The courage that woman had to share her shelter with two hikers who just walked up on it is amazing. She laid on top of them so she could take the heat with her clothing. They all three walked away.
Sounds like this operation was compromised at the beginning by many small errors but the most important thing is to ensure your escape route. Why didn't anyone know that was a dead -end road until too late? Well, because things were happening fast and maybe that kind of detail gets overlooked? Having read John Macleans's book about this, I feel that there was a general lack of respect for the topography and the fire behavior. Of course as a civilian I run as fast as I can in the other direction! But still, a narrow canyon with an erratic fire that you can't always see? No heroics on this one!
“The afternoon of June 26, 1990, as I knelt beside a dead Perryville firefighter, I made a promise to the best of my ability to help end the needless fatalities, and alleviate the near misses, by focusing on training and operations pertinent to these goals.” Paul Gleason from LCES and Other Thoughts published June 1991.
I am on a volunteer fire dept. We go out on local wild land fires. Watching these videos is sobering. We seem to not realize the danger in wild land fire fighting. The South Canyon Storm King mountain fire in Colorado in it learning that well trained wild land fire fiighters died should send a message to us volunteers but it doesn't because of our culture of training on my department.
This is a powerful video which I have looked at for a second time before going to hike in that area and visit the memorial. It's the concatenation of small things that causes the disaster. To me, the first definable decision moment was when a spot fire up the canyon was attacked and firefighters left the lunch spot. The second definable decision moment was when the fire itself crossed the road to the west. "Unburned fuel between you and the fire" was an issue here and at Yarnell. As for water comments, the Pagami Creek Fire in 2011 in the Boundary Waters showed what happened when people were in a lake--hypothermia, high winds, and degradation of fire shelters with water. Thank you for posting this.
Like what I heard on the south canyon fire, you gotta speak up but back then it was frowned upon, and even in the fire world now (2010-on up) it is still frowned upon to turn down an assignment. I had the opportunity to fight fire in that area last season (2014 Carlton Complex), but when you turn down an assignment now days you get looked at like your useless. I put my trust in my engine boss but at the same time I put my trust in myself, I read the the sitrep and I go to the morning briefings even though I don't have to
thanks for sharing these vids, im way to beatdown to volunteer anytype of FD, but at least im learning ,and if im ever out in the Forrest and encounter such danger i will have a small bit of info to survive ,God Bless the Souls Lost being Heros trying to Fight this Fire
Fantastic video. Especially now in the 2020's where fire seems to be unavoided each summer, especially out here in Washington and the rest of the west. Thank you to all figh fighter's, and all law and wild life enforcement and volunteers, God bless.
Recognizing early into the fire that the potential to envelop the entire canyon is becoming a reality with the deteriorating weather. Get out before the fire can trap you. If you do get cut-off, get to the best safety zone, as a group, and stay there.
I know almost 0 about fighting fires, but while watching the video I couldn't help but think that the crew's boss could have done more. It's easy to armchair after the fact, but he seemed surprisingly complacent for their situation.
The courage that woman had to share her shelter with two hikers who just walked up on it is amazing. She laid on top of them so she could take the heat with her clothing. They all three walked away.
Our interest is learning. Blame is not learning. Tell us what you will do differently after watching this video.
Sounds like this operation was compromised at the beginning by many small errors but the most important thing is to ensure your escape route. Why didn't anyone know that was a dead -end road until too late? Well, because things were happening fast and maybe that kind of detail gets overlooked? Having read John Macleans's book about this, I feel that there was a general lack of respect for the topography and the fire behavior. Of course as a civilian I run as fast as I can in the other direction! But still, a narrow canyon with an erratic fire that you can't always see? No heroics on this one!
“The afternoon of June 26, 1990, as I knelt beside a dead Perryville firefighter, I made a promise to the best of my ability to help end the needless fatalities, and alleviate the near misses, by focusing on training and operations pertinent to these goals.” Paul Gleason from LCES and Other Thoughts published June 1991.
I'm not the smartest man in the room but I'm smart enough to know that fire don't burn water. I would have been in the river from the get go.
After watching the Movie about Granite Mounain and watching these Vids, HUGE HUGE MAD RESPECT FOR ALL FORREST FIRE FIGHTERS AND THOSE HOTSHOTS,
I am on a volunteer fire dept. We go out on local wild land fires. Watching these videos is sobering. We seem to not realize the danger in wild land fire fighting. The South Canyon Storm King mountain fire in Colorado in it learning that well trained wild land fire fiighters died should send a message to us volunteers but it doesn't because of our culture of training on my department.
This is a powerful video which I have looked at for a second time before going to hike in that area and visit the memorial. It's the concatenation of small things that causes the disaster. To me, the first definable decision moment was when a spot fire up the canyon was attacked and firefighters left the lunch spot. The second definable decision moment was when the fire itself crossed the road to the west. "Unburned fuel between you and the fire" was an issue here and at Yarnell. As for water comments, the Pagami Creek Fire in 2011 in the Boundary Waters showed what happened when people were in a lake--hypothermia, high winds, and degradation of fire shelters with water. Thank you for posting this.
Like what I heard on the south canyon fire, you gotta speak up but back then it was frowned upon, and even in the fire world now (2010-on up) it is still frowned upon to turn down an assignment. I had the opportunity to fight fire in that area last season (2014 Carlton Complex), but when you turn down an assignment now days you get looked at like your useless. I put my trust in my engine boss but at the same time I put my trust in myself, I read the the sitrep and I go to the morning briefings even though I don't have to
One lesson to learn is to know the topography of the fire is one lesson pulled from this fire.
Thank you for this video. I learned a lot.
thanks for sharing these vids, im way to beatdown to volunteer anytype of FD, but at least im learning ,and if im ever out in the Forrest and encounter such danger i will have a small bit of info to survive ,God Bless the Souls Lost being Heros trying to Fight this Fire
12:49
Fantastic video. Especially now in the 2020's where fire seems to be unavoided each summer, especially out here in Washington and the rest of the west. Thank you to all figh fighter's, and all law and wild life enforcement and volunteers, God bless.
Brave men. Thank you seems inadequate for the sacrifices you all have made. The Lord bless you.
By the first break it looked like a 'walk away and let it burn' fire. It does not look like humans were threatened in anyway.
13:32
Recognizing early into the fire that the potential to envelop the entire canyon is becoming a reality with the deteriorating weather. Get out before the fire can trap you. If you do get cut-off, get to the best safety zone, as a group, and stay there.
I know almost 0 about fighting fires, but while watching the video I couldn't help but think that the crew's boss could have done more. It's easy to armchair after the fact, but he seemed surprisingly complacent for their situation.
May they rest in peace. Lets learn from this and be a part of the solution. We lost two fire fighters at Mount Gleason ( my camp) back in 2009.