California Fire News

BLUE SHEET - Bulldozer Rollover Fatality

Posted: 10 Oct 2007 10:08 PM CDT

BLUE SHEET PRELIMINARY SUMMARY REPORT
San Benito Monterey Unit
Bulldozer Rollover Fatality
October 8, 2007
Colorado Incident CA-BEU-004103 Accident Incident CA-BEU-004112 Accident Review Incident CA-CSR-000098

This Preliminary Summary Report is intended as an aid in accident prevention, and to provide factual information from the first 24 hours of the accident review. To that end it is published and distributed within a short time frame. Information contained within may be subject to revision as further investigation is conducted, and other reports and documents are received.

Synopsis
Two CAL FIRE BEU bulldozers were constructing line on steep slope. One of the bulldozers rolled down the slope and the operator was fatally injured.

Narrative
A structure fire was reported at 12:42 P.M. on Monday, October 8, 2007, along Palo Colorado Canyon Road off of Highway 1 about 11 miles south of Carmel, CA. The San Benito/Monterey Unit ECC dispatched a full wildland response to the incident because of the ruggedness of the area and proximity of the structure to the brush covered terrain. The fire did transition to the wildland and grew to over 40 acres.

A CAL FIRE BEU bulldozer (Dozer #1) was working with a second CAL FIRE BEU bulldozer (Dozer #2) at constructing line downhill along a flank of a fire. Dozer #2 became immovable and Dozer #1 was working below it to assist Dozer #2 in continuing with their assignment. At about 4:30 P.M., Dozer #1 plunged over 150 feet down the slope, rolling several times, coming to rest at the bottom of a canyon.

The Heavy Fire Equipment Operator was extricated from the bulldozer and airlifted to a trauma center where he succumbed to his injuries at 8:55 A.M. on Tuesday, October 9, 2007.

Recommendations For Immediate Corrective Actions Firefighters should review the special hazards of working in steep terrain. Firefighters need to have an understanding of operations on different soil types.

Source: CDF Firefighters Org

Yosemite West: Prescribed Fire Information Update #1

Posted: 10 Oct 2007 03:28 PM CDT

Yosemite West: PW-17, Prescribed Fire Information Update #1
October 10, 2007
The Yosemite West prescribed fire began yesterday October 9, at 9:30 AM.
Fire managers determined the
conditions were good to continue the burn after a small test fire was started near the "Sand Shed", Hwy 41 and the entrance into the Yosemite West community.
Approximately 60 acres have been burned as of 8 AM today.
This fire area does not have a recent fire history, resulting in large accumulations of dead and down large tree
fuels.
An upper level weather trough accompanied with tree top and ridge level breezes did occur as predicted yesterday that continued into the night operational period. Due to the potential for increased flame lengths and fire behavior combined with smoky conditions, fire managers conducted this burn slowly yesterday.
Fire Managers will continue the burn through-out the week. As this weather system clears out today, it is accompanied by a high-pressure warming trend. Friday will bring another potential for cooler temperatures and perhaps rain/snow.
Smoky conditions across the Wawona Rd (Hwy 41) will continue to exist through the burn project.
All drivers are to pay special attention to instructions provided by Yosemite's Traffic Control Officers, and obey posted speed signs. The southbound lane is closed in the area of the burn for firefighter safety. All vehicles are being escorted by a Pilot Vehicle. Short delays (10 minutes) are to be expected.
A thank-you needs to be given to Yosemite Traffic Control Officers for doing fine work in keeping our visitors and firefighters safe along the road.
Smoke was visible throughout the area and will continue through the burn; however, it was lifting and mixing into
the atmosphere well. Residents and visitors are advised to take precautions to minimize smoke impacts to health.
People with respiratory problems should use caution when exerting themselves in smoky areas.
For additional information or concerns, please call the Fire Information Line at (209) 372-0480 or our Prescribed Fire Office at (209) 375-9574.
Mariposa County Air Quality Board: Phone: (209) 966-2220 Fax: (209) 966-8248
Additional Information: The park website, www.nps.gov/yose/fire has information about fire activity and smoke
effects in Yosemite.

A PUBLIC CELEBRATION OF LIFE

Posted: 10 Oct 2007 02:26 PM CDT

A PUBLIC CELEBRATION OF LIFE for Kellie Klump

will be held on Oct. 27th at 1:pm at the Siskiyou County Fairgrounds in the
Winema Hall. (Yreka, CA)

Kellie was the daughter of Jim Klump retired Division Chief from the
Plumas N.F. Kellie was working with her father in his fire suppression
business (UNI-ENGINE) on the Gray's Creek Fire in Idaho when
on Sept.9 she fell victim to a murder, suicide in fire camp.

Jim his family, friends and co-workers will gather for this celebration
with lunch following at the fairgrounds.

Any questions please Jim Hanrahan Celebration Coordinator at 530-226-9591 or E-Mail Jim at
hanrahanfire @ hotmail.com (take out the spaces)

Start of Tahoe prescribed burn season sparks debate over smoke

Posted: 10 Oct 2007 01:52 PM CDT

Elaine Goodman
Nevada Appeal News Service
October 10, 2007, 4:01 AM

Story at: Nevada Appeal

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE - Tahoe resident Jack Harrington has been railing for years about the adverse effects of smoke from prescribed burns in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

"This is no more acceptable than to allow someone to blow smoke in my face in a restaurant or airplane," Harrington wrote in a letter to the Tahoe Daily Tribune in 1999, a time when prescribed burns were planned next to Zephyr Cove Elementary School, where his children were attending school.

Harrington's children grew up suffering from asthma, and potential health impacts have been his main reason for objecting to the prescribed burns.

Flash forward to the present day, when the Forest Service has started up its prescribed burn program for the fall - a series of fires intentionally set to remove forest debris that could serve as fuel for future wildfires. The prescribed burns follow the summer's devastating Angora fire that destroyed 254 homes and 3,072 acres here.

The Angora fire made it clear that a catastrophic wildfire in the basin is more than just a concept. But Harrington hasn't changed his views on prescribed burns.

"You people are doing something that is truly a health hazard," Harrington said last month. "It's an irritant to your lungs. ... I know it makes my kids sick; it makes me sick."

Harrington is calling for alternatives to prescribed burns for removing forest debris. In particular, he likes the idea of chipping instead.

But Forest Service officials contend that when it comes to clearing tons of waste from remote, roadless terrain, prescribed burns are the way to go.

"In these all-too-common remote areas, handwork followed by pile burning is efficient, quick and least expensive," said Rex Norman, spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit.

"At this time, there is no alternative than can replace the use of fire as an effective tool."

At the same time, the Forest Service is aware of smoke impacts, and schedules the burns at times when wind will lift most of the smoke up and out of communities.

"There's no doubt smoke can aggravate the condition for people with asthma," Norman said. "We are not cavalier about the impact of smoke on communities - not one bit."

Meanwhile, the Forest Service does use chipping in some cases as an alternative to prescribed burns. Chipping can only be used in areas where the mechanical equipment is allowed, Norman said, and although the chips will likely burn at lower intensity, they can produce flying embers that could spread a wildfire.

Blue-ribbon Tahoe fire commission meets Friday

Posted: 10 Oct 2007 01:43 PM CDT

The blue-ribbon commission examining the risk of wildfire at Lake Tahoe will discuss asking the governors of California and Nevada to declare a state of emergency in the Basin when it meets Friday in Tahoe City.

The California-Nevada Tahoe Basin Fire Commission will meet at 9 a.m. Friday at the Granlibakken Conference Center, 725 Granlibakken Road. Committees will meet Thursday in Tahoe City and on the South Shore.

Also on the full blue-ribbon commission's agenda Friday will be a discussion with the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board on the possible relaxation of rules governing fuel reduction in stream zones.

At Thursday's meeting of the Community Fire Safety Committee in Tahoe City, the members will discuss how to prioritize fuel treatment in areas bordering residential neighborhoods.

The full commission will also address the concerns expressed by the nine fire chiefs in the Tahoe Basin, who called for streamlining the regulations of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency.

Source: Sierra Sun

Tahoe Basin fire chiefs demands OK'd by TRPA

Posted: 10 Oct 2007 01:39 PM CDT

Use of pine needles as mulch under review for 'lean, clean and green' zones within 30 feet of homes

Kyle Magin
Article at Nevada Appeal News Service
October 10, 2007, 4:01 AM

INCLINE VILLAGE - Eight of nine demands by the Lake Tahoe Basin's fire chiefs were given a thumbs-up by Tahoe Regional Planning Agency officials, who agreed to look into ground coverage around homes.

"We were hopeful that TRPA would be in agreement with what we asked for and were pleased they were," said Chief Mike Brown of the North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District.

The fire chiefs met with TRPA representatives to discuss a nine-point letter submitted by the fire chiefs last month. Designed to make the basin more fire safe, the nine points primarily deal with defensible space and ensuring that the entire basin, both California and Nevada, are following the same rules. The chiefs submitted the letter in hopes that it would be adopted by the bistate Blue Ribbon Fire Commission.

TRPA agreed outright to eight of the nine points Friday and will launch a study into the ninth, said Jeff Cowen, TRPA community relations liaison.

The final point deals with ground coverage between five feet and 30 feet away from a structure.

The fire chiefs refer to this area as the "lean, clean and green" zone and would like to see it covered with noncombustible materials.

Cowen said that traditionally TRPA asks that this zone is covered with pine needles as part of its best management practice (BMP) guidelines. There are approximately 38,000 private residential, commercial and industrial parcels remaining to be retrofitted with water quality best management practices, according to the TRPA's Web site. The BMPs are used to help offset the impact of development on Lake Tahoe's clarity by preventing and capturing sediments in water runoff. Cowen said pine needles are considered a good way to mulch bare soil.

"Pine needles are the best in terms of what they give back to the soil, it's just the best answer for the ecosystem. That being said, it does produce the highest flame when ignited, so we're looking into alternatives because we can't have pine needles in that zone," Cowen said.

TRPA is considering noncombustible mulch to cover the ground in that space, but Cowen said that the study will contain its findings. TRPA will conduct the study in conjunction with the University of Nevada, Reno's cooperative extension program. He expects native vegetation will be one of best alternatives. Cowen said the study's findings should be presented within a month or two.

"The bistate commission is expected to present a report on their conclusions in March, but we'd like to have these points agreed upon and adopted well before then," Cowen said.

The bi-state commission reconvenes 9 a.m. Friday the Granlibakken Conference Center in Tahoe City. TRPA and the fire chiefs are expected to present their progress on the nine points from the Oct. 5 meeting.

CHP dispatchers back at their posts: One official says their actions in the early stages of the Angora fire did not delay the response to the blaze

Posted: 10 Oct 2007 01:28 PM CDT

Two CHP dispatchers who mistakenly told 911 callers in the early stages of the Angora fire that the blaze was a controlled burn are back at their posts in the Truckee communications center, an official said.

But the dispatchers, who have not been named, are likely to face some discipline as a result of their actions on June 24, said Capt. Gary Ross, commander of the CHP field office in Truckee.

"They will face disciplinary action. To what extent, I don't know yet," Ross said Tuesday.

Ross said he hadn't yet received results of an investigation into the dispatchers' actions. But Ross said he knew of nothing that would have led the dispatchers to believe there was a controlled burn in progress that day.

Meanwhile, U.S. Forest Service spokesman Rex Norman said the dispatchers' actions did not delay firefighters' response to the Angora fire. Forest service firefighters in Meyers and South Lake Tahoe firefighters spotted the smoke and "self-dispatched" to the blaze, Norman said.

Ross said in July that the dispatchers' actions had delayed response to the fire. On Tuesday, he said that was a preliminary assessment and he would have more information after receiving the report on the investigation.

The dispatchers were removed from their positions on July 4 and reassigned out of the Truckee office, officials said in July. Last month, CHP Assistant Chief Michael Champion said the dispatchers had returned to their posts in Truckee after 60 days. One dispatcher is a 27-year CHP veteran and the other has been a dispatcher for 17 years, Ross said.

Most 911 calls from cell phones go directly to the CHP, which has its nearest dispatch center in Truckee.

Kim Emery, communications supervisor for the CHP's Truckee office, said the dispatch center had implemented a new controlled burn log, which includes information from the forest service on which days controlled burns will be taking place.

If a caller reports a wildland fire on a day when a controlled burn is not scheduled, the caller will be transferred to the appropriate fire department, Emery said. If a controlled burn is in progress that day, dispatchers will still seek additional information from the caller, Emery said.

"We do question them -- does it look like it's out of control?" Emery said.

Meanwhile on the South Shore, the South Lake Tahoe police and fire communications center has not changed its procedures regarding controlled burns, said Public Safety Dispatch Supervisor Leona Allen.

"We haven't changed anything," Allen said. "We dispatched appropriately (during the Angora fire). We continue to do so."

The communications center receives a report each day from the Camino dispatch center, indicating whether controlled burns are planned anywhere in the basin, the locations, and what staffing will be provided for the burns.

Camino dispatches for the U.S. Forest Service and Cal Fire.

If a caller reports a wildfire during a controlled burn, South Tahoe dispatch can hold a conference call with the caller and Camino dispatch to determine if the fire being reported is a controlled burn or not. And if there's any possibility the blaze is not a controlled burn, firefighters will be dispatched immediately, Allen said.

"If there is any doubt whatsoever, we send the resources," Allen said. "We don't second guess."

Story at: Tahoe Tribune