Transcript Battlement Creek Fire 1976-2006

BATTLEMENT CREEK FIRE
1976-2006:
Thirty Years of Lessons Learned
firefighters:
Anthony A. Czak, Flagstaff, AZ
Stephen H. Furey, Salmon, ID
Scott L. Nelson, Bloomer, WI
pilot:
Don Goodman,
- Missoula, MT
BATTLEMENT
CREEK FIRE
Fatalities & Injury
July 17, 1976
Original LCES Paper,
Paul Gleason, 1991
“Escape Routes are the path the firefighter takes
from their current locations, exposed to the
danger, to an area free from danger. Notice that
escape routes is used instead of escape route(s).
Unlike the other components, there always must
be more than one escape route available to the
firefighter. Battlement Creek 1976 is a good
example of why another route is needed
between the firefighter's location and a safety
zone.”
Fire Management Notes,
Jack Cohen & Bret Butler, 1998
The Battlement Creek Fire ... burned on steep
slopes covered with 6- to 12-foot high Gambel
oak. Flames were estimated at 20 to 30 feet
above the canopy. Four firefighters were cut off
from their designated safety zone….
Fire Management Notes,
Jack Cohen & Bret Butler, 1998 (cont.)
“When the fire overran them, they were lying face
down on the ground without fire shelters in a 25foot wide clearing near the top of a ridge.
Tragically, only one of the four survived, and he
suffered severe burns over most of his body….”
Fire Management Notes,
Jack Cohen & Bret Butler, 1998 (cont.)
“Figure 1 suggests that for this fire, the safety
zone should have been large enough to separate
firefighters from flames by 150 feet. Clearly, the
25-foot wide clearing did not qualify as a safety
zone.”
Fire Management Notes,
Jack Cohen & Bret Butler, 1998 (cont.)
Common Tactical Errors on the Fireground,
Doug Campbell, 1991
“Three were killed and another severely burned
during a burnout operation. The accident
happened on a ridge top. Their burnout was
aligned against the forces of slope, wind and
preheat and was not burning well. Another
burnout team lit fire below, placing their fire in
full alignment with wind, slope and solar
preheating of the fuel that promoted maximum
fire spread….”
“Hot Slope” map of Battlement Creek
Common Tactical Errors on the Fireground,
Doug Campbell, (cont.)
“The burnout from the bottom of the slope hit the
ridge with such intensity that flames swept over the
crew's position forcing them into shelters.
Situation: The ground between the fire and the
crew was in alignment. Wind, slope and solar
preheat were aligned.
Error: The officers and firefighters did not
recognize the potential getting worse. There was no
time tag on the tactic.”
British Columbia:
What, no Fire Shelters?
A quote from Chief Billy Goldfeder:
“WTF?”
9. How would you best protect yourself in an
entrapment situation?
A. To best protect yourself, you would
complete the following:
- Shelter yourself in a large area that is light or
free from fuels (rocky area, water/wet area,
ploughed field, a ‘cool’ burned area, bulldozed
clearing, etc.)
- Find a fuel-free depression or trench, preferably
behind a rock or dirt pile so to block radiant heat.
9. How would you best protect yourself in an
entrapment situation?
A. To best protect yourself, you would
complete the following:
- Protect yourself with clothing: sleeves down,
collar up, gloves, goggles and hard hat on.
- Lie flat, facedown, parallel to the flame front.
- Keep face down and protect your airways by
taking shallow breaths close to the ground.
9. How would you best protect yourself in an
entrapment situation?
A. To best protect yourself, you would
complete the following:
- Curl arms and hands around head around ears
- Cover yourself with dirt if possible.
- Wet clothing if possible.
- Do not wear synthetic packs or materials.
What happened at Battlement Creek…
“While the fire was overrunning the four
burnout squad members shortly before 1448
m.d.t. July 17, 1976, crewman Nelson stood up
from his prone position on the fireline (their
attempted refuge point), shouted, “I’m on fire,”
and ran downhill into the fire area below the
burnout squad position. His body was later
found with his burned watch nearby stopped at
1448. He was badly burned….”
What happened at Battlement Creek…
“Shortly after Nelson left the burnout squad
position, crew boss Czak stood up, shouted
unintelligibly, and ran generally down the
ridgeline. His body was later found
approximately 1,100 feet away from the burnout
squad refuge position. He was burned, but
much less so than Nelson…”
What happened at Battlement Creek…
“Crewman Furey and squad boss Gibson
remained, apparently in a prone position in the
burnout squad location. Both were burned as
the fire swept over them. Furey’s work trousers
and fire-resistant shirt were burned entirely off
his back except for small fragments. He was in
considerable pain. Gibson advised Furey to
remain on the ground, to try to rest, that help
was on the way.”
South Canyon Fire Report
Leaders We Would Like to Meet
Ted Putnam
“Firefighter safety was more important than me
finishing my career in good standing among fire
managers. In almost twenty years of being
involved in many fire investigations the
promised improvements were rarely
implemented, human factors were largely
ignored and the whole truth seldom told….”
Leaders We Would Like to Meet
Ted Putnam
“…. As a result, management provided
incomplete explanations of fatalities as evident
in the Standards for Survival account of the
Battlement Creek Fire where I was an eyewitness. So my gamble was that, in refusing to
sign, firefighters would benefit more in the
longer run. Someone seeing investigations from
the inside needed to speak up.”