Wednesday, July 23, 2008  McClatchy-Tribune Information Services -- Unrestricted (July 22, 2008)
The skies were blue and calm on a sun-splashed afternoon as firefighters took a break while waiting for aerial support to help them fight a wildfire in the mountainous Buffalo Cove region of northeastern Caldwell County. That tranquility came to an abrupt halt with one loud boom. The fire they had been fighting was no longer as significant as the fight for survival of eight men who were struck by lightning,

Three of the eight are firefighters from Caldwell County. They, like their five companions, survived the unexpected strike, but it left an indelible mark on them. Their injuries serve as a reminder of nature's awesome power.

Caldwell County Assistant Ranger Ken Robbins and firefighters Alex Smith and Travis Coffey realize how fortunate they were to survive the strike, which came from nowhere. No thunderstorm activity was reported in the general vicinity of their location on that June 28 day, and they had no warning they were in danger until it was too late.

Lightning hit a snag, ran through its root system and underground to the area the eight men were resting.

"I heard a loud clap, about 10 times louder than any explosive I've ever heard; it was deafening," Robbins recalled. "Everything happened so fast; it was too late to react. The next thing I knew, all the guys were on the ground. Once it hit me, I couldn't get up. It knocked me about 10 feet from where I was."

Robbins remembered his feet burning, "like they were on fire," and pain coursing through his legs. What he felt was similar to what others around him felt when their bodies also were charged with electricity brought on by the strike that churned a trench toward them.

Smith, an 18-year-old who just graduated from high school June 6, was serving as a pre-arranged firefighter for the North Carolina Forest Service that day. He was sitting idle when the bolt jolted him.

"My legs tightened up; they were tingling really bad," Smith said. "To be honest, I looked down to make sure my legs were still there."

But Smith was more concerned about others around him, primarily his buddy Preston Story, a smoke chaser for the N.C. Forest Service's District 2 office in Lenoir who also was working the fire that day.

"I immediately was wondering where he was and if he had been struck, too," Smith said. "(Story) was checking the fire line and was not there when the strike hit."

Story was fortunate. Travis Coffey was not. Like Robbins and Smith, the Caldwell County EMS paramedic and Hudson firefighter found himself dealing with a charge of electricity that was sent through his body.

"I didn't see it, I didn't hear it. The first thing that popped in my mind was that my legs were on fire and hurting," said Coffey, also serving as a pre-arranged firefighter for the NCFS that day. "I couldn't move from the chest down. I remember I went flying backward, and it felt like I'd been struck by a train."

When he came to his senses, Coffey said he looked around and saw his fellow firefighters lying on the ground, just as he was, and he heard some of them screaming in pain, crying out in agony as they dealt with the strike.

"I heard someone scream, "Are we going to die?' and I said, 'We're alive, and we're going to be OK,'" Coffey recalled.

As the incident commander, Robbins said he was intent on making sure the firefighters injured were given as much medical attention as could be given in such a remote area, and he noted how Coffey responded to help the others. Robbins radioed for assistance once he had a full grasp on the situation, and the task of moving injured firefighters through the steep and rocky terrain some two miles out of the woods began.

A Kubota all-terrain vehicle was used to carry the injured firefighters out of the woods, but it took some 45 minutes to get them to a transport area and waiting ambulances. Then the ATV was taken back in to bring out the rest of the injured men.

"My main goal was to see to it that those men got out of the woods," said Robbins, one of the last to leave. "I was the incident commander, and I was not leaving the scene until I knew my men were out OK. I was responsible for them. I would not go out until the last man was out. That's just how I do business."

The men were hospitalized, some for several days. Coffey was treated and released, but Robbins spent two days and Smith three in the hospital. Their primary injuries were burns to the feet and legs, and Smith spent an extra day in the hospital because his enzyme levels needed to be monitored.

Smith said things could have been much worse for those involved in the harrowing events of that fateful day.

"You always think about what could have happened," he said. "I'd rather not gone through it, but I'm glad it wasn't any worse than it was."

There certainly was that possibility, especially with the unpredictable nature of lightning.

"Lightning can be a likely source of death, and I have a great respect for it," Coffey said. "I've been close to (lightning) before, but when you actually feel it, it wakes you up and lets you know it's something you can't control."

That was the case with this incident. There were no signs of any impending danger for the firefighters, and yet they ended up in the hospital because of a freak occurrence.

"I've always respected thunder and lightning; we have to respect Mother Nature," Robbins said. "But this was just a freak accident. We had no control over it. It was just one of those things that happened, and we all were lucky."

Smith and Coffey shared that assessment of the situation.

"God was definitely watching over every one of us that day," Smith said. "Everyone on that mountain is lucky to be alive."

Coffey added, "It gave us all a wakeup call that we're not promised tomorrow. For all of us to come out with just the injuries we had, we were just very fortunate."

But none of the three injured firefighters from Caldwell County would change anything about that day or the careers they have chosen in fire and rescue service.

"It's my job, and I love it," Robbins said. "I'd go right back to the same fire under the same conditions we were working in the day it happened. This is the first time I've known of anything to happen like this, but it's part of the job and what we do."

Smith still plans to pursue a career in fire/rescue despite his brush with nature's power.

"I'm going to stay involved; it's what I want to do," he said. "But when you walk outside now and hear a thunderstorm, you start thinking, 'Do I really want to go out in this?' It's not like I'm going to hide or anything, but it is in the back of my mind."

Coffey can't shake the thought, either.

"I'm not skittish about the fire and rescue service, but lightning is a little different story," he said. "I've got my gear packed and ready to go for the next fire, but this is something I'll always remember for the rest of my life."

While the strike itself stands out and always will, Robbins said the prompt attention and support given to the injured firefighters by medical and rescue personnel and others simply expressing their concern is what he won't forget.

"We had a lot of people there that day who volunteered their time to help us out," Robbins said. "I'm glad that I can help someone in need of help, and I'm glad there were people there that day to help us. There have been a lot of prayers that have gone out for us, and a lot of people have offered well wishes and shown us support. I'm grateful for that and very thankful for those people who have shown that concern. That means a lot."

And it means a lot to the firefighters to know they did not experience their demise in the mountains of Buffalo Cove.


 

Tuesday, July 22, 2008  On July 7 this year, we reached the number of deaths in wildland fire operations for 2008 that we experienced during all of 2007.  A total of nine wildland firefighters died in the line of duty in 2007 and nine have died so far this year.  That’s nine people who won’t be going home to their families and friends after work anymore.  We need to keep these fallen heroes – and the ones lost in previous years -- in our hearts and minds as we continue our work in what promises to be a long, difficult fire season across the nation.

Causes of death for wildland firefighters in 2008 have included the following:

• vehicle accident (2 deaths when a burned bridge collapsed)
• aviation accidents (1 SEAT pilot; 1 firefighter in a midair collision)
• roadside accident (2 struck by a vehicle in heavy smoke)
• unknown, possible heart attack or aneurysm (2 deaths)
• drowning. (1 death while swimming on R&R)

Many more accidents have been experienced by wildland firefighters in 2008 that did not result in fatalities, but easily could have.  Twenty-four firefighters were injured in four separate vehicle accidents; 19 firefighters became entrapped on seven different occasions, with many of those individuals suffering burn injuries; 10 firefighters were injured when lightning struck nearby in two separate incidents; three firefighters suffered burn injuries in separate events that were not entrapments; two dozer operators were injured in separate rollovers; a firefighter was hit by a snag.  These are just some of the accidents reported in the NWCG Safety Gram; many other accidents and near misses have occurred both on the ground and in the air in 2008.

Entrapments are worthy of special mention.  The 19 firefighters who became entrapped this year were on fires in five different states.  Only three of the 19 entrapped firefighters got their fire shelters out; many others were in vehicles when entrapped – specifically engines, dozers and tractor/plows.  Many of these firefighters suffered burn injuries.  During all of 2007, a total of 53 firefighters were entrapped, and we are on pace to reach or exceed that number in 2008.  Many of the firefighters entrapped in 2007 and 2008 are still recovering from their burn injuries and some have left the fire service.

Mitigations exist for all of the hazards that have led to fatal accidents and near misses this year.  Some of these are:

• Scout roads when in unfamiliar territory in low visibility; be aware of load limits and bridge condition when operating fire apparatus.
• Exercise extreme caution when working near a roadside, especially in low visibility conditions.  Make yourself as visible as possible.
• Do not enjoy a false sense of security when working near or in a vehicle on the fireline.  Survival during a burnover is not guaranteed while in any type of vehicle; vehicles and aircraft are not always reliable as an escape route.  Always identify a secondary escape route.
• Rapid, unexpected changes in fire behavior kill wildland firefighters.  Always identify the worst case scenario and be prepared for it by maintaining focused situation awareness and using LCES.
• Do not hesitate to use your fire shelter if you feel you need to.  If you become entrapped, there will be some type of review or investigation regardless of whether you deploy a shelter or not.
• Maintain physical fitness and monitor your health regularly through medical exams.
• Only swim in designated safe areas while on fire assignments.

All wildland firefighters want to survive this fire season without injury.  So did all the people who have been injured or killed to date.  You are responsible for your safety and the safety of your fellow firefighters.  Maintain your health, manage fatigue, stay hydrated, be actively involved in briefings and fireline communication, and keep your head in the game so that you can go home to your family and friends when the fires are over.
 

Wednesday, July 9, 2008 

While part of a Type 1 Strike Team in Shasta County, CA, we were assigned to handline construction on a slopover. After having completed approximately 2/3 of a mile of handline, we were in need of a few helicopter bucket drops to cool the burning brush in front of us so we could proceed. The fire was a backing fire, burning through the brush and timber litter. We received support from two helicopters. After each bucket drop, the fire would flare up where the downdrafts were the most severe. After the fourth drop, the open line experienced a rapid flare up with approximately 10 foot flame lengths that pushed over the line. The first 7 members at the head of the line retreated back up the line in a hasty fashion. Everyone else was at the top of the ridge and away from danger. No one was hurt, just a little shaken.

LESSONS LEARNED:
Always post a lookout. The erratic fire behavior was noticed and communicated multiple times to the remaining crew based on observations. Never underestimate the power of the downdrafts from helicopter operations. I thought that the copter was too high to have that much of an impact. I was wrong. Ensure escape routes are identified and known. Our retreat was back up the line we cut, but a congestion of personnel occurred when the information to retreat wasn't passed on down the line. Ensure all PPE is on and in place. Multiple personnel didn’t have their helmet shrouds on due to the heat of the day. Luckily no one was hurt.



 

Wednesday, June 11, 2008  On May 30th our engine company was sent to a reported tree fire. Arriving on scene we found about 1/8 of an acre of eucalyptus trees on fire. We did a quick knock down. Then as we were mopping up I was moving around the edge of the fire when I fell into a 3' deep hole. The duff in this are was about a foot deep and littered with palm tree frawns. This hole had been covered with these frawns. Luckily I did not sustain any ijuries nor were there any objects in this pit making it similar to a dangerous animal trap. LESSONS LEARNED: Just because the ground appears to be normal you never know what is covering some hidden danger.  

Thursday, November 8, 2007  Attached is a video link and PDF report on a Wildland Shelter Report.  

Thursday, November 8, 2007  See attached PDF Document for Wildland Burnover Report  

Tuesday, November 6, 2007  I was a helitack crewleader with the NCFS we had flow to a fire in a very high-class neighborhood on top of a mountain the fire conditions that day were severe with tornado warnings being called for that evening after making our way up the mountain and checking in with the IC it was determrned that a regular crew would handle putting in the line and we would be released to return to our landing zone we were loaded up in POVs and started the trip back down the mountain halfway down we were orderded to return to the top to assist the handcrew because the IC was worried about getting the volunteers off the fire we were give orders to construct our line right on the fires edge with active fire inside the line and the wind picking up we were assisted by a spotter plane and our 205 helicopter making water drops a dozer attempted to construct a dozer line but the IC decided that since this was a (Expensive neighborhood)that he would risk just handlines as not to disturb the landscape as we proceded downhill constructing line we lost our air support because the helo had to refuel we were told not to worry that there was a lookout in place a few minutes later we noticed a large amount of smoke below us and called the IC by radio and asked him what was going on below us the spotter plane advised that he could not see due to the smoke and that we should continue building line the IC advised that everything was fine and to keep going about five minutes later we were hit with a large spot fire that was building speed and intensity as it made an uphill run straight at us myself and the other crewleader ordered our crews into the black for safety when the IC ordered us to catch the fire! at this time i was informed we had injuries in the crew and that one of my crewmen had been burned we called a wounded firefighter alert and continued through the black to the bottom of the mountain to meet with EMS. LESSONS LEARNED: During severe fire conditions do not let someone talk you into doing somethig dangerous just to save some trees also post a lookout of your own when working in dangerous conditions if it dont feel right stop and give it a second look most of the time your gut is right and last even if the IC has years of experence you still have the right to say no for safety reasons and shoud use that right  

Tuesday, September 18, 2007  Brevard County Fire Rescue Station's 22 & 21 were working a brushfire pushed by 20 mph winds. A 3 person brush unit were working along a high voltage powerline right of way to ensure that the fire didn't spot over the right-of-way. Several of the pine trees near the power lines started to flare. Most of the vegitation in central and south Florida has an oil base due to the tropical nature of the environment. The put off by this vegitation is thick and full of carbon. The smoke caused a conduction between the power lines. This hazard has been taught in our wildland classes and we have all heard of this hazard. What makes this different is we have it on video! The Florida Power and Light representative advised that had this arc gone to ground, like it normally does, it could have kill the 3 personnel on the ground. The Lieutenant at the front of the brush (not visible in the video) was pushed to the ground by the concussion of the smoke detonation. LESSONS LEARNED: Stay clear of high voltation powerlines during brushfires.  

Sunday, September 9, 2007  We got dispatched to 325 S Centre St for a "brush fire". Now, first of all, 325 S. Centre St is just about smack dab in the middle of the city...not much brush anywhere. Well, my suspicion was initially correct. We pulled up to a Wendy's Restaurant with what looked like a bunch of mulch smoldering and a couple bushes/shrubs burning up. It didn't seam like much. It looked like a lot of smoke and a little fire that was pretty much contained and had no close exposures. So we pulled the booster line and proceeded to drown the smokey mess. As soon as we put water on it we got a nice surprise. The smoke quickly cleared and revealed that the shrubs had been placed there to conceal a big unsightly gas meter. (Check out the pictures- I took them with my phone so they are not the greatest) I guess we were lucky because the fire did not cause a leak. It did do some significant damage to the meter. LESSONS LEARNED: So once again, things aren't always as they seam to be. I sure wish I had not taken a knife to that possible gunfight.  

Wednesday, August 29, 2007  Excellent power point presentation as a wildfire cutoff, then surrounded a large incident command post in Idaho. On August 13th there was a near “burn-by” in a fire camp near Cascade, Idaho. As a morning inversion lifted, spot fires exceeded suppression capabilities and cut off the only road from camp. There were no injuries reported, although many in camp had minor smoke inhalation and eye irritation. To view the Power Point Presentation on the situation, click on  

Tuesday, August 28, 2007  One of my firefighter was performing on the scene of a grass/woods fire when a snag broke near the top of the tree and nearly hit him in the head. LESSONS LEARNED: It is important to be aware of what is around you and above you while on the scene of woods fires. And always wear your complete P.P.E.especially your helmet. You never know what is going to happen  

Wednesday, August 8, 2007  Firefighters injured at Poe Cabin Fire August 8, 2007, 10:47 am Three firefighters on the Poe Cabin Fire were injured Tuesday afternoon doing burnout efforts on the southeast flank of the fire in the Snake and Salmon river canyons. The burnout was being done as a fire boundary on the Dutch Oven Ridge. The firefighters, all of the La Grande, Ore., Hotshots, were injured when the fire intensified due to down-draft winds from a storm, said Lori Cook, fire information officer with the Arizona Central West Zone Incident Management Team managing the fire. Christina Voyles sustained burns to the arm. Elli Becker received burns to the neck and arm and Mariah Leuschon sustained a knee injury from a fall and burns to the face and arm. All were transported to St. Alfonsus Hospital in Boise where they were treated and released.  

Tuesday, May 8, 2007  My brush truck was first on scene to a small a brush fire in a remote area. Initial size was approxmately 1 acre. Although the winds were strong the fire was moving slowly. We decided to take the hot flank of the fire and began a progresive hoselay because the second engine in was only 5 minutes out. During the progressive we ran out of water. We checked for kinks and called back to tthe engineer for a water status. He replied working on it. During that time the fire intensified and we lost valuable progress.We eventually got water, hooked the fire and extinguished it. Afterwards we found out that the second in engine had a completely empty tank. LESSONS LEARNED: The 2nd in engine captain realized the potential of the mistake. The truck returned from scheduled maintenance the shift before and was never reserviced. 1st. Always check the water level during morning check-outs. 2nd. my engineer did not want to announce over the radio the mistake, however he could have tactically told us there was no water available so we may have changed our tactics.  

Thursday, March 29, 2007  At approximately 10:00pm our department was toned for a controlled burn that had gotten out of control and was entering a field and some pines. Being that it was a low humidity day the next mutual aid company was also alerted on the initial dispatch. En route to the call dispatch stated that the property owner would meet us at the end of the driveway and lead the units back to the location of the fire. The two brush units followed the property owner back a dirt road and through some other field roads to the location of the fire. Even with the dry conditions I, as the engine driver, it was serving as a second tanker on this call (1996 regular cab FL-80 with 1200 gal) decided to stage on the hard surface road with the other tankers until the brush units gave a report as to extent of the fire and ground conditions. Once the brush units arrived at the fire they requested that my unit and another 1100gal tanker come to their location to supply water. They stated that the ground was solid, which it was. Once to the fire the IC directed my unit to go through the burned portion of the field and supply the brush unit on the other side. I looked around the area to see if I could drive around the burned area, but there appeared to be a drainage ditch along the route I would need to take. Now, thinking about all the times that I had seen drivers get their vehicles stuck in fields and remembering that I would never do that; did just that. As I was proceeding across the burned portion of the field, with no spotter checking for ground stability, then the back axle sank when we were approximately 30 feet from the far side of the burned portion. I was still able to supply the brush unit with water and the fire was extinguished. Fortunately we were successful in pulling the engine out of the mud with no damage to the unit. LESSONS LEARNED: Lessons Re-learned through bonehead mistakes. -Always have a spotter. -Never drive across burned portions of ground if possible -Ask where water has been flowed to ensure ground stability. -Always have a spotter.  

Thursday, March 1, 2007  Mullins Cove Volunteer Fire Department has responded to a rash of arson set wildfires this last month. Then they set fire to a junkyard that could possibly spread and threaten several homes and trailers. It was already getting dark outside and it was VERY dry. As an officer I ordered my firefighters to put on their PPE. Most of them complied to the full extent. While my crew and I were assisting forestry make a fire break I got tripped up and fell face first into a pile of burning emembers and a small log that was still burning. If I hadnt been wearing all of my gear it could have ended very badly, with a trip to the hospital burn unit. LESSONS LEARNED: Always wear your gear, even if it is extremely hot and uncomfortable. I'd be willing to be burns would be much worse, not to mention the hospital bill or the embarrasment. The gear is there for a purpose, I'd rather be really hot, than really burned up. Wear your gear, volunteer fireman or otherwise, we are all the same. We bleed the same and get burned the same.