Wildfire Today

News and opinion about wildland fire

Wildfire Today

Tag: safety

BLM begins to add badly needed rollover protection to their fire engines

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , 4 Comments on BLM begins to add badly needed rollover protection to their fire engines
Montezuma fire, fatality engine
Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affair engine rollover fatality that occurred June 9, 2012 on the Montezuma Fire in Arizona. Killed in the accident was the BIA engine boss Anthony Polk, 31, of Yuma, Arizona. Two crewmembers were injured, one very seriously. Photo from the report.

In 2009 we started to notice that rollovers of fire apparatus was far too common, and too often resulted in death or serious injuries. By July 17, 2015 we had reported on 17 rollovers of fire vehicles responding to or working on wildland fires that resulted in 44 injuries or fatalities to firefighters working on or responding to a wildland fire. That does not include non-rollover vehicle accidents, rollovers of heavy equipment (of which there were quite a few), or accidents that occurred in Australia and Canada. By that date we had had enough, and wrote an article that strongly advocated rollover protection be added to wildland fire engines, Fire vehicle rollovers — how serious a problem is it?

Engine 492, left side
The rollover crash of USFS Engine 492 in Wyoming August 8, 2013. USFS photo.

To date we have written 69 articles tagged “rollovers.”

In the article below published Nov. 24, 2021, the Bureau of Land Management notes that after another fatal rollover that killed two more Department of the Interior firefighters in 2016, they decided that rollover protection was needed. Apparently the rollover that killed a BIA firefighter and seriously injured another in 2012 (see photo above) was not enough to prompt them to take action. The agency deserves praise for beginning this program to enhance the safety of their firefighters.

By Carrie Bilbao, BLM Fire Public Affairs Specialist

The BLM National Fire Equipment program (NFEP) located at the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) in Boise, Idaho provides standardized wildland fire engines, crew carriers, helitack support vehicles, command vehicles, bulldozers, and other specialized wildland fire apparatus to four agencies in the U.S. Department of Interior.

Following a fatal traffic accident in July 2016 that tragically took the lives of two BLM firefighters when their wildland fire engine was involved in a single-vehicle rollover, the national fire equipment and fire and aviation contracting programs began extensive research on rollover protection systems (ROPS). When they started working with private industry, there were no manufacturers developing ROPS for heavy trucks. Initially, NFEP and BLM Fire contracting educated the manufacturers and private industry that there is a need to invest in a ROPS to protect our field firefighters. Then they started working with private industry and truck manufacturers to design and test ROPS.

BLM rollover protection
Roll bar protection was installed in new BLM Fire engines at NIFC in August 2021. Photo by Carrie Bilbao, BLM.

The safety features of ROPS include seats with side impact airbags, seatbelt pre-tension system, and internal roll cage. The new seat system senses a rollover event and releases air from the seat and retracts the seatbelt to pull the occupants to the lowest seating position and secures them to the seat, all in fractions of a second. This increases the crush area above their heads and protects them from projecting forward. The airbag also deploys, which gives the occupants protection in the roll. The internal roll cage provides stability to the chassis to prevent it from collapsing, potentially crushing firefighters inside in the event of a rollover accident. A “superstructure” is also integrated into the fire body. It is designed to increase the cab crush angle, providing more survivable space for the occupants. The superstructure, new seats, and roll cage will provide the wildland fire community with the safest cab ever. The NFEP’s development and integration of this technology will benefit the entire wildland fire community.

BLM rollover protection
Seats equipped with side impact airbag and seatbelt pre-tension system will better protect firefighters. Photo by Carrie Bilbao, BLM.
BLM rollover protection testing
Tilt testing on a new Fort Apache Hotshots crew carrier. Photo by Mike Hislop, BLM.

“While firefighter safety is at the forefront of everything we do, it is inherently a dangerous job,” said Elden Alexander, the BLM National Fire Equipment program manager. “On a single fire dispatch, fire resources can respond 100 miles on the highway, traverse steep mountain roads, and then transition to using equipment off-road while suppressing fire. This new design adds an extra feature to keep firefighters safe. We are extremely proud of what we have accomplished and are already looking forward to the next phases of safety systems in the rest of our fire fleet. Simply said, we aren’t done yet.”

In 2021, the NFEP retrofitted 14 heavy engines with the newly developed ROPS. In the future, ROPS will be added to each contract and will be built by the manufacturer prior to being issued to the field. The outstanding work on ROPS will greatly improve the crashworthiness and survivability of our off-road wildland fire engines for all wildland fire engine personnel and will set a new industry standard. Integrating additional cab protection in all BLM Fire apparatus including crew carriers, water tenders, and dozer transports remains a priority for NFEP. The advancement in ROPS safety technology will benefit not only the U.S. Department of Interior fire programs, but well beyond them.

For the outstanding work done on research and development of this innovative safety feature, the NFEP and BLM FAD contracting recently received the DOI Safety and Health Award of Excellence. This award recognizes individuals or groups who have performed an outstanding service or have contributed unusual value to the occupational safety and health of employees, visitors, and volunteers.

The Pack Test involves risk

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , , , , 11 Comments on The Pack Test involves risk

Between 2011 and 2019 five people were killed while taking the test

Work Capacity Test or Pack Test
Taking the Work Capacity Test

The Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center put together the following information about serious incidents and fatalities that occurred while taking the Work Capacity Test, or Pack Test. Many agencies involved in wildland fire in the United States are required to administer the test to employees who respond to wildfires. There are three levels depending on the amount of physical activity required for the job. On-the-line firefighters are required to take the Arduous Level, known as the Pack Test, carrying 45 pounds for three miles in less than 45 minutes.

[pdf-embedder url=”https://wildfiretoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Work_Capacity_Test_Infographic_2021.pdf”]

 

Additional information is available in .pdf downloads about the following Pack Test incidents:

In 2019 we conducted a poll about the Pack Test.

To see all articles on Wildfire Today tagged “Pack Test”, click here.

U.S. Forest Service suspends all prescribed fires in their Northern Region

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories Prescribed FireTags , , 5 Comments on U.S. Forest Service suspends all prescribed fires in their Northern Region

The stand down follows several recent accidents and burn-related injuries

US Forest Service Regions map

The Regional Forester of the U.S. Forest Service’s Northern Region, Leanne Marten, has ordered an immediate pause on all prescribed fires within the region, which encompasses Montana, North Dakota, and Northern Idaho. In an April 19 memo, she described the reason:

In the last week and a half we have had reported four burn injuries of Northern Region employees, two very serious resulting in 3rd degree burns and surgery. Thankfully employees are recovering well.

As I mentioned on our call this morning,  I am directing an immediate pause on all prescribed burns in the Northern Region until further notification from me. Each Forest Supervisor and Director are to immediately have a safety stand down with all employees to have a dialogue and assessment on where people are at and whether we are in the place with everything else going on in the world to safely move forward with this program of work.

Forest Supervisors were directed to report back by April 23 about the results of the discussions and their recommendations going forward.

One of the injuries resulted from the collar popping off a drip torch that was being carried strapped to a Forestry Technician’s pack. All of the fuel spilled onto the person’s legs and quickly ignited.

Here is an excerpt from the Rapid Lesson Sharing document dated April 13, 2021:

US Forest Service Regions map
From the LLC Rapid Lesson Sharing report.

After the test burn for the Clear Creek Aspen Prescribed Fire was completed, blacklining operations began. The Holding Boss, with 17 years of experience, had a drip torch securely strapped to his pack, as is commonly practiced to supplement torches for the ignition crew. (See photo on left.) Fuel was not leaking from the torch.

As blackline operations continued, the brass locking ring and torch assembly simultaneously popped off the drip torch—making a noticeable audible sound. This action caused all the burn fuel to dump out at once, soaking the Holding Boss’ Nomex pants and boots.

This fuel instantaneously combusted, igniting the Holding Boss’ saturated clothing from the waist down.

The Holding Boss immediately dropped to the ground and attempted to roll. However, with his pack still on, he had limited mobility to do so. In addition, the drip torch’s burning tank was still connected to the pack.

These actions combined to ignite additional fuel in close proximity to the Holding Boss.

Difficulty in Suppressing Flames

All resources in the area immediately tried to assist the Holding Boss by trying to smother the flames on his legs with gloved hands. They removed the pack and poured water from their canteens to suppress the flames.

However, with the amount of fuel that was involved, efforts to put the flames out were not immediately effective.

While difficult to estimate, the amount of time it took to suppress the flames is estimated to be from 30 seconds to one minute.

Air Ambulance Extracts Holding Boss

The on-site EMT assessed the Holding Boss. The initial diagnosis included 2nd and 3rd degree burns on both legs.

The immediate extraction of the Holding Boss was done by air ambulance. Within 45 minutes of this burn incident the patient had been loaded into the air ambulance and was en route to the hospital.

Lessons and Follow-Up

  • Despite no indications of leaking, the drip torch locking ring was able to pop off, jettisoning most of the fuel from the tank. Upon initial examination of the drip torch, the locking ring used does not appear to be from the same manufacturer as the rest of the torch
  • The drip torch involved in this incident is being sent to the National Technology and Development Program (NTDP) for further inspection
  • The local unit has started to examine their drip torch inventory to ensure that the components from each torch are from the same manufacturer.

This has Happened Here Before

In the aftermath of this drip torch burn injury incident, via follow-up conversations in this dispatch zone, it has been learned that at least one other locking ring has popped off a drip torch being used during prescribed fire activities this spring.

The 10-second video below shows how this may occur:

Lessons from a Similar Event: Caldwell Fire Burn Injury

A fuel can in the bed of a pickup caught fire. In the process of removing the fuel can from the truck, fuel spilled on a firefighter’s pants and ignited. He climbed out of the truck and attempted to stop, drop, and roll on the pavement to extinguish the flames on his pant leg. Rolling on the pavement didn’t work, so he stood up, stepped to the road shoulder and rolled in the dirt, finally extinguishing the fire.

From this FLA: Actions to Take to Extinguish Burning Fuel on Pants 

“Stop, drop, and roll” does not readily extinguish burning fuel on Flame Resistant  clothing. Additionally, it appears that attempting to swat or pat out burning fuel can increase the fire intensity. There are some actions that can be taken to extinguish burning fuel on Flame Resistant clothing. However, these actions require human performance in very stressful situations.

  1. Unbuckle and remove pants down to ankles or below boots. This reduces flame lengths and removes the heat from next to the skin, allowing the individual to extinguish the flames away from the legs. This method is preferred for large areas of burning fuel on pants.
  2. Use a water bottle to pour on the flames to extinguish the burning fuel.
  3. Drop to knees

Here is a video from the National Technology Development Program showing findings related to fuel igniting on Nomex pants:

(end of Rapid Lesson Sharing report)

Drip torches are carried strapped onto firefighters’ packs in other locations as well.

Packing drip torch pack gear
Drip torch carried strapped to a firefighter’s gear. Black Hills National Forest in South Dakota, January 13, 2016. Photo by Bill Gabbert.

The 10 Orders & 18 Watch Outs, illustrated

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , , 7 Comments on The 10 Orders & 18 Watch Outs, illustrated

10 orders 18 situations

The 10 Standard Firefighting Orders and the 18 Watch Out Situations, as referenced in the Incident Response Pocket Guide (IRPG), PMS 461, provide wildland firefighters with a set of consistent best practices and a series of scenarios to be mindful of when responding to a wildland fire.

The 10 Standard Firefighting Orders are organized in a deliberate and sequential way to be implemented systematically and applied to all fire situations.

The 18 Watch Out Situations are more specific and cautionary, describing situations that expand the 10 Standard Firefighting Orders with the intent that if firefighters follow the Standard Firefighting Orders and are alerted to the 18 Watch Out Situations, much of the risk of firefighting can be reduced.

These photos and posters made available by the National Wildfire Coordinating Group could be useful. It’s unfortunate, though, that the text on the poster that contains all 10 and 18 is so small.

Downloads from NWCG:

(Note: the image at the top of the screen is low resolution. Download the zip files above for high resolution versions suitable for printing)

Wildfire officials call for a safety-related tactical pause

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags 1 Comment on Wildfire officials call for a safety-related tactical pause

Six firefighters in the U.S. have been killed on wildfires this year

Firefighters Lofer Fire Arizona
Firefighters on the Lofer Fire in Arizona, August 31, 2020. InciWeb.

During this very busy part of the 2020 wildfire season the National Multi-Agency Coordinating Group (NMAC) has called for a temporary stand-down or “tactical pause” to evaluate the risks faced by aerial and ground-based firefighters. So far this year line of duty deaths have included one firefighter on the ground and six pilots (counting one fatality in an air tanker crash in Spain).

Below is the text of a memo from the NMAC dated August 30, 2020:

Subject: Tactical Pause — Focus on Risk Management

We are in the height of the 2020 Western fire season and we have been reminded that the wildland fire environment is dangerous whether you are on the ground or in the air. Along with the increase in fire activity, there has been an increase in close calls, serious accidents, injuries, and fatalities. Please honor those that have fallen, most recently our aviators, by actively managing risk. It is now late August and long-term fatigue is setting in, which exacerbates the complexity of a fire season made even more difficult by COVID-19.

We ask you to take a tactical pause at some point on Wednesday, September 2nd to discuss current risks to which you are exposed. The timing and length of this tactical pause is at your discretion. During this time stop, think, and talk about how you assess and mitigate risk. Ask yourself, your coworkers, or your crew what, if anything, is different from your previous experience and how are you dealing with it? What is concerning you specifically when it comes to your safety and those you work with or lead? What might you be missing? It is all too easy to be task oriented so take this opportunity to discuss some simple reminders or measures you can take to reduce your exposure to the inherent hazards of our occupation or COVID-19, which can reduce the probability of the next accident or illness.

Use references such as the Incident Response Pocket Guide (IRPG) to aid you in your discussions. The latest interagency wildland fire COVID-19 information can be found on the Medical and Public Health Advisory Team (MPHAT) webpage. The value of this tactical pause will be in the discussions you engage in so make it count.

We also recommend that you review and discuss Planning for Medical Emergencies (page #2) and the Medical Incident Report (page #118-119), also referred to as the “8-Line”, in your IRPG. Reviewing and discussing these job aids will better prepare you to respond to an accident or medical emergency if one does occur.

Finally, NMAC wants to be clear that we care about the health and welfare of our responders. We are asking you to take this time to discuss risk management and do everything possible to ensure you return home safely at the end of each shift and each fire assignment.

/s/ Joshua Simmons
NMAC Chair

Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to LM.

Why social distancing during COVID-19 may not always work

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , ,
covid-19 airborne virus
Figure. Sketch showing arrangement of restaurant tables and air conditioning airflow at site of outbreak of 2019 novel coronavirus disease, Guangzhou, China, 2020. Red circles indicate seating of future case-patients; yellow-filled red circle indicates index case-patient. CDC

Most wildland fire organizations have reduced or eliminated indoor meetings, training sessions, and air travel in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Research and real world experiences are coming to light illustrating why this is a good decision.

The COVID-19 virus becomes airborne by talking and can spread through the air staying aloft for 8-14 minutes according to one study, or perhaps for hours according to another. Air conditioning can cause droplets containing the virus to travel around a room. There is much less risk when personnel are outside, since the droplets can be dispersed.

The longer a person is exposed to a contaminated atmosphere, the greater is the risk of introducing more virus than their body can easily handle. A short exposure may have no obvious effect, but if it is longer the disease could gain a foothold that can be difficult or impossible to fight off.

Here is an excerpt from a study published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The above illustration is from the article.

Abstract
During January 26–February 10, 2020, an outbreak of 2019 novel coronavirus disease in an air-conditioned restaurant in Guangzhou, China, involved 3 family clusters. The airflow direction was consistent with droplet transmission. To prevent the spread of the virus in restaurants, we recommend increasing the distance between tables and improving ventilation.

From January 26 through February 10, 2020, an outbreak of 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVD-19) affected 10 persons from 3 families (families A–C) who had eaten at the same air-conditioned restaurant in Guangzhou, China. One of the families had just traveled from Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. We performed a detailed investigation that linked these 10 cases together. Our study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

On January 23, 2020, family A traveled from Wuhan and arrived in Guangzhou. On January 24, the index case-patient (patient A1) ate lunch with 3 other family members (A2–A4) at restaurant X. Two other families, B and C, sat at neighboring tables at the same restaurant. Later that day, patient A1 experienced onset of fever and cough and went to the hospital. By February 5, a total of 9 others (4 members of family A, 3 members of family B, and 2 members of family C) had become ill with COVID-19.

The only known source of exposure for the affected persons in families B and C was patient A1 at the restaurant. We determined that virus had been transmitted to >1 member of family B and >1 member of family C at the restaurant and that further infections in families B and C resulted from within-family transmission.

A study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences determined that droplets from speech can stay aloft for 8-14 minutes.

Speech droplets generated by asymptomatic carriers of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are increasingly considered to be a likely mode of disease transmission. Highly sensitive laser light scattering observations have revealed that loud speech can emit thousands of oral fluid droplets per second. These observations confirm that there is a substantial probability that normal speaking causes airborne virus transmission in confined environments.

From an Associated Press article — a different COVID virus in very small aerosols “remained suspended in the air almost indefinitely”.

Since the aerosol particles produced by talking and breathing are so small, they linger in the air for relatively long periods of time before gravity pulls them to the ground. This allows them to be transported over greater distances. A 2006 study of SARS-CoV-1 found that particles with a diameter of 1-3 µm remained suspended in the air almost indefinitely, particles 10 µm in size took 17 minutes, and 20 µm took 4 minutes to fall to the floor. A recent laboratory study found that the virus can remain viable and infectious in aerosols for hours (it remained viable for the entire three-hour duration of the study) and on surfaces for up to days.

And finally, a study published by the CDC about a choir practice in Skagit County, Washington.

Among 61 persons who attended a March 10 choir practice at which one person was known to be symptomatic, 53 cases were identified, including 33 confirmed and 20 probable cases (secondary attack rates of 53.3% among confirmed cases and 86.7% among all cases). Three of the 53 persons who became ill were hospitalized (5.7%), and two died (3.7%). The 2.5-hour singing practice provided several opportunities for droplet and fomite transmission, including members sitting close to one another, sharing snacks, and stacking chairs at the end of the practice. The act of singing, itself, might have contributed to transmission through emission of aerosols, which is affected by loudness of vocalization.