In the United Kingdom three fire officers have been charged with manslaughter in the line of duty deaths of four firefighters in a structure fire. Firefighters Ian Reid, John Averis, Ashley Stephens and Darren Yates-Badley died while fighting a fire in a vegetable packing warehouse in 2007.
The 2002 Cantwell-Hastings bill has resulted in witch hunts, criminal charges, attorney fees, and jail time for wildland firefighters who make mistakes on the fireline.
The most infamous example was the 2001 Thirtymile fire, after which Ellreese Daniels was charged with 11 felonies related to the deaths of four firefighters who were on his hand crew. He was facing the possibility of decades in prison, but the Assistant U. S. Attorney, perhaps realizing he did not have a winnable case, allowed Daniels to plead guilty to two misdemeanors of making a false statement in an Administrative hearing. Seven years after the fire, he was sentenced to three months of incarceration in a work-release program and three years of probation.
At Firehouse World in San Diego, Los Angeles County Firefighter Rob Morales told the story of what happened at Camp 16 on August 30, 2009 when the Station fire raced up a chimney canyon, through the camp, and claimed the lives of Captain Ted Hall and Firefighter Arnie Quinones, of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
Here is an excerpt from an article at Firehouse.com written by Ed Ballam:
…[Rob Morales] said he pulled a fire watch the night before the fire hit and he knew it was big fire by the roar and the glow, but it didn’t make a huge run overnight. He felt safe and thought the fire would pass by the camp and everything would be fine. That seemed to be the prevalent thought of the whole crew. When day broke, Morales said he had been angling to be with Capt. Hall on his truck and he was disappointed when Hall asked Quinones to go with him on the fire patrol.
Morales went back to his crew and kept an eye on the fire and watched for hot spots and embers as it came closer.
At one point, embers showered the camp and he went to see what he could do to put them out. “I soon realized there were way too many and there was nothing I could do,” Morales said.
As the fire came closer, Morales sheltered behind a metal door briefly. He thought they might lose a couple of buildings, but everyone would be OK. The fire grew worse and Morales decided to beeline to the chow hall where the other firefighters in the camp were sheltering as well.
As he headed there, he thought that would be the end of him. “I didn’t think I was going to make it,” he said. “I heard my crew screaming like you never want to hear them scream.” He recalled looking out and seeing virtually everything in the camp on fire. “I knew we were losing and I hollered the F-word as loud as I could,” he said.
A window in the chow hall broke and then someone in the crew called out that they were going to die in the building if they stayed.
“I made a decision to leave the building,” Morales said. “I decided that if I was going to die, they were going to find me outside and not have to dig through a pile of bodies to find me.”
Even though he was in great peril, Morales said he never stopped thinking about Hall and Quinones, who he knew were either in trouble, or were outrunning the fire as they headed down the canyon.
As Morales made his way across the camp, he noticed that the area where the privately owned vehicles were parked was not burned and the air would sustain life. He radioed to the crew to run to the area where the trucks were parked and told them the air was good.
As all the members of the crew gathered, he told them to jump in the trucks as they evacuated.
“I didn’t care what truck they got into, we just needed to get out of there,” Morales said, adding that he was hoping they would catch up with Hall and Quinones on the road.
We are sad to report that Donald S. Lam of the Kentucky Division of Forestry, died today, February 17, of injuries he sustained while fighting a fire in western Kentucky on September 7, 2010.
Initial investigations report that Ranger Lam was struck by a rolling log, a burning snag approximately 10 ft in length that broke loose and rolled off a bluff. The impact has left Ranger Lam unconscious and with serious injuries including second degree burns.
Here is more information reported today by LEX18.com:
Lam, 58, was a dedicated forest ranger technician and experienced wildland firefighter who had assisted with fire suppression efforts on the local, state and national level for nearly 12 years.
“This tragedy is a tremendous loss to our organization,” said Leah MacSwords, director of the Kentucky Division of Forestry. “When you think about what forest wardens do every day and the frequency in which they put themselves in harm’s way for the protection of citizens and forest resources, it makes you realize the commitment and loyalty that make up their character.”
Lam, who had been in critical condition since the accident occurred on September 7, received injuries while working the Scotts Chapel Road Fire-a 12-acre wildfire in Livingston County. Lam was clearing a fire break for containment at the base of a bluff when a burning snag broke loose on top and rolled off striking him from behind. The impact left him unconscious and with serious injuries including second degree burns.
The Scotts Chapel Road fire initially spread from a burning brush pile during a county-wide burn ban. The brush pile was set fire by FCE Construction and Excavation while clearing a construction site owned by River Oaks Timberland Management. Currently, charges are pending for the person responsible for starting the fire.
Our sincere condolences go out to Mr. Lam’s family and co-workers.
Thanks for the information Tyson, and we are sorry for your loss.
There are reports out of China that six people died Saturday, February 5, while fighting a wildfire in east China’s Zhejiang Province. Some reports say that villagers or unspecified people died fighting the fire, while others say the six were firefighters. Two or three others were injured.
The fire started when people set off fireworks at the graves of relatives in Fulin Village, Chun’an County in tribute to their ancestors.
A firefighter who worked for the National Parks and Wildlife Service in New South Wales, Australia was killed Friday, Feb. 4 when he was trapped under a falling tree while he was working on a bush fire near Quorrobolong, south of Cessnock (map). Here is an excerpt from an article at The Herald:
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A National Parks and Wildlife Service firefighter described as a ‘‘larger than life classic bush character’’ and devoted family man died yesterday doing the job he loved.
John Garland, 65, of Muswellbrook, was killed after a tree fell on him during a bushfire operation at Quorrobolong, south of Cessnock.
The father of six and great-grandfather was a divisional commander and firefighter with the Upper Hunter office at Scone for the past 11 years.
Regional manager Robert Quirk described him as a ‘‘truly wonderful human being who loved his job’’.
Mr Quirk said that at 65, Mr Garland was not ready for retirement and was talking about staying until he was 70.
‘‘He was fit and strong and worked as hard as anyone – it showed the measure of the man,’’ he said.
Mr Quirk said he had a love of the forest and had worked in the timber industry before joining the national parks.
‘‘He was passionate about his job, he was always the first one on and last one off the fire ground,’’ he said.
‘‘He had a sense of pride, that he was working on behalf of the community.’’
Mr Quirk said Mr Garland was an occupational health and safety committee member. He was ‘‘one of the safest blokes’’ he knew and would have had ‘‘his eyes open to everything’’.
‘‘It is just an awful tragedy,’’ he said. ‘‘It goes to show how dangerous fighting fires is.
‘‘… he was doing what he loved.’’
The accident occurred about 12.30pm near a 70hectare bushfire at Baraba Lane, which had been burning since Monday.
NPWS head Sally Barnes said in a statement that Mr Garland, an advanced tree feller, was working to remove problem trees from the fire ground when the incident occurred.
She said crews worked frantically to free him but he died before the tree could be moved.
Ms Barnes said the accident devastated colleagues. Mr Garland was an experienced, senior firefighter and much-loved mentor.
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Our condolences go out to Mr. Garland’s family and co-workers.
Yesterday we provided live coverage of the National Transportation Safety Board’s all-day meeting about the 2008 crash of the Sikorsky S-61N helicopter on the Iron Complex fire near Weaverville, California in which nine firefighters died. The pilot-in-command, a U.S. Forest Service check pilot, and seven firefighters were fatally injured; the copilot and three firefighters were seriously injured. The helicopter was operated by Carson Helicopters, Inc. of Grants Pass, Oregon.
According to the NTSB, there was “intentional wrong-doing” by Carson Helicopters that under-stated the weight of the helicopter and over-stated the performance of the helicopter in the documents they provided to the USFS when bidding on their firefighting contract. The NTSB estimated that the actual empty weight of the helicopter was 13,845 pounds, while Carson Helicopters stated in their contract proposal that the weight was 12,013 pounds. For the purpose of load calculations on the day of the crash, the pilot assumed the weight to be 12,408 pounds, which was 1,437 pounds less than the actual weight estimated by the NTSB. According to the NTSB, for the mission of flying the firefighters off the helispot, the helicopter was already over the allowable weight even without the firefighters on board.
In addition, here is an excerpt from the NTSB report:
The altered takeoff (5-minute) power available chart that was provided by Carson Helicopters eliminated a safety margin of 1,200 pounds of emergency reserve power that had been provided for in the load calculations.
The pilot-in-command followed a Carson Helicopters procedure, which was not approved by the helicopter’s manufacturer or the U.S. Forest Service, and used above-minimum specification torque in the load calculations, which exacerbated the error already introduced by the incorrect empty weight and the altered takeoff power available chart, resulting in a further reduction of 800 pounds to the safety margin intended to be included in the load calculations.
The incorrect information—the empty weight and the power available chart—provided by Carson Helicopters and the company procedure of using above-minimum specification torque misled the pilots to believe that the helicopter had the performance capability to hover out of ground effect with the manifested payload when, in fact, it did not.
The NTSB has notified the Department of Transportation’s Inspector General that Carson’s actions may merit a criminal investigation.
The NTSB and the FAA seem to have a rocky relationship. Some of the recommendations that the NTSB makes to the FAA following accident investigations are ignored, which frustrates the NTSB. This was evident a couple of times in the meeting yesterday. The AP reports on an example of this tension that affected the NTSB’s ability to investigate the Iron 44 fire fatal accident:
Two months after the accident, the FAA office in charge of overseeing Carson received letters from two pilots with knowledge of Carson’s operations who expressed concern that the company was miscalculating helicopter weights, investigators said.
Investigators said that if FAA had provided NTSB with that information at the time, it would have helped them figure out sooner that the weight calculations were faulty. FAA was a party to the accident investigation and its inspectors were aware of the investigation, they said.
However, FAA dismissed the allegations and didn’t provide the letters to NTSB until about a year later after the investigators made a general request for documents related to the agency’s oversight of Carson after the crash, investigators said.
Carson surrenders FAA certificate, but may still be operating in Afghanistan
It was reported by the FAA after the NTSB meeting on Tuesday that Carson Helicopters has surrendered their FAA Certificate, which is equivalent to an operating license. However, they may still be flying for the military as a subcontractor. The Mail Tribune in Medford, Oregon reported in January, 2009 that Carson Helicopters signed a contract with a subsidiary of Blackwater Worldwide (which recently changed their name to “Xe”) to use seven of their Sikorsky S-61 helicopters in Afghanistan. The contract, worth $605 million through 2013, is for the helicopters to transport supplies; they will not be involved in combat.
Fuel Control Unit missing
Conspiracy theory enthusiasts will enjoy speculating about the fuel control unit that went missing after it was gathered as evidence. The NTSB says the part played no role in the accident and that both engines were operating at full power during the accident. However, Carson is saying the crash was caused when one engine experienced a loss of power caused by the part that later disappeared. If Carson can successfully deflect blame to the company that manufactured the part, or at least establish some doubt about the accident’s cause, it may reduce their financial liability.
Who regulates wildfire aviation?
The answer is: nobody. The FAA claims they have no authority to regulate the aviation activities of other federal agencies or state and local governments. This authority has to be granted by Congress, which has shown no interest in becoming involved in the aviation safety of firefighters. And the federal agencies, or at least the U.S. Forest Service as proven in this accident, generally do not have the aviation expertise to inspect and regulate their own agency-owned or contracted aircraft. Good luck in trying to not think about this the next time you’re climbing into a helicopter at a fire. (Let’s see – got hard hat, gloves, line gear, tool, life insurance.)
Today, December 7, 2010, the National Transportation Safety Board conducted a Board Meeting about the August 5, 2008 crash of the Sikorsky S-61N helicopter on the Iron Complex fire near Weaverville in northern California that killed nine firefighters. The meeting was broadcast on a live webcast which we watched. The notes below were taken in real time during the webcast. It was not possible to pause or “rewind”, so there are probably errors and omissions, for which we apologize in advance. But we did the best we could, with limited multi-tasking and typing skills.
We originally covered some of the details of the NTSB’s Factual Report on the crash HERE. As we said then, one of the most startling facts the NTSB discovered is this:
The NTSB estimated that the actual empty weight of the helicopter was 13,845 pounds, while Carson Helicopters stated in their contract proposal that the weight was 12,013 pounds. For the purpose of load calculations on the day of the crash, the pilot assumed the weight to be 12,408 pounds, which was 1,437 pounds less than the actual weight estimated by the NTSB.
More information:
The presentations made during the meeting can be found on the NTSB web site HERE. They may only be available for three months.
The Accident Docket, a list of NTSB documents related to the accident, can be found HERE.
A recorded version of the webcast is now available HERE on the NTSB site. It may only be available there for three months.
After the meeting the NTSB issued a press release. We included it at the bottom of this article.
The meeting was held in Washington, DC, and the times shown below are Eastern Time. Below, the most recent updates are at the top.
4:23 – After a closing summary statement by Chairman Hersman, the board adjourned.
4:15 – Robert Sumwalt proposed, and the Board voted enthusiastically to approve, that the report be amended to include “Carson Helicopter, Inc.” in the title. During the meeting today, there was severe criticism of Carson, especially for their “intentional wrong-doing”. Some family members of the crash victims in the audience (which was never shown on camera) applauded the work of the investigative staff. Zoë (Zoëy) Keliher received special recognition for the investigative work that she performed. Other investigators, when they uncovered a surprising or extremely important fact, were said to have had a “Zoëy Moment”.
4:09 – Chairman Hersman said the Public Use area of aircraft operations, under which fire aviation falls, is an “orphan” in the regulatory system. She said the FAA needs to recognize and correct this. “We don’t want to investigate any more crashes like this”, she said.
3:58 – While they are reading the list, HERE is a link to a page that lists, and has photos of, the five members of the NTSB. Robert Sumwalt spoke more, and asked more questions, than the other four members. But they all were very professional, knowledgeable, brought up good points, and asked excellent questions of the investigators and witnesses.
3:53 – They just finished reading a list of probable causes, and now are reading 20+ recommendations. I can’t type that fast, but we’ll attempt to get a written copy.
3:48 – Robert Sumtwalt faulted the USFS for their lack of oversight before the accident, but praised them for the actions they took afterwards.
A massive wildfire in Tibet’s Sichuan province killed 22 people, including Chinese soldiers during rescue operation on Sunday [December 5, 2010].
Of the 22 killed, 15 were soldiers, two workers with the grassland administration while five others were local civilians. Three others who sustained severe burn injuries were rushed to the hospitals, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
The grassland fire, which spread fast, proved deadly when it trapped soldiers and local residents trying to put out the blaze. This is one of the highest casualties China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) suffered in recent times.
The wildfire was raging through a grassland atop a plateau in Daofu County, Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze, Sichuan province. Daofu sits in a forest-covered area at the eastern edge of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.
About 33.3 hectare [82 acres] of the grassland was destroyed, while 13 hectare [32 acres] was still on fire. The fire broke out at noon and was brought under control around 3 pm. However, gusting winds reignited the flames and trapped people fighting the fire.
A string of deadly fires hit China in recent weeks as most parts of the country brace for a dry winter. Fifty-eight people were killed in a Shanghai high-rise fire on November 15.
Our sincere condolences to the families and co-workers.
UPDATE @ 10:45 a.m. MT, December 10
The Shanghai Daily has more details on how the firefighters were equipped, and how more funds are now being appropriated for firefighting in the area.
The National Transportation Safety Board is going to hold a public board meeting with only one thing on the agenda, the August 5, 2008 crash of the helicopter on the Iron Complex fire in northern California that killed nine firefighters. Their announcement about the meeting is HERE.
The meeting will be Tuesday, December 7, at 9:30 a.m., in the NTSB Board Room and Conference Center, 429 L’Enfant Plaza, S.W., Washington, D.C. A live and archived webcast of the proceedings will be available on the Board’s website at www.ntsb.gov.
The NTSB has already issued a “factual report” on the crash. We covered that HERE. The Sikorsky S-61N crashed on takeoff from a remote helispot in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest near Weaverville, California. The NTSB suggested in the factual report that Carson Helicopters understated the weight of its aircraft and kept spotty maintenance records; the company’s contract with the USFS was terminated following the accident.
The NTSB estimated that the actual empty weight of the helicopter was 13,845 pounds, while Carson Helicopters stated in their contract proposal that the weight was 12,013 pounds. For the purpose of load calculations on the day of the crash, the pilot assumed the weight to be 12,408 pounds, which was 1,437 pounds less than the actual weight estimated by the NTSB.
Killed in the crash were pilot Roark Schwanenberg, 54; pilot Jim Ramage, 63; Shawn Blazer, 30; Scott Charlson, 25; Matthew Hammer, 23; Edrik Gomez, 19; Bryan Rich, 29; David Steele, 19; and Steven “Caleb” Renno, 21. The Wildland Firefighter Foundation has a tribute page online [HERE].
News media in southern California are reporting that a crew carrier transporting a California inmate fire crew was involved in a head-on crash with another vehicle on Highway 138 in Gorman this afternoon. The Los Angeles Times and ABC7 report that prisoners were ejected from the vehicle. One inmate was killed and 12 were injured. Three of the injured are in critical condition. The elderly driver of the other vehicle was also killed. The supervisor of the crew, a firefighter with the Los Angeles County Fire Department, was not killed, according to ABC7.
A California Highway Patrol investigator said a Subaru Forester crossed the center line and crashed into the crew carrier.
The crash occurred at 2:18 p.m. today on Highway 138 just east of Interstate 5.
The AP reports:
The crew was one of four based at a camp near the crash site in San Francisquito Canyon in Saugus, [Los Angeles County fire inspector Matt] Levesque said. The county and the California Department of Corrections work together to maintain 10 such camps throughout LA county.
Los Angeles County supervises California state inmates at five camps in the county. The crew was one of the four crews stationed at Camp 14 near Santa Clarita, CA.
Our sincere condolences go out to the families and coworkers.
