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Tag: South Dakota

South Dakota: Two burnovers in one day

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , 10 Comments on South Dakota: Two burnovers in one day

On a day when a reporter said the winds were so strong that he had trouble standing, there were many large fires in central and eastern South Dakota. Twice on October 5, engines were burned over, causing, thankfully, what sound like non-serious burns for the firefighters, but the total loss of the two engines.

Jim Strain, the Chief of Operations for the South Dakota Division of Wildland Fire Suppression, provides the details:

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“On Wednesday, October 5th, I was working on a 17,500 acre prairie fire in south central South Dakota when I received a report of an engine burn over involving a rural VFD engine and crew on another wildfire 30 miles north of my location. That VFD engine and crew were assisting the BIA on a 5000 acre wildfire. Reports are that a firefighter was trying to restart the pump on the back of the apparatus when the fire started to entrap him. He ran from the engine and suffered burns on the face , scalp and hands. He was later hospitalized that evening and released the next morning. The engine was a total loss.

The second burn over occurred that same afternoon on an 11,000 acre wildfire in eastern South Dakota just south of the North Dakota and South Dakota state line. The Type 6 engine crew on a rural VFD engine was attempting to cut a barbed-wire fence to gain access to a fire area, when the fire circled back and entrapped them, causing them to run to their safety zone. The two firefighters suffered minor burns to their necks and faces, but the engine was a total loss. The engine boss on this engine has over 30 years of experience suppressing wildfires.

We are still trying to gather facts on both situations, but it seems rather apparent that the abundant spring and summer rainfall throughout Eastern Montana and the Dakotas has contributed to above average grass fuel loadings in the area. Coupling that with the normal seasonal fall dryness and warm, windy conditions, create a situation where above normal radiant heat transfer and extreme rates of spread are seen in these grass fuels models. What is deceiving is that in all of our fires this week, fire spread will slow in the green draw bottoms ( or coulees for those of you that speak Eastern Montanan ) and move quickly upslope in the dryer cured fuel beds on the ridge tops. None of this comes as a surprise, but it can happen so fast that firefighters think they are safe one moment and trapped the next. As we move into October, we can expect more of the same on days where the fire danger is high, very high or extreme in our grass fuel models.

We are very grateful that just minor injuries occurred to the firefighters, but it could have been worse. But this serves a reminder to maintain that situational awareness on any grass fire, especially under the conditions that we seeing this fall fire season.”

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UPDATE October 13, 2011: there was a third burnover that day.

Update on firefighter burned on the Coal Canyon fire (updated)

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , ,

(Scroll down to see an update.)

The Rapid City Journal has an article that updates us on the condition of Austin Whitney who was seriously burned on the Coal Canyon fire in southwest South Dakota August 11, 2011. Austin’s partner on the engine crew that was burned over, Trampus Haskvitz, was killed on that fire.

Here are some excerpts from the article:

Firefighter Austin Whitney said he will be back at his job with South Dakota Wildland Fire Supression as a seasonal firefighter.

“I’m still a little sore in the arms, but that’s why there’s physical therapy,” Austin, 22, said Wednesday during a telephone interview from the Western States Burn Center at North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley, Colo. Doctors will tell Austin today if he is ready to head home to Hot Springs and begin the next phase of his recovery.

[…]

“The pain was unbearable,” Austin said, when asked about his injuries. Immediately after the incident, all he wanted to do was go home and see his family, he said.

Austin has a lengthy recovery ahead of him. He had four skin grafts Aug. 15 to cover third-degree burns on his left arm and second-degree burns on his right arm and both calves. The largest is about 29 inches along and covers most of his left arm. Skin was grafted on his right elbow and small areas below the elbow, and there are 4-inch by-6-inch grafts on the calf of each leg, his father, Robert Whitney, said.

[…]

Austin Whitney said his personal protective fire-resistant clothing “did its job for what I was in.” His leather gloves prevented any significant injuries to his fingers. He had only a couple minor burns on a finger and thumb.

For the next year, Austin will require therapy to flex and stretch the skin grafts. Most of his range of motion has returned, his father said.

“On the elbows, I still need to stretch the skin,” Austin added, noting that the graft areas are still tender. “Everything else, I’m doing just fine.”

[…]

Since his hospitalization, Austin has received visits from countless firefighters. His T-shirt and hoodie collection of fire agency logos has grown by 16 pieces.

The cards, flowers and letters made a “big difference” in Austin’s recovery, Robert Whitney said.

The Wildfire Firefighter’s Foundation has assisted the Whitneys with their expenses in Greeley, Robert Whitney said. He suggests that anyone who is interested in supporting firefighters make a donation to the organization.

“It’s an overwhelming deal, that when something like this happens, how the firefighter brotherhood will band together and support the families and friends,” Robert Whitney said.

[…]

Austin remembers most of what happened the afternoon of the fire, but there are parts of the incident he cannot talk about because of the investigation.

“I do know that I did get pulled out by a couple Forest Service guys,” Austin said. “They got me into a safety zone after the fire was backing down.”

According to a U.S. Forest Service 72-hour report on the incident that killed Haskvitz, Forest Service, state and volunteer firefighters responded to the fire about 1:30 p.m. in Coal Canyon, 9 miles north of Edgemont.

Firefighters were digging a line around the flank of the fire when they were trapped about 3:10 p.m., when their escape route was overtaken by what the report termed a “rapidly spreading fire.” Haskvitz died in his vehicle, according to the report.

Austin said there wasn’t time for him to deploy his “shake and bake,” the small safety tents wildland firefighters carry.

“I didn’t have time to. I wish I would have,” Austin said.

Austin Whitney has told his father that flames were probably 100 to 200 feet tall coming up the canyon.

“It was just one of those things you just couldn’t avoid,” Austin said. “It’s one of those things that everyone wishes they could have” avoided.

The Forest Service firefighters who pulled Austin Whitney out of the fire have not been identified by fire authorities.

Robert Whitney joins his son in thanking those firefighters.

We hope Austin has a speedy recovery.

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UPDATED at 4:40 p.m. MT, August 25, 2011:

Jim Strain of the South Dakota Division of Wildland Fire Suppression tells us that Austin was discharged from the Burn Center in Greeley, CO this afternoon. His plans are to stay overnight in Greeley and visit some local fire departments on Friday morning before returning to his home in Hot Springs, South Dakota. Then with visiting nurses, he will continue home care, including rehab and physical therapy.

This is good news!

 

 

 

 

Air tanker base, and a fire south of Hot Springs, SD

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , , ,

Fire south of Angostura reservior

Today I took take a few photos at a grass fire south of Hot Springs, South Dakota, near Angostura Reservoir. Fire departments from Hot Springs, Oelrichs, and Mennekahta responded and had it knocked down pretty quickly.

Fire south of Angostura reservior
An engine and water tender from Oelrichs FD

Fire south of Angostura reservior

Returning to Hot Springs, I stopped by the air tanker base at Hot Springs Municipal Airport. Hot Springs is one of five Single Engine Air Tanker (SEAT) bases in or near South Dakota. The others are at Pierre, Buffalo, Lemon, Rapid City (which can also handle large air tankers), and Newcastle, Wyoming. Hot Springs is the main SEAT base and is the only one continuously staffed, and is open June through October.

As far as I know, no air tankers were dispatched to the fire near Angostura Reservoir pictured above. Today Tanker 466 was working out of the base and reloaded numerous times as it worked the Sheep Wagon fire (BKF-622) about 10 miles southeast of Newcastle, WY. The aircraft is operated by Taylor Aviation out of Fort Benton, Montana. South Dakota has one SEAT on exclusive use contract this year but has several others available on Call When Needed (CWN) agreements.

Continue reading “Air tanker base, and a fire south of Hot Springs, SD”

Update on firefighter injured on Coal Canyon fire

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , , , 2 Comments on Update on firefighter injured on Coal Canyon fire

Austin WhitneyAustin Whitney, one of the firefighters that was injured on the Coal Canyon fire in South Dakota when their engine crew was trapped between a spot fire and the main fire, is recovering from his burns in a hospital in Greely, Colorado. His fellow crew member, Trampus Haskvitz, was killed during that burn over. Austin works for the South Dakota Division of Wildland Fire Suppression and their Assistant Chief for Operations, Jim Strain, has been proactive in monitoring his recovery and providing assistance to the family. Jim was involved in setting up a CaringBridge.org web site where those interested in Austin’s condition can keep up to date on his status. Here is some information from that site, which was updated on August 17:

Welcome to our CaringBridge website. We’ve created it to keep friends and family updated about our loved one. Get started by reading the introduction to our website, My Story.

This story is about Austin Whitney, a State of South Dakota Div of Wildland Fire Suppression Seasonal firefigher that works in the Hot Springs Field Office. On August 11, at around 1500 hours, The crew of State Engine 561 of Trampus Haskvitz, KC Fees and Austin Whitney were entrapped in an engine burnover on the initial attack of the Coal Canyon fire. We lost Trampus in that incident, but KC and Austin survived and this is Austin’s story of recovery. Austin comes from a long family line of wildland firefighters in the Pringle SD area.

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by JES

Talked to Austin’s Dad, and he said that Austin is doing as well as expected after the skin grafting surgical procedure on Monday. The team grafted skin on his left arm and on his shins. The surgical dressing and wrapping should be coming off in the next few days, and that is good news. Austin is in good spirits and appreciates very much the visits from the Greeley FD, and other fire departments. In fact, Evans FD [near Greely, CO] dropped by, along with Colorado State Forest Service, and the Rocky Mountain National Park Fire Use Fuels Module. They dropped off crew T-shirts and Austin’s parents said that Austin appreciates very much the chance to visit and talk to his fellow firefighters about the fire and his recovery. They can talk in language that he can understand and that makes him feel bonded to the world of wildland fire. Sounds like Fort Collins and Boulder will be coming by in the future, and Austin is looking forward to those visits as well. (8-17, JES)

If you want to visit Austin, first contact his father via email at: pit boss 83 at hot mail dot com. (Remove all spaces, and you know what to do with the “at” and “dot”.) His father knows which times are best for visits.  Austin is in the Western States Burn Center at the North Colorado Medical Center, 1801 16th Street, Greeley, CO 80631-5199.

Three other firefighters were also injured, one working for the State of South Dakota, and two who work for the U. S. Forest Service. They were all treated at a hospital and released.

I knew that the Wildland Firefighter Foundation has been assisting the families of the firefighters affected by the burn over, and I asked Jim Strain for a few more details in the case of Austin and his family. Here is his response:

As for the Wildland Firefighter Foundation, enough cannot be said. Vicki Minor, the executive director, stepped up the first day and arranged hotel rooms and a rental car for Austin’s family. And Vicki stays in contact with the family and is helping to support them while they are staying the Greeley Area. Her years of experience in dealing with this type of situation is invaluable.

Consider making a donation to the WFF. They do great work for injured firefighters and their families. I just re-upped my membership in the 52 Club, which represents a dollar for each week of the year.

More information about the Coal Canyon fire burn over:

Services held for Trampus Haskvitz (updated)

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , , 5 Comments on Services held for Trampus Haskvitz (updated)
Trampus S. Haskvitz
Trampus S. Haskvitz, 1987 - 2011

Tuesday afternoon the life of Trampus Haskvitz was celebrated at Hot Springs, South Dakota. Trampus was killed in the line of duty on the Coal Canyon fire northeast of Edgemont, SD on August 11 when he became trapped between a spot fire and the main fire.

The services were held at the Mueller Center in front of a standing room only crowd. There were an estimated 1,300 people in the main auditorium plus an additional 400 who watched it on video in another room.

Speakers during the service included South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard, Joe Lowe director of the South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression Division, Trampus’ brother Ben, and Chaplin Morris Nelson.

While Trampus was a firefighter with the state of South Dakota, the Coal Canyon fire is primarily on U. S. Forest Service land and is listed as a USFS-responsibility fire. The USFS sent a sizeable delegation of high-ranking personnel, including Tom Harbour the Director of Fire and Aviation, and various regional officials, including, I believe, a couple of Regional Foresters.

The Rapid City Fire Department assisted with the planning of the services and also supplied the Honor Guard.

After the services in the Mueller Center, a procession of over 130 fire department vehicles escorted Trampus to the cemetery. Unlike most fire department funerals, most of the trucks were brush engines, rather than structure rigs.

The Rapid City Journal has had extensive coverage of this tragedy, and that continued with their excellent article in Wednesday’s paper written by Kevin Woster. Here is an excerpt:

They buried a hero here Tuesday, on a summer day that began with smoke from the fire that killed him hanging in the air above this Southern Hills town.

Trampus Haskvitz, 23, a Buffalo Gap native remembered for his strong heart, gentle spirit and fearless approach to life, died last Thursday fighting the Coal Canyon Fire in the rugged canyon lands near Edgemont.

And smoke from that waning blaze, which was 95 percent contained on Tuesday, created a hazy beginning to a day that drew hundreds of firefighters to say goodbye.

Chaplain Morris Nelson noted the poignant presence of that smoke during a memorial service for Haskvitz at the Mueller Center Auditorium.

“Trampus died last Thursday fighting the fire you can still smell,” Nelson said to about 1,500 people in the packed auditorium.

The crowd included Rapid City Mayor Sam Kooiker, who sat with officers from the city fire department and police department, which just last week buried two of its officers slain in a North Rapid gunfight that draped the city in sadness.

The death of Haskvitz heaped tragedy upon tragedy. And Chaplain Nelson urged those who knew and loved him to remember Haskvitz and his sacrifice whenever they saw or smelled a fire.

Nelson was joined by a fire commander, a governor, a teacher and a brother in offering eulogies to Haskvitz, a college football player who honed that athleticism in seasonal firefighting work for the state Wildland Fire Suppression Division.

…

In his eulogy, Gov. Dennis Daugaard turned to the John Donne poem “No Man is an Island” and its powerful message of interconnectedness, particularly “any man’s death diminishes me because I am involved in mankind.”

The ending of the poem, “never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee” was especially personal, because the memorial service ended with a traditional firefighter’s “last alarm.”

On a shining fire bell near Haskvitz’ casket, an honor squad member from the Rapid City Fire Department rang a sequence of three rings three times, concluding the service as many wept.

Other articles in the Rapid City Journal:

The video below shows the first 15 minutes of the 18-minute procession as it passed by my location (YouTube has a 15-minute limit). The fire trucks begin showing up at 2:10 minutes into the video.

Here are some photos I took on Tuesday.

Trampus Haskvitz funeral
Firefighters entering the services.
Trampus Haskvitz funeral
Engines staged before the services.

Continue reading “Services held for Trampus Haskvitz (updated)”