Starting to get Old or Tired

[Captain Hickman]

Bad news is starting to get Old. Could it be that we are getting Tired? Or, is it that we're not being careful?
This Fire Season is starting to take it's toll.
OCTOBER 07 -- SAN DIEGO, CA: More than two dozen fire engines and an honor guard from the San Bernardino National Forest made an emotional farewell to a fallen comrade yesterday, according to a story in the San Diego Union-Tribune. Gregory Pacheco, 20, was a member of the Carson National Forest Penasco 5 crew working on the La Jolla Fire when he was injured by a falling rock at
approximately 12:30 a.m. on Sunday, October 3. He was taken to a local hospital, and his family was with him when he died on Tuesday, October 5. Six firefighters were were also injured fighting the La Jolla brushfire. October6, a 21-year-old firefighter was airlifted from steep terrain by a Coast Guard rescue helicopter after she suffered chest pains and breathing difficulties. She was in stable condition at a local hospital, according to the paper.
Nine other firefighters have suffered minor injuries, and several cases of poison oak have been reported. Other recent injuries have included a sprained knee, a chest/back contusion, anaphylactic shock, and a scorpion sting.
Note about the Missouri Firefighter killed, he had been with the department for 5 months.
One of the firefighters is still hospitalized. The other has been released.

ALL BE CAREFUL OUT THERE...

[This message has been edited by Captain Hickman (edited October 08, 1999).]

[ff emt-p bleve]

STRUCTURAL FIREFIGHTERS IN THE EAST DO NOT RECEIVE THE TRAINING IN GROUND FIRES AS NEEDED. THE MIND SET FOR MOST DEPARTMENTS CAREER AND VOLUNTEER IS AS FOLLOWS( ITS JUST A GRASS OR BUSH FIRE).
CUT BACKS FROM THE RURAL FIRE PROGRAM IN THE WAY GRANTS DOES NOT HELP MANNERS MUCH.
DEPARTMENTS LOCALLY HAVE BEEN RUNNING UP AGAINST RED TAPE TO EVEN BUY WILDLAND PPE EQUIPMENT AT A GOOD RATE. NO ONE AT THE STATE OR THE FEDERAL LEVEL CAN HELP AT THIS TIME, HOPEFULLY DOWN THE ROAD. WE HAVE PUT GROUND FIRES ON THE BACK BURNER FOR YEARS, DO TO THE LACK OF FUNDING.
ALOT OF DEPARTMENTS TAKE THE STAND ITS NOT OUR PROBLEM IT IS THE STATES OR FEDS ,HOWEVER THEY FIND THERE ENGINES COMPANYS AT LEAST PROTECTING STRUCTURES.
Training will open everyone eyes to the dangers of ground fires.I am a crewleader for the ky divison of forestry and career ff/ paramedic. wildland and structural department need to work more together aleast in this region. KEEP OUR EYES OPEN REMEMBER
ITS NOT JUST A GRASS FIRE.

[Glen Chapman]

It is SOP here in Arkansas that all firefighters in the state take a class on Forestry fire fighting.It may be a short class and all,but the information is invaluable.Our dept is not as well eqipped to fight a grass/brush fire correctly as we would like it to be.We mutual aid some very small rural depts that are way more equipped to fight than we are.Our city thinks that we just fight structure fires...i guess....Next time we have a good grass fire maybe We outta put the mayor in turnouts and let her run down the hills to build a fireline. Maybe than We'll get good wildland PPE.

Be safe Ya'll

Lt. Glen Chapman
Fire Marshal City of Flippin,Ark FD

[Captain Hickman]

I hate this, but we can add another name to the list of firefighters lost while on Wildland fires. Received today from FEMA:

Date of Incident: 10/7/99
Date of Death: 10/7/99

First Assistant Chief
Marvin Huisman, Age 56
Volunteer Wilmont Fire Department
Wilmont, Minnesota

Died of Heart attack while fighting a brush and grass fire.

Fire Department:
Chief Jim Henning
Wilmont Fire Department
P.O. Box 76, Wilmon
Minnesota 56185-0076

[Captain Hickman]

Sacramento Bee
Wind-driven Wildfires Rage
By Deb Kollars, Matthew Barrows and Ralph Montaño
Bee Staff Writers

(Published Oct. 17, 1999)
A rash of fires on Saturday, fed by unusually strong and persistent north winds, burned 75 homes in the Redding area, consumed tens of thousands of acres in various Northern California locations and forced the evacuation of a number of small towns. Some 2,800 firefighters from as far away as San Diego were deployed to the Redding-area fire, which took the life of Karen Jane Savage, 44, a volunteer firefighter from Junction City in Trinity County. She was killed in an accident involving her own fire engine.

[Captain Hickman]

Received word of another Wildland Firefighters Passing this morning. 11/03/99
I'm sure that our thoughts and prayers are going out to the family, friends, and fellow employees of:

Name: David Pack
Rank: Firefighter
Age: 63
Status: Career
Date of Incident: 10/29/99
Date of Death: 10/29/99
Fire Department: District Forester Rick Merinar, Tennessee Department of Agriculture - Forestry Division,
390 South Lowe,
Suite 10,
Cookville, Tennessee 38501-4702
Cause of Death :drowned in pond while fighting a forest fire.
Funeral: 11/1/99 - DeKalb Funeral Home - Smithville, TN

[This message has been edited by Captain Hickman (edited November 03, 1999).]