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Fall 2019 ▲ Vol. 9 Issue 3 ▲ Produced and distributed quarterly by the Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center

Where is Your Head At?

By Travis Dotson

Your head is important. Head injuries are bad. We do lots of stuff on the fire ground that exposes us to the risk of head injury. Let me reiterate—head injuries are a bad deal. Life-threatening goes without saying, but just as serious is the potential for drastically life-altering impacts.

Chances are you have heard of Traumatic Brain Injury, most likely in reference to professional football players or combat veterans. This is serious stuff.

Wildland firefighters regularly face conditions that could result in head injuries—like getting hit by Photo by Kari Greer rocks and trees or rolling over in a UTV. Have we accepted this? Let’s look in the pudding for the proof. Is what we wear the best there is? Is it the best we can do?

This issue of Two More Chains is about helmets. (Yes, they are called helmets. See page 3.) Our heads matter. Are we doing enough to save our skulls?

H E L M E T S

History, Insights, Thoughts and Observations

By Bre Orcasitas

ardhats, helmets, bump caps, lids, brain buckets, whatever you want to call them, we all pop one on our heads before wandering around out in H the field, never really stopping to think much about what that helmet can withstand or which standards it’s supposed to meet. Slapping on a hardhat is akin to putting on your seatbelt. It eventually becomes a habit that leaves you feeling slightly naked if you were to be without one.

Luckily, just as with seatbelts, most of us will never have to test the capacity of a helmet. But that doesn’t mean we should remain oblivious about what we’re jamming onto our head and why. After all, the brain is the body’s most valuable asset to protect.

The History Part Excerpt from “Hot Facts of Life on the Fire Line” U.S. Forest Service, Missoula, Montana. Publication date unknown. As with all things, where we are today is a result of what came before. Prior to modern day helmets, the fire community went through many iterations. But it began with what I like to refer to as the “Gentleman’s Hat.” It was enough to keep the sun off, scoop up some water, and walk off the fireline feeling dandy. Yes, indeed, folks looked quite dapper back in the day. [Continued on page 3]

Also in This Issue

Ground Truths: Wear Your Helmet – Page 2 Smokejumper Helmet Evolution – Page 6

Shop Talk: Helmet Rules for ATV/UTVs – Pages 7-8 One of Our Own: Kevin Reese, Hit By a Tree Early day wildland firefighter fellas looking dapper in Then the Bureaucracy – Page 9 what Bre likes to call their “Gentleman Hats.” Your Feedback – Page 15 1

Ground By Travis Dotson Fire Management Specialist Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center Truths [email protected]

Wear Your Helmet

ep, that’s it. This So the data says cinch- whole article is in up your helmet holder. the title. I’m done. Y Is that going to happen? But, obviously not, because the words are Nope. still going. Why?

It’s like trying to hang up Because we don’t the phone with someone decide what to do who loves to talk, they based on data. We just keep going and it decide based on what gets kind of awkward. our peers think, or I’m still talking. I’m more likely, what we making this awkward. THINK our peers think. I’m that guy…watch. And chinstraps are not

cool. Yet. Analysis: No Brainer I recently did some Real-Deal Leaders analysis. Transparency time: My

I read every tree felling accident report on file since 2004. Then I intent here is that these started counting stuff. Like this: When firefighters get hit by words find their way to ONE supervisor who cares more about trees during felling operations, how often is it a knock to the spines than selfies. noggin? If you are in charge, make your sawyers wear chinstraps. (Hey

Turns out that 51% of the time, the tree strike involved a direct suave sawyers: Sorry; Not sorry.) hit to the helmet. If some real-deal leaders step up, soon, the chinstrap “look” will

So, IF you were to be smacked by a tree during a felling become associated with sawyers. We all want to be sawyers. operation, chances are good it will be a head shot. Before we know it, cool will shift.

Simple analysis; simple conclusion: Wear your helmet. For those of you in the first wave, the ones who have to look

No brainer. uncool because their boss made them, I totally understand if you give me that one-finger salute in fire camp. The Crazy Part Now, here is the crazy part. Your helmet works better if it stays I do understand that rocking a helmet does not guarantee on your head. Guess what helps keep your helmet on your head? anything in the survival department. And yes, we can make the Hint, it involves your mandible. I suck at hints. It’s that little case for better dome guards, but something is better than nothing. And that something works better if it stays put. piece of webbing, elastic, or p-chord typically reserved for helicopter rides. What the Title Should Be

So, IF you were to use data to drive your decisions, you would So I lied. now be sure to put on your chinstrap before you dog into a face- The title doesn’t say it all. Plus, it’s a dumb title, because we are cut. In fact, you would strap-up even when sizing-up or prepping pretty good at wearing helmets. a falling operation, because people get whacked by trees before The title should be: Wear Your Chinstrap. they even pull chord (8% of the time). But that is a horrible title, because no one would read that You would also tie your helmet to your skull if you’re anywhere article. near falling operations, like prepping a road or pulling brush on a I just tricked you into reading about chinstraps. thinning project. Because, guess what, 15% of the time the person that got nailed wasn’t involved with the falling operation, See you in fire camp—I’ll keep an eye out for the sour sawyer but somehow ended up in the fall area. We’ve all done it, salute. whether pushing the limit on proximity for the sake of Swing on, Toolswingers. production, or just betting wrong on where the tree will land.

So, is it ‘Hardhat’ or ‘Helmet’?

While the terms “hardhat” and “helmet” are used interchangeably when referring to the PPE that wildland firefighters plop onto their heads, the technical name is “helmet.”

Godot Apuzzo, Equipment Specialist with the U.S. Forest Service’s National Technology and Development Program (NTDP), points out that “head protection devices are referred to as ‘helmets’ by national and international standardization organizations.”

“The term ‘helmet,’” Apuzzo informs, “was adopted from standards organizations to provide consistent terminology and is very important when searching for technical details regarding head protection.” The Interagency Standards for Fire and Fire Aviation Operations (Red Book) recognizes the importance of common terminology, Apuzzo explains.

He adds that these standards are processed, [Continued from page 1] Of course, wildland firefighters weren’t the only ones lacking head approved, and periodically reviewed through protection in a profession that needed head protection. Why? Because you can’t use consensus and contain information regarding something that doesn’t yet exist. Once helmets finally did come along there was some helmet: scope, purpose, and limitations; confusion around how to feel about them. As depicted here, a soldier describes one compliance; definitions; types and classes; common reaction when first presented with a helmet: accessories; instructions and markings; “In 1915, armies hurriedly introduced helmets, widely known as ‘tin hats.’ The performance requirements; selection and soldiers found the new helmets comical. ‘We shrieked with laughter when we tried preparation of test samples; and test methods.

them on as if they were carnival hats,’ according to one French soldier, but they cut So next time you refer to that important piece head injuries from 70 percent to 22 percent.” of PPE up there on your head, remember: It’s a

(https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/research/a28088179/army-helmet/) helmet.

Cultural stigmas may have been present initially, but those were cast aside once people began to recognize the value of the helmet. So much so in fact, that there have since been studies observing the phenomenon of workers wearing hardhats when they aren’t even required. At some point, the hardhat became a symbol of pride for manual labor workers everywhere.

“Dr. Rosenberg said hardhats had become associated with masculinity and patriotism. There was a confluence of social factors that made hardhats cool that has not happened with hearing protection or respirators, she said.” (From the New York Times article, The Evolution of the Hardhat.)

Flashing forward to modern-day, it’s been 100 years since Edward W. Bullard developed the first hardhat in 1919, which was originally called the “Hard Boiled Hat.” The original version was made of steamed canvas, glue and leather with suspension soon to follow.

Hardhats have been made from a variety of materials throughout the years such as leather, steel, aluminum, fiberglass, and now more recently thermoplastics and high- density polyethylene.

Somewhere between the first hardhat in 1919 and everyone wanting to wear hardhats even if they didn’t need one, came an act of Congress in 1970 aimed at protecting workers on the job.

Since that turning point, specified helmet standards have been generated for just about anything you can think of: construction work, football, hockey, baseball, bicycles, military, mountaineering, snow sports, whitewater, bull Bullard “Hard Boiled Hat” schematics. riding—you get the idea. https://www.treehugger.com/bikes/happy-100th-birthday-hard-hat.html

[Continued on page 4] 3

From left to right: vintage Bullard Miners Hat, vintage Bullard Hard Boiled Hat (used on the Golden Gate Bridge Project), Hard Boiled Aluminum Safety Hardhat with liner, and a current day helmet. Photo: https://herculesslr.com/index.php/tag/hard-hats/

[Continued from page 3] Activity-specific standards ensure that the helmet performs to the task at hand rather than lumping everyone in together under one hardhat. Although it may appear to be relatively basic on the surface, the world of hardhats is quite complex.

Traumatic Brain Injuries have become a focal point for helmet engineers in the last couple of decades surely due to the volume of injuries among active duty military and professional football players. Of course, wildland firefighters have been directly in the line of fire for potential head trauma since the dawn of firefighting due to our inability to control when a tree decides to fall on a person’s head, among other things. So what is the specified standard for a wildland firefighter?

Helmet Jargon jar·gon1 /ˈjärɡən/ noun 1. Special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group and are difficult for others to understand.

As we began to dig around for information regarding the standards of wildland firefighter helmets it occurred to us that the world of helmet standards is saturated with a bunch of jargon. Rather than dump a pile of “special words” on our readers we decided to give you the quick and dirty explanation—but don’t worry, those of you who are into jargon can follow the links provided to access more detailed information.

Here’s the Breakdown In 1970 Congress passed the “Occupational Safety and Health Act” which, in turn, incepted the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). OSHA created some language in the “29 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] 1926.100(a) Head Protection,” essentially saying that people who need to wear helmets are now required to wear helmets. Good Call.

Wildland firefighter helmets follow some specific guidance which you can find in Chapter 7 of the Red Book. What’s the Red Book? The Interagency Standards for Fire and Aviation Operations. The Red Book, which is aimed at federal folks, says that helmets are required to meet the NFPA 1977 Standard on Protective Clothing and Equipment for Wildland Firefighting. What’s NFPA? The National Fire Protection Association. The NFPA standard must meet the ANSI Z89.1 requirement for a Type 1, Class G helmet. The ANSI Z89.1 standard derives from ANSI. What’s ANSI? The American National Standard Institute. Somewhere in the process Type 1 helmets also need to pass a “Force Transmission Test” which has something to do with a brick and joules (see page 6).

Wait, what?? I thought this was the less confusing explanation. Believe it or not, this is the less confusing explanation.

A Breakdown for the Breakdown In a nutshell, you’d probably want to know that wildland firefighters wear Type 1, Class G helmets. What does that mean?

Type 1 helmets are designed to sustain a blow only to the top of the head, while Class G helmets reduce danger when in contact with low- voltage conductors up to 2,200 volts. Of course, there’s more to it than that—but you’ll need to dive into the sea of jargon (links above) to figure it out.

That explains the fireline helmet, however, often times wildland firefighters require more than one helmet to do the job. Beyond fireline helmets we’ve also got flight helmets, UTV/ATV helmets, and smokejumper helmets to consider, none of which are universal. So here is a quick highlight on these other types of helmets:

Flight Helmets https://www.fs.fed.us/t-d/pubs/pdfimage/77571303.pdf Until very recently, wildland fire followed the same specifications that the military used for flight helmets. However, in October of 2019 the Department of the Interior and U.S. Forest Service released a document stating their intentions to begin the search for a new flight helmet standard separate from that of the military standard: https://www.doi.gov/aviation/safety/helmet. 4 [Continued on page 5]

[Continued from page 4]

UTV/ATV Helmets [Check out “Shop Talk” on page 7.]

Smokejumper Helmet The two most utilized smokejumper helmets are the Giro Helmet and POC. Both of these helmets meet the ASTM 2040F-18 Standard, the Snow Sports Standard. [Also, see “Smokejumper Helmet Evolution” on next page.]

Now that we’ve got all that covered, let’s continue . . .

Looming Questions These are the standards that we in the wildland fire service go by. After looking these over and comparing our standards with those of paralleling professions we are left with some looming questions:

Why are these standards thee standards? Are the current standards good enough? Do these standards provide the protection that we need? Can our helmets sustain the types of impact firefighters might endure? Do we actually need a helmet that protects us from voltage? The questions are endless, but the one that matters most is: Are we using the best available helmet for the work that we do?

No Magic Helmet Of course, there is no magic helmet that will protect wildland firefighters from any and all harm. This warning advisory for football helmets speaks to that reality: “Warning: No helmet can prevent all head or any neck injuries a player might receive while participating in football. Helmets cannot prevent concussion/brain injury.” (From the November 2019 “Standard Performance Specification for Newly Manufactured Football Helmets”: https://nocsae.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ND002-17m19-Mfrd-FB- Helmets-Standard-Performance-005.pdf.)

However, with countless options available on the market, many of which were designed for professions with similar needs, it’s difficult to believe that the simplicity of our current standard provides us with the best available helmet. On the other hand, Wells Bullard, the current company chief of

Bullard (Helmet Company) recently told the New York Times: “The technology of the hardhat really hasn’t changed so dramatically in 100 years. There’s a suspension, and there’s a shell.”

It certainly would be unfair to discount the lives that have been saved under the current helmet structure. Often times it seems quite miraculous that survival is even possible given the significant impacts that firefighters have endured. So, perhaps the area in which we seek improvement isn’t necessarily DIRECT STRIKE the survival rate, but in surviving better. This is Wally Ochoa’s helmet after sustaining a direct strike to the head from an uprooted snag. Wally received extensive and serious injuries, but survived the incident. To read about this Final Questions firefighter’s story, follow this link to the Fall 2017 Issue of Two Is it possible to lessen the degree of impact so that survivors don’t have to More Chains: walk away with brain damage, chronic pain, and/or permanent disabilities? Is https://www.wildfirelessons.net/viewdocument/two-more- there a helmet out there with a higher impact rating, more breathability, or a chains-fall-2017 helmet that could withstand not only top of the head impact, but multi-angle impacts as well?

And if there is such a helmet, how would field-going firefighters learn about the potential alternatives and advocate for their inception into the fire program? Do our current helmet requirements eliminate the possibility of accessing a better option?

These are all questions worth finding the answers to because trees are not going to stop falling on our folks so long as we continue to work in the forest.

Smokejumper Helmet Evolution

These photos tell the visual story of how the smokejumper program has made an effort to upgrade with helmet technology over the course of the years.

1940s 1960s-1970s 1980s-2000s 2000s 2010

The Force Transmission Test

The Lolo Peak Fire Tree-Strike Fatality Field Report describes how helmets are tested for impact:

“The standard Force Transmission Test delivers 54 joules of energy to a test helmet mounted on a head form. The head form contains a load cell that measures the energy transmitted to the spine. This test is roughly equivalent to the energy delivered by a brick falling one story (10 feet). Energy in excess of 54 joules is believed to cause vertebral damage. Additionally, energy greater than the standard test requirement may result in varying degrees of helmet suspension damage.

Even with the standard Force Transmission Test, a suspension key may detach from the

Image from the Lolo Peak Fire Tree- suspension key slot. However, a detached key does not always constitute a failure of the test Strike Fatality Field Report.

helmet. An average value that does not exceed 3780 Newtons (850 pounds) at the load cell is

the pass/fail criteria for the Force Transmission Test.”

Know Your Gear!

 How do you determine when should you remove your helmet from service?

 How do you determine how old your helmet is?

 How do you perform a helmet inspection?

 What should you look for in a helmet inspection?

Answers to these questions and helmet serviceability guidance can be found here:

https://www.nwcg.gov/committees/equipment-technology-committee

Shop Talk Page 1

What are the Helmet “Rules” for ATVs and UTVs?

For the Specifics: Read the “Red Book” Chapter 14, Page 5: https://www.nifc.gov/PUBLICATIONS/redbook/2019/Chapter14.pdf#page=5

ATV Rules

Pretty Basic: You Gotta Rock a Motorcycle Type Helmet

 It can be ¾ or full face – as long as it meets Snell SA2010, SA2015, or Six Rivers ATV Loading Cold Brook RX UTV DOT certification. Rollover  This is handy: NTDP Tech Tip A Helmet for ATV Operators with Fireline Duties.

Photo by Kari Greer UTV Rules Photo by Kari Greer

Difference in Policy:

Photo by Kari Greer

NPS, BLM, and FWS requirements are The Forest Service requires motorcycle type helmets based on a “risk assessment.” to be worn at all times when operating UTVs.

Bureau of Land Management A comprehensive and properly prepared RA [Risk Analysis] of the specific conditions demonstrates no more than a medium residual risk level, then a hardhat meeting NFPA 1977 or ANSI Z 89.1 2009 Type 1, Class G standards may be worn with chinstrap secured in place under chin.

National Park Service Approved helmets are required for UTV operations that are rated moderate (amber) or high (red) using the “ORV Risk 36 Assessment Tool” included in the NPS Off-Highway Vehicle Policy.

Fish and Wildlife Service Per 243 FW 6.6 B.1, a hardhat meeting NFPA 1977 or ANSI Z 89.1 standards may be worn with chinstraps secured in place unless the risk assessment for the operation dictates wearing a securely fastened motorcycle helmet.

Forest Service Wearing hardhats while driving or riding on a UTV is not allowed. UTV Helmet (for fire use) requirements are the same as ATV use. 7 7 From The Red Book: https://www.nifc.gov/PUBLICATIONS/redbook/2019/Chapter14.pdf#page=8

Shop Talk Page 2

Here’s the Proof That It Matters What Helmet You Wear on ATVs and UTVs

The Voice of Experience

“I have talked to several people to tell them this story—from firefighters to hotshot superintendents, to safety officers and others. I feel I need to tell this story as many times as I can to—if nothing else—impress the idea that UTV safety and helmet wear is a must. I’m willing talk to anyone who is on the fence about not wearing a helmet while operating a UTV or ATV.”

“Approved 3/4 shell motorcycle helmets are a must.”

Barry Green Division Supervisor on the Juniper Fire From his “UTV Rollover RLS”

https://www.wildfirelessons.net/viewdocument/juniper-fire-utv-rol

“No one was injured in

this incident, but the

ATV sustained severe damage as it rolled down into the

drainage.”

Cold Brook RX UTV Rollover Jones Creek ATV Rollover “The FIRB was unaware that UTV1 was starting to tip “The helmet used on this when his passenger grabbed day was so old it had no the roll bar and said

markings, it was at least “Whoa”—causing the FIRB to 20 years old, and hesitate for a moment. In that designed for snow use, instant, both he and the not ATV use. The age passenger felt a slow-motion and materials of this tipping of UTV1 as it came to

helmet contributed to rest on its right side.” the severity of the

injuries sustained.”

Six Rivers ATV Loading

One of Our Own

Kevin Reese

First the Tree Tries to Kill Him Then the Bureaucratic Aftermath Does the Same

By Alex Viktora and Travis Dotson

Kevin Reese lived the nightmare. He got mangled doing the job we all love. He survived the injury, but the bureaucratic aftermath almost killed him. Alex Viktora recently called Kevin and got the full story.

ALEX: Give us your fire profile.

KEVIN: I am an AFMO on the Huron-Manistee National Forests in Region 9. I’ve been out here for about three years now. Prior to that, I worked in Region 5 for 17 years. I started my career on crews, then did some prevention, fuels and worked on an engine for a bit. I stayed in North Ops, worked on the Six Rivers, the Klamath, and the Tahoe.

ALEX: I hear you got hit on the head? Kevin Reese

KEVIN: Yep. August 11, 2013 on the Grizzly Fire, Northern California. High elevation, lightning fire. I had been the IC then it bumped up to Type 3, so I rolled into a Task Force Leader. Pretty remote, gnarly terrain, super steep, heavy timber, lots of roll out.

Anyway, toward the end of the shift I was sending the majority of my folks down the hill and I get a call that a helicopter is coming in and I got maybe half a fuel cycle, so we need to work ‘em for everything I can. I had my engine walking down the hill and they ran back up and started working the ship in a fairly steep drainage trying to kind of hang it up for the night.

I totally had that “I'm going to die, that sucks” kind of moment.

It was a 205, so a pretty quick turnaround. We started higher on the slope working down into this drainage. The last drop, he was right over the top of us. He had a long line, but he was going down into this drainage so his rotors were a lot closer to the timber and we were getting a lot of rotor wash.

He came off the drop and was pulling away. The sound transitioned from that “womp, womp, womp” of a 205 to the groaning of holding wood. I looked up and there's a tree coming down right on top of me. I figured if I could get out from under the trunk . . . I just bailed down the super-steep embankment, kind of a scree field. Supposedly your life flashes before your eyes and there’s all this regret. I didn’t have any of that. I didn’t have time!

Because of the terrain, the trunk hit the ground before the top. I heard it hit 20 feet behind me, then 15 feet, then 10 feet—and I realized this is going to happen and had that “Oh sh*t” moment. And then something hits me right in the middle of my back, right on the pack. Knocked me down. I got hit across the right shoulder and that kind of threw me forward and off-kilter. I totally had that “I'm going to die, that sucks” kind of moment.

And then I got hit right on the back of the head. The last thing I remember is my red hardhat just flew off my head and it’s flying straight out in front of me. I saw it spin a couple of times, and then I’m out. I don't remember anything else.

The next thing I know, one of my crew members, this smaller dude, Javan, is right there and he is pulling me out from under whatever is on top of me. I have no idea what’s going on, but he grabs me by my shoulder straps and lifts me up. I'm 6’3” and he's probably 5’6” and he just shoulder pressed me and he’s like, dragging me away. And then another dude, Frank, is there and he is a bigger dude. He grabbed me and then all of a sudden, there's another guy, Ed, and they got me out. I was pretty sure I was dying.

I kept rubbing the back of my head with my left hand from the side of my head back to my neck, just waiting for my fingers to stick into my brains and realize that I’m dead.

I thought the entire back of my head had been completely crushed—like it was gone. I kept rubbing the back of my head with my left hand from the side of my head back to my neck, just waiting for my fingers to stick into my brains and realize that I’m dead.

Getting Off the Hill I'm dead. I have accepted this. They’re trying to figure out what’s going on. Ed’s running the The broken tree that hit Kevin radio talking to the IC and making notifications and it’s starting to get dark by now. Nothing is and its debris field. really in our favor. It’s super steep. They’re trying to figure stuff out and I’m having a really hard time tracking.

They’re talking about getting the helicopter. There’s some discussion about the marine layer. They’re trying to get a ground ambulance and things are happening, I don’t know. They’re doing their stuff.

They’re talking about how to get me off the hill, scratching their heads and coming up with a plan. I looked around and there’s only four dudes, maybe five, with two local volunteers. There’s no way they can pack me out. I’ve done that, it takes way more than you think.

So, completely absolute wrong thing for me to do, but I figured I’m going to walk 10 feet. That’s 10 feet those dudes don’t have to carry me. And we’re just going to do it like that until I can’t go anymore. Hopefully, I’ll get them far enough that they can get something coming up from the bottom.

I end up walking out, wearing my hardhat and line gear pack—not because I wanted to carry it. More because the situation has gone to sh*t when you drop your pack. I wasn’t ready to admit that yet.

I probably walked three quarters of a mile, or a mile. Some pretty nasty, rocky drainages. I was just absolutely jacked up to the gills with adrenaline. And my heart’s beating like 200 times a minute. I’m just thinking: “I have to get out of here because if I don’t, nothing good is going to happen.”

So I get down to the Drop Point. The original ambulance that they called broke down, of course. So they called a second ambulance. That was a delay. Eventually, it gets there and they load me up and send me down the hill.

Upside down and backwards, flying down Highway 36, full of morphine. I started to lose the feeling of my right arm. And everything is starting to really, really hurt.

I have compression injuries in my neck and my right shoulder, pretty much my entire back, my cervical, thoracic and lumbar. I have compression injuries in my right hip, my right knee and my right ankle. I joke that I’m a half-inch shorter and 20 pounds heavier.

Severe Injuries My Forest Safety Officer, Damien, was already at the hospital when I got there. He covered all the paperwork, everything that comes along with getting hurt.

I do have nerve damage in my right arm. I don’t really think about it anymore, which is kind of funny. I don’t know if it’s getting better or if I’m getting used to it—probably somewhere in between. The best way to describe how it feels—it’s like if you take a capful of something carbonated and you pour it right in the palm of your hand, that’s it. It happens in the middle of my palm.

Sometimes it will buzz, sometimes it just kind of vibrates. But more often than not, it’ll feel like my pinky, ring, and middle fingers and that portion of my palm is wet and that there’s air kind of blowing over it. It feels like they’re wet and kind of cold.

As for running, since I got hurt, I can go about two-and-a-half miles and my right hip just locks up, gets super dull and achy. And then I’ll get about four or five days where my leg doesn’t bend, I feel like a Lego man. So running is no longer an option. I can’t smell anymore. My memory is affected. I didn’t have a great memory before, but I definitely don’t have one now. 10

There are real life consequences for what happens to us.

ALEX: No doubt. What was it like right after the accident?

KEVIN: I’m lucky. I worked on a really, really, really good Forest. I mean, before Hospital Liaisons were a thing, this Forest did it. My AFMO was mowing my yard, bringing me groceries, watching my kids, so my wife could have a break.

I had Chief One, Mike Minton, calling all the time checking up. My Forest Supervisor, Tyrone Kelley, called me every day, just checking up on me. My Ranger, Tom, came down to sit with me and told me: “Don’t worry about work. We’ll deal with it.” I had dudes stopping by, just random fire dudes stopping by and checking in on me. People dropping off groceries. People calling and texting. Amazing support. The Forest Service family showed up.

And so all this is happening and that’s when OWCP starts declining things.

I’ve got a younger brother and we are super close. He was on a different fire the night that I got struck. David Martin up on the Six Rivers drove out to the line and found my brother. He told him what was up and he stayed with him until they figured out that I wasn’t dead. Just an overwhelming amount of support from everybody.

Bureaucratic Madness Then I start getting into care, and I start getting into OWCP. My claim has already been filed, and I’ve been in this pretty rad opiate haze for a while. So I got my OWCP caseworker who seems to change like every two weeks. So I call one person and it’s someone else, so they reroute me. I’m constantly playing phone tag. They’ve got me seeing a general practitioner and an orthopedist. The orthopedist puts in a bunch of requests to get me to a neurologist. And so all this is happening and that’s when OWCP starts declining things.

They declined the request for a surgical orthopedist to take a look at me. They even declined the orthopedist that I was seeing. They’re starting to decline the payments he is submitting. And so, these doctors are being super cool, but they are like: “Hey man, you’re not paying your bills.” I am super naïve and being like: “It’s cool, it is Workman’s Comp, they’re going to pay.” And they totally didn’t. They really didn’t pay for anything.

They paid for the CA-1 which covered the first four hours. The rest of it just started stacking up. I started getting calls from St. Joseph Hospital. I started getting calls from the ambulance company. I got calls from everybody. I’m calling my caseworker, because that’s what you’re supposed to do.

By the way, they’re not treating me in any way. They just keep giving me Narcotics.

I can’t go see a neurologist. But they’ll give me a garbage can full of Narcos. They’re like: “Just stay on your normal dose.” Well, that gets pretty tasty after a while. One of the nurses even told me: “You could start slinging these pills for like, two or three bucks a pop.” I said WTF? You’re telling me to sell pills? Oh, man. That guy bounced quick—right out the room!

Now I’m getting creditor calls. I call ASC and they tell me to make a payment plan. And I’m like, what are you talking about? Like this is a work-related injury. I got hit by a tree on a fire at work. And they’re like, yes, unless you want your credit to be completely destroyed, you need to show a payment plan.

So I’m hurt. I don’t know what I’m doing with work. I’m telling folks: “Hey, man, they’re not paying my bills.” And all my super-supportive dudes are like: “Don’t worry about it. We’ve got you.” Okay. Cool, man.

Now I’m getting creditor calls. I call ASC and they tell me to make a payment plan. And I’m like, what are you talking about? Like this is a work- related injury. I got hit by a tree on a fire at work. And they’re like, yes, unless you want your credit to be completely destroyed, you need to show a payment plan.

This is madness.

Panic Attack I’m losing my mind because I’m not making sh*t for money. I can’t work, both physically and mentally. We’ve got two little girls at home, my wife is trying to clean houses to pull some money in. And, again, super-supportive bros are like: “Hey, man, I got you. Hey, man, if you need anything. Hey, man, here’s a hundred bucks.” Crazy supportive.

And that starts the guilt cycle because you’re like, I know how they earn their money, and I’m super appreciative of it, but they can’t carry me forever.

I was on light duty for a while. And then you know, whether I’m good or not, I’m back in the seat, I gotta get back to work. So I came back and I just kind of hung-out being broken and didn’t really do anything. I realized, I’ve got “real life” bills to pay. No matter how supportive my dudes were at work, the Department of Labor and the U.S. Forest Service are wildly different beasts and the Forest Service has no pull with DOL. 11

And I’m broken. I need to get back up.

I was back at work. Creditors call like, six, seven, eight times a day. They The Turtle Club started calling my family. They called my dad. They called my mom. My KEVIN: While I was in my opiate haze, my hardhat was sent to dad’s like, how did they did get this number? Financially they’re ruining my Missoula, and they tested it. I thought it was going to be like some life, but now it’s expanding. super cool report that talked about kinetic energy and how much impact my brain absorbed or whatever. But, no, they pretty much So my FMO, is like: “Hey man, they’re burning up on the Orleans District. If said that it did its job, which is kind of not nearly as cool as I thought you want to go, we’ll throw some overtime your way.” Hell yeah, I’m ready, it would be. put me in. The angle I was struck and the fact that I was actively moving

forward probably saved my life. The guts of a hardhat are designed I had a straight-up gnarly panic attack—just feeling like to absorb impact from above. It dissipates that energy through the webbing and six suspension keys. Because of the angle, it didn’t I’m losing it. compress all six of those lines. Only the two rear ones compressed, so my hardhat bottomed out, and I felt that—which is not very

pleasant. So it’s more Klamath River drainage stuff—super steep and nasty. The engine was up there. We’re helping them burn. Heavy timber, and trees As it bottomed out, I continued to fall forward and the energy of the started coming down and holding wood groaning and trees thumping the limb continuing in that direction, pushed the hardhat off my head ground. I had a straight-up gnarly panic attack—just feeling like I’m losing it. and grazed that blow up-and-over instead of continuing to just take that full impact to the back of my dome.

I’m trying to tell myself, I’m good. I’m good. I really have to do this, c’mon, So I am a member of the “Bullard Turtle Club” for Bullard hardhat you’re good. And I just kind of holed-up behind this big Doug fir and I survivors. I got a corny little turtle and a little sticker that says: completely lost my mind. I couldn’t move, couldn’t make decisions, I just “Helmet on head, we’re not dead.” I got a plaque that I’m not dead melted. And I had never done that before. because of a hardhat.

It was terrifying. One of my buddies grabbed me and he’s like: “Hey, man, I do firmly believe that if I didn’t have a lid on, I’d be dead— let’s go for a walk.” And he hid me away. Not that anyone would dog me up absolutely. I think there’s improvements that could be made. But there, but they might just be like: “What are you doing?” bottom line is, if I didn’t have a hardhat on it, I wouldn’t have the back of my head—guaranteed. And that’s when I started to think that there might actually be something wrong with me.

The engine stayed, I left. A runner had to come and get me. I thought: “I can’t do that. That sucks.”

I remember sitting down with my wife. I was like: “I guess we’re going to file for bankruptcy.” We just bought a house and we had a car payment. My credit wasn’t spotless, but it was pretty legit. Now it’s nothing.

Then I just tanked. I’ve got overwhelming debt. No one at the Department of Labor is helping me. I wrote my congressman. I tried everything. I decided I’m just not going to pay them. Again, I get told: “Set up a payment plan.”

ALEX: It sounds like “set up a payment plan” is literally in a handbook or part of some script. And that is how they deal with it. Like it’s the only play they call in that situation.

KEVIN: For real. Thinking back, it really broke my heart. This is what they read to people every day.

Kevin’s Second Close Call KEVIN: So, I’m still kind of working. Luckily, it’s the end of the season and my temps are laid off. I don’t know what I’m going to do financially. I don’t know what I’m going to do for a job.

Then one day I’m in the grocery store with my little girl and we’re walking down the aisle and one of the employees is stocking shelves and they have a flat of canned goods. And, it’s got the shrink wrap plastic on it and we are walking past and they rip that plastic off. I swear, it’s that same damn groaning like holding wood, like a tree coming down. And I totally lost it again.

I just shut down and couldn’t move. I’m staring at these candies and some macaroni and cheese. I can’t breathe. I’m losing it, man. And during this whole thing, I still have this boatload of Narcotics. So I get pretty cool with eating Narco, drinking Rolling Rock and getting down with some daytime television.

I’m just super depressed. I’m getting crushed physically, mentally, and Kevin credits his wife, Sica, for eliminating opiates from his post- financially. And they keep giving me these tasty little candies that wash down injury life. “She’s a super strong, super direct lady. And she just super smooth. Luckily, my wife is like: “Hey dude, this has got to stop.” And she took control and said ‘Nope, not doing it.’ She got me off opiates. I just shot me straight. She’s like: “You’re going to quit that sh*t today. We’re not am super lucky.”

doing that.” She’s a super strong, super direct lady. And she just took control and said “Nope, not doing it.” She got me off opiates. I am super lucky.

So then I’m getting pressure from the doctor’s office to fill these prescriptions: “You need to be taking your medicine.” I’m like: “I’m not taking this anymore, man. I’m going to just eat ibuprofen and try to focus on managing pain.”

I kind of took some grief over that, like I really should be on the pills. I’m like, “Okay, copy.”

And so I resigned myself to the fact that I’m financially crushed. I’m never going to buy another house, there’s no way that’s going to happen. But I’m going keep fighting fire.

Then life goes on. I realized that I’m not going to run again. I need to work. I genuinely like fighting fire. I guess that’s the thing I’m addicted to. Big fire, structures threatened, radios blowing up and everyone firing on all cylinders. There aren’t many things better than that.

ALEX: Right. Purpose, community, shared hardship, we all know that stuff matters.

KEVIN: For sure. And so I resigned myself to the fact that I’m financially crushed. I’m never going to buy another house, there’s no way that’s going to happen. But I’m going keep fighting fire.

Two Years Later . . . Fast forward two years. I’m down at McClellan for an Engine Captains Group. At a break, I run into Pete Duncan, who was Regional Safety at the time. I knew he had one of his bros get smoked by a tree. I went to him straight-up and said: “Hey, I got hit by a tree. You went through it with your dude. I’m totally getting screwed. Nobody is helping me. No one knows what to do. The Forest Service can’t seem to get through.” Pete is like: “Okay, man, shoot me an e-mail.” I ran back and got my computer fired-up and sent him an e-mail with this same sob story.

I was all stoked, like things are going to change. And, a day goes by. A week. A month. By four months in, I’m like, okay, he was cool, at least he listened to me. Then out of the blue, I get a call from the head of ASC proper. She says: “Hey, I talked to Pete and he briefed me up on what’s going on. I apologize. The whole thing is a shameful process. We hang our folks out to dry and we just abandon them on the roadside.” She said some nice words.

I said: “You were the ones who told me to set up a payment plan!” I was still fairly cynical. And she said, “Anyone who is contacting you for money, send it directly to me. This is my e-mail address, this is my FAX at my desk, and we’ll take care of it.” And I did. And they paid the entirety of my bills with federal funds. The U.S. Forest Service paid the entirety of it.

So I think, all in all, that was probably three years after I got crunched. Credit-wise, it still ruined me. But the Forest Service owned up, they came through and paid my medical bills.

Are You Kidding Me? ALEX: Did you ever get the DOL’s or OWCP’s rationale?

KEVIN: I was told the reason my claim was denied was because there was a “billing error.” And because the billing department is contracted, they didn’t have any enforcement on the procedures of that contracted portion, so there’s nothing they could do. Are you kidding me? Like a coding number? Like 1-0-5 instead of 1-0-7 is why you’re financially killing me?

So, OWCP, I really hold no value in it. And I think it’s incredibly shameful how they carry themselves and that they deny claims because of the small percentage of people who abuse it.

All I want is to get back on the horse. I don’t want to sit here. I don’t want to snort Kevin with his daughters, (from left) Trinity and Alora. pills. I was just absolutely typecast. They scrutinized me for fraud when I got hurt at work. It’s documented. Just pay my bills, so I can get back in there and work.

And it really bothers me, because in this business, it’s not if, it’s when you get hurt. So when it does happen, we need to support these folks.

ALEX: Does this event influence your perspective in day-to-day work?

KEVIN: Yeah, I’m not nearly as aggressive as I was. I’m hypersensitive to our commitment time in the deep dark, nasty holes that we send crews into. Some folks are like: “We’ve got medevac ships, we’re good.” I’m like: “Okay. Ask Andy Palmer about that.”

I think more about extraction. I think more about exposure and I definitely think more about that Risk versus Gain. Does the mission make sense? Or should we bump out two ridges, scalp it and burn it?

I still really don’t like the sound of holding wood. That gives me the worst damn bone chills. It almost makes me want to puke.

So I’m not a huge fan of falling. What are Your Lessons? ALEX: So what are your lessons? What would you pass on to others?

KEVIN: As far as anything I could offer so others don’t have to go through this—I’m focused on fixing the process with the Department of Labor. There’s got to be a better way to do it. We’re currently doing it wrong.

ALEX: Yes, and we keep hearing it over and over again. For some reason there are groups that are extremely reluctant to talk about it. I don’t know why. I don’t know if they’re worried that DOL is going to come and slap them around or something. I don’t understand why this is a hard thing to call out. I mean, it’s about taking care of people. It’s pretty simple. If something bad happens to our folks at work, we need to fix it.

And even worse, some folks think this is not a problem. I’ve been in so many meetings and group discussions, and somebody will say: “No, this is not a problem. People just need to fill-out their CA- 1’s correctly.”

I still really don’t like the sound of holding wood. That gives me the worst damn bone chills. It almost makes me want to puke.

Kevin explains that since he got hurt,

running is no longer an option. “I can’t What do think? Is your OWCP story particularly gnarly? smell anymore. My memory is affected. I didn’t have a great memory before, but I KEVIN: Actually, I think it’s pretty standard. I’ve worked with multiple people who just started definitely don’t have one now.” making payments. It’s more of a shocker when you hear that an OWCP claim went smooth.

And you just don’t hear that.

ALEX: Right. Any other lessons?

KEVIN: I mean, I know the PPE one is kinda lame. But when used correctly, it really makes a difference. And I’m not even a hardhat dude, I’ve never liked wearing hardhats. I’ve got really gnarly curly hair that I don’t really take care of, so it’s usually all matted and nasty. It’s therefore always hot and wearing a bucket sucks.

So, if I could ever get away with not wearing a hardhat, I would do that. But there is obviously a reason for it. Again, to underline the fact that my hardhat saved my life. It did its job, it fulfilled its little hardhat destiny.

This stuff can help. It can lessen the impact. It can reduce severity and that is super important. Are there better hardhats out there? I’m sure of it. One of the super frustrating things is that we are all about safety until it becomes cost prohibitive.

There’s better Nomex out there. It’s just expensive. There’s better hardhats out there, I guarantee it. You know, there’s chainsaws that don’t geyser. All that stuff is just more expensive. I feel like we look at how many ones and zeros are associated with the cost and then we’re Grizzly Fire Tree Fall Injury FLA like: “Oh well, it’s okay, a Kevlar blend is cool.” To read the FLA that was done on Kevin’s tree strike incident:

I understand the balance with fiscal responsibility. But if you are going https://www.wildfirelessons.net/viewdocument/grizzly-fire- to restrict our safety because of cost, then you need to ease up on your tree-fall-injury-2013 propaganda.

Your

FEEDBACK This page features unsolicited input from our readers. The independent content on this page does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Two More Chains staff.

Another Perspective Thank you for the good work you all do with Two More I read the article in the Summer Issue of Two More Chains Chains. about standardization and our rappel crews. Will Jenks, Fire Prevention & Mitigation I think in many ways it is a good article and raises a good Kenai National Wildlife Refuge discussion about standardization. I learned some things about the way they are rappelling now that I didn't know. I do, however, think it is inappropriate to lay the blame Change Blindness for the tragedy (Tom Marovich’s rappel fatality) that Excellent issue and topic in your Two More Chains happened on standardization. Summer Issue. I hadn't heard much about “Change Blindness” and that was a great ah-ha moment for this old The single biggest change that came out of the fallout dog. from the tragedy was that light helicopters were no longer allowed to be used as rappel platforms, despite I haven’t seen a correlation in any of the write-ups about having “standard rappel procedures” per type of aircraft. it, but to me looking at the “wrong way” of doing things, For instance, I do remember finding an old VHS tape actually laying eyes on (which is brilliant), helps to add entitled “Bell 407 Standard Rappel Procedure” or valuable slides to our tray. I often talk about some of our something very similar to that, indicating that there was a slides as possible pitfalls—were we good or just lucky? measure of standardization in place previously. Because those “lucky” slides can be problematic.

It also should be noted that this tragedy most likely would I also liked the “interviews” with the various leaders at the have never occurred on a light helicopter at that point in end of this Two More Chains issue about standardization. I time because the rappeller would have stood on the skid appreciated the different perspectives from agencies and and leaned back with some of his body weight on his jobs (IHC, engine standardization, NPS). descent equipment while the helicopter was still on the ground (during the Spotter’s Check of the rappeller’s Another standard that could’ve been discussed is the equipment). interagency Rx burn plan template. That’s been around for a long time and I know some of the history from While we can tout several of the good benefits from some where that came. Anyway, just a thought. of the standardization that came about in this new phase of “Bell Medium Only” rappelling we should not move Good work; thanks. past the primary issues related to the tragedy. In my Riva Duncan, Interagency Fire Staff Officer (hopefully humble) view, this tragedy had more to do with West Central Oregon Interagency Fire Management human factors and also Region 5’s apprenticeship U.S. Forest Service/Bureau of Land Management program which resulted in a high “turnover” rate and a lack of overall rappel crew experience on some of these crews.

Please Provide Us with Your Input on this Issue of Two More Chains: bit.ly/2mcfeedback Looking for a wildland fire video? bit.ly/llcyoutube 15