SAFETY GRAM 2014
Fatalities, Entrapments and Serious Accident Summary for 2014 (http://www.nwcg.gov/branches/pre/rmc/) The following data indicate the fatalities, entrapments, burn-overs and other life-threatening accidents and injuries associated with wildfire in calendar year 2014. The information was collected by the NWCG Risk Management Committee, with confirmation of the fatalities from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).
Date Agency/Entity Incident Name Activity of Personnel Type of Number # Jurisdiction Injuries/Treatment Involved Accident of Shelters Location People Deployed Fatalities 1/31 Montgomery County Detection Flight State/Arkansas Aviation 1 1 AR Forestry Plane crash Commission 2/01 Grass Fire Initial Attack State/East Central Medical Emergency 1 1 East Fork VFD Heart attack MS 3/01 Cocke County Initial Attack State/Tennessee Medical Emergency 1 1 TN Division of Heart attack Forestry 3/08 Star Valley Work Capacity Test State/Hellsgate FD Medical Emergency 1 1 AZ Heart attack
3/14 Prescribed Fire Prescribed Fire Federal/FS Medical Emergency 1 2nd and 3rd degree Francis Marion and Burning operations Burns burns, treated at Sumter NF burn center and SC released
March 2015 Date Agency/Entity Incident Name Activity of Personnel Type of Number # Jurisdiction Injuries/Treatment Involved Accident of Shelters Location People Deployed Fatalities 3/24 Emmett Ridges Smokejumping Federal/BLM Medical Emergency 1 Broken femur, Great Basin SMJ BLM Refresher parachute Hard parachute landing both legs; ID jump hospitalized, light duty
3/27 Gila NF Physical Training Federal/FS Medical Emergency 1 Hospitalized, NM Running Rhabdomyolysis released, on light duty 4/03 Cole Road Fire Initial Attack State/Candor FD Vehicle Accident 1 Serious injuries, lost Montgomery County FF struck by a vehicle one leg, in hospital NC 4/22 Hot Springs NP Work Capacity Test Federal/USFS Medical Emergency 1 Hospitalized, full AR Collapsed during WCT recovery expected
5/6 Ochoco NF Physical Training Federal/USFS Medical Emergency 1 Hospitalized, OR Rhabdomyolysis released
5/15 Cocos Fire Initial Attack State/CAL FIRE Medical Emergency 1 1st and 2nd degree MV Unit CAL FIRE Burns burns, hospitalized, CA released 5/17 Newcastle Work Capacity Test State/Wyoming Medical Emergency 1 1 WY State Forestry Heart attack
5/19 Carson City Physical Training Federal/BLM Medical Emergency 1 Hospitalized, Carson City District BLM Rhabdomyolysis released NV 5/24 Badger Fire Initial Attack Federal/BLM Medical Emergency 1 Broken arm, treated Phoenix District BLM Hit by boulder released from AZ hospital 5/24 Vallejo Fire Initial Attack State/CAL FIRE Medical Emergency 1 2nd and 3rd degree S/L/N District CAL FIRE Burns burns, treated at CA burn center
2 March 2015
Date Agency/Entity Incident Name Activity of Personnel Type of Number # Jurisdiction Injuries/Treatment Involved Accident of Shelters Location People Deployed Fatalities 5/27 Sled Springs Physical Training Federal/FS Medical Emergency 1 Hospitalized, Wallow-Whitman NF Running Rhabdomyolysis released, light duty OR 5/30 Ely Physical Training Federal/BLM Medical Emergency 1 Hospitalized Ely District BLM Heart condition NV 6/05 Hungry Valley Wildland Fire State/Hungry Medical Emergency 1 1 NV Training Valley VFD Heart attack
6/07 Princeton Work Capacity Test State/ Medical Emergency 1 Hospitalized MA Massachusetts Heart attack Dept. of Conservation
6/08 Angeles NF Wildland Fire Federal/FS Medical Emergency 1 Hospitalized, CA Training Heat related illness Released, light duty
7/14 Rock Ridge Fire Initial Attack State/Sweetwater Medical Emergency 1 1st and 2nd degree High Desert District BLM County VFD Burns burns, treated at WY burn center
7/15 Bully Fire Initial Attack Federal/FS Tree Strike 1 Hospitalized, Shasta-T Unit CAL FIRE released CA
7/16 Richfield Fire Wildland Fire State/Richfield Engine Burned 0 Engine burned, no Lincoln County RFD injuries ID
7/18 Whiskey Complex Wildland Fire Federal/BLM Medical Emergency 1 Concussion, treated Boise NF Struck by log and released from ID hospital
7/18 73 Fire Wildland Fire Federal/BIA Vehicle Accident 2 1 Hospitalized; 1 Warm Springs Agency Engine rollover treated at scene OR 3 March 2015
Date Agency/Entity Incident Name Activity of Personnel Type of Number # Jurisdiction Injuries/Treatment Involved Accident of Shelters Location People Deployed Fatalities 7/18 Bailey Butte Fire Wildland Fire Contractor Vehicle Accident 1 Hospitalized, Central District ODF Water tender rollover released OR
7/19 Missoula Physical Training Federal/BLM Medical Emergency 1 Hospitalized, Western MT Zone BLM Rhabdomyolysis released MT
7/20 Holroyd Fire Initial Attack Federal/FS Tree Strike 1 Hospitalized; Medicine Bow-Routt NF cracked vertebrae WY
7/22 Fort Shaw Driving to Fire Fort Shaw VFD Vehicle Accident 2 1 MT Water tender collided with an engine
7/24 Quaking Fire Initial Attack Federal/FS Tree Strike 1 Hospitalized, Kaibab NF released AZ
7/25 Bear Butte 2 Fire Driving Back to Federal/FS Vehicle Accident 1 Treated at scene, Warm Springs Agency lodging released OR
7/28 McCall SMJ Proficiency Jump Federal/FS Medical Emergency 1 Hospitalized, Payette NF Fall released ID
7/29 Launch Fire In Camp Contractor Medical Emergency 1 1 Fremont-Winema NF Fall OR
8/03 Bear Butte 2 Fire Extended Attack Contractor Medical Emergency 1 Hospitalized, Warm Springs Agency Collapsed released OR
4 March 2015
Date Agency/Entity Incident Name Activity of Personnel Type of Number # Jurisdiction Injuries/Treatment Involved Accident of Shelters Location People Deployed Fatalities 8/04 French Fire Initial Attack Federal/FS Tree Strike 1 Hospitalized, Sierra NF released CA
8/08 Lodge Fire Initial Attack State/CAL FIRE Burn Over 8 1st and 2nd degree MEU Unit CAL FIRE burns, treated at CA burn center
8/09 Staley Complex Wildland Fire Contractor Tree Strike 1 Hospitalized, Willamette NF released OR
8/11 Timber Butte Fire Wildland Fire Federal/BLM Medical Emergency 1 Hospitalized, Idaho Dept. of Lands Rhabdomyolysis released ID
8/11 Beaver Fire Wildland Fire Contractor Entrapment 3 3 1 Hospitalized, Klamath NF burns, CA treated released
8/11 Fifteen Cent Fire Initial Attack Federal/FS Vehicle Accident 1 Hospitalized, Burns District BLM Equipment rollover released OR skidgine
8/17 Lone Mt. Fire, WA Driving back to Federal/FS Vehicle Accident 4 Hospitalized, Huron Mantisee NF Home unit Truck hit by another released MI vehicle
8/20 Devil’s Elbow Fire Driving back to Federal/BLM Vehicle Accident 1 Hospitalized, Colville Agency Home unit Driver passed out released WA
8/20 Raccoon Point Prescribed Prescribed Fire Federal/NPS Vehicle Burned 0 Swamp buggy Fire burned/no injuries Big Cypress National Preserve FL
5 March 2015
Date Agency/Entity Incident Name Activity of Personnel Type of Number # Jurisdiction Injuries/Treatment Involved Accident of Shelters Location People Deployed Fatalities 8/24 Mesa Fire Mop up, Investigation Federal/NPS Medical Emergency 1 2nd degree burns, Grand Canyon NP Burns treated at clinic, AZ released back to full duty 9/02 790 Fire Wildland Fire Contractor Tree Strike 1 Hospitalized, Rogue River-Siskiyou NF concussion, OR released
9/13 Black Fire Wildland Fire State/CAL FIRE Entrapment 2 Hospitalized, CAL FIRE released CA
9/13 Meadow Fire Wildland Fire Federal/NPS Tree Strike 1 Hospitalized, Yosemite NP released to light duty CA 9/15 King Fire Initial Attack State/CAL FIRE Entrapment 12 12 No injuries; CAL FIRE bulldozer damaged CA
9/19 Duncan Fire Initial Attack State/Chelan Fire Vehicle Accident 1 Operator Okanogan-Wenatchee NF District Water tender rollover hospitalized WA
9/21 Freezeout Ridge Fire Wildland Fire Federal/FS Tree Strike 1 Hospitalized, Wallowa-Whitman NF serious injuries OR
10/01 Brush Fire Initial Attack State/Dermott Fire Medical Emergency 1 1 Chicot County Department Collapsed AR 10/07 Dog Rock Fire Initial Attack Contractor Aviation 1 1 Yosemite NP Plane crash CA
6 March 2015
Date Agency/Entity Incident Name Activity of Personnel Type of Number # Jurisdiction Injuries/Treatment Involved Accident of Shelters Location People Deployed Fatalities 10/13 Upper Lyons Prescribed Prescribed Fire Federal/FS Deployment 1 1 Minor burn injuries, Fire released to normal Redwood NP duties CA 10/23 Green Springs North RX Prescribed Fire Federal/NPS Medical Emergency 1 2nd degree burns, Grand Canyon- Burns treated and released Parashant National back to full duty Monument AZ 10/28 Murphy Farm Fire Initial Attack State/VFD Medical Emergency 1 Treated at hospital Harpers Ferry Historical Fall for several days, Park released WV
Total 79 16 10
For calendar year 2014 there have been (10) fatalities:
Driving: 1 FF died in a traffic collision responding to a fire. Medical Emergencies: 1 FF died during a response to a brush fire; 1 FF died while responding to a fire; 1FF died while training for wildland fires; 1 FF died from a fall; 1 FF collapsed and died while on a fire; 2 FFs died while taking the Work Capacity Test. Aviation: 1 pilot died as a result of a plane crash during a detection flight; 1 pilot died when an air tanker crashed.
7 March 2015
Noted non-fatal trends: (5) Entrapments/burn-overs (involving 26 people) (11) Vehicle/Equipment and ATV accidents (7) Hazard Tree Related Injuries (15) Burn Related Injuries (16) Medical Emergency (not burn related) (6) Rhabdomyolysis (2) Cardiac arrest/heart condition (2) Broken bones (1) Concussion (1) Heat related illness (2) Collapsed (2) Fall
The Risk Management Committee would like to request any Fire Agency/Organization that experiences a fatality(s), or entrapment(s) to follow the guidance provided in National Mobilization Guide, Chapter 20 page 48 Wildland Fire Entrapment / Fatality. In the event that a wildland fire entrapment or fatality occurs, it should be reported immediately to National Interagency Coordination Center (NICC). A Wildland Fire Entrapment/Fatality Initial Report should be completed and mailed to NICC electronically or by fax machine within twenty- four (24) hours.
Many specific accident investigation reports/reviews/analysis may be found at the Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center repository at: http://www.wildfirelessons.net/IRDB
8 March 2015