In Robert Mutch's article Firefighter safety: Just leave the line, he argues the point that firefighters are still staying on the line past the point where it is safe to do so. Why? Because it's often assumed firefighters are there to put the fire out or save the home from burning.
I remember this happening to me on the Radio Fire, when the City of Flagstaff was threatened.
Although we were told in training that no tree is worth a life, we still tried to save the trees at any and all costs. Plus, wildland firefighters have no training in fighting structure fires. With more homes built closer to formerly wild areas, they are often called upon to protect homes.Someone needs to draw the line, or change the training.
Will the Truth be Told?
Contradictory information abounds...will we ever know the truth behind the deaths of the Granite Mountain 19? Lawsuits are being filed left and right. Public outrage at the news that the relatives of the victims would not be receiving the same benefits as full time employees was understandable, since many were unaware of current policy. However, the reality is they were seasonal employees, and being a summer firefighter means you are a temporary employee. I know of no profession that pays temporary employees benefits. Should this be changed? Probably. Will it be? Probably not.
Many lives were lost this past summer, and this will most likely happen again. Firefighting is dangerous work. All we can hope for is to learn from mistakes, and do the best we can to avoid tragedies.
Many lives were lost this past summer, and this will most likely happen again. Firefighting is dangerous work. All we can hope for is to learn from mistakes, and do the best we can to avoid tragedies.
Over Thirty Years Later, the Problems Continue
The Tucson Weekly published an article recently about a retired woman firefighter, who faced abusive behavior while performing her job. Her lawsuit is still up in the air.
Reading this article brought back many memories. Not only did I have to deal with the same kinds of complaints from my crew, but some of my supervisors (also men) were not supportive. When I filed an EEO complaint against a man who outwardly discriminated against me, no actions were taken. The year after the complaint, I discovered that the complaint followed me to another National Forest, and I found myself "blacklisted" from every being on a fire crew there. I, too, was labeled a troublemaker.
There is no doubt in my mind that this woman held her own at work, because if I could do it, so can she. I find it frustrating this continues. No wonder only 1% of firefighters in this country are women.
Hot Shots Died in Fire Shelters
Slowly, we are finding out more how these men died. Most of them had deployed their fire shelters, and died either of breathing superheated air, or from being burned alive.
No one can fully imagine what that must have been like.
I was working on the Santa Rita Suppression crew at Florida Work Center in 1977 when carrying fire shelters became mandatory. No one, including me, had faith in this addition to our gear. We believed that the time spent preparing the ground and deploying the shelter should be spent running... however, we all knew you can't outrun a raging, wind driven inferno.
It is also interesting to see articles about the difference between forest firefighters and structural firefighters. Throughout my career, I'd met a number of fire personal that specialized in structure fires. They were fascinated by my line of work, but had no desire to fight wildfires. I felt the same way about their jobs. I had no problem marching into a burning forest, but wouldn't be caught dead anywhere near a burning building.
The Granite Mountain 19 died defending homes in the fire's path. Should they have been there? Probably not. Wildland fire crews do not receive the same training as structural firefighters do, and do not have special breathing aparatus and other gear. Officials also blame a severe weather change. This should not have been a surprise to the crew, trained to anticipate weather and wind changes. Even though they had the required lookout, the only survivor, they should have also planned several other escape routes
The investigation will go on, but that won't change what happened that day. Hopefully this won't happen again.
No one can fully imagine what that must have been like.
I was working on the Santa Rita Suppression crew at Florida Work Center in 1977 when carrying fire shelters became mandatory. No one, including me, had faith in this addition to our gear. We believed that the time spent preparing the ground and deploying the shelter should be spent running... however, we all knew you can't outrun a raging, wind driven inferno.
It is also interesting to see articles about the difference between forest firefighters and structural firefighters. Throughout my career, I'd met a number of fire personal that specialized in structure fires. They were fascinated by my line of work, but had no desire to fight wildfires. I felt the same way about their jobs. I had no problem marching into a burning forest, but wouldn't be caught dead anywhere near a burning building.
The Granite Mountain 19 died defending homes in the fire's path. Should they have been there? Probably not. Wildland fire crews do not receive the same training as structural firefighters do, and do not have special breathing aparatus and other gear. Officials also blame a severe weather change. This should not have been a surprise to the crew, trained to anticipate weather and wind changes. Even though they had the required lookout, the only survivor, they should have also planned several other escape routes
The investigation will go on, but that won't change what happened that day. Hopefully this won't happen again.
Fire near Prescott, Arizona claims the lives of 19 Hot Shots
It’s a sad day in the world of firefighting. Yesterday 19 Hot Shots from the Interagency Granite Mountain Hot Shot Crew died while fighting a fire near Prescott , Arizona
This touches home for me. Although I never worked for the Forest Service in Prescott Prescott Syracuse , New York
Dying on the fire line never occurred to me while in that career. At such a young age, I probably thought it would never happen to me. Although I did have some close calls, fortunately that’s all they were.
This is a dangerous job. The men and women who fight fires deserve our respect and gratitude for putting their lives on the line.
Visit Wildfire Today for an excerpt from my book! Thanks to Bill Gabbert for his continuing interest and support.
My interview with the Green Valley News
Facing Flames: Adventures, Challenges of a Female Firefighter
Published in the Green Valley News on January 23rd, 2013, Ellen Sussman wrote about how I fought fires and fought against men's outdated attitudes to prove I was a productive, dependable member of the crew.
Just a couple corrections, however. The Box Fire was not in Florence, but in Box Canyon of the Santa Rita Mountains.
The Hog-Fong fire was over 50,000 acres.
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