| |
| www.wildfirenews.com | Updated: 14. April 2007 |
THIRTYMILE BOOK DUE OUT SOONAPRIL 14 -- LEAVENWORTH, WA: John Maclean, author of two previous award-winning books on disastrous wildfires, has written a third -- this one chronicling the Thirtymile Fire that killed four firefighters in 2001 in the Chewuch River canyon in northeast Washington. Publishers Weekly called the book "an evenhanded, lucid re-creation of catastrophe and its aftermath." The fire, which initially appeared to be a quick suppression effort with a bit of mop-up, spiraled out of control into a disaster fire that burned over 9,000 acres. Four young firefighters were killed, several others were injured, and one was severely burned but managed to survive. A fatal fire that brought change to the firefighting world -- like the South Canyon Fire before it -- the Thirtymile will remain an historic marker for decades to come because of its aftermath. The official investigations that followed the fire were even more controversial than those that followed the 1994 South Canyon Fire in Colorado. One Thirtymile investigation only recently concluded with the filing of federal charges against Ellreese Daniels, the incident commander on the fire. He was indicted on four felony counts of involuntary manslaughter and seven counts of lying to investigators after the fire. Maclean's book, The Thirtymile Fire: A Chronicle of Bravery and Betrayal, profiles the firefighters on the fire and details the events and issues that combined for the perfect set-up for a perfectly disastrous fire. Maclean walks readers through the early stages of the fire, documenting the little mistakes and the big unknowns that all came together on a hot July afternoon -- exactly seven years after the South Canyon Fire killed 14 firefighters. Maclean divides the story into three parts, starting with detailed portrayals of the firefighters and other people involved in the fire. This first section offers just enough background information for readers to comprehend the human factors aspects that contributed to the set-up for a disastrous fire. The book's second section details the initial attack on the fire, cataloguing a long list of little mistakes and big bad luck. According to Kirkus Reviews, the third section brings it all together. "The final chapters focus on the fire's aftermath, with the deceased's families quickly turning from sorrow to bitterness and recriminations, especially after the release of a report by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration that suggested the dead may have ignored orders. Maclean mostly keeps his opinions to himself, offering a narrative that comprehends many conflicting viewpoints. A richly descriptive chronicle of disaster from an expert on the subject." Most wildland firefighters and fire managers have read Maclean's first two books, Fire On The Mountain and Fire and Ashes. This third effort is his best yet, and will be required reading for those who study wildland fire safety. The book will be a hot topic on online wildfire forums, and there'll doubtless be at least one copy in every crew buggy in the country. 
A NOTE ON UPDATESAPRIL 14 -- WOLF CREEK, MT: FROM THE EDITOR -- This site's not been updated for a couple months because I've been working on a ranch in Montana without internet access. But don't give up; updates will resume again within the next month or so. Thanks for your patience.
FIRE REAWAKENS DIABLO CANYONFEBRUARY 19 -- SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA: Wildfires are oftentimes considered dangerous and destructive, and sometimes they are. But sometimes what appears to be "damage" to the untrained eye is ecologically beneficial. A wildfire a month ago north of the Diablo Canyon power plant provides an example. Sally Krenn, the Pacific Gas and Electric Co. biologist for the lands around the plant, says the 320-acre fire proved so beneficial to the environment that they're planning to burn another 200 acres in the near future. "We have all the permits," she said; "we just need to light the match." She told the Tribune that the fire did what she's wanted do for five years; environmental restrictions and safety concerns, however, prevented the utility from reintroducing fire to an ecosystem that badly needs it.
But the wildlands north of Diablo Canyon haven't burned for nearly a century, resulting in stands of spindly, disease-infested trees and fuel loads of decadent chaparral. In January, though, an electrical short ignited a fire in an oak grove, and the fire burned 1,100 feet to a ridgetop. The fire was contained several days later after burning over 320 acres, including parts of Montana de Oro State Park. But a month later, Krenn has found that grasses and shrubs are re-sprouting -- and erosion, a common problem in burned areas, hasn't been an issue because of the loamy soils. Krenn says the pattern of firebreaks that were cut along the southern flank of the wildfire set up favorable conditions for a prescribed burn. PG&E; plans to burn the area as soon as the project is approved by CDF officials. Krenn said they proposed several burns five years ago, but air pollution restrictions and other concerns repeatedly delayed them.
FUND YOUR FAVORITE FIREHOUSEFEBRUARY 15 -- NEW YORK, NY: Circuit City and its firedogSM program have launched a salute to firefighters; they're requesting nominations for outstanding service by local fire stations, and the ten winners will each receive a $20,000 donation. The grand prize winner, chosen by popular vote, will receive another $100,000. The sponsors recently presented $100,000 donations to both the FDNY Foundation, which supports New York City Fire Department initiatives, and the National Law Enforcement and Firefighters Children's Foundation, for its efforts in helping children of law enforcement and firefighting personnel. The contest requests essays on outstanding community service by local fire departments, and entries are ranked on both community service and essay quality. The ten finalist essays will be posted on firedog.com for two weeks of voting, and the grand prize winner in May will receive a $100,000 donation.
WYOMING CONSIDERS WILDFIRE COMPACTFEBRUARY 15 -- CASPER, WY: A new bill in the Wyoming Legislature could make the state a party to an interstate wildfire suppression compact; seven different insterstate compacts currently exist, and the Great Plains compact would be the eighth. House Bill 67 was unanimously supported by the House and yesterday passed the Senate on its second reading. Sen. Pat Aullman, one of the bill�s co-sponsors, said interstate cooperation can be critical, particularly on fires that burn across state lines more than once. The Star-Tribune reported that South Dakota and Colorado have already signed up, and Wyoming is likely to be the third state. North Dakota and Nebraska are studying the compact agreement. The Mid-Atlantic Interstate Forest Fire Protection Compact (MAIFFPC) includes Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Ohio. The Northeastern Interstate Forest Fire Protection Compact (NIFFPC) includes Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont. The Northwest Compact includes not only northwestern states, but also Alaska and several Canadian territories and provinces. Fire resources of Wyoming and other states are already shared through the interagency Resource Ordering and Status System (ROSS), but it's primarily designed to manage resources on large fires. The national ROSS system includes about 400 interagency dispatch and coordination offices, and its automated dispatch processes have cut down on labor-intensive practices and decreased costs of operations. But state forestry officials note that many state resources aren't signed up with ROSS, and the interstate compact system is designed to be more flexible than the federal interagency system.
ARREST WARRANT FOR DANIELSFEBRUARY 13 -- EPHRATA, WA: An arrest warrant was issued for Ellreese Daniels after he failed to show up for his arraignment on a drug charge, scheduled for 9 a.m. yesterday in District Court in Ephrata. Daniels was cited for possession of marijuana and an open container of alcohol hours after his federal court appearance a month ago. At that arraignment, in U.S. District Court in Spokane, Daniels pleaded not guilty on felony charges filed in connection with the 2001 Thirtymile Fire, which killed four firefighters. Hours after the federal court arraignment, a state patrol officer on Interstate 90 pulled over the car in which Daniels was riding near Moses Lake. The driver was cited for DUI and Daniels paid a $101 fine on the open container violation, but he was supposed to appear in court yesterday on the marijuana charge. The Yakima-Herald reported that Tina Hunt, Daniels' attorney in the federal case, does not represent him in the drug case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Hopkins said a federal probation officer will review the circumstances, but that it's up to a federal judge to determine whether Daniels violated terms of his release agreement. "I'm sure the probation officer will want to look into it," he said. Probation officials decided not to arrest Daniels after his drug and alcohol citations in January. He's charged with four felony counts of involuntary manslaughter and seven counts of lying to investigators after the fatal wildfire in the Chewuch River Canyon in 2001.
FEDS DROP LDS CHURCH FROM LAWSUITFEBRUARY 06 -- SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH: The U.S. Attorney's Office has dropped the Mormon Church as a defendant in a civil suit against the Boy Scouts of America over a 2002 wildfire in the Uinta Mountains. The Salt Lake Tribune reported today that the attorney's office sued the Boy Scouts in 2004 for $14 million in suppression costs on the 14,000-acre fire after Boy Scout leaders said that boys had lit fires to earn wilderness survival merit badges. A group of 17 Scouts supervised by two 15-year-olds built illegal fires at a camp in the Uinta Mountains, and ignited the wildfire near the East Fork of the Bear Scout Reservation on June 28, 2002. The fire's origin was traced back to a shelter built by members of the group. The lawsuit asked the court to declare the Scouts liable for "negligently starting and failing to extinguish" the East Fork Fire. The Church Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was listed as a defendant in the case because it sponsors the Boy Scout troop blamed for the fire. Brett Tolman, U.S. Attorney for Utah, said the Boy Scouts have agreed to take full responsibility for damages if they lose the case. A trial is set for March 5, but settlement discussions are ongoing.
USFS MOVES TANKER OPS TO SANTA MARIAFEBRUARY 05 -- SANTA MARIA, CA: Officials are finalizing plans to move operations from the Santa Barbara Airport to Santa Maria; the move is expected to improve response times and save money. The Forest Service hopes to have operations moved by the start of the 2007 fire season. Kathy Good with the Los Padres National Forest said the air attack base would include offices for two year-round employees, but that as many as seven could staff the base during a busy season. An air attack ship will be based there year-round. The Santa Maria Times reported that heavy airtankers may also be based temporarily at the airport. General Manager Gary Rice said it will cost about $500,000 to reinforce the pavement to the necessary weight-bearing capacity. The current pavement is the original World War II military work; it couldn't support the weight of B-25 bombers, which nixed Santa Maria as a B-25 base. It was later home to P-38 Lightnings. USFS rent has been $50,000 annually in Santa Barbara, and that will drop to $18,000 annually in Santa Maria. Good said lighter traffic at Santa Maria, along with more favorable wind and weather conditions, will make it a better base than Santa Barbara. Eleven airtankers used Santa Maria last fall to refuel while flying the Day Fire. The Lompoc Record reported that the Santa Maria airport had an advantage over its sister airport at Santa Barbara: no congestion. �They're right here as soon as we pull in,� said tanker pilot Jan Reifenberg of Los Alamos. �It's far more efficient.� �They tried us out and it worked and they started sending more to us,� said Jim Kunkle, owner of the Jet Center, which usually serves private jets. Kunkle said he's recently finished a lease agreement with the Forest Service for office space at his facility for the tanker base manager and air attack manager, along with a pilot lounge.
GOOD NEWS FOR ESPERANZA FAMILIESFEBRUARY 03 -- SACRAMENTO, CA: KESQ-TV reported today that the California State Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee unanimously approved legislation that will make an exception to state tax law, allowing the Central County United Way in Hemet to distribute more than $1 million in donations to the families of the firefighters killed on October's Esperanza Fire. The bill still must be passed by another committee, the assembly floor, and the senate before it can be sent to the governor. It's expected to reach the governor by early next week.
VICTORIA BATTLES NEW BRUSHFIRESFEBRUARY 02 -- COBUNGRA, VICTORIA, AU: Fire crews are building control lines around a huge bushfire in Victoria's east today, and temperatures are predicted to soar this weekend. The Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) said fire crews were again busy with the Great Divide South Fire, which started back in December.
Crews have been building control lines and are expecting higher temperatures this weekend. About 135 DSE, Country Fire Authority, Canadian, and U.S. firefighters are working the northern edge of the fire. Crews worked today on finding and suppressing hotspots before the weekend's anticipated weather shift. Meanwhile, ABC News reported that there's a push under way for better communications among emergency agencies. After a debrief of a bushfire in a pine forest near Tumut in December (a fire that burned about $55 million worth of state-owned timber), Councillor Graham Smith, the head of the bushfire management committee in the Riverina highlands zone, said the radio network needs to be integrated. Smith said the Rural Fire Service must be able to talk to New South Wales Fire Brigades, and to ambulance units and air support -- statewide. "I think we've got to look at and make sure it's upgraded and corrected and systems put in place so we can do these things," he said. "It's something we've learnt and it won't happen again."
FIREFIGHTER PROTECTION BILL INTRODUCEDFEBRUARY 01 -- PORTALES, NM: A state bill that would protect wildland firefighters from criminal prosecution has been introduced in the New Mexico Legislature. Rep. Keith Gardner of Roswell, who introduced the bill, said it's in response to concerns raised last fall by volunteer firefighters in eastern New Mexico about standards contained in new agreements with the New Mexico Forestry Division. According to a report by the Portales News-Tribune, the state agreements won't authorize suppression reimbursement for departments using uncertified firefighters. Gardner says the Forestry Division is concerned about its liability after criminal charges were brought against supervisors in other states following the deaths of firefighters under their supervision. Gardner�s bill would remove that criminal liability from the state statutes. Fire departments from several eastern New Mexico counties had a heated meeting with the Forestry Division in Portales back in the fall, but were unable to come to a resolution. Rural fire departments are increasingly concerned about losing state reimbursements for wildland firefighting due to red-card certification requirements outlined in new agreements proposed by the New Mexico Forestry Division. Gardner and other legislators, though, worry that initial attack responses could be delayed if the legislation is not passed.
NEW BASE PROPOSED FOR HEMETJANUARY 31 -- HEMET, CA: A $25 million request is in the works for building a new tanker base at Hemet-Ryan Airport; the proposal includes demolishing the 1950s-era base at the Hemet airport and replacing it with state-of-the-art buildings and facilities. Robin Zimpfer with Riverside County said the county's economic development agency, which owns the airport, helped CDF submit a budget package for state funding to upgrade the tanker base. According to a report by the Press-Enterprise, CDF is committed to maintaining operations at Hemet-Ryan Airport, and Fire Capt. Patrick Tomlinson said this reconfirms that commitment. "It's been a good place for us for fifty years," said Tomlinson, "and from the way it's looking, it's going to be a good place for us for another fifty years." CDF had in the past proposed moving firefighting operations to March Air Reserve Base in Moreno Valley, but those plans were abandoned last year. After extended discussion (and more than a little controversy), it was decided that maintaining operations at Hemet would be safer for pilots and provide far better initial attack response. And locals are pleased with the proposal. "We're very happy to hear about the upgrades," said Mike Esnard, president of the Idyllwild-based Mountain Communities Fire Safe Council (MCFSC), one of a number of those -- including the county supervisors -- who advocated keeping firefighting operations at Hemet. The budget package submitted to the state will probably be included in the state's 2008/2009 budget. Construction could begin in 2009 and the new base could be completed in two years; plans include setting up a temporary base at the airport to provide fire protection while the new facility is under construction. The construction plans include larger administrative offices, barracks for firefighters, retardant loading areas, hangars, and repair and maintenance facilities.
Ryan Air Attack Base was named after the late Claude T. Ryan, who designed the Spirit of St. Louis and started the Ryan School of Aeronautics in Hemet during World War II. The facility eventually became a public airport owned and operated by Riverside County. In 1957 the U.S. Forest Service began airtanker loading operations, and in 1959 CDF started operations. Ryan is one of 19 tanker bases in California and provides initial attack on more than 17,000 square miles of private, state, and federal lands. For some background on this story, check our news archives for 05/06/2005 (scroll down to the April 06 Hemet story).
CHANGES PROPOSED IN FIRE MANAGEMENTJANUARY 31 -- WASHINGTON, DC: Increasing costs for wildfire prevention and suppression can't be reduced till state and local governments and the insurance industry get involved with reducing development in the wildland/urban interface, according to both lawmakers and agency officials who spoke at a Senate hearing yesterday. At the Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing, agency representatives outlined new cost-containment plans for the upcoming season, including putting fire crews and helicopters under less regional and more federal control. The Billings Gazette reported that the federal agencies spent $1.9 billion on fire suppression in 2006 -- the worst wildfire year on record, with nearly 10 million acres burned. One factor that increases the wildfire threat is the growing number of new homes in the wildland/urban interface; about 8.4 million new homes, or 60 percent of new homes, were built in the interface during the 1990s. Several reports and officials have suggested that state and local agencies should share more of the cost of fighting fires in or adjacent to the interface, because the federal government has no authority over zoning or development in such areas. USDA Inspector General Phyllis Fong said costs won't go down until interface development is reduced. "We have to somehow incentivize state and local governments to regulate development," she said. Agriculture Undersecretary Mark Rey said the federal government could also provide incentives to the insurance industry to examine fire-prone areas as they do flood-prone areas. He also discussed new proposals for cost containment on firefighting resources. He said smokejumpers, hotshot crews, and helicopters will be used as national assets and subject to more centralized management. Jim Caswell with the Wildland Fire Leadership Council (WFLC) said that federal managers want to ensure that initial responses are always aggressive and use the closest appropriate resources -- including those of local and tribal governments. He recommended forming local Type 3 Incident Management Teams to manage initial and extended attack operations locally -- rather than relying on mobilization of Type 1 and Type 2 teams. "Increasing the skills and availability of locally based Type 3 teams will lead to effective extended attack," he said. "When successful, the need for mobilization of higher cost Type 1 or 2 teams is negated." He said Type 3 teams that use local firefighters and support will reduce costs; the teams could coordinate extended attack and provide for safety through increased supervision, command, and control. "Most importantly," he said, "these teams will have knowledge of the local conditions and landscapes that will help them make good informed decisions. Within the first few hours of a fire start, they can be very effective in controlling the fire quickly by establishing a competent management organization."
DANIELS PLEADS NOT GUILTYJANUARY 30 -- SPOKANE, WA: A trial was set today for March 26 for the federal charges against Ellreese Daniels, incident commander on the Thirtymile Fire. He's charged with four felony counts of involuntary manslaughter and seven counts of lying to federal investigators in the deaths of four firefighters on the 2001 fire that killed four firefighters and injured several others. His attorney entered pleas of not guilty on his behalf today in U.S. District Court in Spokane. Despite a recent groundswell of support for Daniels among wildland firefighters, there was no crowd at the courthouse. A witness said he "had a couple of friends there." The 46-year-old Leavenworth man was the incident commander on the fatal fire in the Chewuch River Canyon in eastern Washington. His federal defense attorney, Tina Hunt, says that Daniels welcomes the trial to clear his name. An AP report tonight said that Daniels had earlier rejected a plea deal in which he could have pleaded guilty to the lying charges -- but that he had agreed to an extension after the statute of limitations on the charges expired last July. Earlier reports have indicated that this resulted from his attorney's request to further study the charges against Daniels. "I think other people could be held accountable," Hunt said today. She said her client is a "scapegoat," and added that about 15 current and former USFS employees attended today's hearing in support of Daniels. According to KXLY-TV, Hunt said others in the U.S. Forest Service could be held accountable in the deaths on the Thirtymile Fire, but that no one else will face charges. Magistrate Judge Cynthia Imbrogno released Daniels on his own recognizance today. Those conditions were added by federal probation officers after Daniels was cited on January 4 for possession of alcohol, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia -- just hours after his federal court appearance that day. He's now required to take drug tests and to remain inside the state until his felony trial. If convicted of involuntary manslaughter, Daniels could be sentenced to six years on each count -- and a $250,000 fine. The charges of making false statements to investigators each carry a maximum five-year prison term and $250,000 fine.
SENATE PANEL HEARS ABOUT FIRE COSTSJANUARY 30 -- WASHINGTON, DC: The U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee heard testimony today on issues of cost-sharing among local, state, and federal agencies, and comparisons of suppression and prevention methods. Jim Caswell with the Wildland Fire Leadership Council (WFLC) spoke to the panel about the benefits of officially developing more Type 3 teams. The proceedings and transcripts of the hearing are available online at energy.senate.gov and the webcast is online HERE.
BUSHFIRE SEASON MAY BE EXTENDEDJANUARY 30 -- MELBOURNE, VICTORIA, AU: The Rural Fire Service of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) says the bushfire season will probably be extended again this year. Last year, Canberra's bushfire season was extended until mid-May because of dry conditions, according to ABC News, and hot and windy conditions have resulted in total fire bans.  RFS chief officer Michael Ross says the current conditions are just as dangerous as last year's. "Here we are again with another total fire ban," he said, "and it just indicates how dry and how unseasonal the weather is at the moment." The timber industry is concerned that bushfire damage in Victoria's East Gippsland area will have a long-term impact on mills and contractors, according to ABC in Gippsland; about 173,000 acres of mature forest available for logging have burned. The total area burned in Victoria is over 2.9 million acres, and another 20,000 acres have burned recently in Western Australia. The Country Fire Authority (CFA) and Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) crews, with the assistance of overseas firefighters, plan to strengthen containment lines, extinguish burning fuels, and patrol fire areas for the rest of the week.
CREWS CONTAIN 2,000-ACRE HAWAIIAN FIREJANUARY 30 -- KULA FOREST RESERVE, MAUI, HAWAII: Heavy rains helped firefighters contain a brushfire on the island of Maui -- a fire that's burned more than 2,000 acres since last Wednesday. According to the County of Maui, the fire's been burning in dense forest at an elevation of between 6,000 and 7,600 feet. Firefighters say it will likely take several more weeks before the fire's completely controlled. Fire behavior was exacerbated by low relative humidity, high temperatures, and 30 mph winds. At one point, smoke from the fire prompted officials to close one of the visitor centers at Haleakala National Park. Lance DeSilva, incident commander, gave credit to recent work that the State DLNR, county agencies, and community members had done with a Firewise plan. |
The Diablo Canyon nuclear plant produces electricity for more than 1.6 million homes, generating about 20 percent of the electricity used by area customers. The wildlands around the plant feature steep hills covered with maritime chaparral and bishop pine. Bishop pine, though, can't reproduce in a fire-free environment; its resinous cones must burn in order to release seeds. Generations ago, Chumash Indians in the area recognized the benefits of fire, and they used wildfires to renew and invigorate the forests.
The fire has burned almost 1.7 million acres of state forest and private land. The fire is still active in the Mount Birregun area southwest of Cobungra near the Dargo River, according to reports from the 
Hemet's currently home for two S-2T's, an air traffic control plane, and one helicopter, according to Tomlinson, who said the improvements should result in better fire protection, the capacity for larger operations, better coordination, and improved pilot safety.