(Originally published at 11:12 a.m. MT, June 11, 2013; updated at 12:30 p.m. MT, June 11, 2013)
The U.S. Forest Service has released the following statement:
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“US Forest Service wildland firefighter dies in Northern California
Release Date: Jun 11, 2013
VALLEJO, Calif. – A 28-year-old firefighter from Susanville, Calif., died Monday afternoon [June 10] as a result of injuries received on a wildfire on the Modoc National Forest in northeast California. Luke Sheehy was a member of the California Smokejumpers, based out of Redding.
Sheehy was struck by a falling portion of a tree on the Saddle Back Fire in the South Warner Wilderness about 15 miles southeast of Alturas, Calif. The incident occurred just before 5 p.m. Efforts to resuscitate Sheehy were not successful. He was flown by helicopter to a hospital in Alturas where he was pronounced dead.
“Our hearts go out to the family and friends of this brave young smokejumper who lost his life yesterday working with his team to control a blaze on the Modoc National Forest,” said U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell. “We are launching a full review into the cause of his death to learn everything we can to prevent future tragedies like this.”
Pacific Southwest Regional Forester Randy Moore echoed Chief Tidwell’s sentiments. “We are deeply saddened by this tragedy. It’s a devastating loss and is being felt throughout the entire Forest Service.”
The Saddle Back Fire is one of several dozen lightning-caused fires that began on multiple national forests throughout northern California on Sunday and Monday. It was first reported to the Modoc Interagency Communications Center about 3 p.m. Monday. Several U.S. Forest Service firefighters remain on scene suppressing the fire.”
Smokejumpers who parachuted into the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest in Oregon to suppress a lightning-caused fire discovered a marijuana plantation in the Applegate area on Monday.
The jumpers reported the garden, and Jackson County sheriff’s spokeswoman Andrea Carlson said law enforcement officers hiked in to the area and seized two guns and more than 1,000 small marijuana plants. Carlson said it appeared to be an operation run by Mexican drug gangs.
In addition to the pot, the garden had fertilizer, PVC piping, and a great deal of trash.
Military and civilian agencies conclude fire training at Camp Pendleton
Five military, law enforcement, and fire agencies concluded their annual wildfire training at California’s Camp Pendleton Thursday. Here are some excerpts from the Union Tribune:
Marine Corps units from Camp Pendleton and 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing joined sailors from Navy Region Southwest, and units from Cal Fire and the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department for this week’s sixth annual wildfire training exercise.
Cal Fire signed an agreement with the Navy in 2004 and the Marine Corps in 2007, and the three agencies began holding annual three-day training exercises in 2008.
On Thursday, the third and final day of the exercise, helicopters filled 300-plus-gallon buckets by dropping them into Lake Pulgas, then emptied the massive containers over a marked spot in the hills. The battle against the simulated fire included ground crews and bulldozer operations, an added component to the training.
More good news for local residents is the Marine Corps has two more CH-46 helicopters at its disposal for potentially fighting fires than in the past. Last year, just one of the helicopters was available, because the others were deployed, Lt. Col. Dana Gemmingen said. This year, up to three CH-46 helicopters could be available, he said.
Lightning today
As this is written at 1:06 p.m. MT, I am hearing thunder in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Darren Clabo, the South Dakota State Fire Meteorologist, wrote the following this morning when describing a frontal passage expected today:
…The forecasted combination of relative low RHs, favorable fuel characteristics, a chance of lightning, and shifting winds may lead to problematic fire weather conditions this afternoon. This is not a Red Flag Warning day but conditions still warrant a heads-up.
Other western states experiencing lightning right now include Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Montana, and Texas.
Lessons Learned Center web site back up
The web site of the Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center was down for part of this week, leaving wildfirelessons.net and myfirecommunity.net inoperable for three days — Monday through Wednesday. It is back up, but not at 100 percent capability. They are still making some repairs.
Farm workers fired for fleeing California wildfire
Fifteen strawberry pickers who were fired last week for fleeing when a large wildfire was burning nearby, have been rehired.
MAFFS training concludes in Cheyenne
Training and recertification for Air National Guard Modular Airborne FireFighting Systems (MAFFS) C-130 crews from Wyoming and North Carolina concluded today. Below is a photo of one of the four aircraft. We have more photos over at Fire Aviation.
MAFFS training near Cheyenne, Wyoming. USAF photo by Tech Sgt. Rich Kerner.
Forest Service report spotlights fire risk for homes on the edge of wildlands
In a recently released report, U.S. Forest Service researchers noted that about 90 percent of fuel reduction treatments on national forests were effective in reducing the intensity of wildfire while also allowing for better wildfire control.
The report, “Wildfire, Wildlands, and People: Understanding and Preparing for Wildfire in the Wildland-Urban Interface,” synthesizes the latest research and provides examples of what communities in the wildland-urban interface can do to reduce their risk by becoming “fire adapted.” Aimed at community planners, the report also underscores the important roles that homeowners and local, state, and federal governments play in reducing risk and describes available tools and resources.
Department Secretaries to visit NIFC
The Secretaries of Interior and Agriculture, Sally Jewell and Tom Vilisack, will visit the National Interagency Fire Center Monday. Ms. Jewell was recently confirmed in her new position and supervises the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Fire in Florida
Stefan Willett of Daytona, Florida, aka @bassking511, just tweeted the following photo with the hashtags #jupiter and #fl. He described it as “huge fire off the highway”.
Update: check out the recent articles at Fire Aviation
Joe Philpott, a smokejumper who worked out of Boise, Idaho, was killed in an avalanche on Cameron Pass near Fort Collins March 2, 2013. That of course is a tragedy, but his skiing buddy was buried in the same avalanche for three hours and survived. The Denver Post produced the video above, and published a gripping story about the rescue. Here is a very brief excerpt about the survivor, Alex White.
…His body temperature was 72 degrees. He had been buried in snow for three hours. He arrived at the emergency room nearly six hours after his burial and five hours after he had surrendered to a darkness that never came.
In spite of suffering some serious injuries and spending two days in critical care and two in post-trauma recovery, Mr. White was back in school a week after the accident.
A McCall smokejumper stars in this video that promotes the concept of using paracargo to deliver supplies and equipment to wildland firefighters in very remote areas.
UPDATE March 18, 2013: Since we first posted the NIFC Paracargo video on March 15, the BLM at NIFC has removed it from YouTube twice and replaced it. Below we have embedded it for the third time. If later you see below “This video has been removed”, it will mean that the BLM at NIFC has removed it a third time.
In April of 2012 two paratroopers from the Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Mt. Ranier in Washington state got hung up in trees after making a training jump and had to be rescued by firefighters. It happened again Thursday afternoon when firefighters had to rescue three more paratroopers from the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. Members of the Thurston County Special Operations Rescue Team were the first to the scene in a wooded area inside the Army base.
Last year firefighters were able to position a ladder truck below the soldiers to rescue them, but this time they were not able to drive to the area.
The article at KOMO did not say if any of the soldiers this time were also dangling from trees last year.
Smokejumpers parachuting into wildfires occasionally land in trees but they are trained to use the ropes they carry to lower themselves to the ground.
The National Interagency Fire Center announced an award today.
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BLM firefighters Ben Oakleaf and Chris Swisher have much in common.
They’re both BLM smokejumpers. They both worked on the Midnight Suns Interagency Hotshot Crew in Alaska. They’re both highly respected in smokejumping circles. They’re both described by their supervisors as having a great work ethic and outstanding attitudes. They’ve been good friends for about a dozen years, starting when they met while working as hotshots.
And they were both surprised when they were named winners of the “Al Dunton Award,” which honors the late BLM pioneer in fire and aviation management.
“It was a surprise,” says Swisher, who jumps out of Fort Wainwright, Alaska. “I didn’t know anything about it until I was told that I won.”
“I didn’t even know I was nominated until the jumper manager called me into his office and told me. I was very surprised,” says Oakleaf, who is part of the Great Basin smokejumpers, based in Boise, Idaho.
Part of the reason Swisher and Oakleaf were nominated is due to their work in combining the first-year smokejumper training. For a dozen years, the Alaska and Great Basin rookie jumpers trained separately. That didn’t seem the best way to teach the ropes to the new jumpers, Swisher and Oakleaf thought.
“Combined rookie training was done in the past. There’s been talk about it through the years, about doing the training that way again,” Oakleaf says. “We both have great respect for the two BLM smokejumper bases. We thought combining the training would be a good thing to do.”
Smokejumper management agreed and Swisher and Oakleaf were given the challenging assignment to make it happen.
The combined rookie training took place in April of 2012 in Alaska. By all accounts, it was a huge success. Combined training is again scheduled for April of this year, in Idaho.
“They were analytical, deliberate, mutually respectful of one another’s opinions, and ultimately convincing that the timing was right to give this combined effort another shot,” says Hector Madrid, manager of the Great Basin smokejumpers. “They developed guidelines, the training syllabus, a logistics plan and selected a cadre that shared the same viewpoints about rookie training.”
The effort proved worthwhile, according to Bill Cramer, Alaska smokejumper manager.
“The end result was that we had a strong group of first-year jumpers who came ready to contribute. The training could not have been done any better,” he says.
Great Basin jumpers often help Alaska jumpers in the spring, the peak of the northern fire season. In turn, Alaska jumpers often “boost” firefighting efforts in the Lower 48 during July and August, when the fire season is busiest in the West.
Having the same training and familiarity with one another is a big advantage.
“The more we know each other and about each other, the more seamless it is when we integrate the crews,” says Oakleaf.
But it was more than the combined rookie training that distinguishes Swisher and Oakleaf. Their supervisors say the two excel in every aspect of the smokejumping program.
“He seeks challenges, he accepts responsibility, he always looks for ways to improve,” says Cramer of his colleague Swisher. “That’s what resonates with me. It’s not just what he did in 2012, but the way he continually performs his job.
“He’s humble, without reason to be,” Cramer adds. “From his perspective, he just shows up and tries to do his job the best way he can. He doesn’t think he’s anyone special.”
Madrid is equal in his praise of Oakleaf.
“Ben’s strength is that he leads by example. No matter his experience, he’s never been above or beyond doing a task. He has great firefighting and jumping skills. He’s the full package,” says Madrid. “His attitude is second to none. He’s never in a bad mood, never had a bad moment, no matter the situation.”
The “Al Dunton Award” was established last year. Dunton was a rookie smokejumper in Fairbanks in 1967. He managed the smokejumper base there from 1972 through 1984 and remained active in fire management throughout his career. Much of BLM’s success in fire management can be traced back to Dunton’s work and innovations. The award was established by the interagency smokejumper base managers and the National Smokejumper Association, with the support of Al Dunton’s wife, Mary, and other family members.
Last year’s BLM winner was Gary Baumgartner.
The respect level is high between the award recipients.
“On a personal note, (organizing) the combined rookie training was fun to do with Chris. We’ve been good friends now for a long time,” Oakleaf says.
“I think there are more worthy people than me,” says Swisher, “but I’m glad that Ben was chosen.”
Says Cramer of the two, “I wish we could put them in a copy machine and duplicate them. Of course, if we did, the rest of us might be out of a job.”
Map of Fern Lake Fire, showing the last Google Earth fire perimeter made available by the NPS, November 25, 2012. The fire spread into Moraine Park on December 1, 2012. Click to enlarge.
Updated at 4:56 p.m. MT, December 1, 2012
At 1:50 a.m. on Saturday campers in the Moraine Park Campground four miles west of downtown Estes Park, Colorado were roused from their sleep and ordered to evacuate, forced out by the Fern Lake Fire in Rocky Mountain National Park. Strong winds early Saturday morning of 25 to 45 mph gusting to 75 mph pushed the fire approximately three miles east into Moraine Park, just south of the campground. Firefighters were able to prevent it from crossing Bear Lake Road.
According to the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office evacuations were ordered for the Highway 66 area and other locations east of Moraine Park. The Sheriff’s web site reported that those needing information about evacuations to call 970-577-3716. That number is subject to change. Additional information regarding evacuations can be found at InciWeb.
One structure burned on Saturday, a privately owned cabin inside the park boundary. No land outside the park has burned.
The fire has been burning since October 9, and following the expansion Saturday morning it was mapped at 4,400 acres. Due to the steep terrain and hazardous trees, firefighters have only been able to attack the fire in areas that provide an adequate margin of safety. A Type 3 medium-sized helicopter was able to complete a recon flight on Saturday, but the strong winds prevented the large Type 1 Skycrane helicopter on scene from working on the fire. Two additional Type 1 helicopters have been ordered, a K-MAX and another Skycrane.
The map of the Fern Lake Fire above shows the last Google Earth perimeter of the fire that has been made available by the National Park Service. A more recent map dated November 30, 2012 showing virtually the same perimeter before the lastest fire movement can be found at InciWeb.
By mid-day on Saturday the winds decreased, slowing the fire, which allowed some residents to return to their homes in the High Drive and Marys Lake Road areas.
On order are a Type 1 Incident Management Team, hot shot crews, additional engines, two additional Type 1 helicopters, and “all available local resources”, according to the fire’s InciWeb site. Structure protection is being provided by many local fire departments. Tracy Weaver, a spokesperson for the fire, told Wildfire Today that two large air tankers were ordered early Saturday morning but they were told the only air tankers still on contract were in southern California and they were grounded, unable to take off due to weather.
In recent days, the Incident Commander has been Jerran Flinders, a smokejumper from Boise, Idaho. One or two squads of jumpers have been assigned to the fire for the last week or two.
Saturday morning the National Weather Service issued a hazardous weather outlook that warned of winds in the area gusting up to 50 mph in the morning, decreasing to peak gusts of 30 mph in the afternoon. Temperatures will continue to be unseasonably warm. The forecast for the specific area of the fire calls for 49 degrees on Saturday with a minimum relative humidity of 38 percent. On Sunday the high will be 50 degrees, the relative humidity will bottom out at 23 percent, and the winds should be out of the west-southwest at 16 mph gusting to 26. There is virtually no chance of rain until Sunday night, when there is a 15 percent chance.
We are working on obtaining additional information on the fire and expect to update this article later on Saturday.
Fern Lake Fire, November 27, 2012. Photo by Dennis Geving
An additional squad of smokejumpers has been ordered to supplement the forces working on the Fern Lake Fire in Rocky Mountain National Park eight miles west of Estes Park, Colorado.
Due to the steep terrain and hazardous trees, firefighters are only able to attack the fire in areas that provide an adequate margin of safety. Their objective is to keep the fire on the north side of the Spruce Creek Drainage. Much of the recent action has taken place in that area where spot fires across the creek are being suppressed with the assistance of Helitanker 715. Two 5,000-gallon portable water tanks have been set up in Upper Beaver Meadows from which the helitanker is drafting water. Local fire departments are hauling water to keep the tanks full.
When the additional smokejumpers arrive the 1,488-acre fire will have 60 personnel assigned.
