Wildland Fire Crew Updates

The season remains busy across the west, and Pennsylvania is actively supporting the high demand for resources. This week, we are planning personnel swaps for one of our crews (Keystone) and our engine (E-603). For those interested in national numbers, you can find useful information on the NICC website. Although it's a bit early in the season for the Northwest to be experiencing this much activity, it is more surprising that the Southwest remains at a Level 3, as this should be their monsoon season. Here is an overview of our current resource assignments:

• PA-PAS – Keystone: This crew is currently in Miles City on preposition. They have been assigned to two different fires: the Sawlog Fire on Crow Nation land and the Badger Fire, which burned from Wyoming into Montana. The crew is currently rehabbing equipment for the Independence Crew, with whom they will swap later in the week.
• PA-PAS – E-603: Currently assigned to the Cle Elum Ranger District in the Wenatchee National Forest. The area has experienced several dry lightning storms in recent weeks, resulting in multiple fires. E-603 is still engaged in initial attack efforts and nightly patrols. Attached is a photo that was taken by the current ENGB on 603.

• PA-PAS – Liberty: The crew has recently returned to preposition after spending a few days on the Owen Fire in Wyoming. We are planning their crew swap for next week, with more details to follow.
• PA-PAS – Independence: This crew is gathering Monday night to fly out early Tuesday morning for the swap with Keystone. They will be assigned to the same preposition.

Single Resources:

• Total number of resources for the year: 36
• Total number currently on assignment: 21
  

Human Factors - 2024 Week of Remembrance

The last topic is about human factors and how we can honor the fallen through learning. While the Week of Remembrance was spent reflecting on the 2018 Mendocino Complex, the last day (July 6, 2024) is also spent remembering the Fallen 14 who lost their lives on the Storm King Mountain 30 years ago (1994) in the South Canyon Fire.

“How do we honor these days and the people involved through learning? How can we better equip ourselves to recognize and navigate within similar events when they repeat?”

“The Mendocino Entrapment Facilitated Learning Analysis closing remarks observe that adaptability and planning led firefighters to make life-saving decisions in the face of extreme fire behavior and incredible urgency. Likewise, each fire season firefighters effectively maneuver through countless uncertain and high-risk situations. The same human factors we associate with an unintended or undesirable outcome in one instance, may also be our greatest asset in another situation. That is to say, the human factor is present in everything we do – independent of the outcome. To be honest students of fire, we, the fire community, must also be students of our own thinking. Through reflection, curiosity, humble inquiry and open dialogue, our greatest asset can flourish.”

There is a plethora of environmental factors that are out of our control such as weather, terrain, other drivers, etc. However, we have influence over human factors such as our physical fitness, which is frequently the main focus of fire training. We must also take time to invest in our mental fitness as well.

Take time to build awareness and understanding of the way you and your team think. If you are interested, click here for further resources. Explore the following questions and feel free to engage in the comments.

• Beliefs – How do you respond when someone voices a value or belief contrary to your own? What role does curiosity play in maintaining a willingness to challenge your own beliefs or better understand someone else’s? 
• Communication – How can we include quieter voices in all conversations? How do you know when you need to speak up?
• Perspective – How do you systematically check for blind spots in your thinking? How do we keep our ears and minds open to new ideas?
• Planning – How can reflection improve future planning? How could your planning become more robust if you were to pause and consider the above questions about beliefs, communication, and perspective before taking action?
• Training – What would it look like to dedicate more time and effort to our mental fitness? Take a moment with your team and brainstorm some ideas for daily mental fitness “PT” (e.g., tactical decision games, sand tables, incident reviews, etc.).

Barriers to Refusing Risk - 2024 Week of Remembrance

Day six is about barriers to refusing risk, once again the NWCG site for this does a perfect job of discussing the topic. Looking over the interviews for the FLA of the Mendocino Complex Entrapment it was noticed that there were several common themes concerning day six’s topic, specifically urgency and speaking up. There’s not much I would change, nor really could change, about how they wrote it. With that, come along with us once again as we read about today’s topic.

“During the burnout operations, a sudden wind shift and explosive fire growth occurred, and personnel were cut off from their escape routes. Most of the firefighters moved back to their vehicles to exit the area. However, six individuals farther down the dozer line were forced to run in front of the advancing flame front, through unburned fuels to a nearby dirt road for approximately one mile before they were picked up and transported for treatment.”
— Mendocino Complex Entrapment Facilitated Learning Analysis (FLA).

URGENCY: Real and Perceived
“What are we doing here? Why are we burning? Where are our escape routes? I have a really bad feeling.  This is not good. What is the fire doing? It’s dicey but it might be doable.” Resources assigned to DIV H burnout, Mendocino Complex Entrapment FLA.

SPEAKING UP: Creating an environment that promotes safety
“I should have spoken up sooner. When I drove up, I should have voiced more that this was not a viable plan.” Overhead, Mendocino Complex Entrapment FLA.
 

If you would like to see more resources click here, and we have more discussion questions for you. Feel free to engage in the comments or use them to engage others in your unit.

• Operating in the wildland fire system is inherently risky on its own. When we add a sense of urgency to the system, how might that affect one’s decision-making processes [with regards to risk]?
• What conversations need to occur prior to/during an operational tempo increase to manage our assumption of risk?
• How do you ensure your instructions and assignments are clear? (18 Watchout Situations, #6)
• How can a leader encourage their followers to speak up and contribute to the good of the crew even when using a directing leadership style? How does a follower do so when their thoughts or observations contradict their leader?

 

Incident Within an Incident - 2024 Week of Remembrance

Day five is going to be pulled directly from the page because it is very fact heavy, talking about an Incident Within an Incident involving an airtanker drop fatality. So, without further ado, please join us.

“The Incident: August 13th, 2018 was the 11th day for a Utah Multi-Agency Taskforce and their Taskforce Leader (TFLD) on the Ranch Fire, a fire within the Mendocino Complex. During the morning operational briefing, the TFLD, his Utah Multi-Agency Taskforce, and a Strike Team of engines were assigned to Branch I, Division Charlie. After the briefing, division resources headed out to the line to reinforce dozer line and support it with a hose lay for an upcoming firing operation. 

At approximately 1300 with increased fire activity, airtankers were ordered to support Division Charlie of the Mendocino Complex. Division/Group Supervisor (DIVS) Charlie requested to drop retardant adjacent to the dozer line. Coordination of the operation between DIVS Charlie, Air Attack, and the Aerial Supervision Module (ASM) was established. At approximately 1540, DIVS Charlie told DIVS Charlie (T) that “Airtankers will be working in the area.” That message on the division’s tactical frequency was acknowledged and subsequently broadcast to “clear the area out” to the rest of the division. Only one Strike Team Leader acknowledged hearing the message.

After three airtanker drops were completed between 1600 and 1700 with the last drop being too far from the dozer line, DIVS Charlie requested the next drop to be “snugged up” and closer to the dozer line. The ASM acknowledged the request and performed a “show me” flight for the Very Large Airtanker (VLAT) to see the intended drop path and altitude. At approximately 1725, the ASM and VLAT circled back around and initiated their final approach. Obscured by vegetation, a rise in the terrain was directly along the proposed drop location resulting in the retardant being dropped approximately 100 feet above the canopy instead of the predicted 250 feet above canopy. The lower altitude and force of the drop uprooted an 87-foot tall Douglas Fir that struck the TFLD causing fatal injuries. Three other firefighters were struck by falling debris and suffered moderate to major injuries. Within seconds, an Incident Within an Incident was declared and patient care was established.

The Response: After the tree strike an IWI was declared, and Advanced Life Support (ALS) responders provided care and transported four patients to the hospital for further treatment. 

• The Task Force Leader suffered fatal crushing injuries from the tree strike. 
• One Fire Captain suffered broken ribs, deep muscle contusions, and ligament damage to extremities. 
• One Fire Captain suffered scratches and abrasions. 
• One Fire Apparatus Engineer suffered deep muscle contusions and ligament damage.”
   

If you would like more resources, please click here. As usual we have some discussion questions. Please feel free to talk about it in the comments section or take home to your unit.

• Recognition and communication about the upcoming airtanker drops were only acknowledged by one Strike Team Leader, what else could have been done to ensure everyone was situationally aware of the operations and potential hazards? 
• Imagine becoming the IWI IC, what are you thinking and what are your first actions? 
• Imagine being the only first responder to provide care, which patient needs your attention first? 
• Have you practiced filling out the Medical Incident Report and communicating it for multiple patients? What resources are needed for this IWI? Does a fatality change that process? 

 

Team Dynamics - 2024 Week of Remembrance

For day 4, let’s look at team dynamics. Most teams are not made up of people with all similar ideas and beliefs, and because of this you can capitalize on it and make a healthy team dynamic. Teams go through stages of development that are essential for continued growth – it is important to remember that any team can wind up back at the early stages of team building by factors as simple as a change of task. Bruce W. Tuckman developed a model for these stages in the mid-1960s, if you would like some more information about this model click here.

“With each team comes a different culture and method of operation – one not better than the other – just different.”
— FLA participant

“The Mendocino Complex had a multitude of resources including two Type 1 Incident Management Teams (IMTs) and over 4,000 people from 34 agencies at the height of the incident. Each one of those groups were in some stage of team development and were expected to collectively work together to accomplish incident objectives. The Incident Command System (ICS) is designed to have a breakdown structure of teams that combine and separate as needed.  For example, each functional area (finance, logistics, operations) that make up the “team” of an IMT can have its own entire team. Even within those teams there are further sub-teams (Operations > Branch 1 > DIV Z > IHC).  The concept of “Teams” as it pertains to wildland fire is nebulous and dynamic.”

Some examples of tools to help continually evolve are pre-season coordination meetings, daily After Action Reviews (AARs), pre-operational meetings, planning meetings, and closeouts. Click here for more resources. Additionally, here are some discussion questions that you can discuss in the comments or take back to your unit.

• Have you observed the different stages of team development? Discuss what stage your team is at now. 
• How does your crew, module, team fit into the larger picture of an Incident Management Team? How do you incorporate a team within a team?
• What contributes to rapid team synergy? What can hinder reaching team synergy?
• What constructs are built into the ICS system to promote successful team building and teamwork?

Communication - 2024 Week of Remembrance

Today’s (July 2, 2024) discussion focuses on communication.

“The challenges of communication were numerous on the Mendocino Complex. As a part of the Facilitated Learning Analysis (FLA) following the entrapment on August 19th, interviews were conducted with numerous key personnel involved. The lessons they shared were broken into the categories of Aviation, Intercrew, Fireline, and Overhead. Each category of lessons learned contained takeaways about communication. Upon review of the airtanker drop that resulted in one firefighter fatality and multiple firefighter injuries days earlier, the notification and acknowledgement of impending aerial drops was documented as a safety issue for review.”

It is very important that as wildland fire professionals we continually work to improve our communication skills, habits and protocols. To do that here are some questions for discussion. Feel free to use the comments section or discuss with your unit.

• When you give a message, how do you obtain confirmation that it has been understood? When you receive a message, how do you confirm that you are understanding it correctly? 
• What is the difference between briefings given to a group of people who commonly work together and a briefing between a group of people who just met?
• In your experience, what difficulties and benefits have you found working with other agencies? How might you put added effort into ensuring smooth communication with resources from other agencies?
• Have you ever been given a compressed or abbreviated briefing? What essential information needs to be included in a compressed briefing? 
• In today’s environment of large fires and minimal logistical support (especially during PL 5), what can you do to compensate for communications issues? 

To reference the resources from today’s topic click here.

Burn Protocol - 2024 Week of Remembrance

Day Two’s (July 1, 2024) discussion is about burn protocols.

“On August 19, 2018, while conducting burn operations on the Mendocino Complex, six firefighters were forced to run from the fire after a sudden wind shift caused a significant increase in fire behavior and cut off their escape route. During their escape, firefighters suffered 1st and 2nd degree burns. Initially the burned firefighters declined the need for medical transport. Upon further evaluation, they were transported for medical treatment.“

In 2023, the NWCG Emergency Medical Committee developed and released burn protocols to help firefighters and fire managers better assess burn injuries and expedite evacuations. “The burn protocols require transfer to the nearest emergency department for all moderate and any minor burns that do not improve with basic first aid treatment. Firefighters should not hesitate to activate the Incident Within an Incident (IWI) process for anything more than a minor burn. Many burns will NOT need treatment at a burn center initially but require close follow-up over days to weeks for possible treatment at a burn center later as the wound heals.”

Once again here are some questions, feel free to engage in the comments section or to take them to your home unit to promote discussion:

• What are your home unit's reporting protocols for burns and injuries? 
• Do you know the location of your nearest emergency department?
• Discuss burn sources (heat vs. chemical) and what training and resources you have on your crew to treat burns until transfer to definitive care is achieved.

For further resources from today’s discussion, click here.

Incident Overview - 2024 Week of Remembrance

“May we never stop learning.”

Every year from June 30 through July 6 the National Wildfire Coordinating Group’s 6 Minutes for Safety team takes the time to honor the act of learning by going through thoughtful review and recognition of events from the past in wildland fire, during the Week of Remembrance. This year’s theme is “Learning from the Mendocino Complex.” Each day will focus on a topical area or event from the Mendocino Complex that “has massive relevance on all incidents past, present, and future.”

The hope is to encourage the fire community to be reflective of our own thinking, emotions, communication style, and the limitations of perspective on and off the fire ground.

“How can we study our own thinking in order to be safer fire practitioners? Where do we start?  Within the somber context of tragedy, we are reminded that our predecessors faced these same challenges. By renewing our commitment to refine and evolve our craft, and to engage with events of the past as serious students, we honor the fallen in the most meaningful way.
 
There is no doubt that, for many, this will be a difficult week. Even many years removed, the trauma of those who share a connection to an incident may become fresh and painful. We at 6 Minutes for Safety will continue to educate and draw attention to the importance of providing support for firefighter mental health. We ask our fellow and parent committees to join us in this effort.”

“As Week of Remembrance 2024 embarks to honor the events of the 2018 Mendocino Complex, our thoughts are also and always with the Granite 19, who perished together on June 30, 2013. You are never forgotten.”

For Day One (which was Sunday June 30), we discuss the Incident Overview of the Mendocino Complex. NWCG has the best overview so, we will pull directly from their page:

Incident Background: The Mendocino Complex started on July 27, 2018, and eventually became the largest wildfire at the time in California history, burning 459,123 acres. When the complex’s Ranch and River Fires started, the Northern California Geographic Area was at Preparedness Level (PL) 3. One other large fire was burning in the region – the 28,000 acre Carr Fire, which went on to burn 229,000 acres in the neighboring county. The day the Mendocino Complex started, three other geographic areas and the nation were at PL 4, drawing significant resource demand. The next day that increased to National PL 5.

Fire behavior was consistently extreme and large fire growth was observed daily. On August 3rd a Fuels and Fire Behavior Advisory was issued for the fire area citing a fine fuel crop at 180% of normal, 1000-hr fuel moistures at record lows, and Energy Release Component values at record highs. On August 4th, the Ranch and River Fires ran 50,000 acres.   

Ultimately, several thousand firefighters from 34 different agencies would support suppression efforts, including the US National Guard, US Army, Australia, and New Zealand Fire. Two Type 1 Incident Management Teams (IMTs) were assigned to the complex due to its enormous size. However, instead of assigning each IMT to half of the fire with geographically determined boundaries, the teams operated out of the same Incident Command Post in Ukiah, CA and essentially merged into one IMT, duplicating IMT positions and areas of responsibility. This unusual organizational structure presented unique operational challenges for management of an already complex, evolving incident. 

It cannot be overemphasized how coinciding events in the regional fire environment contributed to a sense of tension and urgency during the Mendocino Complex. 2018 was recorded as California’s deadliest and most destructive wildfire season on record. Within days of the complex igniting, two firefighters were killed on the Ferguson Fire in Yosemite National Park. National political leaders visited fire camps throughout the state. The growing Carr Fire competed for suppression resources and in November the deadly Woolsey and Camp Fires ravaged communities preparing for the holidays.  

Bringing Forward Lessons Learned:  Although the chaotic backdrop leading up to these events may sound extraordinary, incident response in the modern wildfire environment is recreating similar situations with increasing frequency each year. In this broader context, the fire response produced two significant unintended outcomes: multiple firefighter injuries and a firefighter fatality on August 13th, and an entrapment with multiple injuries on August 19th. For the firefighters, dispatchers, pilots, and support personnel who were present, these events and what led up to them will remain unforgettable. Week of Remembrance 2024 aims to tell this story with integrity and respect, so that the Mendocino Complex’s lessons learned may be of value for the broader fire community to learn from. 

Feel free to use the comments section below, or to take these to your unit and have a discussion:

·        Where were you in late July of 2018 when the Mendocino Complex started? 

·        As you remember it, what contributed to the atmosphere of this historic fire year? 

Click here to access further resources from the overview.