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.
Author: wildfirelessons
Smug and Satisfied
We are not “a special breed” or uniquely tough or deserving of anything extra—especially not a cape. Falling down the hero hole will halt your growth.
The Quicksand of Complacency
A first responder can only relax when they are retired or dead, and sustaining that pitch of mindfulness is a hard road.
Where Do We Go From Here?
What do we want to take with us moving forward and what should we leave behind?
The SOG Fire Rock Strike: Lucky? Or Prepared?
SOG Fire Rock Strike “Being lucky is often stated when something attributed to a miracle happens, but preparation is what really creates the outcome.”
Turning the Truck Around – A Story Map of the Horse Park Fire Entrapment
While scouting a road for a potential burnout operation, a Hotshot Crew Superintendent and Foreman encounter a wall of flames and attempt to retreat. Their truck becomes stuck, forcing them to flee on foot, narrowly escaping the rapidly advancing fire front. Just as they reach safety, they learn that their crew lookout is missing. After … Continue reading Turning the Truck Around – A Story Map of the Horse Park Fire Entrapment
Entrapment – A Sawyer’s View
A Crew Sawyer's View - This is a personal story of the moments leading up to a shelter deployment, the moments spent in the shelter, and insights on life after a deployment.
See You On the Other Side
Reality set in quickly as I tore the plastic on my fire shelter. There was no longer any hesitation, no stigmas to worry about, this was survival. I remember saying “I will see you on the other side” to my partners as I fumbled with unfolding my shelter.
Castolon Fire Review
On May 22, 2019, two historic structures in the Castolon historic district of Big Bend National Park burned in a wildland fire.
Blowing Up Hazards
“This use of blasting as an available tool proved critical to meeting incident objectives and successfully reduced risk exposure to firefighters.”