Wildfire Today

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Wildfire Today

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Wildfire briefing, May 28, 2014

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , ,

Air tanker pilot dies in Spain

Fire Aviation has more details about an AT-802 pilot that died in a crash while fighting a wildfire in Spain.

Smokejumpers’ clandestine missions for the CIA

Now that they are no longer required to remain quiet about their ties with the CIA, smokejumpers are talking about how they worked for the agency in the 1950s and 1960s. According to an article in the Missoulian, about 82 smokejumpers were recruited by the CIA to rig paracargo and serve on C-130s dropping commandos and cargo over Tibet.

An excerpt:

…The story begins when [Ray] Beasley, who was 29 and a laid-off smokejumper in McCall, Idaho, got a phone call in 1959.

“Would you like a job that pays $850 a month?” the caller asked.

Soon, Beasley and a cowboy by the name of Tommy “Shep” Johnson, who would later become one of his close friends, were on their way to the nation’s capitol.

They had been “referred” by an insider to “The Company,” the term they used for the CIA. That’s the only way you got into this line of work, Beasley said. This wasn’t a job that was advertised. They came looking for you.

Videos from Aussie fire conference

About a dozen videos of presentations at the Australian Community Engagement and Fire Awareness Conference run by the New South Wales Rural Fire Service are available for your viewing pleasure.

Martin Greenwood told us:

This conference brought together practitioners from all over Australia and NZ to look at community engagement and awareness to bushfire.
To get a good taste from the 2 days worth of videos I recommend the ‘be ready Warrandyte’ and the ‘Out of the Ashes’ videos.

 

This is a brilliant free resource, particularly those involved in engaging the wider community in relation to wildfire. Hopefully the accent barrier isn’t too big of a problem.

 

 

Thanks and a hat tip go out to Martin and Steve.

Wyoming firefighter dies while taking Pack Test

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , , ,

(UPDATE: May 19, 2104)

Below is a news release issued today:

****

For Immediate Release

Wyoming State Forestry Division Employee Line of Duty Death

May 19, 2014

Contact: Bill Crapser, Wyoming State Forester 307-214-7843

(Newcastle, Wyo.) — The Wyoming State Forestry Division employee that died in the line of duty on May 17, 2014, in Newcastle, Wyoming has been identified as Honor Conservation Crew Supervisor Ted Drake.

Mr. Drake was participating with other employees in the annual firefighter work capacity test (pack test when he suffered a heart attack and attempts to revive him on scene were not successful.

Mr. Drake was 63 years old and had worked for the Wyoming State Forestry Division as a Crew Supervisor since June 2006.

“The Wyoming State Forestry Division is deeply saddened by this tragic event,” Bill Crapser, Wyoming State Forester said. “Our hearts go out to his family, friends and co-workers. The support from the fire service in Wyoming and the wildland fire service nationally is greatly appreciated.”

According to the Billings Gazette Mr. Crapser said Mr. Drake was the first worker to have died in service to the department since it came into existence in 1952.

A memorial service for Mr. Drake will be held Tuesday at Newcastle Assembly of God church.

****

(Originally published May 18, 2014)

The Billings Gazette is reporting that a firefighter with the Wyoming State Forestry Division died Saturday, May 17 while taking the Pack Test.

The man, whose name has not yet been released, suffered an apparent heart attack during the test, and attempts to revive him were unsuccessful. The test requires that a person walk three miles in less than 45 minutes while carrying a 45-pound pack.

Wyoming State Forester Bill Crapser said in a press release, “The Wyoming State Forestry Division is deeply saddened by this tragic event. Our hearts go out to his family, friends and co-workers.”

Our sincere condolences go out to the firefighter’s friends, family, and co-workers.

 

 

Thanks and a hat tip go out to Chris.

Firefighter dies fighting his own fire

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags ,

The Lac La Biche Post reports that a 70-year old volunteer firefighter in Rich Lake, Alberta died May 12 while fighting a vegetation fire at his residence.

…According to a press release from Lac La Biche County, the man reported a grass fire at his residence before attempting to extinguish it. A County peace officer arrived at the scene to find the man, who had recently suffered cardiac arrest.

“We are very saddened by this tragic event,” Acting Mayor Robert Richard said in the release, which described the man as a long-serving, respected local volunteer firefighter and did not reveal his name before family members were notified. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family during this difficult time.”

The person has not been identified yet, but our sincere condolences go out to the family.

Firefighter fatality map

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , 1 Comment on Firefighter fatality map

NIOSH has created an interactive mapping system that enables a web site visitor to configure and view a map showing the locations of firefighter fatalities. The U.S. Fire Administration data, for the years 1994 through 2013, can be manipulated with numerous variables, including wildland fire and the year.

Unfortunately, the way the data is displayed is not consistent. Some multiple-fatality incidents are represented by a purple arrow with the number of fatalities. A quick look found, for example, that the 14 fatalities on the 1994 South Canyon Fire are represented by an icon that usually indicates a single fatality, and it does not include a number. In addition, it is not placed in the correct location in west-central Colorado.

Maybe it is a work in progress.

Below are a couple of examples of maps that can be produced. The first shows wildland fire fatalities in 2013 and the next is from 1994 through 2013.

NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Map, 2013 NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Map, 1994- 2013In spite of the bugs, which hopefully will get worked out, NIOSH should be congratulated for putting together this tool which could be very useful.

 

Arizona firefighter dies while taking pack test

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , , 17 Comments on Arizona firefighter dies while taking pack test

On Saturday, March 8, 61-year old  volunteer firefighter Bobby Mollere of the Hellsgate Fire Department in Star Valley, Arizona collapsed and died while taking the pack test version of the Work Capacity Test, which requires a person to carry a 45-pound pack for three miles in less than 45 minutes. The cause of death was listed as “stress/overexertion” and heart attack.

Below is the official notice from the U.S. Fire Administration:

While performing a Wildland Pack Test, Lieutenant Mollere collapsed on the Payson High School track. Fellow firefighters on scene initiated a medical assessment and found Mollere in cardiac arrest. The EMTs and Paramedics began advanced life support immediately on scene. Lieutenant Mollere was transported to the Payson Regional Medical Center where resuscitative efforts continued until he passed away. Incident Location: Payson High School track, AZ (U.S. National Grid: 12S VC 6952 8857)

Our sincere condolences go out to Mr. Mollere’s family, friends, and fellow firefighters.

Previously we have written about other fatalities and serious injuries that occurred while taking the Pack Test. Federal land management agencies and some other organizations require that their on-the-ground firefighters pass the test once a year in order to be qualified to fight wildland fires.

Laguna Hot Shots taking Pack Test
File photo of the Laguna Hot Shots, based at Descanso, California, taking the Pack Test while wearing weighted vests. Photo by Laguna Hotshots.

Wildfire briefing, March 3, 3014

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags ,

Wildland firefighter dies in Tennessee

A wildland firefighter with the Tennessee Division of Forestry became ill and died while preparing to respond to a vegetation fire in Tennessee. Jerry Campbell, 61, collapsed while getting ready to deploy to a wildfire in the Cherokee National Forest Friday night. He was transported to the Newport Medical/Tennova Healthcare Center where he was pronounced dead at 1:45 a.m. Saturday morning.

Our sincere condolences go out to Mr. Campbell’s family and coworkers.

Wildlife or wildfire?

Sanibel boat fire
Boat fire south of Sanibel Island

Occasionally people who are not that familiar with wildland fire write or say “wildLIFE” when they mean “wildFIRE”. An article in Florida’s Cape Coral Daily Breeze reported that a boat from the “Fish & Wildfire Commission” responded to a boat fire three miles south of Sanibel Island in the Gulf of Mexico on March 3. But in a subsequent paragraph they referred to a craft from “Fish and Wildlife”.

John N. Maclean teaches course in Iowa

John N. Maclean will be teaching a week-long course in northwest Iowa in May about the history of wildland fire, from the Big Burn of 1910 to the Yarnell Hill Fire of 2013. The Iowa Lakeside Laboratory, a biological field station administered through the University of Iowa, will be offering the new course with a working title of “Causes and Consequences of Fatal Wildfires” offered by Mr. Maclean, author of “Fire on the Mountain” and three other books on wildfire. Scholarships for room and board are available. More information.