LA County firefighter dies during physical training

David L  Bailey
David L. Bailey

This morning a firefighter with the Los Angeles County Fire Department died during physical fitness training. At approximately 11:30 a.m. Fire Captain David Bailey suffered a medical emergency, resulting in his untimely death at Los Angeles County Fire Department Camp 14 in Santa Clarita.

Captain Bailey, 50, was a resident of Acton, and is survived by his wife. He had no children. Funeral services will be announced at a later time.

We offer our sincere condolences to Captain Bailey’s wife and his coworkers.

UPDATE  at 6:17 p.m. MT, April 4, 2012

The original information above came directly from PIO Captain Mark Savage of the LACFD. Chuck Bushey talked Captain Savage later who told that Captain Bailey was walking on a hiking trail during his morning physical training when he died, which agrees with what we posted yesterday. However, some other internet articles are reporting slightly different versions of the circumstances. We stand by our original version, as well as Chuck’s additional details.

NIOSH releases report on LODD near Gorman, Texas

Greg Simmons
Greg Simmons

In April, 2011, Wildfire Today covered the Line of Duty Death of firefighter Greg Simmons on a fire at County Road 323 near Gorman Texas. The fatality occurred as 10 fire vehicles were attempting to escape from a vegetation fire and became bottle-necked at a gate. Mr. Simmons was found deceased in a roadside ditch along CR 323 with severe burns on his head and upper body. He was wearing bunker pants, fire-fighting boots, and a tee shirt. The coroner determined that the cause of death was blunt force trauma from either being struck by or run over by a fire vehicle during fire-fighting operations in smoky conditions with very limited visibility.

Attack 5, burned engine on CR 323 fire near Gorman Texas

The report that NIOSH released has more details, of course, and here are some excerpts. (Mr. Simmons had been working on Brush 621.)

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“…As the three fire fighters from Brush 82 and Brush 621 attempted to outrun the fire on foot on CR 323, they were able to jump into or onto Tanker 620. Due to the volume of vehicles attempting to escape the fire, the poor visibility due to the smoke, as well as a variety of tanker mechanical issues resulting from the intense heat, fire fighters were driving their tankers off the road, frequently colliding with each other, blocking each other in, and, as a result, many had to escape the fire by backing out (using the edge of the road as a guide as it was not possible to see the road). Tanker 7 did not escape on the road, but rather drove into a field east of CR 323. Tanker 7, operated by Chief 7, with two other fire fighters, was in the field of coastal grass on the east side of CR323 when the fire erupted. Chief 7 drove Tanker 7 east into the field approximately 100 yards and parked. The three fire fighters each deployed a hoseline to protect the apparatus and themselves. They operated in this mode for approximately 5–10 minutes until the fire passed them.
Continue reading “NIOSH releases report on LODD near Gorman, Texas”

California inmate dies while training with CAL FIRE

On Wednesday an inmate that was training with CAL FIRE died. Our condolences go out to the family, friends, and coworkers.

Here is an excerpt from a news release by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation:

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 5, 2012

Inmate Firefighter Dies of Presumed Natural Causes

SAN LUIS OBISPO – A California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) inmate firefighter assigned to Cuesta Fire Camp at the California Men’s Colony died of presumed natural causes Wednesday afternoon January 4  during a training exercise with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention (CAL FIRE).

The inmate, Crisanto Leo Lionell, 54, was participating in a training exercise at the California National Guard’s Camp San Luis when he lost consciousness. Emergency personnel transported him to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead at approximately 4:45 p.m.

(UPDATE July 13, 2017. The cause of death was listed as a heart attack.)

Lionell was received by CDCR on February 10, 2010, to serve an 11-year sentence for transportation and possession for sale of controlled substances in Tulare County.

CDCR and CAL FIRE will conduct a review of the incident.

CDCR currently operates 44 adult and two Division of Juvenile Justice Conservation Camps in California. CDCR jointly manages 39 adult and juvenile camps with CAL FIRE and five adult camps with the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Nearly 4,000 offenders participate in the Conservation Camp Program (CCP), which has approximately 200 fire crews.

Since 1946, the CCP has provided the State’s cooperative agencies with an able-bodied, trained workforce for fire suppression and other emergencies, such as floods and earthquakes.

Six Chilean firefighters killed in wildfire

UPDATE January 6, 2012:

The body of the seventh firefighter killed while trying to contain a blaze on the property of the Mininco Forestry company was recovered early Friday.

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Six firefighters working on a wildfire in Chile were killed on Thursday when they were entrapped and overrun by flames. Local governor Miguel Mellado was quoted as saying, “the fire suddenly surrounded them because of the wind, they drew closer together, one against another, and saw the fire pass above them”.

During the incident, the group of ten firefighters working for a forestry company were entrapped while they were suppressing the wildfire in a forest near Carahue in Araucania. Six of them were killed, two were badly burned and evacuated by helicopter, one escaped, and one is listed as missing.

Authorities suspect that since multiple fires started almost simultaneously in the regions of Biobio, Maule and Araucania, that the fires were ignited by arsonists.

Our sincere condolences to the family, friends, and coworkers of these firefighters.

Followup on New Zealand firefighting helicopter crash – 2 fatalities

There is now confirmation that the crash of the firefighting helicopter in New Zealand that Wildfire Today covered yesterday resulted in two fatalities. Initially it was known that the helicopter crashed Wednesday night into the ocean off shore from a vegetation fire, but the official status of the pilot and passenger was “missing” until divers could access the wreckage in seven to ten meters of water a few hundred meters off shore.

Below is an update, courtesy of FirefighterCloseCalls.com:

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We regret to advise you that 2 Firefighers died this morning when a helicopter operating at a wildland fire that destroyed homes in New Zealand’s North Island. The helicopter went missing late last night off the Karikari Peninsula, at the northern end of the North Island, and the wreckage was found early today. Rescue divers reached the wreckage and confirmed the two-man crew, a commercial helicopter pilot and a conservation department ranger, died in the crash. The helicopter was carrying out a reconnaissance flight over the fire when it crashed. The 2 Firefighters faced very heavy fire and smoke conditions. Pilot John de Ridder, along with Department of Conservation Ranger William Macrae, were sent to help evacuate trapped residents on the Karikari Peninsula. The Squirrel helicopter went down not far from the fire while making a reconnaissance flight over the fire which burned two homes in Matai Bay.

De Ridder, a seasoned pilot in these conditions, was a director for Salt Air, a charter company. Chief executive Grant Harnish said that de Ridder was one of the Far North’s most experienced and respected helicopter pilots. They were fighting the fire when he was requested by command to divert to pick civilians up from the beach and get them away from approaching fire and out of harm’s way. The pilot removed the monsoon bucket and then began the new task.

William Macrae, 54, was in the passenger seat when the helicopter crashed and was a long serving and highly respected ranger who has worked the job for 16 years. Macrae’s brother, also a DOC ranger, was busy operating at the fire when his brother crashed. His wife is the receptionist at the Kaitaia office. The fire, believed to have been deliberately set, started late Wednesday, forcing some residents in the remote area to wade into the ocean to escape the fire. Our sincere condolences to all affected.

2 Pilots dead in separate wildfire aviation accidents in Spain

The International Association of Wildland Fire is reporting the deaths of two pilots in separate wildfire aviation accidents in Spain. One was a single engine air tanker that crashed on October 2, and the other was a mid-air collision of two helicopters on September 30. There was one fatality in each incident.

It has been a very bad year in Spain for wildfire aviation fatalities. Six firefighters died March 16 in the crash of a helicopter, and three died on September 19 in another helicopter accident.

Here is the information reported by the IAWF about the two most recent fatalities:

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INCIDENT #1

  • Name: Iñigo Zubiaga Padadogorriaga
  • Rank: Pilot
  • Age: 54
  • Gender: Male
  • Status: Contractor to the Airborne Firefighting Service of the Galician Regional Government (INFOCAM) (INFOGA)
  • Years of Service: Very experienced pilot and had flown the last four fire seasons in Galicia (Galice) Spain. He was a master of the Aeroclub of Biscay, and wrote a very popular manual for obtaining a private pilot’s license.
  • Date of Incident: 2 October 2011
  • Time of Incident: approximately 1715 hours local time
  • Date of Death: 2 October 2011
  • Company: Martínez Ridao Company
  • Fire Department: Airborne Firefighting Service of the Galician Regional Government (INFOCAM)
  • Incident Description: Pilot Zubiaga, was helping to extinguish a large fire in the Serra da Meda, Galicia near the town of Arcucelos (Laza). The plane he was piloting, an Air Tractor AT802, crashed for reasons still unknown but the pilot had time to radio his base that something was wrong with the aircraft. Nearby observers saw the “aircraft was on a strange maneuver before plunging to the ground.” Firefighters from Verín started an immediate search and when they found the aircraft the Zubiaga was not inside. He died of unknown causes and was found about 150 meters from the crashed aircraft in an area of rough terrain. His body was discovered about 1900 hours local time and was taken to the Hospital Complex of Ourense. An autopsy was to be performed to determine cause of death. The Regional Ministry of Rural Affairs announced an inquiry would take place concerning the incident.
  • Incident Location: Autonomous Community of Galicia, Ourense-Xunta de Galicia province, in Serrra da Meda, between Laza and Verín to 42.008999,-7.482033. Galicia (Galice) is in northwest Spain and is bordered by Portugal to the south, the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the Bay of Biscay to the north.
INCIDENT #2
  • Name: Leo Jenssen (from Denmark)
  • Rank: Pilot
  • Age: unknown
  • Gender: Male
  • Status: Contractor to the Airborne Firefighting Service of Castilla La Mancha Regional Government (Incendios Forestales Castilla La Mancha, INFOCAM)
  • Years of Service: More than 10700 flight hours and eight fire seasons in Spain
  • Date of Incident: 30 September 2011
  • Time of Incident: 1340 hours local time
  • Date of Death: 30 September 2011
  • Company: Grupo INAER
  • Company Address: Oficinas Centrales (INAER Helicópteros), Aeródromo de Mutxamel, Partida La Almaina, 92, 03110 Mutxamel, Alicante, SPAIN
  • Fire Department: Airborne Firefighting Service of the Castilla La Mancha Regional Government (Incendios Forestales Castilla La Mancha, INFOCAM)
  • Helicopter Contractor: Grupo INAER
  • Incident Description: Two helicopter Bell B212’s touched and crashed during aerial maneuvering to refill with water at the Bienservida reservoir. Pilot Jennsen (flying helicopter MSN 30775, CC-CIS) was the only one of the two pilots who died during the incident. The other pilot, Manuel Fuertes, with 13 years’ experience, (flying helicopter EC-GIC), survived with minor injuries and burns but walked away from the crash and was taken to the hospital in Ciudad Real. Pilot Jennsen was unconscious and with a pulse when extracted from the water and CPR was administered. Pilot Jennsen was pronounced dead at the hospital and reportedly died from drowning. He was working for INAER, for the Castilla La Mancha fire agency. The fire reported at 1245 hours local time was extinguished at only 6 ha. The Accident Investigation Commission and Civil Aviation Incidents (CIAIAC) of the Ministry of Development is responsible for the investigation. The helicopter had last undergone and passed a review on 22 September. At this time the cause of the accident is unknown.
  • Incident Location: Area known as Los Castellares in the Alcaraz Sierra, Autonomous Community of Castilla-La Mancha, Albacete province, at the Bienservida reservoir, 38.519429,-2.61137. Spain.