Tag: lodd

Update at 12:06 p.m. MT, June 8, 2011: the Texas firefighter has been identified as a member of a BLM hot shot crew based out of Utah.

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FirefighterCloseCalls sent out this information Thursday night, June 7:

TEXAS FIREFIGHTER DIES IN THE LINE OF DUTY-WILDLAND FIRE

It is with deep regret that we advise you that a Firefighter (who was airlifted this afternoon from the 337 Fire northwest of Mineral Wells TX) has now died in the Line of Duty.

The 25-year-old was an out-of-state Firefighter working for the Texas Forest Service. Initial reports are that he was overcome by heat, leading to cardiac arrest and he died at the hospital at 1900 hours this evening.

The fire began Monday west of State Highway 337 burning 1,200 acres and forcing the evacuation of people from 20 homes in the Coronado’s Camp and Devil’s Hollow areas. The fire is reported to be 50% contained. More details to follow, as always our most sincere condolences.

TWO OKLAHOMA FIREFIGHTERS & THEIR APPARATUS BURNED

In Oklahoma, 2 Pocasset Firefighters were injured and the fire apparatus in which they were working was lost in a grass fire north of Chickasha this afternoon. The Firefighters were operating at a fire off of US 81 north of Chickasha when their truck was overtaken by the fire. The Firefighters were both taken to Grady Memorial Hospital for treatment of 2nd- and 3rd-degree burns. The injuries are serious but reported to not be life threatening. One of the injured Firefighters, Christie Rainey, is also the mayor of Pocasset. We wish them a quick recovery.

Our sincerest condolences to the families and co-workers of the firefighters.

UPDATE at 10:56 a.m. MT, June 21, 2011:

CNN has more information this morning:

…The two Florida Division of Forestry firefighters died Monday while fighting a wildfire in north-central Florida that had been declared contained but which suddenly burst out of control, Amanda Bevis, a division spokeswoman, said Tuesday.

“They were both in tractors, and the fire literally just caught up with them,” she said.

The firefighters were identified as Josh Burch, 31, and Brett Fulton, 52. Both were Forest Rangers with the forestry division working the Blue Ribbon Fire in Hamilton County.

“The wildfires have ravaged our state, burning more than 200,000 acres, and now, they have taken the lives of two of our very own men,” Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam said in a statement.

Texas fires force evacuations Air tankers play a big role in Arizona Southwestern wildfires worsen Arizona wildfires pose extreme risk

Two other firefighters were injured trying to rescue their colleagues, Bevis said. They were treated and released Monday and will make full recoveries, she said.

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CNN and numerous other news outlets are reporting that two firefighters in Florida died while fighting a wildfire on Monday.

From CNN:

A pair of firefighters died in north Florida on Monday while battling the Blue Ribbon wildfire in Hamilton County, the Florida Division of Forestry said.

“My thoughts and prayers go out to the families and loved ones of the two courageous men who sacrificed their lives for the safety of others,” said Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam. “We can rebuild the structures and restore the land, but the lives of these two heroes can never be replaced.”

Two other firefighters also were injured on the same fire. Both were treated for smoke and heat-related injuries and released from local hospitals.

The Blue Ribbon Fire started Thursday and had previously been declared contained, but it flared again Monday.

Our sincere condolences go out to the families and coworkers of the four firefighters.

A firefighter who was apparently working on a wildfire, was found dead Thursday evening northeast of Houston.

From KLTV:

HUNTINGTON, TX (KTRE) – A Huntington volunteer firefighter died Thursday evening while apparently fighting a fire, according to the chief of the department.

David Goins was 47.

Fellow firefighter Kimberly Clark said firefighters with the Texas Forest Service were responding to a brush fire near Goins residence on Kay Currie Road when they found him dead, between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Goins is survived by three sons, Clark said.

Lufkin Fire Department spokesman Steve McCool said Goins worked as a Lufkin firefighter from 1985 to 1996, working his way up to lieutenant when he resigned.

“I worked for him for a couple years,” McCool said. “He was a good man and I hate to see the loss.”

Mr. Goins is survived by three sons. Our sincere condolences go out to his family.

A helicopter fighting a wildfire crashed into Lesser Slave Lake about 24 kilometeres northwest of the town of Slave Lake, Alberta, killing the pilot who was the only person on board. The Bell 212 helicopter, using a water bucket, was dipping out of the lake and ended up in about four feet of water 30 meters offshore just after 3 p.m. MT on Friday, May 21.

Here is an excerpt from CTV:

…[The] RCMP said fire officials immediately extricated the one male pilot from the helicopter. The pilot was pronounced dead at the scene. He was the only one on board.

“We got a call to take my boat, which was fortunately parked right on the shore of the lake and get over to help recover it,” said eyewitness Troy Foster.

Another eyewitness reports he saw the chopper go down.

“I was just walking to the neighbour’s property and they’d been bucketing all day and a chopper came over and he went to go into a hover and he tipped right sideways,” said Lorne Lukan. “In seconds he went over, went into a hover and tipped right sideways and went straight down.”

Police say rescue attempts resulted in a number of emergency workers receiving hypothermia.

“They were treated for mild hypothermia,” said incident commander Len Maccharles. “There were 12 firefighters in the water,” he added.

“My heart goes out to the family of this helicopter pilot,” said Premier Ed Stelmach. “Today’s tragic news drives home the reality that the brave men and women fighting the fires in Alberta put their lives on the line every day to keep Albertans and our communities safe.”

The Transportation Safety Board says the chopper was owned by Campbell Helicopters based out of Abbotsford, B.C.

The chopper was assisting with fire control in the area. The province says the helicopter and pilot were under contract to Sustainable Resource Development.

Our sincere condolences to the family and coworkers.

Update: the pilot has been identified.

The International Association of Wildland Fire has distributed information about the May 10 line of duty death of a firefighter on a wildfire in Quebec, Canada:

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• Name: Sylvain Perron
• Rank: Firefighter
• Age: 33
• Gender: Male
• Years of Service: 6 years
• Date of Incident: 10 May 2011
• Time of Incident: late afternoon
• Date of Death: 10 May 2011
• Fire Department: Société de protection des foréets contre le feu (Quebec Provincial Forest Fire Control Agency)
• Fire Department Address: 1230 Rte. De L’aeroport, Roberval, QC G8H 2M9 Canada

The Société de protection des foréets contre le feu is a public-private partnership, non-profit company in collaboration with Government of Quebec responsible for prevention, detection and suppression of forest fires. It is operated by a board of directors with representatives of the forest industry, private woodlot owners and the Government of Quebec. Employees are strategically placed throughout Quebec as well as at four main bases at Baie-Comeau, Roberval, Maniwaki and Val – d’Or and at the headquarters office in Quebec City. The organization has reportedly more than 400 municipal firefighters trained in wildland firefighting and they also rely on causal firefighters and forestry workers.

Incident Description: Firefighter Perron collapsed while fighting a forest fire near the community of Rouyn-Noranda in the Cléricy sector in northwestern Quebec, Canada. Attempts were made to resuscitate him by other firefighters present until paramedics arrived. He was taken to the hospital ER in Rouyn-Noranda where he was pronounced dead. The incident is being investigated by inspectors from from the Commission de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CSST) accompanied by Société de protection des foréets contre le feu (SOPFEU) representatives. Firefighter Perron was based at the Matagami firebase. The Canadian Fallen Firefighters Foundation is listing the death as cardiac arrest while battling the fire.

Incident Location: Near the community of Rouyn-Noranda in the Cléricy sector