The inmate’s condition was upgraded from critical to serious.
Continue readingReport released for entrapment of firefighters on the Valley Fire
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) has released a report for an entrapment with injuries that occurred on the Valley Fire September 12, 2015. The fire burned 76,000 acres 62 miles north of San Francisco.
Four firefighters from a helitack crew that had arrived at the fire via helicopter were on the ground fighting the fire with hand tools when they were surrounded by the fire during initial attack operations and suffered serious burn injuries. Below is an excerpt from the report.
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“…FC1 directed FF3, FF4 and FF5 to get into the goat pen, which was clear to bare mineral soil. While in the goat pen they observed the fire behavior changing. There was an increase in the wind speed, and an increased number of spot fires in the pine needle duff and leaf litter surrounding them. FF3 saw fire sheeting and swirling across the dirt driveway on the northwest side of the goat pen; several pines torched on the west side of the steel garage.
From the location of RES2, FF2 observed increased fire behavior advancing toward Helitack A’s location. FF2 communicated the increased fire behavior using the radio; FC1 acknowledged FF2’s observation.
At approximately 1402 hours, the brush covered slope to their east completely torched into a wall of flame. The wall of flame sent a significant wave of radiant heat through the goat pen and onto the firefighters. They could feel their faces burning from the radiant heat and all four firefighters ran to the fence, climbed over, and ran towards the steel garage. At the steel garage Helitack A started to deploy their fire shelters.
“May-Day” was transmitted from FC1 and was heard over the radio. From the location of a third residence (RES3), FC2 could hear FC1 say over the radio, “Four have deployed their shelters, near a barn on the right flank.” FF4 had difficulty opening the fire shelter case from the Chainsaw Pack; the clear plastic covering of the fire shelter was soft and melted. FF4 had to remove the gloves to tear the plastic away from the aluminum shell of the fire shelter. FF3 couldn’t get the fire shelter out of the case because the clear plastic cover was melted to the white plastic protective sleeve. FF3 looked up and saw FF4 at the north side (D) of the steel garage. FF3 dropped the fire shelter on the ground and ran to FF4’s location. FF3 and FF4 shared FF4’s fire shelter and stayed together in a crouched position. FC1 and FF5 deployed their fire shelters on the east side (A) of the steel garage. The heat in front of the steel garage was too intense so they moved to the north side (D) of the steel garage with FF3 and FF4 where the atmosphere seemed to be cooler.
Helitack A huddled together shielding the heat away from their already burned faces and hands; each of them could see the visible burns to one another’s faces and hands. FC1 continued to use the radio requesting bucket drops from C1 on their deployment location to cool the atmosphere. FF5 attempted to drink the water from the hydration pack but the water from the mouth piece was too hot to drink. While crouched in their fire shelters next to the steel garage, Helitack A suddenly heard explosions coming from inside the now burning structure. As a group, Helitack A moved a safe distance from the structure. Helitack A eventually crouched along the dirt driveway, separating the dirt garden and the goat pen.
From the driveways of RES3 and a fourth residence (RES4), FC2 directed C1 to make bucket drops into Helitack A’s location at the top of the ridge. C1 orbiting above and was unable to get near their location at the top of the ridge due to the thick column of smoke convecting straight up into the atmosphere…”
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“Injuries:
- FC1 suffered second and third degree burns to the head, face, ears, neck, back, arms, hands, legs and feet and has had several surgeries. FC1 remains in critical condition and is under the continued care of UCD Burn Center.
- FF4 suffered first and second degree burns to the face, head, ears, arms and hands and is under the continued care of UCD Medical Center.
- FF5 suffered first and second degree burns to the face, head, ears, arms, foot and hands and is under the continued care of UCD Medical Center.
- FF3 suffered first and second degree burns to the face, head, ears, arms and hands and is under the continued care of UCD Medical Center.”
The report lists 13 “Safety issues for review and lessons learned”. Here are the first five:
- “Crews must utilize L.C.E.S [lookouts, communications, escape routes, safety zones] when engaged in firefighting operations.
- ALL Ten Standard Fire Orders MUST be obeyed at ALL TIMES.
- Personnel MUST wear ALL CAL FIRE APPROVED PPE when engaged in firefighting operation.
- Modifying Personal Protective Equipment can alter the protective properties.
- Practice and prepare for shelter deployment in adverse and extreme conditions.”
Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to John.
Four firefighters burned on the Valley Fire in northern California
Four firefighters working on a new wildfire in northern California suffered burns Saturday afternoon. Daniel Berlant of CAL FIRE said they were part of a helitack crew suppressing the Valley Fire. The firefighters from CAL FIRE helicopter 104 were transported to the Firefighters Burn Institute at the University of California at Davis.
At 8 p.m. on Saturday Mr. Berlant said the four fighters all suffered second degree burns and were in stable condition.
The Valley fire grew to 10,000 acres within six hours after it started at 1:24 p.m. By 10 p.m. it had exploded to 25,000 acres.
The Valley Fire is burning about 8 miles west of the Rocky Fire that burned about 70,000 acres near Clearlake, California north of San Francisco. It also grew very quickly, blackening over 8,000 acres within six hours of starting at 4:10 p.m. PT on July 29.
Mr. Berlant said the Valley Fire has caused evacuation orders to be posted for the communities of Cobb and Middletown.
Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Dick, Kelly, David, and Barbara.
Burn injury on the Rough Fire
(Originally published at 7:01 MDT, September 7, 2015)
A firefighter was burned today on the Rough Fire. Below is a news release from the incident management team:
At approximately 8:00 [on September 7, 2015], a firefighter was injured while working in the Converse Basin area of the Rough Fire. The firefighter was part of a hotshot crew working the night shift tasked with monitoring the fire line along Hoist Ridge, looking for spot fires that may have occurred outside the containment line.
Given the extremely steep, rugged terrain, a Rapid Extraction Module (REM) was dispatched to remove the firefighter from the scene to a road. The firefighter was delivered to an ambulance and transported to a nearby helispot. A helicopter then transported the patient to the hospital for treatment. The firefighter was conscious and alert at the time of the extraction.
The firefighter is now in the hospital, receiving treatment, in stable condition and good spirits. The firefighter’s family has been notified and is en route. The Forest Service is providing an employee advocate who is on scene to work with the firefighter’s family and medical staff to facilitate communication with all involved parties and deal with any needs of the family.
The Rough Fire, which started on July 31 east of Fresno, California, has burned over 95,000 acres.
Does anyone have details of what comprises a “Rapid Extraction Module” on a wildland fire?
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(UPDATE September 8, 2015)
Our readers can provide a wealth of information.
- Holly sent us a copy of the ICS Position Manual for the Rapid Extraction Module Support (REMS), ICS- 223-12.
- Kari Greer, in the comments, provided a link to some photos she took during a Rapid Extraction Module proficiency practice on the Happy Camp Complex last summer on the Klamath National Forest in California. That Module is from Sacramento Metro FD.
Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Barbara. Typos or errors, report them HERE.
Three firefighters injured by falling tree in central California
Three firefighters were injured, one very seriously, by a falling tree July 3 in central California near Three Rivers, a town in the foothills of the Sierras. Damien Pereira, 25, underwent surgery Saturday to repair broken vertebrae, and more surgeries are planned to address his broken ribs and bruised internal organs.
Below is a news release issued July 4 by CAL FIRE.
Firefighter injured in bear attack
A firefighter working on the Juneau Lake Fire in the Chugach National Forest in Alaska sustained minor injuries in a bear encounter on June 22. The firefighter was transported by a life med helicopter from the remote Juneau Lake site (map) to a hospital in Anchorage, about 42 miles away by air. It would have been much longer if ground transportation had been used.
The firefighter walked from the encounter site to the helicopter and is undergoing standard treatment for animal bites.
Notification of any injury on a wildfire engages emergency response protocols. The Oregon Interagency Incident Management Team 4 implemented its “incident within an incident” practices to deliver timely aid to the firefighter.
Below is a portion of a report on the Juneau Lake Fire from InciWeb:
An incident management team from Oregon assumed command of the Stetson Creek and Juneau Lake fires on June 19, 2015. The Oregon Interagency Incident Management Team 4 (ORIIMT4), Brian Goff, incident commander, and a team of nine are stationed in Cooper Landing.
Firefighters assisting with suppression efforts include the Alaska Midnight Sun Hotshots and three Type 2 crews from National Forests in Montana: the Lolo, Bitterroot, and Beaverhead/Deer Lodge.
Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Chris.
Firefighter checking out dead bear was injured by power line
A firefighter working on a fire on the George Washington & Jefferson National Forests in Bath County, Virginia on May 15 walked over to look at a dead bear and was injured by by a low-hanging power line.
From the “24-hour Report”:
Job Corps Hand Crew was performing mop-up operations within one chain of the fire perimeter. Crew was aware of a dead bear three chains away along the power line and walked over to observe the bear. One of the crew members walked between the bear’s location and the low hanging power line and received electrical burns. The crew member was triaged on site by an EMT firefighter. The crew member was transferred by ambulance to a local hospital and then air lifted to a regional burn unit. Notifications were made to Forest Supervisor, SACC/F&AM, Regional Forester and the Washington Office.
And, an update from the “72-hour Report”
Since the incident, the low hanging power line has been repaired by the power company. The injured firefighter is being treated at a Regional Burn Center located in Richmond, Virginia. The firefighter has been improving since the incident occurred. The injured firefighter will be in the hospital from one to three weeks, depending on recovery.
Firefighter injured in Iowa wildfire
A firefighter was seriously injured while fighting a wildfire in northern Iowa on Wednesday.
Below are excerpts from Explore Okoboji:
It took firefighters from seven area fire departments as well as a firefighting unit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service several hours to extinguish a massive fire late Wednesday afternoon and evening in the Spring Run complex east of Arnolds Park. Spirit Lake Fire Chief Pat Daly tells KUOO news his department was the first to arrive on the scene.
Daly says the blaze became so large and wind driven that it actually jumped a road.
One firefighter was seriously injured battling the blaze. He’s been identified as Jim Nygaard of the Superior Fire Department. Nygaard was transported by ambulance to Lakes Regional Healthcare and was transferred by air to a burn unit at a Twin Cities hospital. Information on his condition and extent of injuries wasn’t immediately available. KUOO news has learned a tractor Nygaard was using to help put out the blaze caught on fire.
Study: Risk factors for injury among federal wildland firefighters
A student working on her PhD at the University of Iowa wrote her dissertation in 2010 after studying the records of injuries to wildland firefighters. Carla Lea Britton titled her paper “Risk factors for injury among federal wildland firefighters“. We will not attempt to summarize the entire document, but below are some quotes that we thought were interesting in the Conclusions section:
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P. 67: The wildland fire community should expand its focus beyond the investigation of fatalities and embrace new methodologies to evaluate and mitigate the impact of non-fatal occupational injuries in wildland fire.
P. 70: Comprehensive surveillance: The resources currently available to estimate and evaluate the burden of injury in firefighters are found in a diversity of situations and are not, in many cases, suitable for linking. Fire managers should work toward developing a new comprehensive occupational injury surveillance system to capture fire-related injuries, illness and fatalities across the spectrum of wild- and prescribed fires, training activities and types of employment.
P. 70-71: Partnerships: Guidance on the safety and health of wildland firefighters is provided by the NWCG’s Safety and Health Working Team (SHWT). The SHWT’s mission is to improve health and safety through workforce development, leadership and the development of standards using data collection and analysis to validate and prioritize safety issues. While the mission is commendable, the SHWT lacks both the resources and expertise to fully realize its goal. The SHWT is comprised of representatives from the NWCG member agencies. Most of the committee members are the national-level fire safety managers for the agencies they represent. While all have extensive backgrounds in fire suppression, few, if any, have any formal training in occupational health and safety. The SHWT should actively pursue partnerships with either the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health or with university-based researchers to provide additional expertise, particularly in the area of injury epidemiology and prevention, topics on which there have been little research emphasis in the past.
P. 71-72: This project has shown that, even with sub-optimal data collected for other purposes, systematic evaluation of existing data can provide useful hints for prevention and point to areas where further inquiry is likely to be fertile. To move forward, the wildland fire community needs to commit to using existing data to the best advantage possible and to developing new surveillance methods to provide comprehensive information about all wildland firefighter injuries and their circumstances.
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Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Kevin.
West Virginia: firefighter injured after falling 75 feet
WHAG is reporting that a firefighter was injured after “falling nearly 75 feet down a cliff” in or near Harpers Ferry National Historical Park in West Virginia while fighting a vegetation fire. The firefighter was stabilized at the scene and transported to Winchester Medical Center for further treatment.
Bradley Fritts, the incident commander with the Bakerton Fire Company, said the injured firefighter will remain in the hospital until Friday. Mr. Fritts said the fire would be turned over to the National Park Service Wednesday morning.