Lessons Learned the Victims and Survivors of the 2005-2006 Texas and Oklahoma Wildfires

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Lessons Learned the Victims and Survivors of the 2005-2006 Texas and Oklahoma Wildfires Case Study: Lives Lost – Lessons Learned The Victims and Survivors of the 2005-2006 Texas and Oklahoma Wildfires Prolonged drought, strong winds, and extreme fire danger conspire to trigger the explosive grass fires that rage across Texas and Oklahoma in late 2005 and early 2006. These historic fires kill 25 people—including 4 firefighters; evacuate thousands of residents; destroy hundreds of homes, structures, and outbuildings; and burn millions of acres. An estimated 5,000 head of cattle also perish and more than 2,000 miles of fencing burns. What can we learn from these wildfire outbreak events? That is the essence of this case study report. By Bob Mutch and Paul Keller October • 2010 A 'Perfect Storm' for Extreme Wildfire “I would describe this as a ‘perfect storm’ for extreme fire. The weather conditions and the condition of the vegetation came together in a nexus that created a force of nature much like a hurricane or tornado. These are natural disasters that are truly beyond our capability to do anything about. The fuels—the grasses—were critically dry, and you had a combination of single- digit humidity and winds gusting to 60 mph. Our models that morning predicted flames spreading at 6 mph with 50-foot flame lengths, which is as tall as a four-story building. By 1 o'clock in the afternoon, that is exactly what we had.” Mark Stanford, Chief of Operations Texas Forest Service Describing the history-making wildfires that burn across his state on Sunday March 12, 2006—just one of six similar major wildfire outbreaks that devastate Oklahoma and Texas during 2005 and 2006. Photo Courtesy Texas Forest Service Contents I Preface We Must Ensure that Our Wildland-Urban Interface is Safe……..….. 6 A ‘Lessons Learned’ Examination of Grass-Fueled Wildfires – Three Central Objectives…………………………………………………….……….. 7 II Introduction ……………………………………………………………………..……….….…. 8 III 2005-2006 Oklahoma-Texas Wildfire Summary……………..….……. 10 Background – Fire Weather, Fire Behavior, and Fire Situation……... 10 Cover Photos Top: This photo, provided by the Borger Emergency Operations Center, shows billowing smoke across roadway near Borger in the Texas Panhandle on March 12, 2006. Top inset: Private barn and other items burn near Amarillo, Texas; The Associated Press Photo. Bottom inset: Wildfire threatens home as it burns grass and rangeland across the Texas Panhandle near Pampa on March 13, 2006; photo by Michael Lemmons/Amarillo Globe-News. Lives Lost – Lessons Learned from the 2005-2006 Texas and Oklahoma Wildfires 2 Overall Impacts of the Six 2005-2006 Wildfire Outbreaks Across Oklahoma and Texas…………………………………………….. 11 Other Causal Factors that Increase Wildfire Threats in Texas……………………………………………………………….. 14 Oklahoma and Texas Host a Wide Diversity of Fuel Types…. 15 IV 2005-2006 Oklahoma-Texas Wildfire Chronology……………..…… 17 V Those Who Perished – How, Why, and What We Can Learn…. 27 The Firefighters Volunteer Firefighter Clint Dewayne Rice……………………….………..…. 31 Lessons Learned Lessons Learned from Clint Dewayne Rice’s Fatal Rollover.. 33 Firefighter Destry Horton……..……………………………………...…………….. 36 Lessons Learned Specific Lessons Learned from the Empire Fire Burnover Fatality…………………………………………………………………...... 42 Interagency Accident Review Team Recommendations…..… 43 Unsafe Common Themes Keep Surfacing………………………….. 45 Volunteer Firefighter James McMorries……………………….…………..…. 46 Lessons Learned Lessons Learned from James McMorries’ Fatal Rollover…... 49 William L. Robinson III, Chief, Sarge Creek VFD……………………………. 52 Lessons Learned Do Not Drink and Respond to Wildland Fire Incidents…..….. 54 The Wildland-Urban Interface Residents Ralph Wedman…………………………………………….……….……..…………..…. 56 Maddie Fay Wilson………………………..….………………………...…………..…. 56 Maudie L. Sheppard………………………..………………...………..…………..…. 56 Cross Plains Fire………………………………………………………………… 57 Cross Plains Fire Lessons Learned………….………………………….. 60 Kelly Tiger, Sr.…………………………………..……………..…………..…………..…. 61 Lives Lost – Lessons Learned from the 2005-2006 Texas and Oklahoma Wildfires 3 Elena Morrison………………………..…………….………..…………..…………..…. 63 Kenneth Byers……………….………..….…………………..…………..…………..…. 63 Gerald Roth……………………….………..….…………………….……..…………..…. 64 Allen Thomas Sefcik………………………..……………….…………..…………..…. 65 Kathy Ryan………………………..……………………..……..…………..…………..…. 66 Bill Pfeffer………………………..………………..………..…..…………..…………..…. 72 Jack Will.………………………..…….………………………….…………..…………..…. 72 Leonardo Flores Hernandez…………..……………………………..…………..…. 73 John Moore…………………………………..……………………………..…………..…. 76 People Who are in the Wrong Place at the Wrong Time Roberto Chavira………………..………..….……………………….…..…………..…. 78 Arthur Dominquez………………………..……………….…..………..…………..…. 78 Merdaro Garcia, Jr.…………….………………..…………….………..…………..…. 78 Gerardo Villareal…..………………………..…………..…..…………..…………..…. 78 Lawrence Schumacher………………...………….…………………..…………..…. 79 Susan Schumacher……..………..….………..…………….…………..…………..…. 79 Alexis Skenay’ah Burroughs.…………………..………....………..…………..…. 80 Karen DeWeese.…………….……………………..……………………..…………..…. 81 VI The Four-Legged Victims……………………………….………………………………. 82 VII Survivor Stories…………………………………………………….………………………… 86 Floyd Lott, Volunteer Firefighter…………………………………..…………..…. 87 Lessons Learned…………………………………...………………………….. 92 Lives Lost – Lessons Learned from the 2005-2006 Texas and Oklahoma Wildfires 4 “Vegetation is critically dry in much of the state. Add winds and low humidity during the afternoon prime burning period, and you have a recipe for fast-spreading, dangerous wildfires. Most of the large wildfires that already occurred statewide resulted from this deadly combination of wildfire ingredients.” Mike Dunivan, Fire Behavior Analyst, Texas Forest Service Dec. 5, 2005 The L.H. Webb Family……………………………..…………….……..…………..…. ……….. 95 Lessons Learned…………………………………...…………………………………….. 99 VIII Key Overall Lessons Learned ………………………………………………..…… 101 1. From Firefighter Fatalities and Injuries……..………..…….…..………. 102 The Texas Wildfire Protection Plan……..……………………..…………..…. 107 2. From the Civilian Victims and Survivors……..…….…...…….……..…. 109 3. Fire Weather Forecasting………………………………...………….……..…. 115 4. The Importance of Prescribed Burning – and Other Preventive Strategies……………………………………………….….……..…. 118 IX Conclusion – Recommended Follow-up Actions ……………………… 119 X Epilogue – Update: Extreme Fires and More Fatalities Continue in Oklahoma and Texas………………………………..……………. 121 XI References…………………….…………………………………………….……………………. 125 XII Acknowledgements……………………..............……………………………….…… 127 XIII Appendices – ‘Prepare, Go Early, or Stay and Defend’: An Australian Alternative for the Safety of Wildland-Urban Interface Residents………………………..………………. 129 XIV About the Authors ……………………………………….…………..…………….…… 133 Lives Lost – Lessons Learned from the 2005-2006 Texas and Oklahoma Wildfires 5 Robin O’Shaughnessy/Amarillo Globe-News On March 13, 2006—as a large grass fire approaches—this Texas Panhandle rancher discs fire line with his tractor to try to save his ranch by preventing the blaze from jumping road in foreground. I Preface We Must Ensure that Our Wildland-Urban Interface is Safe The stories of the victims and survivors described in this report provide all of us with an important learning opportunity. We must share these vital lessons to help ensure that our country’s ever-growing wildland-urban interface environment will be a safer place for our families to live. A “Learning Organization”: Creates, acquires, interprets, transfers, and retains knowledge, and it purposefully modifies its behavior to reflect new knowledge and insights. The Six Critical Tasks of a “Learning Organization” are: 1. Collect intelligence about the environment. 2. Learn from the best practices of other organizations. 3. Learn from its own experiences and past history. 4. Experiment with new approaches. 5. Encourage systematic problem solving. 6. Transfer knowledge throughout the organization (Garvin 2000). Lives Lost – Lessons Learned: Victims and Survivors of the 2005-2006 Oklahoma and Texas Wildfires is a case study example of how these “Six Critical Tasks” provide the foundation of a true Learning Organization. There’s no question that Bob Mutch and Paul Keller’s quest for discovering and sharing the Lessons Learned from these victims and survivors epitomize all six of these Organizational Learning characteristics. On behalf of this country’s wildland fire community, all of us at the Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center express sincere thanks to Mutch and Keller for enlightening us to the significant new knowledge and insights embodied in this report. Dave Christenson, Acting Center Manager Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center Lives Lost – Lessons Learned from the 2005-2006 Texas and Oklahoma Wildfires 6 A ‘Lessons Learned’ Examination of Grass-Fueled Wildfires – Three Central Objectives A disaster of the magnitude of the historic 2005-2006 Texas and Oklahoma wildfires is more reminiscent of the outcomes from the October 2003 southern California “Fire Siege” in which 14 major fires killed 23 people and destroyed 3,710 homes. Unlike these more typically studied high-intensity wildfires that burn in chaparral, the 2005-2006 Oklahoma and Texas wildfires were fueled by short grass, mixed grass, and tall grass prairies. The Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center, therefore, realized this prime opportunity to sponsor this in-depth examination of grass-fueled wildfires. Three central objectives frame this case study “lessons learned” report: Explain the circumstances of changes—for their future the victims and survivors at survival—in
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