting agent in the water to achieve greater penetration.
Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories Uncategorized12 Comments on Radio headsets for dozer operators 
Should all heavy equipment operators have access to radio headsets?Tim Banaszak pointed out to us that while working on a fire, communication between an operator and the Heavy Equipment Boss (HEQB) can be difficult or impossible. The equipment makes so much noise that it can be a challenge to hear the radio. Even relying on hand signals is not reliable due to dust and vegetation, Mr. Banaszak said.
We are still throwing rocks or sticks to get the operator’s attention, YIKES! The high RPM noise makes a portable [radio] useless. All other fireline operations have a clear and reliable communication link. Just hearing the word STOP can prevent equipment damage, an injury, or even worse.
He suggests that a cache of headsets for radios be available that could be checked out at a fire with the operator’s portable radio.
What do you think? Is this a problem that needs solving?
Via Chief John Hawkins (@Jhawkfire)
