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What 2020 Taught Us
By Kelly Woods, Director Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center
he year 2020 will be remembered for many things. We had a pandemic. We saw unbelievable fire behavior. We saw acreage records shattered. We spent the entire month of September at National Planning Level 5 while intense smoke blanketed
multiple states creating conditions reminiscent of a bad science fiction movie.
And, it did feel a bit like science fiction. We learned new ways of doing business in preparedness training, mobilization, camp life, and demobilization. In some ways, the fireline was the most “normal” place to be last year. Once we hit the fireline, we fell into the familiar routine. We got busy doing normal fireline operations that confront the normal risks of the job. However, sometimes we experienced the not-so-great outcomes associated with those risks.
By the end of the year, we had learned and shared hundreds of lessons. In fact, the Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center (LLC) received more than 160 learning-related documents packed full of lessons in 2020.
Forty-three of the reports we received were COVID-19 specific. From the COVID-19 reports, we produced two in-depth COVID Lessons Summaries that highlighted the adaptations made by crews, units, agencies, IMTs, and departments across the nation. While these lessons varied, the willingness to share and implement lessons was uniform. From the LLC point-of-view, the main lesson from the COVID-19 experience is our collective ability to learn so quickly from each other.
The other nearly 120 reports included the lessons from more familiar topics: dozers, trees, saws, wheels, and fast-moving fire. This issue of Two More Chains focuses on these lessons. While these lessons are derived from familiar topics, let’s commit to learning from them. Let’s stay motivated to share our lessons and learn from each other on multiple fronts, pandemic or not.
Lessons Highlighted in this Two More Chains
❖ Tighten Your Chaps – Page 3
❖ Don’t Overtighten Your Lug Nuts – Page 4
❖ Be Careful Where You Park – Page 5
❖ When Do You Need a Fire Shelter? – Page 6
Also in this Issue
Ground Truths – Exploring your part of the progress recipe. Page 2
One of Our Own – Insights from ‘Fire Shelter Guy’ Tony Petrilli. Page 7
LLC Staff Picks –Incident Reports: We read them all. See our recommendations. Page 12
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Winter 2021 ▲ Vol. 9 Issue 4 ▲ Produced and distributed quarterly by the Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center
2020 Incident Review Summary
For more lessons from last year, check out the 2020 Incident Review Summary.
Looking for annual fireline refresher training exercises? This review summary provides multiple exercises related to recent incidents. It’s a great source for both formal and informal training. Please use it to stimulate dialogue among your peers:
The 2020 Incident Review Summary
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Ground
Truths
The Repeats
re you a “regular” anywhere? Hopefully not at the bar. Although many of us have occupied the stupid stool more often than we should. Maybe you are a
regular at the station—showing up early and staying late. (Be careful with that one as well.) Maybe you are a regular at the local library, or the ski hill. Hopefully you are a regular at the gym, on the trail, and at the dinner table with your family.
I’m trying to get you to think about how and where you spend your time. This will tell you what your priorities are. It’s sometimes surprising to compare what you SAY your priorities are vs. where you actually spend your time.
Don’t feel bad; I’m a liar too.
Again? We have some regulars here at the Lessons Learned Center. I’m talking about incident/accident types. Activities or outcomes that show up with a certain amount of regularity.
Some regulars are not surprising. They have always been part of the scene. And unfortunately, it’s hard to imagine wildland fire ops without them. Things like “hit by tree” incidents or entrapments show up every year multiple times. I wish we could find a way to eliminate these regulars. The impacts can be so devastating.
Every so often we get a newbie that just starts showing up—not sure why or how it happens. Things like rhabdo, fuel geysers, drip torch leg burns, loose lug nuts, and UTV floorboard fires. Our most recent regular is chainsaw cuts to the leg when chaps are worn loose (see page 3).
The important point to ponder here is what should a “regular” trigger in all of us?
Bad Math First, let’s talk about what it shouldn’t trigger—the knee-jerk “not me, I’m better” reaction. By now I feel like we all understand that the combination of standard human performance (imperfection) and our dynamic hazard-filled environment (all the stuff we highlight in recruitment videos) will consistently result in an ever-shifting list of “regulars” (similar bad outcomes). I know it’s tempting, but please resist the urge to use Bad Math, which goes like this: “This one thing happened and then this other thing happened, so I will make a random correlation and spout some
overused catchphrase (‘They lost SA’) as if it were an actual solution and expect people to listen because I have a belt buckle.”
Don’t do that.
Instead, use the actual wisdom you acquired while earning your buckle to consider a few more layers and keep your eyes forward. Identify and focus on how you can take action to support the specific lesson available. This often requires a little “elevation gain” to get some perspective.
The Outcome after the Outcome Let’s focus on the outcome after the outcome. You know, that part where the dude with stitches in his leg and Kevlar in his saw sprocket says: “I really wish I would have cinched down the leg straps on my chaps.” The outcome after that outcome is when a similar sentiment is shared by several other sad sawyers. In addition to the reoccurring event, we now we have a reoccurring lesson.
These types of regulars should really get your attention. They are often paired with a common activity and a seemingly simple fix. But, unfortunately, it’s not quite as simple as it seems.
I will now finally spit out the thing I set out to say.
Your Part in the Progress Recipe The lesson is not the same for everyone. The lessons are different for different levels. You need to put some thought into your part of the progress recipe. Yes, the obvious lesson is: “Tighten Your Chaps.” But that is only for the person running the saw.
• The Squaddie needs to think: “How will I make sure my sawyers cinch their chaps down?”
• The Crew Lead needs to think: “Do we have the right sized chaps for everyone to effectively implement this lesson?”
• The Manager needs to think: “Are my folks aware of this and have I empowered them to act on it?”
And on and on.
Please review a few of our LLC regulars in this issue of Two More Chains, figure out your piece, and then take action.
Swing on, Tool Swingers.
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By now I feel like we all understand that the combination of standard human
performance (imperfection) and our dynamic hazard-filled environment (all the stuff
we highlight in recruitment videos) will consistently result in an ever-shifting list of “regulars” (similar bad outcomes).
By Travis Dotson Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center Analyst [email protected]
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A New Regular? 2020 is the third year in a row that the Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center has received at least one report of a chainsaw cut that occurred when loose chaps are pulled aside by the spinning chain. Of course, we understand that the best possible scenario is that the spinning chain never impacts the chaps, but the reason we wear chaps is because this does tend to happen. When it does happen, we want the chaps to work. Therefore, tighten the leg straps on your chaps.
Supervisors: Provide the right-sized chaps for your folks.
Chainsaw cuts are a bad deal. Nobody wants that kind of experience, yet they occur in the wildland fire service on a yearly basis. The 2017 Lakeside Fire Chainsaw Incident resulted in a fatality. To reiterate, chainsaw cuts are a seriously bad deal.
Chainsaw Cuts 2011-2020
Swamper Cut Injury
It’s not always the sawyer who gets cut. This picture is from the LLC blog post: It’s Going to Happen Again about a swamper injury.
Since 2010, the LLC has recorded 15 Chainsaw Cuts happening to someone other than the sawyer. (This includes one fatality.)
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Beeskov Fire Chainsaw Cut–2019 The saw came off the cut and into the left outside of sawyer’s chaps. The spinning chain rolled the chaps up and then quickly sliced into his leg above the calf before it finally stopped.
Taylor Creek Fire Chainsaw Cut–2018 The saw’s teeth grabbed the saw chaps and rolled them from the outside inward, exposing the sawyer’s unprotected leg. The chain bit into his leg below the knee, causing a laceration.
Tighten Your Chaps
Chainsaw Kickback Incident–2020 The fast-moving chain cut into the chaps, causing the chaps to be pulled toward the inside of the sawyer’s lower left leg, allowing for the lower leg to become exposed to the still-moving chain.
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Don’t Overtighten Your Lug Nuts
An Old Regular In 2020 there were four different reports of problems with lug nuts. Two of those instances involved the duals coming all the way off while driving. We have recorded 11 instances of lug nut problems within the past 10 years. Based on this recurring issue, we recently produced an RLS on this topic (see below) which includes insight on why overtightening is such a problem: “When a lug nut is overtightened, it causes the shaft to stretch and elongate. After each successive overtightening, it then takes more torque to ‘tighten’ the lug—causing further damage. This causes a repetitive overtightening cycle that causes the lug(s) to fail by shearing, bending, or simply rattling loose.”
How it Usually Happens 1. Field tire repairs from mobile vendors using impact wrenches instead of calibrated, pneumatic torque wrenches, or not using the proper torque setting.
2. Repair shops using impact wrenches instead of calibrated, pneumatic torque wrenches, or not using the proper torque setting.
3. Field use of lug wrenches and breaker bars to tighten lug nuts instead of a long-handle tire torque wrench.
The lugs from Engine 631 from the Engine Duals Come Off RLS.
Engine 2423 Lessons Learned Review Type 6 Engine Wheel Stud Malfunction RLS
Have the Right Tools “To mitigate this issue, we have purchased a torque wrench to keep on the engine and have started torqueing the lug nuts to the specification found in the owner’s manual every Tuesday during our weekly engine inspection.”
2020 SAFENET (https://safenet.nifc.gov/view_safenet.cfm?id=44269)
Supervisors: Ensure your staff is enabled to purchase the needed equipment.
How Long Before It’s Fatal?
Not one of these instances has resulted in serious injuries. Can you say “Luck”? We all know that luck runs out.
One of the free wheels from the engine traveled into the opposing lane of traffic and struck a passing motorist, causing damage to the
front end of the vehicle.
A wheel from the driver-side rear duals passed them and came to rest in an agricultural field. The second
wheel came off and crossed the northbound lane into a sage flat.
Lug Nut Overtightening RLS
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In 2020 there were six different reports of vehicles catching on fire. While these fires occurred in a variety of circumstances, each incident resulted in an inoperable fire rig. Rigs being damaged by fire is not an uncommon occurrence. In the last ten years we have recorded more than 30 incidents. Some are “just” the mirrors melting during a firing operation; plenty of others are a fully involved engine that was parked in the black.
Tactical Parking When you are around fire, where you park is a bigger deal than you might think. Here are a few hard-earned parking lessons from the past few years:
2020 Vehicle Burn Damage Incidents
Zion NP Engine Cab Fire Parked in Engine Bay
P-515 Incident Vehicle Burnover Parked During Suppression Ops
Woods Cabin Engine Burnover Parked During Initial Attack
Inchelium Vehicle Burnover Parked During Initial Attack
Little Flats Tractor Fire During Fuels Mitigation Work
Burn Unit 217 UTV Fire During Prescribed Fire Ops
Flint Canyon Fire Engine Burnover – 2012
During initial attack the engine was parked near the heal of the fire. The crew began a hose lay. Fire burned to the engine, igniting the rear tires and spreading to the rest of the truck. The fire backed against the wind until it reached the tires of the engine.
Lesson: When parking near active fire, implement some form of engine protection.
Truck Damage During Pile Burning – 2019
The crew parked the vehicle next to a large machine pile, the ground was covered in snow. Pile was lit. When they tried to move the truck, the tires spun and the rear of the truck slid away from the road. Tried using another vehicle to pull it out, radiant heat damaged the second vehicle.
An engine arrived to cool down the pile, a tow truck pulled the stuck vehicle out before it was damaged.
Lesson: Don’t park next to a pile that you intend to burn.
Be Careful Where You Park
Brushy Mountain RX Engine Burnover – 2018
During prescribed fire operations, the crew from E1 parked their engine and walked to contain a spot fire. An hour later they heard an explosion. A crewmember returned to the engine and found the rear tires and compartments of E1 burning. They attempted to start E1 to engage the pump and extinguish the fire, however, the pump would not start.
Lesson: When parking near actively spotting fire, consider periodically checking the area of the parked vehicle.
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Sheep Fire Entrapment 2020
Shortly after the vehicle became disabled, the flaming front overtook the vehicle. Both firefighters abandon the vehicle. Fire shelters are not carried by this fire department.
Bridger Foothills Fire Entrapment 2020
Three members of a helitack crew are overrun by fire inside the meadow that serves as their helispot. Only two of the firefighters have fire shelters.
In 2020 we recorded 15 incidents that met the NWCG definition of “Entrapment.” Most of these events involved multiple firefighters. Several of the reports describe separate entrapment events on the same fire. Not every entrapment resulted in the use of fire shelters. In several instances, not everyone involved in the entrapment had fire shelters.
During the past ten years, entrapments occurred every year. Fire shelters were used every year.
There is a common debate about training related to entrapment and fire shelter use. Some would argue that entrapment avoidance should be the sole focus. An extreme version of that view is that we should not carry fire shelters. Others stress the need to carry and know how to use fire shelters in case you find yourself in a bad spot. We are spotlighting some content on this page to help inform your perspective on this topic.
Three Entrapments from 2020
When Do You Need a Fire Shelter?
“. . .You could be the best firefighter in the world and something could happen where you need to use a fire shelter . . .”
Curtis Heaton
NWCG Shelter Video
Read Curtis’ riveting account of surviving an entrapment by using a fire shelter:
See You on The Other Side
Rethinking When, Where, and Why We Carry Fire Shelters
Read this Blog! Then start a conversation with your crewmembers.
“The ubiquitous presence of fire shelters as a significant component of our PPE numbs us to its importance."
Dolan Fire Entrapment
15 firefighters entrapped. 12 fire shelters deployed.
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One of Our Own
We felt it was important to do a deeper dive into fire shelters and entrapments for you in this issue of Two More Chains. We realized that for the best up-to-date lessons and insights on fire shelters and entrapment discussions we needed to reach out to Tony Petrilli. Tony has served as the U.S. Forest Service’s Fire Shelter Project Leader the past 16 years. This man also has a very profound firsthand experience with a fire shelter deployment. On July 6, 1994, Tony deployed his shelter and survived the fatal South Canyon Fire that claimed the lives of 14 other firefighters that day.
We think you’ll appreciate this enlightening conversation between Tony and Travis Dotson, Analyst at the Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center. They discuss everything from addressing the “you really screwed-up” shelter deployment syndrome, to the importance of sharing entrapment stories, to advice for refresher instructors—plus a whole lot more.
Who Studies Fire Shelters? This Guy
By Travis Dotson
ony Petrilli is as an equipment specialist for the U.S. Forest Service’s National Technology and Development Program (NTDP) in Missoula, Montana. He began working for the Forest Service in 1982 as a firefighter for the Lewis and Clark
National Forest and, next, the Beaverhead National Forest.
In 1989, Tony joined the ranks of the Missoula Smokejumpers. Three years later, he began his relationship with NTDP, working wintertime details there. He joined NTDP fulltime in 2000. Tony has served as the Fire Shelter and Firefighter Clothing Project Leader there the past 16 years.
In addition, Tony has served on more than 35 fire entrapment safety review/investigation teams. He also maintains fire qualifications as Division Group Supervisor, IC Type 3, and Safety Officer Type 1. He has a bachelor’s degree in education from Western Montana College.
Travis: How’d you become the “Fire Shelter Guy”?
Tony: As a “starving” GS-6 Smokejumper getting laid off in the wintertime, I was needing to support a family and make rent. Starting in 1992, I was able to start working wintertime details at T&D (Technology and Development). The Fire Shelter Project was one of the tasks that the center was focused on. I started working on that project under Ted Putnam, the project leader at that time.
I came back to T&D every winter. Because I still loved being a smokejumper, I really didn't want to get a full-time job at T&D. And they were happy with me continuing my wintertime details.
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Missoula Smokejumper Tony Petrilli in the early 1990s doing a bit of trail work during the hike out of the proverbial “2-manner in the Bob”. Translation: A
two-person jump in Montana’s Bob Marshall Wilderness.
Tony Petrilli
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But in 2000, T&D received direction to evaluate materials and designs for a possible new fire shelter. The Fire Shelter Project really ramped-up with Leslie Anderson as the project leader. So, in late 2000 I got a full-time job at T&D.
Leslie was the project leader until 2005, when she was promoted to the program leader. That year I became the project leader. The Fire Shelter Project and firefighter clothing are my two main areas of work. And now I am finishing up. I’m just a couple months away from mandatory age retirement.
Travis: It’s crazy how things happen. It’s like: “Oh man, I need some winter work.” And then you stumble into something that is super important that becomes a career-long focus.
Tony: Yeah, most definitely. Not only did it pay the bills, but it’s very worthwhile work, very meaningful. There’s never a day where it’s like: "Yeah, this doesn't mean anything." Every day means something.
What Do You Love About Your Job? Travis: What are some of the things that you love about your job?
Tony: Well, like I said, it is important stuff. And I like that I’ve become the conduit between the fire world and the development world of high-temperature materials, clothing design, stuff that not everyone gets to interact with. I’ve been the only one in the Forest Service that does this.
Travis: That is pretty cool. We never know where we will end up. When I was 20-years-old and just loving being a hotshot, if you would have told me: “Oh, yeah, eventually pretty much what your job is going to be is spreadsheets, and you are going to like it.” I would have been like: “No way, man. I’m going to cut trees down forever.”
Tony: Exactly.
I'm not the world’s expert on insulated materials, but I know who they are. And I don't have to be that guy. I need to be the one who takes everything under consideration. I have to be the one to remember that the fire shelter has to be carried hundreds of thousands of firefighter days every season. Being carried is the fire shelter’s biggest job. Maybe not the most important job. But that’s the number one thing that the fire shelter actually does. It sounds kind of funny, but I definitely need a “fire mindset” on this type of thing.
I also want to point out that I don’t work alone. The Fire Shelter Project is also guided by the NWCG Fire Shelter PPE Subcommittee which is full of really top-caliber folks. They also have some great resources. People should definitely check it out: https://www.nwcg.gov/committees/fire-shelter-and-personal-protective-equipment-subcommittee.
The Yarnell Hill Fire tragedy with the Granite Mountain Hotshots propelled a project review of the fire shelter. This project, which we recently completed,
was focused on looking into fire shelter improvements. Working through NWCG Subcommittee, there were materials that performed a bit better. But the weight, bulk and fragility of these prototype shelters showed to decision-makers that the current shelter should remain in use. There is still hope for progress in the future as there are a couple of companies working to improve their submissions.
Insights on the ‘You Really Screwed-Up’ Syndrome Travis: I often hear people say: “If you have to use your fire shelter, you really screwed-up.” Given your line of work, what runs through your mind when you hear that sentiment?
Tony: When talking about “screwing-up”—humans make mistakes. Why do you think God put erasers on the top of pencils? I quite often use the chainsaw example. Every sawyer is trained how to put on a chain correctly. But if you haven’t put a chain on backwards, guess what? You just ain’t sawed enough. Thank goodness nothing more than a little embarrassment is the outcome of that screw-up.
A popular sentiment is to just follow the 10 Standard Firefighting Orders (SFO). But the unspoken adverb is “perfectly.” To guarantee there be no entrapments, firefighters need to be perfect. But there’s no such thing as a perfect firefighter.
I have to be the one to remember that the fire shelter has to be carried
hundreds of thousands of firefighter days every season.
Tony (on left) performing fire shelter tests at the University of Alberta in Edmonton in 2015 with the folks from NASA.
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During my participation in accident investigations, I found that many firefighters (that ended up deploying a fire shelter) felt they were following the SFOs—only to be fooled by the fire. Often—only from the viewpoint of hindsight—was it clear to see where mistakes were made. With the thousands of possible inputs and reactions during a fire day, there is no way every decision-making firefighter is perfect all day, every day, no matter how much training or experience.
The SFOs are full of assessments, analysis, judgements, even assumptions to be used in a stressful, time-compressed, dynamic environment. An environment that makes it easy to make a misjudgment, mis-assessment or a mistimed, misplaced action.
While fire shelters are not necessarily equal to erasers, shelters do give an entrapped firefighter one last chance at survival. Carrying a fire shelter does not cause firefighters to make mistakes, nor does it imply to ignore the SFOs. However, firefighters believing they are perfectly following the Fire Orders and are guaranteed to be safe is a false sense of security. Does that, in turn, mean to throw out the Standard Orders? No. it means respect them by doing the best you can in assessments, judgements etc. But please don’t feel “all-
dialed” because likely there is a hazard or two hiding, just waiting to pounce.
Travis: Let’s talk about entrapments where there’s not a shelter deployment. Because there are actually quite a few entrapments where a shelter is not utilized.
Tony: Right. Entrapments are hard because, yeah, even though there’s a definition of exactly what an entrapment is, it still feels different to everyone. It has to do with comfort level. One person’s heart-wrenching entrapment is another person’s typical day of eating some smoke with a couple hot embers.
Close calls are the same thing. When I’m out as a Safety Officer I talk with a lot of people. Quite often, people will talk about a situation that they had—whether it was the week before, the year before, or the decade before—where they were really scared and contemplating using their fire shelter. Maybe they drove through a wall of fire or barely outran a fire pulse into the black. And they start thinking: “fire shelter”.
I’m telling you there is a good percentage of high-experienced firefighters who have had close calls. So close that they start reaching for that fire shelter just to have it ready. They subconsciously start thinking of their spouses, kids, parents and pets—things that have nothing to do with their current situation.
And these are super knowledgeable folks with a ton of fire experience. I trust them to the highest degree. It’s hard for them to share that story. Those are rare occurrences in a career, but they stick with these people. That’s why a lot of people just keep it to themselves. Entrapment is a hard thing to explain.
Travis: It’s crazy. I have those same experiences. Whether it’s as a Safety Officer or just being the guy from the Lessons Learned Center. People tell me their “Holy sh*t” moment. It’s like, “Oh, there’s that dude from the Lessons Learned Center. Check this out. I bet you’ll get some lessons from this.” And then they tell me a harrowing story of when they were cut off, or had to scramble and almost didn’t make it. Usually, people tell me either their entrapment story or their “I almost got smashed by a tree” story.
And you’re right, they keep it to themselves. It’s not like every time somebody tells me a story I go, “Oh yeah, I read that report.” Because there’s no report. It makes me feel that maybe it’s not that rare of an occasion. I think we’ve all had to scramble or got cut off or there was a big pulse and we waited until it cooled down so we could get out. Those are entrapments. When you consider the NWCG definition, it’s like entrapments happen all the damn time.
Tony: They sure do.
The Importance of Sharing Stories Travis: It’s hard to share that story, partly because the insinuation is that you “screwed-up” or you’re a bad firefighter or something along those lines. Something’s keeping us from telling those stories more openly. I feel there is great value in sharing those experiences to learn from non-deployment entrapment events.
Tony performing some “hooch management” at 0200 on an August 1992 fire in Glacier National Park. He recalls:
“We woke to 6 inches of fresh!”
One person’s heart-wrenching entrapment is another person’s
typical day of eating some smoke with a couple hot embers.
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Tony: Oh gosh, yes. I think we learn a lot with the sharing of stories. And if we can get those people that got into a tight spot—so much so that they were reaching for their fire shelter or thinking about their family or really contemplating their career choices. If we can keep sharing their stories, whether if it’s for a report or just sitting around a warming fire, it will help make other firefighters aware. They can visualize themselves in that situation, that it can happen to anyone.
Travis: I think that’s part of why we default to “they screwed-up”. It’s like a shield we put up to protect ourselves. We try to distance ourselves from that outcome because we don’t like the intensity of: “It could be me”. Nobody wants to think in those terms.
If you do an entrapment case study in a typical training, it’s all armchair quarterbacking: “Oh, yeah. They didn't even have a lookout, so of course . . . x,y,z . . .” When you can throw rocks at other people’s decisions, it supports the lie we tell ourselves about how it could never happen to us. It’s different when it’s a person in front of you that you’ve been on fires with and can relate to. Suddenly, you and I are no different and it did happen. Man, that’s a whole different level of reality.
It gets back to telling stories around the campfire. We all know that has an impact. It’s part of why staff rides work. When you break down that barrier, it’s harder to throw rocks and say "Oh yeah, they screwed-up" when it’s people you respect and look up to.
That familiarity forces the student to be more open to the “It could have been me” perspective because “It's Tony. I know that guy.”
Tony: Yes. And that’s a big reason of why T&D produced all those fire shelter deployment video stories that are housed at the Lessons Learned Center’s YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTjug05B4KNt-OVXS8Ce93vqSufg-sOmY. Just so that everybody can see and relate to that engine guy, that hotshot lady, that tractor plow operator. “Hey, that person there looks just like me.”
Travis: Or does the same job or works in the same area.
Tony: Right. The tighter circle of learning.
Exploring the ‘We Shouldn’t Carry Fire Shelters’ Mindset Travis: So, plenty of people will say: “We shouldn’t even carry fire shelters.” What are your thoughts on that?
Tony: Yeah, people will often say the U.S. is the only country where firefighters carry fire shelters, which is simply not true. Fire entities in Israel, Spain, Portugal and Cyprus all carry the U.S. Forest Service spec fire shelters. China, Chile and other European countries are now considering fire shelters. Why? Because of firefighter burnover fatalities. Australia has its vehicles equipped with reflective curtains, essentially a fire shelter on wheels.
In Canada, however, firefighters do not carry fire shelters. I have researched this quite a bit and can break down the differences: 1. Fire behavior. I am NOT a fire behavior expert. But fuels and fire behavior in much of Canada is much different than California, Arizona and
even Montana. A lot of fire behavior in Canada is like Alaska. There have been zero reported fire shelter deployments in Alaska. 2. Exposure. Example: A 1,000-acre fire in the U.S. can easily have 1,000 firefighters. The equivalent sized fire in Canada would very likely
have 10 or 20 firefighters assigned, much like Alaska. I don’t have the exact numbers, but I recall days last year of 30,000 firefighters committed in the U.S.—a huge difference in the number of firefighter exposure days.
3. Risk tolerance. I believe, generally speaking, Canadian entities have a lower appetite for risk. They may be quicker to pull the plug on an operation, to disengage sooner not just for fear of fire entrapment, but snags and other hazards as well.
Of course, it is true that firefighters wouldn’t deploy fire shelters if they didn’t have them. Many fire folks feel that the shelter gives a false sense of security. This is comparable to the “risk homeostasis theory” which can be interpreted as the more protection you give a person, the more risk they’re willing to take.
However, that doesn’t bear out with fire shelters and our firefighters. When we changed over to our current fire shelter, we put out the video comparing and contrasting the old-style fire shelter to our current shelter: https://youtu.be/IDjWX-8SCe0. We clearly showed the increase in protection that you get with this current shelter versus the old style.
It gets back to telling stories around the campfire. We all know that has an impact. It’s part of why
staff rides work.
What Tony said after assessing the anchor point on this 2020 California fire: “I think it will hold—
it’s the Pacific!”
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Now if the “risk homeostasis theory” was applied, you would see an increase in the number of fire shelter deployments. But, in fact, we have seen quite a major decrease in the past decade in fire shelters being deployed. Between 1995 and 2009, the average number of fire shelters deployed each year was about 28. Since 2010—and the transition to the current shelter—the average is about eight. That includes factoring the 30 shelters deployed in 2020.
Travis:
Wow.
Tony: The statistics don't support the theory. Now, that doesn’t mean I know what is in the deep, dark crevices of every firefighter’s mind out there. But the statistics show that we’re not taking increased risk because we are carrying that added protection. I am very aware that the messaging with fire shelters needs to stress not taking added risks, to not let it be a false sense of security.
Travis: For sure. I think that’s kind of what you were saying about Canada. And I know people make the same comparisons to Australia. And when I talk to Australians, they’re like: “Well, no, it has nothing to do with whether or not we carry fire shelters or not. We just fight fires differently.”
Tony: Yes. And even in Australia they still have an occasional burnover.
The thought process that came up with the fire shelter is the same one that came up with the 10 Standard Fire Orders. It’s all meant to reduce firefighter fatalities. The fire shelter wasn’t borne out of thin air, it was borne out of a need. And it’s important to note that the decreasing number of fire shelter deployments suggests that we are changing. It is big boat. But it’s turning, in my opinion, in the right direction. We don't have solid data on entrapments, but we sure do on the number of shelters deployed.
Telling the Truth Travis: We’re getting better and better at not having to use fire shelters. That is a really positive thing.
It surprises me when people have really intense opinions about this topic but they don’t quite have the experience of using a fire shelter. I guess that’s what they would tell you. “Of course I've never used my fire shelter, because I’m a good firefighter.”
I don't buy that. I think “you can tell all the tough guy stories in the world until you’re reaching for it.”
Tony: My hope is that firefighters can feel that it CAN happen to them.
Travis: Well, we’re not out there fighting fire by ourselves. I often say: “It doesn't matter how good of a firefighter you are. All it takes is another firefighter forcing your hand.”
I've literally had to shovel ping-pong balls back inside the burn unit because the helicopter just made a wide turn and shot some balls outside of the unit. That wasn't the plan or anything, but sh*t like that happens.
Tony: Sh*t happens.
A Good Investment Travis: What do you want to leave folks with here?
Tony: June 30, 2013 reminds us that fire shelters have protective limitations. My hope is that all firefighters carry the memory of Granite Mountain in their minds and hearts.
When I do entrapment or shelter deployment reviews, the number one thing I hear is: “I never thought it would happen to me. I couldn’t believe I was doing it.” And the number two thing is: “Left hand; right hand; shake it; shake it. I felt a sense of calm doing something familiar, something I had trained for”.
And regarding fire shelters, maintain a healthy distrust that the fire shelter will save your life. Become knowledgeable on: What makes a good deployment site? How do I deploy it? What is it like inside a shelter during a burnover? What can I expect afterwards? Make refresher trainings meaningful. Watch a fire shelter deployment story, perform worthwhile practice deployments.
And, above all, participate in meaningful dialogue.
Travis: Seems like a good investment.
Maintain a healthy distrust that the fire shelter will save your life.
12
I Suggest: SOG Fire Rock Strike FLA
Why I Liked It: This easy-to-read FLA demonstrates that preparation and training lead to better outcomes when an emergency occurs. The narrative takes the reader through the entire experience of the rock strike and reaction of those involved. The story begins with the pre-event training to prepare for such an accident and clearly describes the actual incident, medical response, and patient transport. It includes the critical and complicated role of the Hospital Liaisons. As a benefit, the FLA thoroughly explores the equipment performance. This FLA is capped off with well-articulated lessons that will prove valuable to all readers.
Recommended By: Kelly Woods, LLC Director
I Suggest: Cell Service Boost RLS
Why I Liked It: I can almost guarantee this is one of the most implemented lessons ever published by the Lessons Learned Center. I have zero data to back that claim up (bad math). I love that this report is about as simple as they come. One picture and 100 words goes a long way when it’s practical and pertinent.
This RLS is the epitome of what Rapid Lesson Sharing is meant to be: a way to quickly share useful information. Most likely, 99 percent of us would encounter this lesson out in the field and be stoked on our good fortune and share it with others when convenient. But this RLS’s author, Mark Adams, is that 1 percent who didn’t just think of himself. He thought of you and me and 10,000 of our closest friends. Be like Mark.
Recommended By: Travis Dotson, LLC Analyst
I Suggest: Pine Gulch Fire Dry Ice Outgassing RLS
Why I Liked It: Among the many COVID-related reports that came to the Lessons Learned Center in 2020, this RLS is among the few that really stands out to me. Why? It highlights a very serious near miss that no one would have seen coming pre-pandemic: Drivers exposed to a low oxygen environment in a vehicle because of dry ice in coolers. Why was the ice in the coolers? It was keeping food cold for folks in spike and other dispersed operations camps. Ops folks love this, but it almost had a tragic outcome for some of our drivers. (For more on the 2020 impacts to our dedicated logisticians, see Stu Rodeffer’s interview in the Fall 2020 issue of Two More Chains.)
Recommended By: Alex Viktora, LLC Assistant Director
I Suggest: Remote Alaska Duty Station COVID-19 Positive RLS
Why I Liked It: You feel perfectly normal but lose your sense of taste and smell for a brief four hours. Do you pursue COVID-19 follow-up and screening?
This RLS showcases the beauty of the RLS tool. How two individuals—in this case, the unit’s Fire Medic and Paramedic—took the time to tell the story of how a well-rehearsed pre-preparation and well-documented plan became instrumental in successfully responding to a positive COVID-19 case on their unit. Via their RLS, they spell out what happened, including their significant lessons—as well as challenges—to share with the rest of us. As detailed in the RLS, for their potential COVID-19 environment, this unit had established a “Lookout” and identified “Safety Zones” and “Trigger Points.” Perhaps most importantly, their RLS spotlights an extremely significant COVID-19 revelation.
Recommended By: Paul Keller, LLC Writer-Editor
Incident Report Staff Picks
Just like we did in last year’s Winter Issue of Two More Chains, on this page the Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center staff members are recommending incident reports from the previous year. Here’s our staff picks for you from 2020.
